(Discover Magazine) – Some are bigger, some smaller, but pretty much every spiral galaxy we see has a roughly spherical puffy bulge of stars in its core …

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/11/25/the-milky-way-bulges-with-cannibalized-corpses/

Wonderful images of our local galaxy courtesy of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Smithsonian’s Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, MA. The Chandra Observatory is a telescope linked to an orbiting space satellite that’s specially designed to detect X-ray emissions from very “hot” regions of the Universe such as exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and matter existing around black holes.

It’s hard not to be awestruck by these glimpses of the centre of the Galaxy in which our solar system exists, especially considering that the Milky Way is but one of innumerable galaxies in the observable universe. And yet, some people are still completely amazed by the tale of a “burning bush” on Mount Horeb.

*”The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.”*
Denis Watley

Setting goals is so critical to achieving and maintaining a successful life. Though some goals may, at times, seem unattainable, I believe that any ambition can be achieved with a set plan and drive to attain it. Sure, we all have had unrealistic goals and may even go chasing after them for a short while. I once had the dream of becoming a Broadway star belting out those high notes in Wicked’s “Defying Gravity” and one day becoming, as Mary Catherine Gallagher would say, “a SUPERSTAR!” But, in my heart I knew I never possessed enough talent or drive to make this dream a reality. However, I have set, reached, and surpassed many realistic dreams over my twenty-three years on this planet. As a nerdy student, I wanted to get the best grades possible in school. So, for many years I worked meticulously studying at night, asking for assistance from my teachers and peers when I needed it, and doing my schoolwork to the best of my ability. As a high school freshman, I wanted so badly to become a high school cheerleader, so I practiced for weeks before the first try-out attempting to have flawless Herkes and Russians and to perfect each cheer’s rhythm and hand motions. In college, I wanted to become a teacher so I spend four years at an institution mastering teaching pedagogy and preparing myself for the world of education. For each of these short-term goals, I crafted plans and constructed steps, much like the blueprints of a house, on how I would accomplish each goal. However, no strategy could have ever prepared me for the sweaty, giddy hormone-driven gossip factories that are my middle school students! But, I still love them anyway!

As discussed in my previous post, “Giving Thanks”, some people go their entire lives never finding something that they are truly passionate about. They get up each day with a chip on their shoulder, return to jobs they loath, lead lives they hate, and are never truly happy. They never set goals for themselves for fear of failure or because they are unsure as to what their purpose in life really is. They may have desires and hopes in life but never have enough drive or know how to go about making those dreams a reality. These people attend their nine-to-five jobs, do what is expected of them (never more and never less), and usually never pursue anything of great meaning to them. I could imagine leading a life without passion or purpose would be very unrewarding and unfulfilling. I never want to be a person who gets stuck in the day-to-day grind never reaching for something more. There is so much more to life than a steady paycheck and a mundane life full of fruitless routine.

I truly believe that if you want something bad enough and if you work with all of your heart and soul, never giving up, that you can make any distant dream you have an existing reality.

I am a firm believer in the notion that we create our own destiny. No one is going to make your dreams come true but Y-O-U. Too often people go about their daily lives waiting for the right time to make their dreams come true. They believe when they get that promotion at work, or when the kids are in high school, or when they have enough money that then they can start really living the lives they want to lead. These people go on to realize (as much of their life has already passed them by) that there is no perfect time when all the stars will align for them to begin following their real dreams and passions in life. The time is now. Life is too short to wait for a perfect time that will likely never come. Like Matthew McConaughey says, ‘Just Keep Livin’. If you do, I promise your life will feel so much more fulfilling.

I feel so fortunate to have found my true passions in life at such a young age. For as long as I can remember I have always had three life goals (as well as other smaller goals that I set on a more short-term level) and know that once I have these things and have accomplished my life goals that my life will be complete. One is already beginning to come true while the other three feel as far away as the Milky Way (and no, I am not talking about the chocolately-nougaty goodness wrapped inside the brown and green packaging). Though that would be a nice reward. Reach a goal, get chocolate! Dear God, please make mine peanut butter m&ms!

