June 21 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 June 21

Analemma over Taipei

Image Credit & Copyright: Meiying Lee

Explanation: Does the Sun return to the same spot on the sky every day? No. A better and more visual answer to that question is an analemma, a composite of images taken at the same time and from the same place over the course of a year. The featured analemma was compiled at 4:30 pm many afternoons from Taiwan during 2021, with the city skyline of Taipei in the foreground, including tall Taipei 101. The Sun‘s location in December — at the December solstice — is shown on the far left, while its location at the June solstice is captured on the far right. Also shown are the positions of the Sun throughout the rest of the day on the solstices and equinoxes. Today is the June solstice of 2022, the day in Earth‘s northern hemisphere when the Sun spends the longest time in the sky. In many countries, today marks the official beginning of a new season, for example winter in Earth’s southern hemisphere.

A Laugh for Today

I hope your Tuesday is not terrible!

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may your life be filled with all things positive!

June 20 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 June 20

Rock Fingers on Mars

Image Credit: NASAJPL-CaltechMSSS

Explanation: There, just right of center, what is that? The surface of Mars keeps revealing new surprises with the recent discovery of finger-like rock spires. The small nearly-vertical rock outcrops were imaged last month by the robotic Curiosity rover on Mars. Although similar in size and shape to small snakes, the leading explanation for their origin is as conglomerations of small minerals left by water flowing through rock crevices. After these relatively dense minerals filled the crevices, they were left behind when the surrounding rock eroded away. Famous rock outcrops on Earth with a similar origin are called hoodoos. NASA’s Curiosity Rover continues to search for new signs of ancient water in Gale Crater on Mars, while also providing a geologic background important for future human exploration.

A Laugh for Today

I hope your Monday is not a manic one!

Belated HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

Ok ladies please do not get upset that I am posting a thing for Father’s Day but did not for Mother’s Day. The reason I did not for Mother’s Day is it happens on different days worldwide and I did not want to pick one date over another, but you will have a Happy Mother’s Day post today!

June 19 Astronomy Picture of the Day is a Game

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 June 19

Use this link to see Game: Super Planet Crash

Game Credit & LicenseStefano Meschiari (U. Texas at Austin) & the SAVE/Point Team

Explanation: Can you create a planetary system that lasts for 1000 years? Super Planet Crash, the featured game, allows you to try. To create up to ten planets, just click anywhere near the central star. Planet types can be selected on the left in order of increasing mass: EarthSuper-EarthIce giantGiant planetBrown dwarf, or Dwarf star. Each planet is gravitationally attracted not only to the central Sun-like star, but to other planets. Points are awarded, with bonus factors applied for increasingly crowded and habitable systems. The game ends after 1000 years or when a planet is gravitationally expelled. Many exoplanetary systems are being discovered in recent years, and Super Planet Crash demonstrates why some remain stable. As you might suspect after playing Super Planet Crash a few times, there is reason to believe that our own Solar System has lost planets during its formation.

 

Prehistoric Swiss Army knife indicates early humans communicated

Archaeologists have found that a tool, dubbed the “stone Swiss Army knife” of prehistory, was made to look the same in enormous numbers across great distances and multiple biomes in southern Africa. This indicates early humans were sharing information and communicating with one another.

In a world first, a team of international scientists, led by University of Sydney archaeologist, Dr. Amy Way and Australian Museum, has revealed that early humans across southern Africa made a particular type of stone tool—a blade used for many purposes including hunting technology (such as barbs in hand thrown spears and possibly bow and arrows), for cutting wood, plants, bone, skin, feathers and flesh—in the same shape. The researchers reported this means populations must have been in contact with each other.

Known as the “stone Swiss Army knife” of prehistory, the Howiesons Poort blades were made to a similar template across great distances and multiple biomes. The study published in Scientific Reports, found the artifacts produced in enormous numbers across southern Africa roughly 65 thousand years ago were made to a similar shape.

Lead author Dr. Way, from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum, explained…

Click here to read the rest of this article

A Laugh for Today

As a witch many of us get label as a black sheep or an outcast in our families. But you what? It only matters what you think of yourself and the spiritual path that is right for you.

Have a super Sunday!

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may your life be filled with all things positive!

Some of the Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest for Saturday

 

Magickal Intentions: Spirit Communications, Meditation, Psychic Attack or Defense, Locating Lost Things and Missing Persons, Building, Life, Doctrine, Protection, Knowledge, Authority, Limitations, Boundaries, Time and Death

Incense: Black Poppy Seed and Myrrh

Planet: Saturn

Sign: Capricorn and Aquarius

Angel: Cassel

Colors: Black, Grey and Indigo

Herbs/Plants: Myrrh, Moss, Hemlock, Wolfsbane, Coltsfoot, Nightshade and Fir

Stones: Jet, Smokey Quartz, Amethyst, Black Onyx, Snowflake Obsidian, Lava, Pumice

Oil: (Saturn) Cypress, Mimosa, Myrrh, Patchouli

Saturn lends its energies to the last day of the week. Because Saturn is the planet of karma, this day is an excellent time for spellwork involving reincarnation, karmic lessons, the Mysteries, wisdom, and long-term projects.

