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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility this year in early March. Since then the new long-period comet has brightened substantially and is now sweeping across the northern constellation Corona Borealis in predawn skies. It's still too dim to see without a telescope though. But this fine telescopic image from December 19 does show the comet's brighter greenish coma, short broad dust tail, and long faint ion tail stretching across a 2.5 degree wide field-of-view. On a voyage through the inner Solar System comet 2022 E3 will be at perihelion, its closest to the Sun, in the new year on January 12 and at perigee, its closest to our fair planet, on February 1. The brightness of comets is notoriously unpredictable, but by then C/2022 E3 (ZTF) could become only just visible to the eye in dark night skies.

Photo by Dan Bartlett

When friends are nearby,
there is comfort
of being close

A strange moment,
an awkward hello.
I tripped over my tongue,
as I attempted to show
my sophistication.
A few stumbling words,
did not farewell,
as I embarrassed myself.
A job well done.

Across the broad network,
across the great cause,
I espied the movement
of our friend, Santa Clause.

Happy Holidays to all. No matter what you call your respective holiday, be it Christmas, Chanuka or other celebrations. Please enjoy peace and understanding of all our neighbors and their own beliefs.
For me, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

If words could speak
without limits or rule,
would they enlighten
or play the proverbial fool?

Words, sometimes unique,
used for a clarity tool,
when handled smoothly
become a prose/poetry jewel.

Out of the blue,
reaching for air.
Realizing then,
didn't know where.

Stepped on a branch,
made too much noise.
Stop with your drinking,
when out with the boys.

Why do I care,
when I'm by myself,
so here I sit, lonely,
The Elf on the shelf.

Now I'm alone,
what should I do?
You're looking for me,
I'm looking for you.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

This is what Saturn looks like from inside the rings. In 2017, for the first time, NASA directed the Cassini spacecraft to swoop between Saturn and its rings. During the dive, the robotic spacecraft took hundreds of images showing unprecedented detail for structures in Saturn's atmosphere. Looking back out, however, the spacecraft was also able to capture impressive vistas. In the featured image, taken a few hours before closest approach, Saturn's unusual northern hexagon is seen surrounding the North Pole. Saturn's B ring is the closest visible, while the dark Cassini Division separates B from the outer A. A close inspection will find the two small moons that shepherd the F-ring, the farthest ring discernable. A few months after this image was taken -- and after more than a decade of exploration and discovery -- the Cassini spacecraft ran low on fuel and was directed to enter Saturn's atmosphere, where it surely melted.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is truly a majestic island universe some 200,000 light-years across. Located a mere 60 million light-years away toward the faint but heated constellation Fornax, NGC 1365 is a dominant member of the well-studied Fornax Cluster of galaxies. This impressively sharp color image shows the intense, reddish star forming regions near the ends of central bar and along the spiral arms, with details of the obscuring dust lanes cutting across the galaxy's bright core. At the core lies a supermassive black hole. Astronomers think NGC 1365's prominent bar plays a crucial role in the galaxy's evolution, drawing gas and dust into a star-forming maelstrom and ultimately feeding material into the central black hole.

Photo by Martin Pugh

There’s a reason this classic Italian spaghetti has stood the test of time. Aglio e olio is primarily made with four easily accessible, shelf-staple ingredients: pasta, olive oil, garlic, and chiles. Read more

A ten spot or five spot,
a thought in my head.
Was it creative thinking
or something I read?

Original thought,
hard to attain.
Try as hard as I can,
there's doubt, I retain.

Striving to write
words fast and free.
Are they my words
and really about me?

What a joy you are Luda
What a joy to see.
Your spontaneous nature,
your spirit runs free.