Life Goal 1- Become a Tenured Language Arts Teacher: Since I was seventeen years old (and maybe even earlier as I played teacher as a child during each summer vacation) I knew I wanted to become an English teacher and share my love of literature and learning with children. With the guidance of my main inspiration, my very own high school English teacher Mrs. Tutt, I embarked on the journey of becoming a teacher. I spent four years reading, researching, and studying teacher practices. I spent numerous hours in clinical placements observing and instructing in different classroom settings. I spent nine weeks in a student teaching placement taking the driver’s seat as a full-time teacher. I prepared my own lessons, taught my own classes, graded millions upon billions of assignments (or so it seems) and assimilated into the teaching world. All of this prepared me for my life as a future educator. I loved every minute of student teaching from teaching content, getting to know my students, and even to those dreaded parent phone calls. I knew within the first few weeks, that this was what I was meant to do in life. I have been blessed to be able to make my dream of becoming an educator a reality the past few years. After graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato in the fall of 2008, I was immediately offered a teaching job at the high school in which I student taught. It was truly a dream come true. I’ve never been happier then the first day I stepped through Hopkins High School’s doors as a licensed educator. I love being a teacher and inspiring, helping, and being a part of my student’s lives. I look forward to going to work everyday, hearing “Hi, Ms. Topp” in the hallways, and teaching my students. I think all of this is so very important. Since we spend a significant amount of our adult lives working to support our needs and wants in life, I think having a job you love and look forward to going to is so essential. I couldn’t imagine going to a job I detest day-in and day-out. I feel so lucky to have found a career that gives me so much joy and fulfillment.

Though I have now found “My Place In This World”, my journey is just beginning. Being a relatively new and young teacher in this economy has already been very difficult. At the end of the last school year, I was let go from my teaching position due to budget cuts. I was devastated. I searched and searched for a new job that never came. I applied to hundreds of school and interviewed for very few positions. I began this school year as a substitute teacher. Thankfully, about two weeks into my substitute positions I was offered a job (or a series of jobs strung together to equal a full time job) back at Hopkins. It felt so good to be back at the school that I loved so much and never wanted to leave. I felt valued and appreciated as I spoke with other educators who recommended me for the positions being offered. I felt worthy. Through this experience I have expanded my first life goal. I began the 2009-2010 school year working with English Language Learners. Initially, the idea freaked me out! All of these children not only speak different languages but some of them know very little to no English… How would I ever reach or teach them? I wasn’t sure I was cut out to work with ELL students but I gave it a try. Any job is better than no job, right? Especially in my dream district! It was a lot easier than I anticipated and I now have found another passion in life. I want to return to school not only for my Master’s Degree but also to get a second licensure in ESL/ELL. I guess my goals associated with my career have and will continue to grow and change as I am exposed to more of the joys of teaching.  Now, after two years of teaching, my first life goal has become three-fold: a-become a tenured Language Arts teacher, b- obtain my ESL/ELL licensure, and c- go back to school to acquire my Master’s Degree in Education. Eventually, I want to get my Doctorate Degree, too, but that goal hasn’t come to the forefront of my mind just yet.

Life Goals 2/3- Become a Wife and Mother: My second and third life goals go hand-in-hand, quite literally through marriage. When I picture my future I have always seen myself as a mother waiting in the kitchen of my cute little house with the pink picket fence waiting for little Susie and Sammy to get home from school. We’d talk about their day as I make dinner waiting for the love of my life to return home from his day at the office. We’d eat dinner together as a family, end the night watching a movie, and live the fairy tale life. Okay, so maybe my dreams are really not that Stepford Wife-ish but you get the picture. I want to be the supportive, caring wife and loving mother. I want a family. Growing up, I always enjoyed babysitting and caring for the younger children in my neighborhood. I remember summer days scraping together money from my piggy bank or the bin of change in my parent’s closet so I could ride my bike up to the convenience store a few blocks from my home to buy kool-aid, mac and cheese, and candy for my sisters and other kids who happened to be at our house that day. Being the oldest child of three girls, I always felt like a second mother to my sisters growing up. I felt responsible for their happiness and well-being. In many ways, even though they are now grown women, I still do. Maybe that is one of the reasons I became a teacher. I like the thought of someone needing or depending on me- even if it is just for a grade, help with homework, or someone to talk to about the latest GLEE or Gossip Girl episode. I can’t wait to be married and have someone to come home to at the end of the day and start a family with. I look forward to the day when I say, “I do” in a beautiful white gown and commit myself to my husband. I know the feminists of the world may gasp at the thought of needing another person to feel fulfilled but I truly believe that through marriage a person becomes absolute. I know that one person is not able to make you fulfilled 100% of the time but through marriage you make a partnership to love and cherish one person for the rest of your life despite your or their shortcomings. What can be more fulfilling than that? Even if your hubby does leave the toilet seat up, watches sports all Sunday afternoon, and works until late evening most nights? I’d trade in singledom for a sports-watching workaholic any day of the week!

