Friday, October 30, 2015

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Monday, October 26, 2015

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Conjunction

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the conjunction between Jupiter and Venus (Mars is there as well!) going on in our morning skies. You too can carry planets in your hands!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Cloud Coverage

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a "all planet" view of Jupiter's atmosphere ("mouseover" the image to get the sequence going). The planet was imaged to capture a "day". One of my best nights of viewing (amateur) of Jupiter was a cold night in January when it was so clear and sharp I just watched...as the Great Red Spot went from one edge to the other. Then I wondered why my feet were frozen...

Friday, October 23, 2015

Most Definitely Not a Comet

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is another item from the Messier catalog, Messier 94 in the constellation of Canes Venatici. The Messier catalog was a list compiled by Charles Messier (and Pierre Mechain, who reported this one to Messier). Comet hunting was all the rage in Messier's day, and he kept coming across these faint fuzzy objects that (sometimes if you *really* stretch the imagination in some cases!) looked like comets. He compiled the list of "false positives" and, ironically, while his comets are largely forgotten, his list lives on, especially among amateur astronomers!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Galactic Pipeworks



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Messier 17 in the constellation of Sagittarius, pointing towards the center of our galaxy. There are stars being born out there.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Close Approach

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the northern region of Saturn's ice-moon Enceladus, courtesy of the hard-working Cassini orbiter. It is interesting to put this image alongside the images from New Horizon's visit to Pluto. Dwarf planets and moons showing more complexity than we ever thought possible. New headaches for the IAU and it's attempt to neatly label everything!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

It All Ended With a Really Big Bang

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video of colliding black holes. You don't want to get between two colliding black holes, believe me.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

A Vaguely Accurate and Updated Journey

Before The Three Hoarsemen, I read very few comics. Mostly it was "webcomics", of which a few have become books (Megatokyo, Schlock Mercenary, Sluggy Freelance, Girl Genius), one manga (Naruto) and one "classic" title (Neil Gaiman's The Sandman).

Once we launched The Three Hoarsemen (initially to help SF Signal's long-suffering and overworked podcast manager, Patrick Hester, out while he was also working 100 hours a week doing sales and customer service), being in intersection to and proximity with Jeff Patterson and John Stevens, I started reading more and more "regular" comics.

The problem is...as with books...I lose track. I buy or otherwise accumulate faster than I read, I forget what I read, I forget where I left off. So, partly for me, but partly for your amusement...my sequential art journey, encapsulated.

A title with 01, etc. is a "volume" (book). A title with 001, etc., is a "single issue".

Caveat: This list is at best, mostly accurate. There will be changes as I read more stuff and add, but there will be changes when I read stuff and say "Hang on a minute, I already read this!" and add that!

Abe Sapien: Volume 01-06

Aetheric Mechanics

Age of Ultron—The Complete Event

Age of Ultron Companion

All-New Hawkeye 2015+: 001-004

America's Army: 001

Annihilation: Volume 01-03

Anna Mercury—The Cutter

Arzach

All New X-Men Volume 01; Volume 02; Volume 03; Volume 04; Volume 05; Volume 06. Issues 001-041; Gold; Annual 001

Avengers (Bendis): Volume 01-04

Avengers 2012-2015: 001-020

Avengers Assemble

Avengers 1963+: 001-012. Masterworks 01.

Avengers vs.: 001-004

Before the Incal

Beyond the Moon: 001

Big Trouble in Little China: 001-014

Black Vortex Saga: GotG + X-Men—The BV ALpha; GotG + X-Men—The BV Omega

Black Widow: 001-020

BPRD Volume: 01-04 (A Plague of Frogs).

BPRD Hell on Earth Volume: 01-10.

Caliban: 001-006

Captain America: The Man with No Face

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain Marvel 2014: 001-014

Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps: 001-003

Cluster: 001

Copperhead: 001-005

Cyclops: 001-012. Volume 01

Darth Vader: 001-008

Deadpool: Volume 01

Deadpool vs. Hawkeye: 000-005

Deathlok: 001-006

Deep State: 001-005

Dork Tower (Collected): Volume 5

Drax the Destroyer: 001-004

Dungeons & Dragons—Legends of Baldur's Gate: 001

Elric—Balance Lost: 01-03

Escale Sur Pharagonescia

Fantastic Four 1963+: 001-025; Annual 001

(The) Fuse: 001-013

Giant Days: 001

(A) Girl Who Walks Home Alone At Night: 001-002

Global Frequency

Groot: 001-005

Guardians of the Galaxy 1990-1995: 001-007; Annual 001; FF Annual

Guardians of the Galaxy 2013: 001-027; 0.1; 011.Now; Tomorrow's Avengers 001; Annual 001; Most Wanted 001; Team-up 001-008; FCBD 001. Volume 01; Volume 02

Hank Johnson—Agent of Hydra: 001

Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor: Volumes 01, 02.

