Contributor Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What celestial body wears the Necklace Nebula? First, analyses indicate that the Necklace is a planetary nebula, a gas cloud emitted by a star toward the end of its life. Also, what appears to be diamonds in the Necklace are actually bright knots of glowing gas. In the center of the Necklace Nebula are likely two stars orbiting so close together that they share a common atmosphere and appear as one in the featured image by the Hubble Space Telescope. The red-glowing gas clouds on the upper left and lower right are the results of jets from the center. Exactly when and how the bright jets formed remains a topic of research. The Necklace Nebula is only about 5,000 years old, spans about 5 light years, and can best be found with a large telescope toward the direction of the constellation of the Arrow (Sagitta).

When the body rejects
the food put in your mouth,
does this have any meaning,
as your life's trending South?

I apologize for writing
about my love or disdain.
For writing of words,
relieves not the fear or pain,
so I will write words to you,
for this is my way, it's what I do.

I have so many flaws,
I won't name them for you,
for my flaws can be more
or they may be a few.
Depends on who you talk to
or these flaws you see,
our mine; I know not of thee.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Is our Milky Way Galaxy this thin? Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky, in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp, colorful image reveals the spiral galaxy's boxy, bulging central core cut by obscuring dust lanes that lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. An assortment of other background galaxies is included in the pretty field of view. Thought similar in shape to our own Milky Way Galaxy, NGC 4565 lies about 40 million light-years distant and spans some 100,000 light-years. Easily spotted with small telescopes, sky enthusiasts consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed.

Photo by CFHT

It was big.
It was dark,
blotting out the Sun.
I was cornered here,
no where to run.
The fear which comes
to you, on a lonely night,
is yours to deal with,
Yours to fight.

My balance is gone,
there goes my chance,
to go on stage,
to sing and dance.
My skill sets gone,
left in the car,
no longer can I be
a singing, dancing star.

Out of the darkness,
it came.
A warm breath of air,
with rain,
to wet the dry earth
and tame,
the day of hot rays,
not blame,
as new life grew
and became,
a greener life for all,
no shame.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The clouds may look like an oyster, and the stars like pearls, but look beyond. Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies 5 million year young star cluster NGC 602. Surrounded by natal gas and dust, NGC 602 is featured in this stunning Hubble image of the region. Fantastic ridges and swept back shapes strongly suggest that energetic radiation and shock waves from NGC 602's massive young stars have eroded the dusty material and triggered a progression of star formation moving away from the cluster's center. At the estimated distance of the Small Magellanic Cloud, the featured picture spans about 200 light-years, but a tantalizing assortment of background galaxies are also visible in this sharp multi-colored view. The background galaxies are hundreds of millions of light-years or more beyond NGC 602.

If sickness comes to our door,
I'll send it packing. No more
of illness, in this our home.
Go someplace else. Leave us alone.

If I swim,
will I sink?
Does it depend
on food or drink?
Stupid questions,
invading my mind.
I'm confused, any time.
I will go away.
I am on alert,
for those warning signs.
Dementia, creeping in on me;
no history in my family.