I also can’t wait to start a family. I have loved being an older sister (not only to my sisters but also to their friends). There is nothing better than holding a baby in your arms as they sleep, or when a kid looks up and smiles at you, or being told that a child that admires you loves you. I can imagine that these feelings would be even better if they were your own children. I can’t wait to play Barbies with my daughter or go to my son’s sporting events and cuddle up reading a fairy tale or some superhero book at the end of the night. I have the mom gene (no, I won’t be wearing “Mom Jeans” ick!) and I look forward to holding my own miracle in my arms someday. I’m not sure I have met the man I am going to marry yet (and if I have, I certainly don’t know it’s him), but I know God will lead us to each other when the time is right. In all honesty, I think I’ve always been ready for these two life goals and long for them more than the others. I may not be ready for children this year or the next but I know once I find my future husband that these life goals will all fall right into place like Cinderella’s glass slipper.

Life Goal 4- Change The World: I just recently realized my fourth, and final, life goal. I want to change the world. I know this seems like a grandiose idea and an utterly impossible notion but I think I can do it. I don’t mean that I am going to be the next Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi, but who knows? All I do know is that I want to leave this world a better place simply by being in it. I don’t think this world, other people, or God owe me (or anyone else for that matter) anything. It is quite the opposite actually. I know some people feel a sense of entitlement or that the world owes them something if they have gone through some sort of hardship or their lives don’t work out the way they had initially planned. But, I don’t feel that way. I’ll be perfectly honest in saying that my life hasn’t always gone according to plan, but then again, whose has? If it were up to me I’d be married with children (no, NOT Al and Peg Bundy Style), a stay at home mom or famous, and would give back to the world as much as I can. I have none of these things- no husband, no child, no celebrity… but, I still have a desire to make this world a better place. After recently facing some major life issues, some that have haunted me since childhood, I began to wonder what I could do with all that life had thrown my way. How can I turn my suffering into something beautiful and possibly healing for someone else? What do I have to offer to the world? And how can I make a difference? I know by being a teacher I am crafting minds and changing hearts but I want to do more… I think the way I want to change the world is through some sort of public speech. I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been having dreams about this very thing. I would love to travel the country or world speaking to children and adults, Christians and non-believers, at schools and at churches about this very thing: YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. I want to speak to others about shifting from a victim mentality to that of a survivor. I want to talk about overcoming adversity and hardships. I want to show people that it is perfectly okay to grieve, feel sorry for yourself, to be hurt and be angry when something horrible happens in your life but that there is so much healing in getting help and forgiving people who have wronged you. I guess, I just feel I have a lot to say. I don’t pretend to think my life or hardships are any more severe or drastic than others, I just think I have a story to tell and my hope is that I can help others by sharing it. So, even though I have no idea how to go about making this fourth goal or dream happen a huge part of my heart is pulling me in the direction of speaking out about such things and changing the world one student, person, youth group, school, or arena at a time.

I’m not the only one who can change the world. You can too… The world is your oyster; don’t be a clam! You can do and achieve anything you set out to do in life, if you just believe in yourself. You have the opportunity to make any dream a reality. So, set goals, plan, and shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars. We all falter but we all have the ability to get back up and succeed. So, as Ryan Shupe sings, “when you dream, dream big… as big as the ocean blue. ‘Cause when you dream it might come true. When you dream, dream big!”

From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination
Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 12:44 PM
Subject: Re: W(aL)D [Fan Mail?]
To: Tommy Horner tommyboy489

Dear Mr. Horner (a.k.a. The Moon),

I have it on good authority that you are indeed made of green cheese… and that you are most definitely not the moon. I will reserve any comments on your equatorial radius and lack of testicles. While I am indeed old, science progresses at a rate where age may be rendered irrelevant in the near future… thus ensuring more time for me to complete my total World (and Lunar) Domination.