Hawkeye: 001-022; Annual 001; Bundle Exclusive 001

Hawkeye & Mockingbird—Ghosts

Heart of War: 001

Hellboy: Volume 01-12. The Art of Hellboy. The First 20 Years. Weird Tales. The Midnight Circus. House of the Living Dead

Howard the Duck 2015: 001-005

Ignition City

(The) Incal

Infinite Horizon

Injection: 001-004

Invincible Iron Man: 09

Invisible Republic: 001-002

Iron Man 1963: 001

Kanan—The Last Padwan: 001-005

La Citadelle Aveugle

La Dandard Fou

Lando: 001-003

La Garage Hermetique

Last Breath

Legendary Star Lord: 001-011

Les Vacances Du Major

L'Homme Du Ciguri

Locke & Key: Volume 05

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers: 001-004

(The) Long Tomorrow

(The) Marvels Project

Megatokyo Omnibus 01

Ministry of Space

Mouse Guard—Fall 1152

Ms. Marvel 2013+: 001-016

Munchkin: 001

Naruto: 01-06

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 001-005

Nova: 028

Ocean

Pathfinder: Origins: 001-006.  Volume 01—Dark Waters Rising. Of Tooth and Claw: 001-006; Special Number 001. City of Secrets: 001-006

Planetary Volumes: 01-04

Princess Leia: 001-005

Red Sonja—She-Devil with a Sword: 001

Rocket Girl: 001-003

Rocket Raccoon—Tales from Half World: 001-004

Rocket Raccoon 2013 FCBD 001; 001-011

Rocket Racoon and Groot Ultimate Collection: 001-015

Saga: Volume 01-02

Sandman: 01-10

Sandman Overture: 001-003

Saucer Country: Volume 01. Saucer Country: 001-002

Schlock Mercenary: Volime 01-10

(The) Secret Adventures of Houdini, The Golem of Prague Volume 01

S.H.I.E.L.D.: 001-009

Silk: 001-006

Silver Surfer: Annual 004

Skullkickers Treasure Trove: Volume 01

Spider Gwen: 001-005

Star Lord: The Hollow Crown; Worlds on the Brink; Tears for Heaven

Star Lord & Kitty Pyrde: 001

(The) Star Wars (based on earlier script)

Star Wars 2015: 001-008

Supreme Blue Rose: 001-003

Tales of Honor: 001-005

They're Not Like Us: 001-002

Thor 1963+: Annual 016

Thor 2014: 001-008; Annual 001

Thors: 001-002

Too Much Coffee Man: 001-003

Transmetropolitan: Volumes 01-60; I Hate It Hear; Filth of the City

Trees: 001-012

Uncanny Avengers—Ultron Forever: 001

Uncanny X-Men 1963+: 001-034

Vietnam Journal: 01

(The) Yellow Peril: 01-02

Wasteland: 001-005

Wayward: 001-010

We3

Witchfinder: Volume 01-03

Zaya: 001

Cotton

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day doesn't go as far "up" as yesterday's: here we see so-called mammatus clouds photographed over Saskatchewan, Canada in 2012.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Another Northern Hemisphere Wonder

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Messier 81, in the constellation of Ursa Major (the Big Dipper for all you non-Latin reading astronomy types!). Take a look in binoculars or telescope with a low-power/wide field of view eyepiece, this galaxy is nicely placed for autumnal viewing.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Transitions

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day has the daylight world fading and night coming on fast. Shore and lake below, clouds and galaxy above.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Lunar Gegenschein

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the Gegenschein (light reflecting off the dust in our Solar System) shining during the recent lunar eclipse. "Mouseover" the image for a guide to constellations and other objects.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Trunk or Tadpole?

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows IC 1396, the so-called "Elephant's Trunk" in the constellation of Cepheus. More like a tadpole or one of the fantastic sights in 2001's Stargate Sequence, if you ask me.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Interplay

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day takes us inside Pegasus, to a field of stars and gas apparently trapping a galaxy as if in a net (NGC 7497).

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Center Sight

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day combines the power of ground-based and space-based telescopes to peer into the heart of the Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Fall Colors

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day reminds us that as the Northern Hemisphere enters Fall, look not only to the trees for some nice sights!

Friday, October 9, 2015

Thursday, October 8, 2015

The Magnificent Void



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a stacked combination of images from ground- and space-based telescopes of Messier 83. To be observing such an object, or under otherwise clear, dark skies, listening to something like this.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Monday, October 5, 2015

Orion's Arcs

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Orion rising over the skies of skies of Tibet. Not only is the constellation reflected back from a lake, but, amazingly, Barnard's Loop is a "naked-eye" object!

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Ring Around the Galaxy

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows us a familiar object, Messier 104, the Sombrero Galaxy, in an unfamiliar light. The Spitzer Space Telescope imaged the iconic galaxy in infrared shedding a new look on the jaunty astronomical sight.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Blue, Red and Silver

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is another image of the recent "super moon" combined with the "blood eclipse" with a hint of the returning Sun as the limb of the Moon bursts back into blue and silver.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Mike Drop 03



The hits keep on coming in from the edges of the Solar System. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us another stunning image from the New Horizons vehicle, this time of Pluto's biggest moon, Charon.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Another Superbloodmoon

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the so-called "supermoon" undergoing the "blood moon" eclipse this past weekend under the stunning skies of Las Campanas Observatory.

Overland Journey



With the release of the movie based on Andy Weir's The Martian, Mars fever is reaching a new height in and around science and science fiction. Here are the locations of the overland journey of lost astronaut Mark Watney as imaged by the HiRISE instrument on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.