Very, Very Scary

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a sight firmly on the Earth. One that would probably make you a bit nervous if you saw it heading your way.

Send Up the Toybox!

An orbital debris collector with "real money" behind it? I'm skeptical about the money mentioned, given the usual Russian approach to space projects (Kliper, anyone?). A nice mention of Quark and Planetes (I'm rewatching Dark Star currently, not mentioned...but that was "debris on a grand scale).

OUTBREAK

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the resurgence of Jupiter's dark Southern Equatorial Belt. Shuttling moons, the Great Red Spot and an occasional splatdown by a meteor...Jupiter is an ever-amazing view.

Migrating Books

Books in the iPad boring? The quest to make books "better through technology" has been going on (for me) ever seen "hypertext" on the first Macintosh I bought. For most books, I'm not sure how "interactive" they would need to be (the same philosophy can probably apply to most "features" to a word processing program...do most people need to embed videos in their documents?).

Magazines seem to be dead out of the gate from what I've read. Never mind making them exciting...make them more compact! Magazines should not be a tad more "lite".

The Space Review

In the current issue of The Space Review we find several articles of interest. Dwayne A. Day looks at the Apollo program. Plans were in place to combine the Apollo command and service modules with secretive reconnaissance satellites. I'm sure the conspiracy crew will have a field day with that! Lou Friedman waves the budgetary flag. And people wonder why I don't belong to The Planetary Society anymore... John Hickman looks at the theme of space colonization as it appeared in several popular works. Bonus points for the citation of the classic work by J.D. Bernal, but here's a corrected link. Jeff Foust says what we all know: NASA is in limbo. No kidding.

Rays!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows anticrepuscular rays over Colorado. These are formed by a combination of clouds and the setting Sun. I've seen these a couple of times and they've even been depicted in at least one science fiction film.

Thin But Rich

Saturn's moon Rhea has been found to have an oxygen-based atmosphere. Not quite at the level we can take vacations there without equipment, but it is significant in that we have now found a second body with an oxygen-based atmosphere out there.

Star Streams and Dust Lanes

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a section of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. A favorite haunt of professionals and amateurs alike, this section of the sky is so dense with galaxies that you need a computer-assisted telescope or lots of patience and a good map to identify all the targets that you see.

Flame On!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 2024, the Flame Nebula. Located at the edge of Orion's more famous nebula, this is one sight (alas) better viewed with a professional scope than an amateur scope.

Stardust

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a portion of the night sky in the constellation Aries. Reflection nebula, dusty nebula and more!

Flow Goes the Universe

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is an animation of aurora over Norway!

Even Closer

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is another (much closer) shot from the recent flyby of Comet Hartley 2. IMMMPAAACCCCCTTTT!!!!

Innnnn Spppaaaaccce!

Technology on the International Space Station. Makes you feel all retro at times!

Dune...Desert Planet...Arrakis...

Well, not quite. But today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is evocative of that book. A dune field in Proctor Crater on Mars, first imaged 35 years ago by Mariner 9, the probe that was the "singularity" of studies of Mars.

Cloud Carver

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 6357 and a star that resides within. As time goes by, radiation (heat, light) pressure from the star causes the gas of NGC 6357 to move, creating the clouds and patterns we see here.

Quintet

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 7319, 7318A, 7318B and 7317, Stephan's Quintet. They are also film stars.

I've Only Seen This Once

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a sight in the sky that I was only lucky to see once, under very dark skies in New Mexico. Cygnus (the Northern Cross) and associated nebula (run the cursor over the picture to get some pointers).

Gifts for Geeks

In Episode 16 of The SF Signal Podcast, I contribute a couple of low-tech no-battery ideas for our gift guide. Links for the items are below.

The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes (three volumes), edited and compiled by Leslie Klinger.

Zombie Dice from Steve Jackson Games.

Space Hulk—Death Angel: The Card Game from Fantasy Flight Games.

Phil Eklund's High Frontiers (and expansion) from Sierra Madre Games.

Near and Far

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a frosted leaf under an Orion-bedecked sky.

Insurance Agent Needed

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 7252, two galaxies involved in a massive collision.

Youngster

Chandra has discovered a black hole that is only 30 years old. Holy frack, I'm older than a cosmic object!

(O.K., O.K., before everybody yells at me...yes, I know how old it really is...)

