No, my friends, unfortunately I still lack the time to feed this blog properly, with the long posts I plan to write. But in the meanwhile I may as well call your attention to a couple of posts in a blog called Daily Kos, which gather together a very, very nice set of photos (mostly) of pretty much all of the Solar System planets, satellites and minor bodies that have been imaged by spacecraft thus far.

You can find the first part here, showing us the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter and Saturn, the planetary moons Luna, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea and Titan, the minor moons Phobos, Deimos, Amalthea, Thebe, Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Epimetheus, Janus, Telesto, Calypso and Helene, and the minor bodies Itokawa, Eros, Ida (and Dactyl), Gaspra, Mathilde, Šteins, Annefrank, Borrelly, Wild 2, Tempel 1 and Halley.

The second part, found here, features the planets Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris, the planetary moons Iapetus, Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, Triton and Charon, the minor moons Hyperion, Phoebe, Puck, Larissa and Proteus and the minor body (albeit dwarf planet candidate) Quaoar, plus a bunch of schematics and plots.

Wonderful stuff. Enjoy.

http://www.colonyworlds.com/2009/11/the-7-future-wonders-of-the-solar-system.html

I stumbled across this post listing possible future wonders of the solar system. A lot of their really great ideas are based on current ideas in Science and Technology. Too bad I am alive now because I would really like to visit the Bio Gardens of Luna Maria…

როგორი იქნებოდა დედამიწა იმ შემთხვევაში მას რომ პლანეტა სატურნის მსგავსად ასტეროიდული რკალი ჰქონოდა. ვიდეოში ნაჩვენებია ისიც თუ როგორ გამოჩნდებოდა ეს რკალი დედამიწის ზედაპირიდან.

Jupiter the giant ruler of Sagittarius

This year the heavy burden of change in earth’s systems, world governments and weather patterns is sometimes laid at Scorpio’s door. But a much greater force was at work: Saturn, the great planet of sidereal change, slowly and inexorably moved out of the communicative and meticulously-ordered earth-sign of Virgo, where he has ruled, written in stone, made careful lists and acted in a predictable manner for the last three years. On October 29th 2009, he entered Libra, the zodiac sign of partnerships, cooperative ventures, balance and – above all – change.

Changes at the end of the year are expected as we in the Northern hemisphere descend into winter; but Saturn’s influence is huge. Just as the moon affects earth’s ocean tides, the ringed giant’s great orb reaches from its distant position in the sixth solar orbit to touch and move this little world of ours in the third planetary belt round the sun.

At the beginning of November this huge astrological catalyst of change had already joined forces with the sun in Scorpio and world mayhem, freak weather systems, and cultural upheaval were apparent: floods, tsunamis and out-of-season storms added to wars and conflict, famine and a breakdown in communications in both Old and New worlds. We are only now recovering from the effects of drought and starvation in some African regions and deluge and homeless scenarios in the North.

Saturn the planet of change and upheaval

It is a surprise and relief when, following the double Scorpionic portion dished out to us in mid-November by the New Moon, that Saturn’s new position in Libra should be accentuated by the sun’s transition on November 22nd into jovial Sagittarius. This zodiac sign is ruled by abundant Jupiter. It allows us a respite, a time to remember our place on the planet, our blessings, our way forward. But it, too, heralds change.

Sagittarius is a fire sign, sent to melt the icy waters Scorpio dragged in with its lethal tail. The archer, sunny of disposition and sending arrows presaging abundant flow to come, allows the glow of Thanksgiving and a glimpse towards the festivities of midwinter, but he reminds us that more work is round the corner as we are moving into a New Age. It helps to know, however that his ruler, Jupiter presently stands with Neptune, the planet of change and the spiritual, the mystical and unknown in forward-looking Aquarius; so our path, while difficult, is overseen by angels.

A trusted astrologer friend says:
“November 22-30: This is a highly creative time. Pay attention and focus on the little signs. Push the boundaries of what you perceive possible. Stretch your imagination. Resist the temptations of the status quo. Ask the right questions, ‘why not’ and ‘what if’. Be brave.

