Cove Cycle

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the winter solstice Sun at Lulworth Cove in England.

Celestial Fox

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the so-called Fox Fur Nebula in the region of Monoceros.

Dusty Lanes

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day reveals the dusty interior of Messier 42 and 43, The Great Nebula of Orion.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Boulders and a martian landslide. Think of it as erosion in action.

Landing Pad

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video of the first successful landing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 stage. The beginning of a new era?

Keep It Dark

How do you like your coffee? Vader-esque? Dark as the soul of night?

Origin Story

William Gibson on creating Neuromancer. Amazing what the sound of an impending deadline will create.

Precusor

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Eta Carinae. Where's the star? What's going on? A long slow match leading to an eventual explosion: maybe we'll be lucky to catch the flash.

At Either End

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day stretches from the far ends of the galaxy to the ground beneath our feet.

Scaling Up

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video showing the scale of the solar system.

Distant Decorations

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a pine tree decorated by the distant stars.

Falling Skies

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day continues the series of images combining meteor showers and observatories. Here we have the Geminids (above) and the Xinglong Observatory (below).

Lapse

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video showing the sky for a year. Can you find the solstices?

Flash

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a pretty amazing story. A supernova is spotted. Then a chance alignment is spotted and thanks to gravitational lensing, we can see the supernova take place.

Sprites

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the solar panels of the International Space Station above the night skies of Earth. Can you find the red sprite?

Godwhale

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 4631 in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Cosmic whales (do we have cosmic whaling ships?)!

Clouds in the Dark

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Herbig-Haro 24 (HH 24) in the constellation of Orion. It's amazing how much is in that constellation!

More Radiants

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a view of the Geminids over the skies of Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. "Mouseover" the image (in the link) in order to get a constellation guide.

Full-On Horse

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a really wonderful shot of the Horsehead Nebula in the constellation of Orion. Not only do we get a sharp image in "natural" light, but we get context: how this nebula fits in with other wonders of the constellation.

Atmospheric Enhancements

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows colorful arcs in the skies above Buenos Aires.

Rollout

The launch vehicle and capsule used by Expedition 46 to the International Space Station rolls along its track towards the launch site.

Chaos in the Outer Darkness

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows mountains and plains on "dwarf" planet Pluto, as imaged by New Horizons 2015 on its whirlwind tour of the edge of our system.

Radiance

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows us Geminid meteors over the skies of the Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert.

Rendezvous

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the dance between the morning planets and the Moon, with a new partner: Comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina) joins the party.

Dwarf Planet

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is one of the best views of the mysterious bright spots on "dwarf planet" Ceres (in the Asteroid Belt). A number of theories have been floated since the bright patches were spotted; consensus seems to be...believe it or not...epsom salts.

Conjunction

There's been a cosmic dance in the morning skies the last few months between Mars, Venus, Jupiter and the Moon. The three planets have been drawing closer together and further apart as the Earth traces its orbit and the Moon has cycled through the gathering each month as it traces its own orbit.

In today's Astronomy Picture of the Day we see the latest installment of this dance as Venus passes behind the waning Moon.

Galactic Internactions

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is combination of several Hubble Space Telescope images showing interacting galaxies (NGC 3808 A and B) with a "bridge" of material between them. NGC 3808 A and B are also listed as Number 87 in the Arp Catalogue.

Cosmic Curtains

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows auroral activity over Iceland. "Mouseover" the image (in the link) to get a constellation guide.

Catalina Rising

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina) after rounding the Sun and on its closest approach to Earth.

Full Earth

Hey, kids! Remember when we flew to the Moon and saw things like this? Maybe someday we'll do that again!

Launch!

Orbital ATK is back in business (using a new vehicle, at least for now) with resupply missions to the International Space Station! This launch was from Florida, so, for me, not visible like the Virginia launches were.

Energy

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a tiny representation of a possible future source of energy. The Casimir Effect, dark energy and tiny sticky parts, oh my!

1705+

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video demonstrating how much our knowledge of the structure of our galaxy has changed in my life. From zero known exoplanets to 1,705 and counting.

MOL

A look at a dusty and forgotten part of the American space program: the USAF's Manned Orbiting Laboratory.

