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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What if Saturn disappeared? Sometimes, it does. It doesn't really go away, though, it just disappears from view when our Moon moves in front. Such a Saturnian eclipse, more formally called an occultation, was visible along a long swath of Earth -- from Peru, across the Atlantic Ocean, to Italy -- only a few days ago. The featured color image is a digital fusion of the clearest images captured during the event and rebalanced for color and relative brightness between the relatively dim Saturn and the comparatively bright Moon. Saturn and the comparative bright Moon. The exposures were all taken from Breda, Catalonia, Spain, just before occultation. Eclipses of Saturn by our Moon will occur each month for the rest of this year. Each time, though, the fleeting event will be visible only to those with clear skies -- and the right location on Earth. Gallery: Moon Eclipses Saturn in August 2024

Photo by Pau Montplet Sanz

"Over the past four years, Congress and state governments have worked hard to prevent the aftermath of the 2024 election from descending into the chaos and threats to democracy that occurred around the 2020 U.S. presidential election" ....and  "Technology experts are working to confront misinformation campaigns and vulnerabilities in election systems. But untouched in all of these improvements is the underlying structure of presidential elections – the Electoral College.
More at The Conversation ➜

Here I am,
with a mind too frail.
I believe I am in
an old mental jail.

Thoughts move slowly,
most of the time.
It makes it harder,
if my words are to rhyme.

Why rhyme words,
where there is no meaning.
It's because it was the way
I found myself leaning.

One never knows,
is what I will say
as I plan on doing it,
in my very own way.

I rode a black horse,
wearing a white hat.
He looked funny,
being dressed like that.

My mind is full,
of useless information.
I wish my mind would
gain some exhilaration,

of writing words,
clear and concise.
It would be great,
and so very nice.

Too many thoughts,
about the end of life,
when reflecting about,
the loss of my wife.

Now here I am,
faced with a dilemma.
I think I may need
another brain enema.

Latin proverb sometimes attributed to Virgil as "Destitutus ventis, remos adhibere." It translates as “If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.”
The proverb emphasizes self-reliance and the importance of taking action instead of waiting for conditions to improve. 

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Did you see it? One of the more common questions during a meteor shower occurs because the time it takes for a meteor to flash is similar to the time it takes for a head to turn. Possibly, though, the glory of seeing bright meteors shoot across the sky -- while knowing that they were once small pebbles on another world -- might make it all worthwhile, even if your observing partner(s) can't always share in your experience. The featured video is composed of short clips taken in Inner Mongolia, China during the 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower. Several bright meteors were captured while live-reaction audio was being recorded -- just as the meteors flashed. This year's 2024 Perseids also produced many beautiful meteors. Another good meteor shower to watch for is the Geminids which peak yearly in mid-December, this year with relatively little competing glow from a nearly new Moon. Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)

For all you remember,
you will one day forget,
for memories are fleeting.
You should always let

others, you know,
to resolve cases,
before yuor memories,
run out of safe places.

When I was a young teenager,
not old enough to drive,
my father, got me a job,
herding cattle, for a small,
company. I had never ridden
a horse before. It was ok, as the
horse, unlike myself, knew what
to do and did, to my consternation.

Riding a horse,
hazing cattle,
for 8 hours,
in the saddle,
I started to babble,

about all the great,
things in my young life.
I hadn't yet, met my
soon to be beautiful wife.

Great memories, pop up
from my past.
I never thought they
would always last.

Shattered glass, from a windowpane,
lay strewn on the floor, bare.
Was it a rock or stone?
Do you care?

Life is full of minutia events,
about people who, on the street,
have set up housekeeping in tents.
Is this for real on our local beat?

Do we not care for others
who don't meet our view,
of how to live life,
or is it just you.

Out of sight,
out of mind,
yet that does nothing.
Should we be kind?

Training the needy,
so, they can work.
Is this too difficult?
Why do we shirk?