If you keep up this behavior, you will most certainly not be allowed on the moon.

Although, I’m guessing from my blog stats that you have been one of the people exploring my old W(aL)D files. Too bad the beginnings were wiped out in one of the great PittsburghBeat.com crashes. For this studious devotion, your feeble attempts at threatening me will be forgiven. Perhaps one day, you can work up to a position of merit in the W(aL)D army.

Perhaps I need to ramp up the efforts to my World (and Lunar) Domination campaign? Maybe I will need to enlist some generals once again to help in the effort.

I also appreciate your taking the time to write to me, and encourage you to comment on the blogs that you find amusing. There’s no need to login. Just pop in our name, email address, and a URL if so inclined. Use Gravatar or a WordPress account if you want your photo to show up.

Your future Emperor of the Earth (and Moon),
-ERiC AiXeLsyD
W(aL)D

On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 10:59 AM, Tommy Horner tommyboy489 wrote:

The Moon
238,855 Miles away, and rising in the East
Earth, Milky Way Galaxy 27743

Dear Mr. AiXeLsyD,

I, For one, am highly offended by your eventual plans to dominate both myself, and the Earth. First of all, may I remind you that my Equatorial radius alone is 1,738.14 km. Roughly 0.273 Earths. Dominating me is out of the question, for I am bigger than you and wars on the Moon are settled by spirited rounds of Roshambo, South Park style (The Moon receives comcast cable). I have no balls, therefore defeating me is virtually impossible. I also often refer to myself in the third person, which makes the Moon awesome by default. In Conclusion, give up your silly dreams. You are too old for a human, and in your attempt I shall crush you!

Sincerely,

The Moon (Ya Dig?!?)

I figured out what woke me up in the middle of the night last night and, for once, it wasn’t falling out of bed onto a broken bottle of Stoli.

It’s that Dark Galaxy crashing into the Milky Way.

How annoying, eh? Isn’t it enough when a bobcat gets stuck in the electric fence out back and spends the entire night screaming like some retarded tween at a New Moon premier.

Now it’s a massive cloud of hydrogen slamming into my galactic disc. Thank fuck for Ambien, that’s all I can say.

I figured out what woke me up in the middle of the night last night and, for once, it wasn’t falling out of bed onto a broken bottle of Stoli.

It’s that Dark Galaxy crashing into the Milky Way.

How annoying, eh? Isn’t it enough when a bobcat gets stuck in the electric fence out back and spends the entire night screaming like some retarded tween at a New Moon premier.

Now it’s a massive cloud of hydrogen slamming into my galactic disc. Thank fuck for Ambien, that’s all I can say.

Hubblecast 11: M74 (NGC 628) – A Grand Design In A Galactic Festoon.

The galaxy Messier 74 (“The Phantom Galaxy”) lies at a distance of over 30 million light years. In this latest image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope the enormous swirls of this stunning spiral galaxy arc across space, adorned with glowing pink regions of hydrogen gas and lit by the pale blue light of millions of newly formed stars

This video went viral in the skeptical community a couple of weeks ago and whilst I was aware of it, I didn’t have time to watch it until last night.  It is part of The Symphony of Science a musical project by John Boswell designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form.

A still more glorious dawn awaits,

Not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise.

A morning filled with four hundred billion suns, the rising of the Milky Way.

There is something so beautiful about the universe that it almost makes me cry about just how beautiful it is.  Every since I can remember, I have wanted to travel to the stars and walk on alien worlds.  I think I was born about two hundreds too early, but one day we will get there.

Godiva cupcakes, image stolen from their website since I didn't find any.

Our original goal today was to get a cupcake at the Godiva store, mainly because we have a Godiva gift card.  Free cupcakes are sometimes the best cupcakes.  However, we apparently misunderstood Godiva’s website.  Even though the icon that means “Godiva Stores offering baked goods” was next to the Bellevue Square location, we didn’t see any baked goods at the store.   DARNIT!    Maybe one day I’ll be willing to order Godiva cupcakes from their website but (surprisingly enough) I am not enough of an addict to pay $51.95 for 6 cupcakes ($28 for cupcakes and $21.95 for overnight shipping).    Update 11/23: Cupcakes are only available from the website, so I guess I don’t be trying them any time soon.