“Mostly just be in your own spirit, take time to meditate, try to remember that the Universe is ordering things in right timing; that in moving from a place of trusting, your own ability and power to create will open up. Spend time with others you like to be around and keep cutting clutter and non-essentials from your life.”

As the month draws to a close, we are being challenged to seek even greater clarity and depth of meaning in life, in our relationships, in our day-to-day interaction with others, work colleagues, family and strangers alike, so that we start to evolve in spiritual understanding of our place on this special planet Earth.

And at month-end, as we move into December, Mercury aspects challenge us to release stress and restore clarity of thinking. Mercury the messenger and communicator-par-excellence may get us through the hard part.

December begins with a powerful double-whammy: a Full Moon in Gemini on December 1st coincides with giant Uranus’ turning direct.

Changes and new directions are on the cards – in spades.

But we have help. Angels and giants are around to help us through.

This is an occasional astrological blog posting, as we move through the year. I am aware that many are familiar with the Western zodiac and its implications. However I hope to encourage a friend who understands the ramifications of the Vedic astrological system of the Indian sub-continent to join me in the next blog post. It is a fascinating system, with many parallels with Western and even Chinese texts. I think it will be something to look forward to.

The Internet Archive has provided us another service: NASA’s accumulation of images, videos, etc., well organized in one place for quick access and for use by you as a science educator and for you as a student in need of a great photo for your report on the solar system. The images are the product of work paid for by the taxpayers of the United States. The following statement clarifies how you may use them. Nicely open for access and use.

http://www.nasaimages.org/

The NASA imagery offered on NASAIMAGES.ORG is generally not copyrighted. You may use this NASA imagery for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits and Internet Web pages (personal or otherwise). This general permission does not extend to any use of the NASA insignia logo (the blue “meatball” insignia), the retired NASA logotype (the red “worm” logo) and the NASA seal (the “NASA Properties”) whether or not used in conjunction with images obtained from NASAIMAGES.ORG. Notwithstanding the foregoing restriction, you may use the NASA name and the NASA initials only as indicators of the original source of the NASA imagery.

A credit line should be used in connection with the images and should read “NASA/courtesy of nasaimages.org.”

The internet is opening our eyes to the world around us, and with this new site, it is also opening our eyes to the universe beyond our planet, too.

Enjoy.

Something that I sometimes wonder about in relation to this study is the idea of destiny. The reason that anyone studies this particular unconfirmed field is to try to get a heads up  on a future which is already dead certain. What I mean by this is that somehow, there is a destiny which is already fact and that although our lives are only in the making, although our lives are incomplete and lacking at the moment, the idea that there is something definite in the future is tantalising and promising.

But, no matter how much I study, I will never fully “know” the future. I will never understand that I might be different at some future time, just as I had been different in the past. The scope of emotion that I have experienced in life, I would never have dreamed of in childhood. As a child there was no worry, no sadness, no disappointment, but those things came just as they come to all.

A chart though contains more potential than what is lived at the moment in which one looks at it. This is part of the reason for study. It´s the fact that you can find things that you would have never before dreamed of. There is more potential than what you are able to garner in one look. What is there in this life that is worth living for? What is there in the chart which makes this life worth living for? In part it requires you to remain open and unconscious about the possibilities, but in a like manner, cautious about the possible dangers. For there is the same possibility for harshness as there is for joy.

In some ways the stars appear to look a little like Heaven. According to the ancient Greeks, Heaven and Hell were in fact one place, and your life in the afterlife could be pleasant or it could be nasty, (carrying a large rock which always roles back, or carrying water with a sieve), depending on actions and deeds on Earth.

Let´s say though, for argument´s sake that there is no real afterlife, that for all purposes, this is the only life that we get. In this case, the Heavens are a kind of reflection of what´s going on down here. Only studying the paths of the demigods, (the planets) may give us clues as to the paths that we ourselves are likely to take. Heaven obviously does continue, and according to the ancient tradition, the gods, (though I don´t deny a prime mover), the gods as represented by the planets are in fact jealous of our mortality, because it makes our lives so much the more precious.

