Clouds

I’m a bit out of it today, so here’s a picture of some clouds (Credit: NASA– this was taken over the Pacific at the beginning of January from the space station):

The Earth and some stars

It’s a warm day here in Boston (93 or so), so let’s look at the cold side of the Earth (Credit: NASA/GSFC):

and what can be colder than space, here looking at a dwarf galaxy (Credit: ESA/NASA):

Earth and a moon man

I’m feeling a bit lazy, so I’ll just throw up a couple pictures. The first is a beautiful picture of the Earth in the Blue Marble series (Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring):

The second is a picture of two Saturn moons Rhea and Titon very much, well to me, like a snow man (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute):

Merry Christmas

Wishing all a merry Christmas and hoping for Peace on Earth (via NASA and the Earth Observatory):

 

Saturn, the Earth, and a poem

I haven’t put up pictures for awhile, so today I will. As always, click on the picture to get the full size version.

The first is a picture of Saturn (Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona):

this image constructed from data collected in the near-infrared wavelengths of light, scientists designated blue to indicate sunlight reflected at a wavelength of 2 microns, green to indicate sunlight reflected at 3 microns and red to indicate thermal emission at 5 microns. Saturn’s rings reflect sunlight at 2 microns, but not at 3 and 5 microns, so they appear deep blue. Saturn’s high altitude haze reflects sunlight at both 2 and 3 microns, but not at 5 microns, and so it appears green to blue-green. The heat emission from the interior of Saturn is only seen at 5 microns wavelength in the spectrometer data, and thus appears red. The dark spots and banded features in the image are clouds and small storms that outline the deeper weather systems and circulation patterns of the planet. They are illuminated from underneath by Saturn’s thermal emission, and thus appear in silhouette.

The second is a picture of the Earth as if it’s exploding. It’s a multi-wavelength ultraviolet picture that resulted from a huge amount of solar activity–the different colors represent different temperatures of gases (Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA):

And a poem:

If Atropos isn’t ready to cut
And the Furies don’t want revenge
Then may the Muses enter me
That I may do nothing.

Earth, Italy, and a poem

I’ve been remiss these past few weeks, but I now return with a poem and some pictures.

The first is a picture of the southern region of Italy as taken from the Space Station(both pictures are by NASA, click on the image to see it full-size):

The second is a picture of the Earth showing how much is snow covered (this was last November–snow covered regions are in white, with partially covered regions in blue). It’s interesting to learn that 40% of Earth’s land is snow covered at the peak of the northern winter.

And here’s a poem:

The lamp shade has got to go
It clutters my thoughts
I wish I could get it off
And let myself be clear.

Small things and a poem

Like Kevin Drum, I find it interesting how much conservatives dwell on ACORN and the emails from CRU. In the scheme of things these are both small things: ACORN represents and works for the poor and has little real sway in politics, while the CRU emails might show some pretty bad things about these individuals but does nothing to change the argument about climate change since it’s only one part of a large body of evidence.  Perhaps that’s the point. You see, if you want to pick a scapegoat, you don’t want someone that can fight back.

In that vein, here are a couple of nice pictures from NASA (the credit for both is also NASA).

The first is a picture of the shuttle Atlantis, taken from the space station,  in the blackness of space looking small:

The second shows the very thin line of Earth’s atmosphere as the sun rises (also taken from the space station):

And since it’s Friday, here’s a poem:

Oblivion I hear you
Everything I say
Everything I write
Is meant for you
And if it makes it not
To you tonight
You will not long
To wait.

The Earth above the moon and a poem

First, here’s a set of pictures taken every two hours above the moon’s surface by Japan’s Kaguya:

and then here’s a poem that might be talking about space or might be talking be talking about preparing to eat a Twinkie:

A life walks jauntily
Through the open rays
While I watch
It open up to me.

A hundred poems and the space station

It’s a cloudy day here in Boston. I wonder if it looks like this from above (Credit: NASA):

This is a picture of the space station taken as STS-119 performed a fly around after undocking. The cloudy Earth is in the background.

Oh, I might as well include a picture of the shuttle Discovery lifting off on the STS-119 mission (Image Credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar):

I also give you my hundredth poem on the site (do I get a prize?):

Do you feel the east wind
Blowing out the fires lit
When inhibitions flowed like wine
And clouds leaked the sky?

Happy New Year

The new year is moving towards us here in New England (I’m in Keene, NH for the night) and I feel like putting up some pictures of Saturn(the first is really of the moon Rhea; the credit for both is NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute):

And then there’s Mercury (credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Arizona State University/Carnegie Institution of Washington):

Of course, it being New Year’s I should also look at the Earth (credit, in order: NASA–by Apollo 17 in 1972, F.Hasler, M.Jentoft-Nilsen, H.Pierce–by NOAA GOES-7 weather satellite  in 1992 showing hurricane Andrew, K.Palaniappan and M.Manyin, Manned Spacecraft Center–):

and the Earth rising as if for a new year

Have a great and happy New Year.