After wandering around Bel Square for a bit, we headed out to Trader Joes.  On the way, we were sidetracked by New York Cupcakes. We chose the following 4 cupcakes.  (I really didn’t want 4, but there was a discount with 4 which netted us 4 cupcakes for $10.)   The descriptions in italics are from the NY Cupcake website. My reviews follow.

Boston Cream Pie from NY Cupcakes- click to enlarge

Boston Cream Cutie Pie
Classic white cake filled with creamy vanilla custard, topped with decadent dark chocolate frosting and finished with a dollop of whipped buttercream on top.

The vanilla cake was very moist and had distinct vanilla flavor.  The custard was indeed creamy, but I didn’t find the chocolate frosting to be all that decadent: it was a little grainy and too sweet for me.  The cupcake was cute .  Rating: ❤❤ ½

Grand Central S'mores from NY Cupcakes- click to enlarge

Grand Central Smores
Get on board with our classic chocolate cake topped with sweet marshmallow buttercream frosting and finished off with golden graham cracker crumbs and a mini Hershey Bar .

This cupcake is incredibly cute.  I love the mini Hershey® bar on top.  It makes it seem more home-made and less “snooty”.  Review to come.  I’m full right now. The cake was really nice…might have been the same cake batter as the Milky Way, but my palate isn’t that advanced: moist with deep chocolate flavor.  It had a sticky marshmallow fluff sort of filling that I really liked and a graham cracker crust at the bottom…or the crumbs might have sunk before baking.  I couldn’t finish the frosting:  way too sweet.  I guess if the bakery is calling it “sweet…frosting” rather than just “frosting”, it’s got to be overloaded with sugar.    Rating: ❤❤.  It would have been ❤❤½ or ❤❤❤ if it had the marshmallow fluff on top instead of the frosting.

Midtown Milky Way by NY Cupcakes: Click to enlarge

Midtown Milky Way
Our best flavors have come together! Classic chocolate cake filled with white fluffy buttercream and topped with a swirl of creamy caramel and fudge frosting.

The caramel frosting was the best caramel frosting I’ve had lately.  Maybe it wasn’t “authentic” caramel: it didn’t taste like burnt sugar to me, so I liked it.  The chocolate part of the swirl seemed to be the same chocolate frosting that was on the Boston Cream, but it seemed better when diluted a bit by the caramel frosting.  The cake was moist and chocolate-y, but I didn’t think the butter cream filling added anything to the mix.  Rating: ❤❤ ½

I Love PB&J by NY Cupcakes- click to enlarge

I Love PB&J
Not your ordinary lunch treat! Classic white cake filled with raspberry jelly buttercream and topped with a swirl of creamy peanut butter frosting.

Disclaimer:  I don’t like raspberries, so that may taint my rating somewhat.   Mr Shuck thought it didn’t have a distinct enough jelly flavor compared to the peanut butter and mused that it might be better with jelly in the center rather than flavored frosting inside.  The peanut butter taste was very strong in the icing, but the icing was creamy instead of grainy so that was a plus.  The cake was moist and I have no complaints about it.   (Mr Shuck said the cake was delightful.)  My rating: ❤ ½.  Mr Shuck’s rating: ❤❤❤.

New York Cupcakes overall is worth a trip back, despite it being 17.63 miles from my house according to Mapquest.  I’d probably not make a special trip out to Bellevue, but would go out of my way if in the Bellevue area.

ShortsUP, o iniţiativă Oricum si Feeder.ro, în parteneriat cu Vodafone România, prezintă, pe 27 noiembrie, o selecție de scurtmetraje de excepție în cadrul evenimentului Green Screen. ShortsUP/ Green Screen se desfășoară sub înaltul patronat al  Ambasadei Regatului Unit al Marii Britanii în România.  

Într-o perioadă în care mesajele eco sunt aproape golite de conținut prin repetarea lor obsesivă, credem că argumentul care ne mai poate schimba atitudinea față de mediu este EMOȚIA. De aceea, ShortsUP a pregătit o colecție de scurtmetraje răscolitoare, integrate într-o experiență complexă ce include documentare, animații, ficțiuni, dar și un concert unplugged cu Alexandrina Hristov și două expoziții de artă. Evenimentul îsi propune să readucă, măcar pentru câteva ore, puțin din paradisul pierdut prin industrializare și consumism.