Home

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson looking at Earth through the recently-installed cupola. What. A. View.

Addendum: A different view of the cupola.

Across the Multiverse

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a depiction of the multiverse concept. Credit to Philip Jose Farmer, Michael Moorcock and others for exploring a hot topic in physics (probably before most of the physicists were born!).

Nice Spiral

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day won't get any cute commentary from your guide (me). M66. A spiral galaxy. Coolness abounds.

Addendum: More here. Another interesting story about Saturn here.

Spokes!

A view of the spokes in the Rings of Saturn. A comparison between images collected during the Voyager missions and the current Cassini mission.

GUCP

The Ground Utility Carrier Plate: A closer view (videocast) of what has grounded Space Shuttle Discovery.

Iris

While I am sporting a red eye (courtesty of an over-energetic Miss Mocha, a.k.a., New Dog Mark 4.0) today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is the Iris Nebula, NGC 7023.

Double Crescent

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows two views of the same thing: a thin crescent Moon and a thin crescent Venus.

Tattoo You

The Russell Crater dune field on Mars. Frost and dust devil tracks lead to a nice mottled appearance.

Bubbles!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows bubbles. Around the galaxy. X-ray bubbles. What mad universe we live in!

Gem Star

A brown dwarf (looking green) in a field of "diamonds". Image courtesy of the WISE spacecraft.

Good Diet

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 4452. This galaxy has obviously been following way too many diet programs.

Writing Device

Harlan Ellison's typewriter is up for grabs. Maybe I'll win the lottery.

Room with a View

The Cupola on the ISS. Wowza!

Two Fast Movers

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a view of Comet Hartley 2 as the EPOXI spacecraft was 700 kilometers away. What a view!

Reflections

Eerie reflections in the nebula around Merope (part of the Pleiades star cluster).

What Mad Universe

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the highly active central region of the very active galaxy Centaurus A. Local eyes could see some interesting sights in their night sky!

Elephant

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows IC 1396 and the "Elephant Trunk" (how many shades of red can you spot?).

Flyby!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the flyby of Comet Hartley 2 by the EPOXI probe. This was the fifth close encounter with a comet by a spacecraft from Earth. Trivia: what was EPOXI before it was EPOXI? Answer here.

Night Lights

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the night sky...or rather the ground at night...from the ISS.

Necklace

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows us the recently discovered Necklace Nebula. A subtle hint for the upcoming frenzy of gift purchasing?

Fermat's Last Theorem

"Bill?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Can you do some equations for me?"

"Sure, what kind?"

"Differential."

"Anything else?"

"Wear a bowtie."

"O.K."

"And don't say math. Say 'maths'!"

He sighed. It was a strange relationship. But somehow, it worked.

Fred's Reading Report (Through October 2010)

Yep, behind on my updating. But the numbers have ended October nicely.

Long works? 88 books YTD. Reads through October included Lois McMaster Bujold (re-reading the Canon According to Miles before reading the newest addition); more Jim Butcher and the exploits of Harry Dresden; two volumes by William Gibson; steampunk by Mark Hodder; various bits of non-fiction and much more.

Short works? Since I started including short audio (as I had included long audio last year), it just goes to show you: I drive way too much. One-thousand, nine-hundred and sixty-six items. Gadzooks.

Onwards!

Jets!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows spicules (jets) on the "surface" of our Sun.

He's Back!

Ansible 280! Accept no substitutes!

The Dead Past. 36 Years Ago, Robert Silverberg wrote a booklet on drugs in sf, now extensively cited in the latest Druglink magazine from the UK charity DrugScope: Marcus Roberts's article 'Dream-Dust from Mars' acknowledges having 'borrowed from Robert Silverman's [sic] "Drug Themes in Science Fiction" published by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse in 1974.' Dr Rob Jackson comments: 'As well as using the surnames Silverman and Silverberg in a randomly interchangeable way throughout the article, he also refers to some bloke called Chine Mieville, and a 1984 William Gibson novel called Necromancer. I have also spotted a Robert Silverman novel called Downward to Earth. (No "the".) If their proofreading is this good in the rest of the journal, I'm not that sure I can trust them to tell the difference even between cocaine and codeine, let alone between methadone and mephedrone.'

Stars in the Furnace

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the Milky Way arching over Piton de la Fournaise.