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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

It's only 50 light-years to 51 Pegasi. That star's position is indicated in this snapshot from August, taken on a hazy night with mostly brighter stars visible above the dome at Observatoire de Haute-Provence in France. Twenty-six years ago, in October of 1995, astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced a profound discovery made at the observatory. Using a precise spectrograph they had detected a planet orbiting 51 Peg, the first known exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star. Mayor and Queloz had used the spectrograph to measure changes in the star's radial velocity, a regular wobble caused by the gravitational tug of the orbiting planet. Designated 51 Pegasi b, the planet was determined to have a mass at least half of Jupiter's mass and an orbital period of 4.2 days, making it much closer to its parent star than Mercury is to the Sun. Their discovery was quickly confirmed and Mayor and Queloz were ultimately awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2019. Now recognized as the prototype for the class of exoplanets fondly known as hot Jupiters, 51 Pegasi b was formally named Dimidium, latin for half, in 2015. Since its discovery, over 4,000 exoplanets have been found.

Photo by Josselin Desmars

I write words of gibberish,
for it helps clear my mind.
I apologize to you
if my words are unkind.
I do not like to write,
for the help which I need,
but do for the readers,
who may enjoy this word feed.

A younger version of me today,
said, " when I get older and grey,
I will learn how to play,
this guitar, still in its case.
Now here I am, "old and grey",
with the guitar still in place,
while my arthritic fingers are sore,
and have difficulty playing a score.
Procrastination, is never a good thing,
fortunately for you I can't sing.

May what ever thoughts,
remain in my head,
unless they are specific
and need to be said.

Sometimes I loathe myself,
for not doing all which I can.

If wheat has a germ,
can you become sick
or is it an expression,
like, "thick as a brick"?
"Don't put all your
"eggs in one basket,"
or is it, a "tisket a taskset?
When a door is ajar,
is it still a door?
If you close the shutter,
how do you throw up the sash?
Seem like doing it this way,
would bring a loud crash.

Of all the things I've done in life,
'twas when I met my future wife.
She was walking with her friends,
as my friend and I were driving by.
We used a smart sexy line,
Get in ladies will give you a ride.
Their response was said in unison,
"Get lost Creeps." Later, we met,
at a dance. I believe it was then
she decided she would give me
another chance, to recover my poor
approach. Funny how life works.
I sit here after 66 years of marriage,
praying she will recover from a disease,
which isn't possible. Dementia, has
robbed her of all her early memories.
She remembers nothing of how we met.
Asks me if I knew her parents.
Words which melt my soul, as I see
her continue to fail and be at a
point, where there is nothing which
helps her do the simple things, in
her life. No matter what, you are the
whole of my life.
She left us on 12/24/2023. God bless you
my sweet one.

"Haiti won its independence from France in 1804, and it was almost immediately made a pariah state by world powers"........"President Thomas Jefferson worked to isolate Haiti diplomatically and strangle it economically, fearing that the success of Haiti would inspire slave revolts back home".........."In 1825, France  sent warships to Haiti and forced the young nation to pay France 150 million francs to secure its independence, or suffer the consequences. Read the full article

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

This pretty starfield spans about three full moons (1.5 degrees) across the heroic northern constellation of Perseus. It holds the famous pair of open star clusters, h and Chi Persei. Also cataloged as NGC 869 (top) and NGC 884, both clusters are about 7,000 light-years away and contain stars much younger and hotter than the Sun. Separated by only a few hundred light-years, the clusters are both 13 million years young based on the ages of their individual stars, evidence that they were likely a product of the same star-forming region. Always a rewarding sight in binoculars, the Double Cluster is even visible to the unaided eye from dark locations. But a shroud of guitar strings was used to produce diffraction spikes on the colorful stars imaged in this vibrant telescopic view. Global Moon Party: Including APOD's Best Moon Images: Saturday, October 9

Photo by Jack Groves

As my youngest Son,
is want to say,
"We all have an
expiration date, then go away."
An interesting thought, as I see,
a rapid approach to my senility.
Put a robe on my shoulder,
place me facing the Sun,
wipe the drool from my mouth,
and your day is now done.

We have a granddaughter,
not related by blood,
who won't get vaccinated,
no matter what I say.
My wife has Dementia
and loves to see
our granddaughter
who cuts her hair.
I don't want her near
to grandma or me,
until she is vaccinated.
Is this cruel of me?

Entering the dim lit room,
it smells of dust
and looks of gloom.
A small light, on the table,
to brighten the space. There is
a jar, of multiple items, some
wooden matches, pennies and
such. Among the items, I see a ring.
Interesting, I thought, a ring lays with
forgotten memories, of love and pain,
about two strangers, who are un-named
lays there in repose, with a dried up Rose.
What a story it must be,
a lost love; an old reverie,
of romantic days, in years gone by;
I bit my lip so I wouldn't cry.
Are the pictures, on the wall,
in this room, of a young lady and
a young man, whose name was Jim?