Între scurtmetrajele lunii noiembrie se remarcă: Carpa Diem, ficțiune pe cât de șocantă pe atât de amuzantă despre risipa de apă, recunoscut de UNESCO drept cel mai bun film despre drepturile omului în 2007, Becoming, un experimental premiat la mai multe festivaluri de gen desfășurate anul acesta sau Milky Way, cel mai bun documentar la Filmul de Piatra în 2009.

Animația Varmints, nominalizată la premiile Bafta 2009, are în centru o creatură fragilă care se zbate să păstreze rămășițele lumii tihnite pe care a cunoscut-o cândva. Cu ce preț va reuși, în fața urbanizării violente? 

Pentru a face mai puternică și mai memorabilă interacțiunea publicului cu tema lunii noiembrie, ShortsUP, împreună cu Muzeul Țăranului Român îi invitată pe participanți, înainte de vizionare, să creeze obiecte din lemn și din lut împreună cu meșteri renumiți, utilizând doar energia produsă de propriul corp.

Tot înainte de proiecția filmelor, de la 20.00, poate fi admirata expoziția de arta digitală a Galeriei 115, «Back to Nature», o selecție de lucrări special concepută pentru ShortsUP/Green Screen. 

Alexandrina Hristov, una dintre cele mai ingenue artiste de soul & indie, va susține de la 23.00 un concert unplugged în cadrul ShortsUP/ Green Screen, și va expune totodată o serie de picturi realizate de ea, care se încadrează în tema evenimentului.

ShortsUP, organizat de Asociatia Oricum și Feeder.ro, împreună cu Vodafone România, aduce în fiecare luna cele mai titrate scurtmetraje din întreaga lume, în cadrul unor experiențe  cinematografice interactive, în care publicul face parte din scenariul evenimentelor.

Biletele sunt disponibile pe www.eventim.ro sau direct la intrare, în seara evenimentului. Prețul unui bilet este de 20 RON și oferă acces la programul întregului eveniment.

Programul complet al evenimentului:
20.00 – 21.00 – GET GROOVING
Expoziție de artă digitală Galeria 115 – “Back to nature”
Expoziție de pictură Alexandrina Hristov – “Lavmitender”
Inveți să faci oale din lut doar cu consum propriu de energie și măști tradiționale împreună cu meșteri autentici
21.00 – 23.00 – SCURTMETRAJE
Proiecțiile au loc în cinematograf și în sala “Spectacole” din cadrul Muzeului Țăranului Român.
23.00 – 24.00 – CONCERT
Alexandrina Hristov

Mai multe informaţii puteţi afla de pe site-ul www.shortsup.ro

The following is a recently obtained composite image of the center of the Milky Way obtained from the Hubble Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

From NASA:

Each telescope’s contribution is presented in a different color:

- Yellow represents the near-infrared observations of Hubble. These observations outline the energetic regions where stars are being born as well as reveal hundreds of thousands of stars.

- Red represents the infrared observations of Spitzer. The radiation and winds from stars create glowing dust clouds that exhibit complex structures from compact, spherical globules to long, stringy filaments.

- Blue and violet represent the X-ray observations of Chandra. X-rays are emitted by gas heated to millions of degrees by stellar explosions and by outflows from the supermassive black hole in the galaxy’s center. The bright blue blob on the left side is emission from a double star system containing either a neutron star or a black hole.

When these views are brought together, this composite image provides one of the most detailed views ever of our galaxy’s mysterious core.

A never-before-seen view of the turbulent heart of our Milky Way galaxy is being unveiled by NASA on Nov. 10. This event will commemorate the 400 years since Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens in 1609. In celebration of this International Year of Astronomy, NASA is releasing images of the galactic center region as seen by its Great Observatories to more than 150 planetariums, museums, nature centers, libraries, and schools across the country. The sites will unveil a giant, 6-foot-by-3-foot print of the bustling hub of our galaxy that combines a near-infrared view from the Hubble Space Telescope, an infrared view from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and an X-ray view from the Chandra X-ray Observatory into one multiwavelength picture. Experts from all three observatories carefully assembled the final image from large mosaic photo surveys taken by each telescope. This composite image provides one of the most detailed views ever of our galaxy’s mysterious core. Participating institutions also will display a matched trio of Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra images of the Milky Way’s center on a second large panel measuring 3 feet by 4 feet. Each image shows the telescope’s different wavelength view of the galactic center region, illustrating not only the unique science each observatory conducts, but also how far astronomy has come since Galileo.