Addendum: PDF book on the MOL program.

The Cosmic Bubbles

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us deep red cosmic bubbles in Cygnus.

Roots and Branches

Long time readers of the blog (and previous iterations of the blog) know that I am a big fan of the works of Poul Anderson. Imagine my surprise when Open Road Media (Anderson's latest publisher) posted (over at SF Signal) Poul Anderson's first (known) story!

Lord of the Rings

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us to Saturn Space (and Beyond the Infinite). Water moon Enceladus seems to hover above the Rings. Enjoy the sights, folks: Cassini is on a countdown and there's no follow up mission for quite a while.

Flashing

I was told once by a ship's captain that the only way I'd ever see a green flash was to look at the setting sun through the bottom of a Heineken bottle. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video that shows otherwise.

Autumnal Reds

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the subtle reds of nebular clouds in a number of regions in the constellation of Aurigae.

Coreward, Ho!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day peeks inside the center of NGC 3521, a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Leo.

False Lichen

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a HiRISE image from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showing streaks on sand dunes near the north pole of Mars. If you had no context, you might be forgiven for thinking this was some strange outbreak of lichen on patch of sandy soil.

The Final Problem

Arthur Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes, The Complete Novels and Short Stories, Volume 01 and Volume 02 (Bantam Classics, 2003, ASIN B000QCS8YM; cover uncredited).

I've read the Canon of Stories concerning the adventures of Sherlock Holmes (usually, but not always with his companion, Dr. John Watson) several times over the years: scattered short stories and novels when I was a child, end-to-end in college, end-to-end a few more times since then, most recently end-to-end in an annotated edition (see below).

This was the first time in several years, as I Had A Plan (also see below!). As such, I think my memories of the stories were distorted through the lens of several film and television adaptations of the stories (some more faithful than others!). I had forgotten, for example, that there were several stories written in a third voice (see The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone as an example), as if told directly by Sherlock Holmes himself (see The Adventure of the Lion's Mane as an example) or where Dr. Watson took a very active role in the story (see The Hound of the Baskervilles as an example). In fact, poor Dr. Watson! Forever ruined in our minds, I think, thanks to this depiction of his abilities!

I was even startled to re-discover the appearance of the famous hat and the famous phrase. For some reason I had it in my mind that both were inventions from the various adaptions. No, he didn't wear the hat every story and the phrase only appears once that I can now remember, but it was nice to come across both.

Overall feelings this time through? Doyle is a much better writer of short fiction than long fiction. Of the four novels, I think only The Hound of the Baskervilles really can stand up. The other three have too much exposition and backstory in them, cut all that out (as some adapted versions in other forums have done) and you have a much stronger tale.

Most of the stories are strong on their own and many are classics of the mystery genre. However, you can see when Doyle started to tire of his creation (read about The Final Problem and The Great Hiatus for more about that) and started to recycle or toss things together quickly: the later you go, overall, the weaker the tale. Was he the first to be plagued by a creation that the public loved and that the creator wished to be rid of?

You also can see a bit of careless repetition here and there, either from haste or forgetfulness. Unlike author's of today with computer tools or fans who develop "wikis" and the like, Doyle often re-used the damsel in distress, or (much to my amusement) the mysterious American more than a few times. Mysterious societies and strange ancestors, odd houses and lodgers and more make more than one appearance.

I think we can forgive him, that. For every reappearance of mysterious lodger we have gems like The Red-Headed League, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual, or the dynamic duo of The Final Problem and The Empty House!

Great stuff and these (and more) more than compensate for any "weakness" I noticed on the way through.

Holmes can be found, even today, in new stories. There are adaptions, with the Jeremy Brett version (still) my personal favorite. Holmes is everywhere, in New York, portrayed by Peter Cushing (with Christopher Lee co-starring), Tom Baker (did you know about that one?) and even wildly differently by both Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey, Jr. On the fictional front, there are even more stories, novels about Holmes, novels about Irene Adler and more. My favorites there are those written by film director and occasional novelist Nicholas Meyer (one of which was adapted to film).

Your Mileage May Vary on the pastiches, but it's a great way to get past the original stories (and who knows, maybe there's a Holmes story in you as well!).