Our lives really are precious, in the case that there is only one life. But, what say, if your life is more like a tragedy? There is no chance at a replay. This is where I get stuck. This is where I find I can´t escape despite my best efforts. In one sense, it should then be our duty to have some faith, that all will eventually work out the way it ought to. Perhaps the fact that it is impossible to know all that a life contains from the start is another small aid in getting through the tough times.

What kind of life is rewarded? What kind of attitude is given happiness? The rewards that come to those that are of the nature of Mars are immediate, they are probably pleasurable and exciting, but they are gone just as fast, and the down side is that of danger. The rewards in life that come to those of the nature of Saturn or Venus will probably not be apparent at the beginning, it looks grim or shoddy, or inadequate, but it probably lasts right until the very end. With this view in mind it does not profit us to look at what other people get in life and compare notes or even try and garner what might be your own fate through similarity of planetary force.

Jupiter trine Venus persons might be incredibly lucky, they might have a permanent party, all of the friends they could wish for etc. etc. and this is cause of much misery for the Venus-Saturn person who must sit next door listening to other people having fun while contemplating the reasons for not being popular, for being a social reject. Bu perhaps in ten years time Saturn-Venus will have someone love them solidly, and permanently and despite all imperfection, while Jupiter is on the next empty and soulless relationship based on appearance and excess.

What does destiny say about the life as a whole rather than the life as viewed from the perspective of someone only interested in the “now”? IT is said that “God created Heaven and Earth.” In heaven we see the stars and planets, which in my opinion are what the ancients believed to be gods, and which in a sense are in fact forms of higher power, demigods perhaps. The final word though, the final word is that if there is a singular thought that runs through everything, then there can´t truly be anything that is bad, or rather there can´t be anything that isn´t pre-destined, or part of the plan and therefor it cannot be bad.

What is the meaning of the suffering that I go through now? Or that I went through two years ago? According to the stars it changed my attitudes in certain ways by being a transit to my third ruler. What was the meanin of that mental suffering? In one sense it was a stretching of the mental muscles. And it is a well known fact that muscles do not grow unless they are trained through the strenuous if not at times painful exercise. “No pain no gain…” A lot of people interested in the stars look at a transit and are glad that it´s over once it´s over and consider it as one would consider a tragic act of random fortune. I´ve stipulated here that there is no random act of fortune, because the stars are put there by God, whoever he may be, benevolent or not.

So what does this have to do with anything? It´s the idea of destiny, the idea of suffering the pains of life by “being good” in order to reap the rewards in the “afterlife” or more to my taste, the life which we haven´t yet lived, but which is definitely projectionable and visible on the horizon. To suffer loneliness will create the appreciation for company, not just the appreciation, but the desire and the need for partnership. To suffer stupidity or to suffer powerlessness will give rise to talent, to adaptability. The idea is not that the FATE of our lives is random, cruel and unprecedented, but that because it comes from one  mind, that there is reason behind the current suffering in whatever from it may take.

The things that are most lacked will be the things that are most compensated. It seems that humanity tilts itself in the opposite direction from where it is, whether it is instant or whether it takes years. It´s the idea that everything is not realised that is important to keep in mind. It´s what we don´t have now, and ask for and pray for that may be ours tomorrow or later on in the future. One of the steps towards this materialization is that of imagination, of thinking and creating a blueprint of what it is that you want to create. Persistence pays, this is why Saturn is associated with achievement, with things that last, with a very moderate amount of happiness each day for the rest of your life.

This dialogue isn´t finished yet, because the full extent of it´s possible realisation isn´t apparent and because the mind that has written it isn´t satisfied with the philosophical clarity which it is meant, or designed to bring. Part of it is a reason in order to have faith that the present time is how it is meant to be as a foundation for greater future things. Part of it is a reconciliation with the apparent seeming randomness of life. There is nothing random, and it is difficult to believe this. When as individuals we strive and struggle, it is impossible to think that those struggles are in fact destined in the same way that other things in life appear to be destined. When you feel pain, you do not accept that the pain is in fact part of the plan. Pain is inconceivable to be part of some divine plan, it´s practically incomprehensible. Though, as an argument it might be said that the birthpains of a mother make her realise that a child is serious business, and the pain is part of the reason for the protection she eventually gives.