The composite image features the spectacle of stellar evolution: from vibrant regions of star birth, to young hot stars, to old cool stars, to seething remnants of stellar death called black holes. This activity occurs against a fiery backdrop in the crowded, hostile environment of the galaxy’s core, the center of which is dominated by a supermassive black hole nearly four million times more massive than our Sun. Permeating the region is a diffuse blue haze of X-ray light from gas that has been heated to millions of degrees by outflows from the supermassive black hole as well as by winds from massive stars and by stellar explosions. Infrared light reveals more than a hundred thousand stars along with glowing dust clouds that create complex structures including compact globules, long filaments, and finger-like “pillars of creation,” where newborn stars are just beginning to break out of their dark, dusty cocoons. The unveilings will take place at 152 institutions nationwide, reaching both big cities and small towns. Each institution will conduct an unveiling celebration involving the public, schools, and local media. (Source: NASA)

]]> http://photoshd.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/607/ Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:10:49 +0000 Kedar http://photoshd.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/607/

CREDIT: NASA/HUBBLE TELESCOPE PICTURES

No cabe duda que la gente extraña Electronik Point, sin Electronik Point el movimiento electrodance parece estar detenido, de echo creo que dejo fuera del negocio a dos que tres promotoras que usaban electronik point para jalar raza a sus eventos. En EP nacieron muchos de los bailarines y teams que existen en Tijuana, mi pregunta es Que hubiera pasado si EP nunca hubiera existido? pues sinceramente yo creo que hubiera tardado mas en crecer el movimiento, yo le atribuyo a EP el éxito y la popularidad que agarro el electrodance en Tijuana y no lo digo nomas porque si, no me dejaran mentir, ahora dime tu –QUE CREES QUE HUBIERA PASADO SI NUNCA HUBIERA EXISTIDO ELECTRONIK POINT????

In Theatres Friday November 13th, 2009

(Official 2012 Movie Review Coming Soon)

There have been so many translations of 2012, and what exactly it means. The actual numerical date of 2012 is December 21, 2012. That refers to the Mayan Calendar. On this date, the Mayan calendars “ends”. It stops all together. The reason for this is debated amongst historians and scientists. All I know, is that it does end. I’ve been doing a lot of research on this topic, and what I find is startling sometimes, and at other times it’s not trustworthy…

Whitley Strieber talked about 2012, possible reasons why the Mayans predicted the end of the world in this year, and changes to Earth and the solar system. The sun’s atmosphere has contracted dramatically, causing more cosmic rays to come into the solar system, and at the same time Earth’s magnetic field is getting weaker, he detailed, adding that “cosmic rays can be associated with evolutionary changes”. A cooling process is taking place in the Pacific Ocean, and he suggested that Earth’s climate is going to get cooler before it gets warmer.

Strieber discussed the theory that a mega-comet passed Earth around 12,000 years ago causing cataclysmic changes, and how we cross through this comet’s remains every 2,000 to 4,000 years, which brings about further disruptions. The Mayans may have been issuing a warning about this cycle through their calendar, he noted.

Our solar system appears to have a higher rate of asteroids lately, with Earth having several near misses, and we need to be more vigilant about watching for these objects, he said. Another interesting theory he shared, based on an infrared study of the galactic neighborhood, is that our solar system is actually part of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy. This galaxy is in the process of colliding or entering the Milky Way, which may be throwing the solar system into chaos. For more, see Whitley’s website

Bob Gleason, an expert on 2012, “The Maya had divine revelations and mystic visions which gave them incredible insights, possibly including knowledge of cataclysmic cycles.” said Gleason.

This is a time sequence of the Evolution of our Universe.