Otherwise...I started re-reading the Canon of Stories in 2014, but did not get as far as originally intended.

The plan, as originally laid out, was I was going to read all the stories in this collection straight through. Then I was going to tackle the original annotated collection: William Baring-Gould's massive tome that was my first introduction to the concept of Sherlockian Studies. I had read this through a couple of decades ago.

Baring-Gould did a great job in annotating the Canon, but it seems to have fallen out of favor over the years. Some quibble with his ordering of the stories, some quibble with his scholarship. But it deserves a place as the first effort, if nothing else.

I haven't decided if I'm going to tackle these again. The problem is physical. These are massive volumes (especially if you don't have the two-volume version and only have the utterly astounding SINGLE volume). Not a book you can read in bed, at night; you'd be crushed if it slipped from your grasp! Maybe if I get my posterior in gear and finally clean sufficiently the computer/work/library room and have enough space on the desk to lay these out!

The next part of the plan was to re-read the second attempt at annotating the Canon. This was undertaken by Leslie S. Klinger, initially as paper volumes, now as eBooks (but I recommend purchasing both!): The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Volume 01); The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories: The Return of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (Volume 02); The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Novels (Volume 03). Klinger has also annotated other works, such as Bram Stoker's Dracula and the works of H.P. Lovecraft. He is more than worth seeking out.

I'm definitely tackling the Klinger editions next, hopefully at a more measured pace than I did with the Bantam edition. I think that possibly part of my problem with the last stories was as much that Doyle was wearied of Holmes and I was wearied of the stories. There are some classic stories in the last collection, maybe I will appreciate them more if I pace myself!

Made up of: (2014 reads) Introduction; A Study in Scarlet; The Sign of Four; A Scandal in Bohemia; The Red-Headed League; A Case of Identity; The Boscombe Valley Mystery; The Five Orange Pips; The Man with the Twisted Lip; The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle; The Adventure of the Speckled Band; The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb; The Adventure of the Nobel Bachelor; The Adventure of the Copper Beeches; Silver Blaze; The Yellow Face; The Stock-Broker's Clerk; The "Gloria Scott"; The Musgrave Ritual; The Reigate Puzzle; The Crooked Man; The Resident Patient; The Greek Interpreter; The Naval Treaty; The Final Problem; The Adventure of the Empty House; The Adventure of the Norwood Builder; The Adventure of the Dancing Men; The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist; The Adventure of the Priory School; The Adventure of Black Peter; The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton; The Adventure of the Six Napoleons; (2015 reads) The Adventure of the Three Students; The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez; The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter; The Adventure of the Second Stain; The Hound of the Baskervilles (novel); The Valley of Fear (novel); Preface to His Last Bow; The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge; The Singular Experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles; The Tiger of San Pedro; The Adventure of the Cardboard Box; The Adventure of the Red Circle; The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans; The Adventure of the Dying Detective; The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax; The Adventure of the Devil's Foot; His Last Bow; Preface to The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes; The Adventure of the Illustrious Client; The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier; The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone; The Adventure of the Three Gables; The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire; The Adventure of the Three Garridebs; The Problem of Thor Bridge; The Adventure of the Creeping Man; The Adventure of the Lion's Mane; The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger; The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place; The Adventure of the Retired Colourman (33 stories read in 2014, 30 stories in 2015, collection completed).

Caveat: As you'll see this book was listed as Volume 01 and Volume 02. However, when I purchased it, it was listed only as Volume 01. So, I purchased Volume 02.

However, if you don't study the thumbnail correctly, you'll miss that Volume 01 is actually Volume 01 and Volume 02. The whole enchilada. Everything is there! Don't buy Volume 02, unless you have absolutely been certain you're Volume 01 is Volume 01 and Volume 01 only! (The links provided are to the combined and separate volumes for your purchasing decisions.)

Freeze Frame

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is another image from the incomparable Damian Peach showing Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, currently home for the Rosetta-Philae mission from the European Space Agency. The comet has "rounded the horn" and is on the way out from the innner system.