There is more to this…

This is the first of a series of articles aimed at those new to astrology: most people have ever only encountered sun-sign astrology as entertainment in newspapers and magazines, but there is a lot more to it than that! I hope that this article, and the rest in the series, will provide the curious with information to the contrary.

So, what is astrology all about? Astrology is primarily an art of observation and the skill of being able to put together many small parts to form a single picture of a person, an event, a question, or a timeline. It is often referred to as a ’science’ by some of its practitioners, but what does this mean? The science of what? ‘Science’ is a word that can mean anything the person using it wants to.

Scientia literally refers to a body of knowledge which can be applied over and over reliably – in this, astrology can be considered a science. However, it is not a science as we currently understand the use of the word – it is more akin to a mixture of art, psychology and topography. The reason I do not refer to astrology as a science, but rather, as a discipline, is to distinguish it from the material sciences that we are familiar with. Astrology cannot be compared to these.

Astrology is bound up in technical, practical, intuitive and spiritual practises. Some practitioners divorce it from the latter, which is unfortunate. Most Continental and Indo-European cultures have astrology imbued into its spiritual, religious, medical and philosophical fibre. Have you ever heard someone described as ‘melancholic’ or ‘jovial’? What about ‘venereal disease’ or ‘martial’? These are all terms derived from astrology. The motif of the four fixed signs of the zodiac is common in old churches – the angel, the eagle, the winged bull and the winged lion often seen in cathedrals originally referred to Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus and Leo (with all four images linking, way back, to Sumerian iconography), but were assigned the names of four of the apostles to Christianise them.

Nearly everyone these days knows their ’sign’ – their sun sign, which is commonly understood as being that you are born at a certain time of year, and hence fall into one of twelve categories. Many people find their sun-sign to be reasonably accurate…about just as many find that is means very little to them and has little descriptive property, and some actually find their sun-sign qualities seem antagonistic, and may even hate their sign!

In Classical astrology, the Sun is not the sole deciding factor in determining a nativity – all seven of the celestial bodies (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) were involved, and any one of these might be the ruling planet in a person’s psychological and physical make-up. Typically, when someone learns what their ruling planet and associated sign is, the world of astrology opens up and for most, suddenly makes perfect sense.

Astrology is more than what most people understand it to be, both in terms of depth of meaning and in technical complexity. The basic elements are the planets (7 classical bodies, a total of 10 if you count Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Chiron), the Cardinal Points (Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant, and Imum Coeli), twelve signs, and twelve houses (the sectors of the Celestial Sphere). If you include other chart elements, you can have up to 20 points…taking just the basics mentioned up there, you end up with 2016 possible combinations – and that isn’t counting things like aspects (the links between planets – there are 6 commonly used aspects), midpoints, Arabic Parts…you get the gist.

This study of the planets and their motions within the signs and houses is far more than just the one determining factor, and every natal chart – like every person – is unique and reflects the complexity of the universe in which we live, and the one that we carry within ourselves. Astrology is not only used for nativities, or birth charts – it can be used for questions, the placement of events, locating lost objects, predicting the weather and watching historical events unfold. The planets have an every day effect on our lives, physically and metaphysically. We are cocooned within the protective Heliosheath produced by our Sun. The Moon effects the tides, the growth of plants, and the cycles of many women. Jupiter has an active role in shielding the Earth from large meteors. And for some reason, the planets seem to correlate to events which happen here, from the smallest to the largest. Whether a woman in New York has lost her keys or a city falls to war, the incident is reflected in the motion of our solar system with uncanny accuracy.

How does it work? I have my personal theories, and there has been much speculation over the centuries as to how astrology is so effective. It does not respond well to (materialist) science’s attempts to apply statistics to it, for the same reason that statistics cannot be used to track every woman who loses her keys across the world – the variety of subjective experience remains outside any ability to normalise it. Every nativity, horary (question), electional (event), mundane (global events) or decumbiture (medical) chart has meaning only for one given subjective experience, whether it be the formation of a personality or finding your lost dog.

