Contributor Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What will happen as this already bright comet approaches? Optimistic predictions have Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) briefly becoming easily visible to the unaided eye -- although the future brightness of comets are notoriously hard to predict, and this comet may even break up in warming sunlight. What is certain is that the comet is now unexpectedly bright and is on track to pass its closest to the Sun (0.39 AU) later this week and closest to the Earth (0.47 AU) early next month. The featured image was taken in late May as Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, discovered only last year, passed nearly in front of two distant galaxies. The comet can now be found with binoculars in the early morning sky rising just before the Sun, while over the next few weeks it will brighten as it moves to the early evening sky. Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)

Photo by Brian Valente & Greg Stein

Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (1921 – 1991) was an American television producer and screenwriter. He was the creator of the science fiction franchise, Star Trek. Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a police officer. During World War II, Roddenberry flew 89 combat missions in the Army Air Forces and worked as a commercial pilot after the war. Later, he began to write for television. More

www.calobphotography.com

I have a fear,
I don't normally get.
A fear of loss,
of money, and yet,

a committment,
made to my friend.
to help her until,
my story will end.

From within the soul,
they came to stay,
those magnificent memories,
from yesterday.

I felt the pain,
in my stomach, you see,
in the lower bowel
of my extremity.

Why the ache?
Why the pain?
Ah, Dear God,
let it wane.

I've walked the,
dark and nasty trail,
in this so crazy life,
I cannot reveal,

what a mess to me,
to be where I'm not free.
Not to be a whining one,
for I see what I see.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Chicago, in a way, is like a modern Stonehenge. The way is east to west, and the time is today. Today, and every equinox, the Sun will set exactly to the west, everywhere on Earth. Therefore, today in Chicago, the Sun will set directly down the long equatorially-aligned grid of streets and buildings, an event dubbed #chicagohenge. Featured here is a Chicago Henge picture taken during the equinox in mid-September of 2017 looking along part of Upper Wacker Drive. Many cities, though, have streets or other features that are well-aligned to Earth's spin axis. Therefore, quite possibly, your favorite street may also run east - west. Tonight at sunset, with a quick glance, you can actually find out.

Photo by Anthony Artese

The angle Earth’s axis is tilted with respect to Earth’s orbital plane is known as obliquity and it significantly influences earth's climate, its weather patterns, and the natural rhythms of life. The Earth’s axis is currently tilted 23.4 degrees, or about half way between its extremes, and this angle is very slowly decreasing in a cycle that spans about 41,000 years.
Obliquity is why Earth has seasons. Over the last million years, it has varied between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees with respect to Earth’s orbital plane. More at NASA  

If I say,
I love you,
would you run away,
or would you do,

what I asked for
and please stay?
I need someone
for me to say,

please talk to me now,
before I go away.
My biggest fear is,
though I would like to stay,

is being alone,
on that day,
when God calls to me,
and takes me away.

There are only two moments each year when the Sun lies directly above Earth’s equator. These moments are the equinoxes, when, at any location, the lengths of day and night are roughly equal. The March equinox happens sometime between March 19 and 21. The September equinox occurs sometime between September 21 and 24.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox marks the beginning of Spring and the September equinox the beginning of Fall. The reverse takes place in the Southern Hemisphere.