Eyes in the Sky

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a case of gravitational lensing leading to some anthropomorphism. Stacked data from multiple telescopes shows us a cosmic Cheshire Cat.

Spreading Conjunction

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the morning sky lineup of "morning stars". Jupiter, Mars and Venus are still "close" but are dancing further apart with each morning. "Mouseover" the image for a guide to what you're seeing.

Terrain Features

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows ice pits on the surface of Pluto. Pluto: from planet of complete mystery to complex world of wonders, all in the time of a cosmic heartbeat.

Electric Skies

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day has clouds backlit by auroral activity. We live on a very active world.

Beyond the Infinite

Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey as a "time grid".

And let us not forget the...REBOOT!

Deep, Rich Field

What do you get when you take an image of the constellation of Orion for 212 hours? Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day: This. Amazing. Picture. ("Mouseover" the image for a guide to the stars and other objects.)

The Moon of Doom

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Phobos, the doomed moon of Mars. Tidal forces are working their way on Phobos, so look quick! It won't always be there!

Collection Day

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a cosmic recycling center, NGC 5291, disrupted in a cosmic collision, now spawning dwarf galaxies filled with rich star-spawning regions.

Arcs and Lines

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows falling Leonids in the skies of Ontario. Can you see the faint arcs of the nebula in the constellation of Orion?

Dust Never Sleeps

The amusing story of filters, bags and the micro-environment of the International Space Station. Amusing, but important for long-term space travel/habitation.

Activity

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Centaurus A, the closest active galaxy to our home spiral. No place to linger.

Thoughts. We Have Them.

The latest from The Three Hoarsemen! Host-only this month, due to scheduling issues with our guest but we'll have him back as soon as we can! (You'll note that I'm somewhat sparse in talking about what I've read as most of it was related to that guest.)

Have You Ever Noticed...

...that people never try to save the classics until it is too late? Of course, we might point out that they probably didn't have the same warm fuzzies about these locations when they were at their "most classic" (most rundown, etc.).

JET!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short sequence showing...activity...on Comet 67P. Watch out!

An Odd Bird

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day takes us deep into the constellation of Cygnus. Here we find IC 5070 and IC 5067, the Pelican Nebula (right near the more famous NGC 7000, the North American Nebula).

Interloper

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the sky torn in half by a fireball.

Cosmic Influx

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows falling Leonids over Monument Valley, Utah.

Terrain Mix

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the "provisionally-named" Wright Mons, a potential cryo-volcano made of ice on the "dwarf" planet Pluto.

The Birth of the Cosmic Frogs

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows detail within the constellation of Auriga, specifically IC 410 and NGC 1893. If you ever wondered where the cosmic frogs are born, we have the answer.

Falling Bull

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a Taurid streaking across the skies of Kenya, passing near the Moon, Venus, Mars and Jupiter.

Spirit in the Sky

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a test launch of a Trident II sub-launched missile in the skies of the west coast.

Flame On!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day takes us to the constellation of Aurigae and the Flaming Star Nebula. Another great sight for low power/wide field of view telescopes if you have nice dark skies.

Tinkertoys

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video showing the assembly, over the past fifteen years, of the International Space Station.

Quad Quads

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows quads on the ground and quads in the sky in 2005. If you were up early enough, you saw one set of quads in the sky last week. This week, we still have three out of four of the participants: Mars, Venus and Jupiter. Over the past three or four weeks, if you had been paying attention, you would have been treated to a nice "dance of the planets" as planets moved "close" (apparently) to each other and then moved "rapidly" (apparently) apart.

Two Arches

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a spectacular view from the 15-year-old International Space Station: Above, the Earth. Center, the Milky Way. Below, the ISS.

Winding Down

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 3169 and NGC 3166 in the constellation of Sextans (the sextant). The pair of galaxies are interacting, and NGC 3169 seems to be having a poorer time for that interaction.

Birthing Chamber

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 1333 (in the constellation of Perseus), a stellar nursery well-positioned for Autumn viewing.

Tinker Toy

A collection of images showing how the International Space Station has grown and changed in 15 years of continuous occupation and operation.