It is also a good time to being efforts that deal with the elderly, death, or the eradication of pests and disease.

 

June 18 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 June 18

The Gamma Cygni Nebula

Image Credit & CopyrightMin Xie, Chen Wu, Yizhou Zhang, and Benchu Tang

Explanation: Supergiant star Gamma Cygni is at the center of the Northern Cross. Near the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, that famous asterism flies high in northern summer night skies in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Known by the proper name Sadr, Gamma Cygni also lies just below center in this telescopic skyscape, with colors mapped from both broadband and narrowband image data. The field of view spans about 3 degrees (six Full Moons) on the sky and includes emission nebula IC 1318 and open star cluster NGC 6910. Filling the upper part of the frame and shaped like two glowing cosmic wings divided by a long dark dust lane, IC 1318’s popular name is understandably the Butterfly Nebula. Right of Gamma Cygni, are the young, still tightly grouped stars of NGC 6910. The distance to Gamma Cygni is around 560 parsecs or 1,800 light-years. Estimates for IC 1318 and NGC 6910 range from 2,000 to 5,000 light-years.

A Laugh for Today

Rest, relax, and enjoy a magical Saturday!

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may your life be filled with all things positive!

Some of the Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest for Friday

From Angel Fire

Saturn: binding, protection, neutralization, karma, death, manifestation, structure, reality, the laws of society, limits, obstacles, tests, hard work, endurance, real estates, dentists, bones, teeth, farm workers, separation, stalkers, murderers, criminals in general, civil servants, justice, math, plumbing, wills, debts, financing, joint money matters, discovery, transformation, relations with older people

SATURDAY Ruled by the Roman God of the harvest and planting. New starts and firmly planting your seeds of intention or good focuses on Saturday.

Saturn Rituals: Disciplining ourselves.

Element: Earth

Colour: Black and sometimes purple

Number: 3

June 17 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 June 17

Good Morning Planets from Chile

Image Credit & CopyrightElke Schulz (Daniel Verschatse Observatory)

Explanation: On June 15, innermost planet Mercury had wandered about as far from the Sun as it ever gets in planet Earth’s sky. Near the eastern horizon just before sunrise it stands over distant Andes mountain peaks in this predawn snapshot from the valley of Rio Hurtado in Chile. June’s other morning planets are arrayed above it, as all the naked-eye planets of the Solar System stretch in a line along the ecliptic in the single wide-field view. Tilted toward the north, the Solar System’s ecliptic plane arcs steeply through southern hemisphere skies. Northern hemisphere early morning risers will see the lineup of planets along the ecliptic at a shallower angle tilting toward the south. From both hemispheres June’s beautiful morning planetary display finds the visible planets in order of their increasing distance from the Sun.

A Laugh for Today

Are you ready for the weekend?

June 16 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 June 16

Strawberry Supermoon from China

Image Credit & CopyrightJeff Dai (TWAN)

Explanation: There are four Full Supermoons in 2022. Using the definition of a supermoon as a Full Moon near perigee, that is within at least 90% of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit, the year’s Full Supermoon dates are May 16, June 14, July 13, and August 12. Full Moons near perigee really are the brightest and largest in planet Earth’s sky. But size and brightness differences between Full Moons are relatively small and an actual comparison with other Full Moons is difficult to make by eye alone. Two exposures are blended in this supermoon and sky view from June 14. That Full Moon was also known to northern hemisphere skygazers as the Strawberry moon. The consecutive short and long exposures allow familiar features on the fully sunlit lunar nearside to be seen in the same image as a faint lunar corona and an atmospheric cloudscape. They were captured in skies over Chongqing, China.

June 15 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 June 15

In the Heart of the Virgo Cluster

Image Credit & Copyright: Saulius Adomaitis

Explanation: The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies is the closest cluster of galaxies to our Milky Way Galaxy. The Virgo Cluster is so close that it spans more than 5 degrees on the sky – about 10 times the angle made by a full Moon. With its heart lying about 70 million light years distant, the Virgo Cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies, contains over 2,000 galaxies, and has a noticeable gravitational pull on the galaxies of the Local Group of Galaxies surrounding our Milky Way GalaxyThe cluster contains not only galaxies filled with stars but also gas so hot it glows in X-rays. Motions of galaxies in and around clusters indicate that they contain more dark matter than any visible matter we can see. Pictured here, the heart of the Virgo Cluster includes bright Messier galaxies such as Markarian’s Eyes on the upper left, M86 just to the upper right of center, M84 on the far right, as well as spiral galaxy NGC 4388 at the bottom right.