Public Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Yes, but can your green flash do this? A green flash at sunset is a rare event that many Sun watchers pride themselves on having seen.  Once thought to be a myth, a green flash is now understood to occur when the Earth's atmosphere acts like both a prism and a lens. Different atmospheric layers create altitude-variable refraction that takes light from the top of the Sun and disperses its colors, creates two images, and magnifies it in just the right way to make a thin sliver appear green just before it disappears. Pictured, though, is an even more unusual sunset. From the high-altitude Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile one day last April, the Sun was captured setting beyond an atmosphere with multiple distinct thermal layers, creating several  mock images of the Sun.  This time and from this location, many of those layers produced a green flash simultaneously. Just seconds after this multiple-green-flash event was caught by two well-surprised astrophotographers, the Sun set below the clouds.

Photo by T. SlovinskýP. HorálekIoP OpavaCTIONOIRLabNSFAURA

No matter
where is grows.
No matter the scene,
a Rose is a Rose.

Growing in the garden,
or in morning light,
it retains its beauty,
all day and all night.

 "Friendship is the sunshine of life — the quiet radiance that makes our lives not only livable but worth living. (This is why we must use the utmost care in how we wield the word friend".... Read more at the Marginalian

The Dream Catcher, awaits,
he's searching for thee.
He wants your past dreams
and dreams yet to be.

You may run, quickly,
trying hard to get away,
but your trapped in the past.
There is no more to say.

Admonish me not,
for feeling this way,
if you don't love me,
I'll just go away.

Write of your feeling,
racing through your head.
Choose your words wisely,
for someday they'll be read.

Don't be shy,
of what was said.
Write down the words,
your mind selects, instead.

The Sun came out,
chasing the clouds away.
This is the life,
on a sunny Spring Day.

When the Sun in your eyes,
is from a reflective glare,
sparks the smile within you,
and golden threads in your hair.

I await breakfast,
after sleeping tight.
Hearing your greeting,
makes my life right.

Little things,
brighten the day.
Good morning too,
is what I say.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Reports of powerful solar flares started a seven-hour quest north to capture modern monuments against an aurora-filled sky. The peaks of iconic Arctic Henge in Raufarhöfn in northern Iceland were already aligned with the stars: some are lined up toward the exact north from one side and toward exact south from the other. The featured image, taken after sunset late last month, looks directly south, but since the composite image covers so much of the sky, the north star Polaris is actually visible at the very top of the frame. Also visible are familiar constellations including the Great Bear (Ursa Major) on the left, and the Hunter (Orion) on the lower right. The quest was successful. The sky lit up dramatically with bright and memorable auroras that shimmered with amazing colors including red, pink, yellow, and green -- sometimes several at once.

Photo by Cari Letelier

Thich Nhat Hanh (1921 - 2022) was a Vietnamese Zen Master, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He was an influential figure in the development of mindfulness and Engaged Buddhism. He wrote many books on mindfulness and meditation, including "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching" and "Peace is Every Step." He was also the founder of the Plum Village Community, a mindfulness practice center in France. Thich Nhat Hanh is known for his teachings on mindfulness, compassion, and peace and was a strong advocate for nonviolence and social change. He was exiled from South Vietnam in 1966 after expressing opposition to the war and refusing to take sides. After a 39-year exile, Nhất Hạnh was permitted to visit Vietnam in 2005. In 2018, he returned to Vietnam to his "root temple", Từ Hiếu Temple, near Huế  where he lived until his death in 2022, at the age of 95.

Quote Source: Understanding Our Mind: 50 Verses on Buddhist Psychology - Thich Nhat Hanh

I haven't written,
for you in a while.
When I do write,
I hope you will smile.

Just a little smile,
when my words say.
In the meantime,
please have a great day.

From darkest night,
at last, it came,
a Spring breeze,
with warming rain.

Will you stay with me,
when I sigh,
awaiting the day,
I say goodbye?

Throughout the day,
into the night,
we risk our lives,
without a fight.