Fall and Winter Wonder

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a beautifully-detailed look at Messier 42, The Great Nebula of Orion. Worth viewing with binoculars or telescopes (relatively low-power, wide field-of-view is best, better if you use "emission filters"), the Orion Nebula is coming into great position for viewing during the evening.

Arches

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the Spitzkoppe Arch in Nambia, framing Venus. Can you spot the more subtle arches in the sky? "Mouseover" the image for a constellation guide.

Alpha One

Fifteen years on station: the start of the International Space Station.

Breaking Up

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short film showing the breakup of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). Filmed by the hard-working SOHO observatory, in operation since 1995 (!).

Arches and Buttes

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day has the buttes of Monument Valley supporting the arch of the Milky Way. "Mouseover" the image (in the link!) to get a guide to both the sky and ground.

Primal State

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows ghostly stacked images for a Halloween sight.

Profile

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows IC 2118 in the constellation of Orion. Happy pre-Halloween!

Cassiopeia's Soul

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us IC 1871, the Soul Nebula at the heart of Cassiopeia.

The Eternal Sky

Nothing ever changes among the "fixed stars"? Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video which shows otherwise.

Cave of Stars

Peek into the center of the Heart Nebula (IC 1805, in the constellation of Cassiopeia) in today's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

We Are Family

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the best (of the data downloaded so far) images of "dwarf planet" Pluto's family of moons.

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!

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...

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!

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.

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!

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.

Why I Need to Visit the Southern Hemisphere

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is one of the skies of the Southern Hemisphere. Wow.

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.

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.

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.

The Trunks of Creation

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us close in on Messier 16 with The Eagle Nebula and The Pillars of Creation.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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!

Trails

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a (black & white!) time-lapse photograph of the recent lunar eclipse.

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.

Lunar Sequencing

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a very different look at the recent "super moon blood eclipse".

Zooming

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video generated by weaving together images taken by the New Horizons 2015 vehicle.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cold, Clear Water

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a nice capstone to how our understanding of Mars has evolved since the 1920's. From a desert planet with canals to a bone-dry dead planet with nothing of interest, to a cratered landscape, to a complicated world with canyons and mountains and craters...to a world that appears to have a potentially significant amount of water under the surface and even water flowing, on occasion, on the surface!


As Kim Stanley Robinson put it: Mars is a place.

Bloodwork

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the "supermoon" that underwent a total eclipse over this past weekend.

Timelapse

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the April 2014 lunar eclipse as the Moon moved across the sky and shifted through all phases of the eclipse.

Superduperbloodmoon

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is all about the cheese-and-fries combination of the lunar eclipse combined with a "supermoon". Alas, I will be employing a cloud filter.

Comparing the Local Group

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows both Messier 31 and Messier 33, both members of the Local Group (of which the Milky Way is also a card-carrying member). Messier 31 is better known as the Andromeda Galaxy and can be seen (under darker skies than mine, although as few as ten years ago I could still spot it) with the naked eye (and it's a wonderful binocular or relatively low-power/wide field of view telescopic object). Messier 33 is also known as the Triangulum Galaxy, or, probably more popularly, the Pinwheel Galaxy.

Mike Drop 02

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is another stunner from the New Horizons vehicle.

Down These Grimdark Alleys

The Three Hoarsemen gathered in the corral and rode out onto the range with Joe Monti, a man of many ten-gallon hats. We talk dark grim fantasy and many other things. Give a listen!

Ink Blots

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows dusty molecular clouds in the constellation of Cygnus, part of the Great Rift or Northern Coalsack. "From dark sites the region can be identified by eye alone." (I do not live in such an area!)

Old Man's War

Over at Tor Dot Com, several of us speculate on the future direction for John Scalzi's Old Man War series. (When I was asked to do this, I thought it was just for a private blog, I must have missed the "it'll be posted at Tor Dot Com bit!)

On London

Iain Sinclair (who's books really ought to be more widely available!) and John Foxx discuss London (and mention Quatermass and more) .

Cycles

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day compresses a half-hidden solar cycle over the frozen skies of the southern polar region.

Minor Dome

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the so-called "minor dome" at Bosque Alegre Observatory. (...strolls away...)