Astrology is a deeply profound study, and this is only the briefest introduction to what is involved in it. There will be a full series of Beginner’s Articles written for those interested in learning more about the Art – the Planets, Signs, the role of the Houses and Aspects, the Arabic Parts, and the History of Astrology. My next post will be an introduction to Hermeticism, and the links between Hermetic philosophy and astrology. Make sure to check back regularly!

I have always admired the Native Ameicans for their honoring and blessing the earth.  This is my giving thanks to the Native Americans for their teachings that we must relearn to save the animals, people, and our planet.

I am thankful for mother earth as she has provided nourishment and sustenance for our bodies and souls.

I am thankful for the oceans, the rivers, the streams, the ponds, and the lakes, as they have provided us with water to keep our bodies flowing.  I am also thankful for them, as they nourish the plants, the flowers, and the crops.

I am thankful for the grasses, the plants, the herbs that provide us the food we eat, the decoration, the beauty, and the medicinal properties to keep us healthy.

I am thankful for the animals, as they are our healers, teachers, and nurturers.  They teach us how to bond and to trust.

I am thankful for the trees as they provide us the oxygen we breathe, as well as provide shelter from the storm, a place to rest, and the food we eat.

I am thankful for the birds.  When we hear their lovely songs and communication, they are our reminders that we need to listen, to pay attention, and most importantly, be still.

I am thankful for the Winds of the Four Direction who continue to blow, purify the air, and clear the clutter of our minds.

I am thankful for the thunder and lightening, “as they welcome the Spring with their loud voice.”1

I am thankful for Grandmother Moon for honoring and uniting all the women of the world to celebrate their cycles and regulate the tides.

I am thankful for Grandfather Sun who brings us light, energy, and allows for the food to grow.

I am thankful to the stars who also provide lightness in the evening, and also gives Grandfather Sun a rest!!!  I am also thankful for the planets, as they hold mysteries of the unknown.

I am thankful for all the unseen things that make everything move, like the “powerful forces, such as atoms, molecules, and spiritual forces.”2

1 Mohawk Sub-Chief Tekaronieneken Jake Swamp, “The Worlds before all else.”

2English, Barbara, Vermont Wilderness School, Art of Mentorship Seminar, October 16, 2005

Busy day at work… here is some science stuff for the “average” Joe

Ours is a universe of energy, from powerful jets ejected from black holes to the raw nuclear fury of our Sun. But, the total amount of energy in the universe maintains perfect equilibrium–no more can be added or taken away.
(1/5)

Play all <–+

Playlist <-+

Un documental de National Geographic muy interesante, sobre los exoplanetas, planetas fuera del sistema solar con unas condiciones muy distintas a las de los planetas del sistema solar y que tienen intrigados a los científicos. El documental consta de cinco partes, aquí pongo la primera, desde la que se puede acceder a las otras. Recomiendo verlo en pantalla conmpleta.

By: J-Fénix

we’d had enough to drink.

we were faceplanted on the lawn. grass

stole the contact lens from my right eye

and the streetlights became glowy planets.

we crawled in the road, boozy

rocket ship babies colonizing and

assimilating and genociding every

last one of those poor bastards.

after conquering the known

universe, we crash-landed

into each other on the porch,

giggling in the dark, sweating

through our t-shirts. we

subdued the earth, our bellies

gurgled,  and we passed out, happy.

When I say Peter Jackson, what do you think of? Hobbits? Giant Apes? Maybe if you’re confused, one of the long-lost Jackson 5? Whatever you may be thinking, I wonder if it matches up to the critical acclaim of his newest film alongside Neill Blomkamp, ‘District 9‘. Now I know you’re wondering what this is about, that is, if you haven’t seen the trailers; movie posters, or heard of the hype from your friends. This somewhat of a masterpiece is a unique blend of E.T, Crank and Transformers, in the sense that the film’s focal point is primarily regarding an alien race, dubbed ‘the prawns‘ hunted by humans after years of being chained to earth and the realization that they’re the good guys. Let’s not forget the intense blood splatters and giant alien powered robots, shall we?

