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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What’s that new spot of light in Cassiopeia? A nova. Although novas occur frequently throughout the universe, this nova, known as Nova Cas 2021 or V1405 Cas, became so unusually bright in the skies of Earth last month that it was visible to the unaided eye. Nova Cas 2021 first brightened in mid-March but then, unexpectedly, became even brighter in mid-May and remained quite bright for about a week. The nova then faded back to early-May levels, but now is slightly brightening again and remains visible through binoculars. Identified by the arrow, the nova occurred toward the constellation of Cassiopeia, not far from the Bubble Nebula. A nova is typically caused by a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star that is accreting matter from a binary-star companion -- although details of this outburst are currently unknown. Novas don't destroy the underlying star, and are sometimes seen to recur. The featured image was created from 14 hours of imaging from Detroit, Michigan, USA. Both professional and amateur astronomers will likely continue to monitor Nova Cas 2021 and hypothesize about details of its cause.

Photo by Chuck Ayoub

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Yes, but have you ever seen a sunrise like this? Here, after initial cloudiness, the Sun appeared to rise in two pieces and during partial eclipse, causing the photographer to describe it as the most stunning sunrise of his life. The dark circle near the top of the atmospherically-reddened Sun is the Moon -- but so is the dark peak just below it. This is because along the way, the Earth's atmosphere had an inversion layer of unusually warm air which acted like a gigantic lens and created a second image. For a normal sunrise or sunset, this rare phenomenon of atmospheric optics is known as the Etruscan vase effect. The featured picture was captured in December 2019 from Al Wakrah, Qatar. Some observers in a narrow band of Earth to the east were able to see a full annular solar eclipse -- where the Moon appears completely surrounded by the background Sun in a ring of fire. The next solar eclipse, also an annular eclipse for well-placed observers, will occur later this week on June 10.

Photo by Elias Chasiotis

Please

Posted by MFish • Profile • 06/06/21 at 10:29AM • Life Stories - Memories • See more by MFish

Please pay attention
to the words which I write,
for you may see a change,
gaining an advantage and insight
of my mind, as it wanders,
from source to another site.
Writing of things; making no sense
or sitting in the middle of the proverbial fence.
The path of this life's gone;
will not return here, anymore
for all of my writings
will lay on the floor,
waiting for someone to soon say
The end is over, he's gone away.

I Awoke

Posted by MFish • Profile • 06/05/21 at 06:19PM • Humor • See more by MFish

I awoke in the morning
my brow covered with sweat.
My nose has been runny
and my stomachs upset.
I hope what I caught
will pass quickly today
for whatever it is
I do not like.
My hair is disheveled.
Is this even a word?
For at any moment,
it is now absurd.
Back to bed now
as it's after 4
and I need to sleep.
Sleep, sleep, once more.

Helter Skelter.
Here and there,
words abound,
they're everywhere.
Some words, good,
others are not.
I should have
been a brave
soul, as this body
wastes away from age.
Life takes it's course,
of all I know.
Which isn't much,
compared to others,
in this strange life,
for I will sleep
a thousand times
before this life is done
and others in this
land of ours,
will enjoy the evening Sun.
Whew!
I feel better now,
so I suppose,
my work on this mess
is now done.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The weathered and layered face of Mount Mercou looms in the foreground of this mosaic from the Curiosity Mars rover's Mast Camera. Made up of 21 individual images the scene was recorded just after sunset on March 19, the 3,063rd martian day of Curiosity's on going exploration of the Red Planet. In the martian twilight high altitude clouds still shine above, reflecting the light from the Sun below the local horizon like the noctilucent clouds of planet Earth. Though water ice clouds drift through the thin martian atmosphere, these wispy clouds are also at extreme altitudes and could be composed of frozen carbon dioxide, crystals of dry ice. Curiosity's Mast Cam has also imaged iridescent or mother of pearl clouds adding subtle colors to the martian sky.

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