Phase II: The Alternate Reality

I still remember how excited I was when it was announced that Star Trek was going to return to television as one of the key components to a fourth network being created by Paramount. Well, that never came to be (the project eventually became Star Trek: The Motion Picture, still the film that I think most accurately captures the spirit of the series).

Here's a link to an article talking about elements of that failed series. I also suggest you seek out the "Making of" book that came out of Star Trek: The Motion Picture as well as either of the books written about the failed series.

Off Kilter

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Messier 96, a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Leo. What caused the beautiful spiral shape to become distorted?

Subsurface

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Saturn's moon Enceladus. The hard-working Cassini orbiter has determined that a globe-spanning ocean probably lies beneath the surface ice. What else is there? Life? It's amusing to see how the "Goldilocks zone" keeps getting redefined!

Eruption

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a minor outgassing on home star. (Minor = bigger than Jupiter by a few factors.)

Mike Drop 01

Just when you thought you had seen "everything" that the New Horizons vehicle could provide, it sends another stunner. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is an image that was downloaded from that hurtling vehicle and released yesterday. Amazing stuff.

Wisps

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows us a portion of the very beautiful (and impossible to see under my skies!) Veil Nebula in the constellation of Cygnus. Being in the circum-polar region, it is well placed to be seen much of the year from my locale but requires dark (and steady) skies as well as a emission filter to tease out details.

Resolution Awaits

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the best view yet of the mysterious bright spots in the crater named Occator on Dwarf Planet Ceres. Ice? Another material? The answer awaits a lower orbit by the Dawn vehicle and more scrutiny from additional instruments.

Like Cosmic, Man

Wait until you see this auroral display in today's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

In His House at R'lyeh

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the Cthulhu Regio area of Pluto, as imaged by the New Horizons vehicle. Will these (so far) temporary names be "official"? One can hope!

Sun Scythe

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a partially-eclipsed Sun right before sundown in Texas.

Tracks

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows not one, but two, transits of the International Space Station across the face of our home star.

Halloween Preview

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day mixes a giant bat and a giant squid. The wonders of Cepheus ahead of Halloween!

It's Pynchon All the Way Down

Via online and gaming friend (and author) David Annandale, did Thomas Pynchon write under a pen name? Roswell! Roswell!

Flying through the Southern Wonders

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the (get this) Dark Doodad Nebula to be found in the constellation of Musca (the Fly). Another reason to wish for that big lottery payout and a move to the southern hemisphere!

Distortion

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 1316 and NGC 13176, two galaxies post-collision. What happens when galaxies collide? As "Doc" Smith said, they mostly just pass through each other, but the interacting forces and clouds of matter can distort (or completely "tear") a galaxy. Some galaxies swallow other galaxies (our own may have swallowed three or more).

Green Flash

I've been told that the only way to see a green flash is to be looking at the sunset through the bottom of a Heineken bottle, but today's Astronomy Picture of the Day seems to contradict that assertion.

Shark!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the Shark Nebula in the constellation of Cepheus in the circum-polar skies of the northern hemisphere. "Mouseover" the image for a guide to the different parts of the nebula. Any Jets? Or jets?

Cradle

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Earthrise during the Apollo 8 mission.

Rocket Arc

A lot of arcs in the sky of late! Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day does not bring us the arc of the Milky Way, but instead the arc of a vehicle slipping the bounds of gravity: An Atlas V carrying a communications satellite into orbit.

Arc and Glow

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us the arc of the Milky Way again: this time we are in the southern skies and in addition to the Milky Way, the sky is illuminated by Airglow Australis.

Spiral, Smear, Spikes

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 4725, Arp 159 (from Halton Arp's catalog of peculiar astronomical objects) and some stars with spikes. Has J.J. Abrams been about?

The Bowl of the Night

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the night sky and the arc of the Milky Way. Off to one side is a flare of light, sunlight reflecting off the immense solar panels of the Iridium series of communications satellites.

Cold Scope

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the IceCube Neutrino Observatory near the South Pole. Certainly one of the oddest and coldest observatories around!

Update from the Edge

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a "enhanced color" image of Pluto, courtesy of the ever-receding New Horizons vehicle (now ready to be targeted to it's next destination).