After countless alien renditions over the years, none have the attributes which District 9 so proudly shows, with it’s irresistible to watch docu-faux start, following on through to its comic genius turned crushing storyline and the underlying essence of E.T and Blade Runner crushed up into an original crazy cocktail of consumers desires. With enough scenes to keep you on the edge of your seat, cheering inside, or flinching in fear, its to be said that District 9 is one of the more anticipated and impressive films of 2009. In fact enough excitement has been caused that fans are flustered at the thought of a sequel, which is heavily hinted throughout the film. Everything a film lover could want is encapsulated within this gem of a sci-fi, from radiating blue lightning explosions to the projectile decompresser built into the kick ass biologically powered alien robot suit, or if you’ve failed to notice, a huge, hulking alien mothership over a city. Anything else? Yes actually, a lot of historical background. Whilst District 9 may or may not have been a real event, there were events that inspired it, such as the forced removal of over 60,000 inhabitants of Distict Six, Cape Town. Not only that, the film explores varied controversial issues including xenophobia and social segregation.

In all the films glory, stars Sharlto Copley and Jason Cope have been thrown into the limelight where anyone can identify the fact that District 9 has ignited a forest fire of potential for their future careers. Throughout the film, Copley showed a tremendous ability to improvise dialogue and Cope took on more than 4 separate roles, giving grand performances of the films protagonists Wikus van de Merwe  and Chistopher Johnson. Most notably out of everything is the dedication they showed to perfecting their characters, making their performances both realistic and full of panache. After watching District 9, I was admittedly one of the fans that were hoping for a sequel, with several theories as to how they go about it already fresh in my mind as the credits started to roll, Blompkamp expressed much enthusiasm as the thought of a sequel and he stated in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes: “I haven’t thought of a story yet but if people want to see another one, I’d love to do it.” District 9 is an alien epic, worthy of a place on any collectors or conspirators shelf, a must see.

Massive, bright clouds of tiny ice particles hover above the darkened rings of Saturn in an image captured by the Cassini spacecraft on Sept. 22, 2009, around the time of Saturn’s equinox. During this period, sunlight hits the rings edge-on and shines directly over the equator. The levitating icy particle clouds, which are known as “spokes” and are as wide as 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles), appear particularly dramatic because of the unique lighting geometry of the equinox period. The particles that make up spokes levitate above the ring plane when they acquire an electrostatic charge, the way static electricity on Earth can raise the hair on your arms. The spoke particles appear to acquire more charge during dim conditions and, during equinox, the bulk of the rings are in shadow. That angle of light also brightens features that stick out of the ring plane. Saturn’s exact equinox was Aug. 11, 2009, but there were extreme lighting conditions a few weeks before and after that date. Cassini’s wide-angle camera captured this image six weeks later, when the spacecraft was about 1.3 million kilometers (808,000 miles) away from Saturn. The spokes appear in Saturn’s B ring. Scientists are not yet sure how high these spokes hover above the ring plane. The bright dot on the left side of the image is Saturn’s moon Janus. Spokes in Saturn’s rings were first discovered in the late 1980s by NASA’s Voyager spacecraft. The features disappeared from view between 1998 and 2005, likely because of the angle of sunlight on the rings. To learn more about spokes, click here. A movie of spokes dancing around the rings in 2008 is available here.

Last week, NASA discovered water on the moon.

Water! On the fucking moon!

That dry, desolate grey rock in the sky has WATER on it, one of the building blocks of life! Now it’s obvious there is no life on the moon, but people are once again talking about the possibility of life on other planets.

I don’t really believe in “intelligent” alien life. But I could be wrong: an alien could land at the United Nations tomorrow and demand that we make him our God, right before he uses us all as cannon-fodder in a kickass space war.

Kickass, minus us being an alien soldier’s ”living shield” part. 

 I just don’t believe that there’s alien-life out there that’s “intelligent.” I’m sure there’s plant and animal life out there, but if there is intelligent life in the universe, I think it’s extremely rare. Just look at all the insane environmental and cosmological factors needed for evolution on our OWN planet.