Big Bang, followed by inflation, reheating or the birth of matter, birth and death of the first stars, and the ongoing formation and growth of galaxies. When we look out into the universe we are looking backwards in time, looking at the universe as it was when it was a lot smaller and a lot younger.

Painting an accurate picture of the Universe based on the Lambda-Cold-Dark-Matter model, which is the best cosmological model today, we can better understand our Universe as we observe it today, and calculate and imagine what lies ahead in our future!

Understanding how our Universe evolved can better prepare us to be free of some of our forefathers’ ancient cosmogonic mythologies that tell us nothing about the real and observable Universe and Earth we live on, and nothing of our future as a species, and a planet.

We start with a brief discussion of scale, and of relative positions and interactions of the celestial bodies in our own Solar System, moving on to Celestial Bodies in our – and other – galaxies, and in our Universe.

This video series was produced by: The Cassiopeia Project – making Science simple!
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The Qorikancha was at the physical center of the Inca empire, their most revered ceremonial temple which also housed the golden sun disc and was considered where the four quarters of the empire came together.  It is located on Avenida del Sol, in Cusco, Peru.
The image below is of  beautiful painting by the Cusco artist Miguel Cartagena, which hangs in the Qorikancha, showing the important points of the Milky Way in the southern hemisphere and how the Inka related to them. Below is a description which is also hangs in the Qorikancha next to this painting:

Milky Way & llama - Southern Hemisphere

“The deities venerated in the Qorikancha were personified celestial bodies and meteorological phenomenon. In order to understand these beliefs, it is necessary to make reference to Inca astronomy, which is known to us through some brief mentions in colonial chronicles and through the folk astronomy of the Quechua communities of today.
The painting by the Cusco artist Miguel Cartagena shows the Milky way over cusco, in the months of July and August when the ski is clear and most of the astronomical phenomena venerated by the Incas can easily be observed.
In the Andes, the Milky Way is called the “maya” (celestial river). Unlike the Western constellations composed of groups of stars, the Andean culture distinguishes dark spots against the light background of the Milky Way and indentifies them with the silhouettes of animals that have come to drink its waters and darken its shining with their shadows. These spots are called “Yana Phuyu” or black clouds.  On the right hand side of the painting, Machacuay, or the big water serpent, appears. In the centre, two small figures of Yutu (partridge) and Hamp’atu (toad) can be seen. They are followed by the female llama with two shining eyes corresponding to the stars Alpha and Beta Centuri. Underneath in the upside-down position is her  baby llama. The llamas are chased by the fox, (Atoq) with red eyes. In some communities, a figure of the shepherd, with his arms extended towards the llamas, is seen in place of the fox. His legs coincide with the rear paws of the fox.
The chronicle of Polo de Ondegando, dating to 1585, read,  “…They adore two other stars called Catuchillay y Urcoschillay, that pretend to be sheep (llama) with a lamb… They also adore another star, Machacuay, which is in charge of all the serpents and snakes, so that they do not do them any evil, and in general they (the Incas), believed that all the animals and birds had their likenesses in the sky, whose responsibility was their procreation and augmentation”. Possibly, when speaking about stars, Polo de Ondegando referred to “yana phuya”, a concept which is totally strange to Western astronomy and thus could not be fully understood by the author of the chronicle.”

The Milky Way. Credit: NASA

“A new multi-telescope image has revealed the beauty of the center of the Milky Way across the electromagnetic spectrum.”

Author: Alexis Madrigal via Wired Science. Read more here.

I can’t help but post another space photo today because this one is so amazing. It’s the heart of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, as taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

This is where we live, people! To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Galileo first turning a telescope on the night sky, NASA is releasing amazing images of the center region of the Milky Way from all of its major observatories. Go here to see them all in their much bigger glory. The Bad Astronomer provides a detailed explanation of what’s going on in the image above.

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• The birth of stars (shannonturlington.com)

Well it is time to start moving this blog back toward the land of the living.

That said I thought that I would share some fun new images of the center of the Milky Way. NASA released the images in commemoration of Galileo, who turned his telescope to the sky 400 years ago.

This is just one of the photo of the Milky Way you’ll find here: NASA’s Great Observatories Celebrate International Year of Astronomy

Center of the Milky Way

If you’ve been wondering what we have been up to in the last couple of months since the last update you can see for yourself on: mmbenya.com