Contributor Posts

There are times when
circumstance triggers action.
Be careful as timing is a factor,
to consider, before pulling the trigger.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Bright Mars and even brighter Jupiter are in close conjunction just above the pine trees in this post-midnight skyscape from Vallentuna, Sweden. Taken on August 12 during a geomagnetic storm, the snapshot records the glow of aurora borealis or northern lights, beaming from the left side of the frame. Of course on that date Perseid meteors rained through planet Earth's skies, grains of dust from the shower's parent, periodic comet Swift-Tuttle. The meteor streak at the upper right is a Perseid plowing through the atmosphere at about 60 kilometers per second. Also well-known in in Earth's night sky, the bright Pleides star cluster shines below the Perseid meteor streak. In Greek myth, the Pleiades were seven daughters of the astronomical titan Atlas and sea-nymph Pleione. The Pleiades and their parents' names are given to the cluster's nine brightest stars. Gallery: Perseid Meteor Shower 2024 and Aurorae

Photo by Clear Skies

The winds of August,
will soon come to call.
The winds of August,
in the north, is called Fall.

Autumn, the season between,
Summer and Winter.
The equinox, September 21-22,
ending the 21-22nd of December.

When the winds of Autumn,
began to blow,
the days grow shorter,
this much I know.

A time to reflect, the change
in our lives, so fine,
when things we love,
may turn sublime.

Long may the winds of autumn,
continue to Fall,
for it is a favorite season,
of change for all.

A small fire,
with embers bright,
a perfect place to
contemplate tonight.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

This was an unusual night. For one thing, the night sky of August 11 and 12, earlier this week, occurred near the peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. Therefore, meteors streaked across the dark night as small bits cast off from Comet Swift-Tuttle came crashing into the Earth's atmosphere. Even more unusually, for central Germany at least, the night sky glowed purple. The red-blue hue was due to aurora caused by an explosion of particles from the Sun a few days before. This auroral storm was so intense that it was seen as far south as Texas and Italy, in Earth's northern hemisphere. The featured image composite was built from 7 exposures taken over 26 minutes from Ense, Germany. The Perseids occur predictably every August, but auroras visible this far south are more unusual and less predictable. Gallery: Perseid Meteor Shower 2024 and Aurorae

Photo by Chantal Anders

Do others see
all our frailties,
when we are alone,
and fearful?

A vertical line,
a hazardous plane.
I'm on the edge,
of going insane.

Unsure of what
is happening to me.
Do you know of
what I can see?

Asking the same question,
over and over again,
makes me question,
will there be pain?

I don't like pain pills,
but have been asked,
would you take them,
if the pain has been tasked?

Yes, I would,
if need be,
but I want my mind
to be clear and free.

Strangers we are,
when we are born.
Strangers still,
when our lives are worn.

It can be surprising,
when we see the
weakness in ourselves.
No rush to judgement,
it's just the way it is.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What's that on the horizon? When circling the Earth on the International Space Station early last month, astronaut Matthew Dominick saw an unusual type of lightning just beyond the Earth's edge: a gigantic jet. The powerful jet appears on the left of the featured image in red and blue. Giant jet lightning has only been known about for the past 23 years. The atmospheric jets are associated with thunderstorms and extend upwards towards Earth's ionosphere. The lower part of the frame shows the Earth at night, with Earth's thin atmosphere tinted green from airglow. City lights are visible, sometimes resolved, but usually creating diffuse white glows in intervening clouds. The top of the frame reveals distant stars in the dark night sky. The nature of gigantic jets and their possible association with other types of Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) such as blue jets and red sprites remains an active topic of research. Growing Gallery: Perseid Meteor Shower 2024 and Aurorae