One day, we’ll colonize space. It’s inevitable. We started off as apes with an IQ of 4. Over time, we walked, fought, and fucked each other across the planet. It’s only logical that the next place to go is up. And I hope that happens in my lifetime.

I’m sure there are planets out there with ecosystems inhabited with plant and animal life, both breathtakingly beautiful or straight out of our most nightmarish depictions of Hell.

And when we find these creatures, I can’t wait to eat them. I like to picture the universe as one giant hunting ground. You know that alien in the Predator movies? That’s going to be us!

Earth meat bores me. You can only have so much fried chicken or juicy steak before I wonder what ET would taste like if he was served with cranberry sauce. I hope I get to eat an alien before my friends and family, so I can tell them what it tastes like. I bet it’ll be chicken.

Get to work NASA.

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შესანიშნავი ფილმი, რომელიც გვიჩვენებს თუ როგორ არასწორედ აღიქვავს ადამიანი საკუთარ დანიშნულებას ამ პლანეტაზე. ის სამყაროსგან განცალკევებულ სხეულად მიიჩნევს თავს და იმ კიბოს უჯრედს ემსგავსება რომელიც ცოცხალ ორგანიზმში დაბუდებულა. პლანეტა რომელსაც ჩვენ დედამიწას ვეძახით სიკვდილის პირას არის მისული, მან უბრალოდ ჯერ ვერ მოიფიქრა ისეთი წამალი რომელიც მას ამ „ეგოიზმის მეტასტაზებისგან“ გაანთავისუფლებს, მეტასტაზებისგან რომლებიც მხოლოდ საკუთარი ინტერესებისთვის არსებობენ და საერთოდ არ ახსოვთ რომ – მთლიანის ნაწილს წარმოადგენენ. მეცნიერული თვალსაზრისით იმ დასკვნამდე მივდივართ რომ დედამიწა მხოლოდ ჩვენი სახლის ფუნქციას არ ატარებს, ის ცოცხალი ორგანიზმია და ჩვენ მასში არსებულ პატარა ნაწილაკებს წარმოვადგენთ. თვითონ ფილმი გადაღებულია 1983 წელს და მას მერე აგერ უკვე რამდენი წელიწადია სხვადასხვა მეცნიერი საუბრობს ზუსტად ერთიდაიგივეს მაგრამ რატომღაც სხვადასხვა სიტყვებით. ბევრს ეშინია ამ თემის ირგვლივ ახსენოს სიტყვა „ღმერთი“, ბევრი მათგანი კი პირიქით თამამად საუბრობს მასზე.

ფილმი გადაღებულია პიტერ რასელის წიგნის მიხედვით.

I have never closely followed the newspaper/fortune cookie/ all around wack horoscope predictions. But this site’s astro sign description was eerily close to my personality. You can click for yourself! 

Horoscope Site - www.erosastrology.com

Astro Site works for the Venus-is-in-retrograde procrastinator for:

x Passing time while talking on the phone

x Watching trash tv

x On the train, bus, car… public transport

x Good detox … after work, while writing a paper…

x Good to lull to bed

x Stop and Restart

Download (Right-click and save)

This is made entirely from samples, all but one of them from Holst’s The Planets. It’s a bit monotonous, in part because I was playing with stereo movement, trying to trace the movement of a ship in space and/or of its crew through the sound environment of its interior. I was aiming for things like sensors pinging the void and old tramp freighter engines shaking the hull.

Venus is the second-closest planet to the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After theMoon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6. Because Venus is an inferior planet from Earth, it never appears to venture far from the Sun: its elongation reaches a maximum of 47.8°. Venus reaches its maximum brightness shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset, for which reason it is often called the Morning Star or the Evening Star.

Classified as a terrestrial planet, it is sometimes called Earth’s “sister planet” because they are similar in size, gravity, and bulk composition. Venus is covered with an opaque layer of highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid, preventing its surface from being seen from space in visible light. Venus has the densest atmosphere of all the terrestrial planets, consisting mostly of carbon dioxide, as it has no carbon cycle to lock carbon back into rocks and surface features, nor organic life to absorb it in biomass. A younger Venus is believed to have possessed Earth-like oceans,^[8] but these totally evaporated as the temperature rose, leaving a dusty dry desertscape with many slab-like rocks. The water has most likely dissociated, and, because of the lack of a planetary magnetic field, the hydrogen has been swept into interplanetary space by the solar wind.^[9] The atmospheric pressure at the planet’s surface is 92 times that of the Earth.

