Contributor Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

On flight day 13 (November 28) of the Artemis 1 mission the Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth. In fact, over 430,000 kilometers from Earth its distant retrograde orbit also put Orion nearly 70,000 kilometers from the Moon. In the same field of view in this video frame from flight day 13, planet and large natural satellite even appear about the same apparent size from the uncrewed spacecraft's perspective. Today (December 1) should see Orion depart its distant retrograde orbit. En route to planet Earth it will head toward a second powered fly by of the Moon. Splashdown on the home world is expected on December 11.

This recipe is easy to make and is ready in less than an hour. It has all of the smoky spices of your favorite beef taco with the added bonus of hearty beans, chiles, corn, and chunky tomatoes.  Read the recipe

A lust for life,
a cry of shame.
You once loved me,
can't recall your name.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

This colorful skyscape spans about four full moons across nebula rich starfields along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy in the royal northern constellation Cepheus. Near the edge of the region's massive molecular cloud some 2,400 light-years away, bright reddish emission region Sharpless (Sh) 155 is at the center of the frame, also known as the Cave Nebula. About 10 light-years across the cosmic cave's bright walls of gas are ionized by ultraviolet light from the hot young stars around it. Dusty reflection nebulae, like vdB 155 to the right, and dense obscuring clouds of dust also abound on the interstellar canvas. Astronomical explorations have revealed other dramatic signs of star formation, including the bright reddish fleck of Herbig-Haro (HH) 168. Below and right of center, the Herbig-Haro object emission is generated by energetic jets from a newborn star.

Photo by Anthony Quintile

Life has grown weary,
with so much love,
no longer here.
Gone to the shadows,
deep in my heart.

Is it trash I write,
as the days go by
or are there words,
you read and sigh?

Whiteness,
how I describe
the first snowfall.
Shrubs, draped
in white.
Lawn a
magic carpet.
Furniture
bearing a mantle
of Ermine.
Beautiful.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Because the Gum Nebula is the closest supernova remnant, it is actually hard to see. Spanning 40 degrees across the sky, the nebula appears so large and faint that it is easily lost in the din of a bright and complex background. The Gum Nebula is highlighted nicely in red emission toward the right of the featured wide-angle, single-image photograph taken in late May. Also visible in the frame are the Atacama Desert in Chile in the foreground, the Carina Nebula in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy running diagonally down from the upper left, and the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) galaxy. The Gum Nebula is so close that we are much nearer the front edge than the back edge, each measuring 450 and 1500 light years respectively. The complicated nebula lies in the direction of the constellations of Puppis and Vela. Oddly, much remains unknown about the Gum Nebula, including the timing and even number of supernova explosions that formed it.

Photo by Victor Lima

My life is corny,
it is not a joke.
Must I now,
smoke a toke?

From out the dark,
crept morning light,
warming the air,
improving your sight.

How alone,
it must be,
when I keep searching
for my love of thee.

Do you believe
in life again?
To reincarnate,
where to begin.

The love I have,
for you today,
is here for you
and won't go away.