Orion the Hunter

I’m still somewhat surprised that one can see the Orion Nebula in photos taken with a phone camera now. It was good to see he’s still in the hunt up there, soon he’ll disappear again until next fall.

A deliberately slightly out of focus shot better shows differences in stellar surface temperatures.

Orion the Hunter is visible overhead in a wooded clearing. Sirius shines brightly at middle left, while Jupiter and Aldebaran hang out at upper right. Slightly tighter shot of Orion and Sirius in Canis Major. The nebulosity associated with the Orion Nebula/M42 and other nearby regions is evident even in this phone camera photo. Cool reddish Betelgeuse glowers at Orion's (not photos) upper left, while Rigel (lower right), Bellatrix (upper right), and the belt stars (Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, L to R) are all hotter blue-white stars. Saiph (lower left, under the ‘sword’) just don't get no respect.

Mercury and Moonshadows

Got out for an evening walk with @vexedmuddler.bsky.social and, having been clouded out on our earlier attempt to spot Mercury, we tried again with perfectly clear skies to the west. Success!

As we crossed the old Guilford Quarry Pratt Through Truss Bridge we were joined by a moonshadow.

Seems like an awfully long name for such a short bridge, but… ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Screenshot from the iOS Sky Guide app showing the positions of Venus and Mercury in the western sky after sunset.Photo from the trail, with trees in the foreground, Venus shining brightly at upper right, and Mercury visible just left of center.A shot from the old truss bridge through the trees. Venus is easy to see at upper right; Mercury is dimmer but still visible at middle left.A shot looking down the old truss bridge, with the moonshadow of the upper beams clearly visible on the wooden deck.

Finished reading: The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey 📚

Finished reading: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers 📚

I know this is supposed to be a composite image of M16/Eagle Nebula/Pillars of Creation using data from Chandra & the Just Wonderful Space Telescope, but my brain interprets it as a clowder of AI-generated Siamese cats chasing laser pointer dots through space.

Composite image of M16/Eagle Nebula/Pillars of Creation combining data from Chandra (x-ray, many small red and pink dots) and the Just Wonderful Space Telescope (infrared/optical, the 'conventional' view).

Finished reading: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood 📚

Finished reading: The Bone Clocks: A Novel by David Mitchell 📚

Finished reading: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell 📚

Finished reading: Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson 📚

Finished reading: Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson 📚

Finished reading: Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson 📚

Finished reading: Stardust by Neil Gaiman 📚

Finished reading: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig 📚

ElectroSwing

Imagine that Skrillex was transported back in time to a Prohibition-era speakeasy and landed the DJ job.

Yeah. It’s like that. Love this track.

music.apple.com/us/album/…

Virginia Norwood, ‘Mother’ of Satellite Imaging Systems, Dies at 96

Ever used or just enjoyed looking at multispectral LANDSAT imagery? You have this woman to thank for it!

🌎 🛰️🌈

Paywall-free link: Virginia Norwood, ‘Mother’ of Satellite Imaging Systems, Dies at 96

Mastodon post

We are serious people. So serious.

Niblet the Beaver

This is Niblet the Beaver from the SOMA chocolatemakers in Toronto. Niblet was absolutely delicious. Do check him out if you have the urge to eat a beaver.

www.somachocolate.com/collectio…

Testing… is this thing on? Maybe I’ll just post a couple of photos of Budgie Smuggler to see how they display.

Finished reading: A Most Remarkable Creature by Jonathan Meiburg 📚

Finished reading: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson 📚

Finished reading: The Forest Unseen by David George Haskell 📚