It rotates CLOCKWISE

Fans of the hit British television show ‘Doctor Who’ will be glad to know that it’s back, and it’s bigger than ever. Actor David Tennant, who is widely regarded as the most popular doctor so far is set to go out with a bang before handing the famed role over to Matt Smith. Fans of Tennant may or may not know there are indeed three episodes left featuring him, two of which is the two-part Christmas special, so the other episode ‘Waters Of Mars’ will be featuring on BBC one tomorrow night on the 15th November 2009 at 7pm.

For those outside the UK who are Doctor Who fans, you can watch the episode on BBC America on the 19th December 2009, or in the US on the 2nd February 2010.

The ‘Waters of Mars’ will be followed by the two-part Christmas special (entitled TBA and The End of Time respectively.) After ‘Planet of the Dead‘, back in easter, which was named the most aired program on the BBC of all time, it’s estimated that ‘The End of Time‘ will bring in the most viewers the program, the series, and the channel has ever seen with the departure of David Tennant, who is expected to bow out with tear-inducing lines.

Tennant has stated in an interview with The Guardian;

“I remember how exciting it was starting out on this kind of a journey and nerve-racking. I’m jealous that he’s going through that now – but it couldn’t happen to a nicer chap. I’m looking forward to not knowing what happens next. I’m looking forward to being a viewer again.“

Uranus (Click to Enlarge)

Since buying my telescope earlier this year, I have spent countless hours looking at Saturn, Jupiter and Venus. Great planets to observe. But on two occasions I have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of what I strongly believe was the planet Uranus….. easily now the furthest planet away from the Earth I have spotted.

Today Uranus is 2.9 billion kilometres away from Earth and when you look at this planet through the telescope, it may be very diffacult to see. In fact if you see it anything similar to the picture at the top of this post you are indeed a very lucky observer…… and where can I get a telescope like yours.

Uranus is an ice giant and is the fourth largest planet in our solar system. It is also a very strange planet as it is the only planet in our solar system which lies on it’s side instead of standing straight up. It is believed that not too long after it was formed, Uranus was hit by an object around about the size of Earth, knocking it over on it’s side.

I remember as a kid when the only planet that has a ring system around it was Saturn and all the other planets did not have rings. But times change and you find out things you never heard about back then such as that a spacecraft travelling recently past Mercury has seen a long glowing tail which streams behind Mercury in the solar wind like a kite’s tail flapping in the wind.

And so we are then told that Saturn is no longer the only planet which has rings but that there are in fact rings around Jupiter , Neptune as Uranus as well. Even the Earth had a ring around it 4 billion years ago but it was unable to keep the rings stable and thus the Moon was formed.The rings around Uranus are so faint that they were not seen until the space probe Voyager 2 passed over the planet and sent pictures back to us.

Uranus has 21 known Moons, Miranda being one of them. The moon Miranda bears some interesting surface characteristics that astronomers have not seen anywhere else in the solar system. Miranda has 3 oddly shaped regions called ovoids whose outer edges resemble something like a race track. Inside each of these ovoids are areas of light and dark matter arranged like ridges and grooves which interesect with each other in a chaotic pattern. These ovoids are strange because they take up half the diamter of the moon and do not have as many craters in them as the rest of Miranda has.This suggeasts that whatever phenomena caused these 3 ovoids on Miranda was a more recent event which occoured after the rest of Miranda had been impacted by rocks  and left with craters on it’s surface.

With Earth’s moon still below the horizon, now is a perfect time to look for Uranus. It can be found in the north of Sydney’s skies a little above 60 degrees above the horizon. Uranus is the furthest planet you can see without the use of a telescope but i think to see it from Sydney without a scope you would need near perfect dark skies and little if any sky pollution.

(Click to Enlarge)