Collison Course

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Messier 31, the Great Andromeda Nebula. Mark your calendar for that future date when the Milky Way and the Andromeda Nebula collide (or not).

Spilled Ink

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows The Seagull Nebula, NGC 2327, near Sirius in Canis Major. Clouds glowing red thanks to atomic hydrogen, split by a dark river of cosmic ink leading to one bright star.

Embedded Shocks

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the echoes of supernova Puppis A, still blasting into the surrounding interstellar medium thousands of years after the actual event.

Have Spacesuit, Will Travel

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the Large Cloud of Magellan, forever hidden (along with many other cosmic gems) from us poor northern sky dwellers. Robert A. Heinlein's Have Spacesuit, Will Travel introduced me to this object (along with getting me hooked on slide rules).

Asterism

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Collinder 399, The Coat Hanger. Is it an accidental pattern in the sky or an actual open cluster? ("Mouseover" the image to get a guide to the pattern.)

Dusting

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Perseid meteors falling over Mount Rainier, streaks caught during a time-lapse exposure.

Saturn and Beyond the Infinite

For more than a decade, the Cassini vehicle has been studying Saturn, the rings of Saturn and the many moons that circle that gas giant. The mission is winding towards a close (and no replacement vehicle is waiting in the wings, which is a shame) but still returning data and stunning views such as today's Astronomy Picture of the Day, this image of Dione, taking during Cassini's last planned flyby of that close-in body.

Fractured Lenses

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows multiple occurrences of a single galaxy that is being "lensed" by the affect of gravity on light emanating from that galaxy (in fact, it is postulated that 11 galaxies are being lensed here!).

Damn Tourists

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is another "selfie" taken by a tourist. Damn tourists.

Dancing at the Edge

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a view from the International Space Station, a snapshot of the stars, cities, the atmosphere and rarely-seen red sprites dancing above a thunderstorm.

Catalog Entry

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows one of astronomer Charles Messier's entries in his list of non-cometary objects. Once known as the "ferret of comets", Messier's comets have all been forgotten but his list of non-comets brings joy to amateurs around the world, especially during the time of the so-called "Messier Marathon".

Swanscape

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings a deep look in the star fields and star-forming regions of Cygnus the Swan.

Potential Sky Show

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day introduces us to Comet C/2013 (Catalina). Will this become our next great naked-eye comet? Stay tuned!

The Faint Fuzzy

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Messier 31, The Great Galaxy of Andromeda, rising over the Alps. Once upon a time I could easily detect M31 from my backyard. Thanks to encroaching light domes from New Brunswick and Princeton, as well as out of control lighting in parking lots and streets, I'm lucky if I see the stars these days.

Crab Canon

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings Messier 1, the Crab Nebula, into full glory courtesy of this Hubble Space Telescope image.

Sunward

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us a view from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from the ESA's Rosetta probe. The comet is at it's closest approach to the sun (perihelion) and activity is picking up. What of Philae?

They All Fall Down

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Enchanted Rock State Natural Area in Texas (shame about those city-generated light domes!) with a sprinkling of comet debris.

The Hustler

Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey and...chess hustling?

Radiant Milky Way

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Perseid meteors falling under a Milky Way-drenched sky of Croatia in 2013.

Flash

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short sequence that caught an unexpected event: while imaging the Milky Way, an amateur astronomer luckily caught an falling meteor which disintegrated in his field of view.

Ring Around the Moon

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a halo around the "blue Moon". Ah, the tropical skies of Antarctica!

Saggittarius Core View

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Messier 8, Messier 20 and NGC 6559 in the constellation of Sagittarius. The wonders of the summer night!

Clusters

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a "compact" (think of how much space is depicted here!) group of galaxies, HGC 87.

On the Road to Aelois Mons

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows MSL Curiosity's view on the road to Aeolis Mons.

Family Picture

Remember this picture? How about this picture (from several missions)? Or how about this? Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day might end up having similar impacts upon our collective consciousness.

Double Double

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is of a pair of Plutonian images, slightly shifted. Combined (crossing your eyes, perhaps) you can see a stereo view of Pluto.

Echoes

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day should be a Pink Floyd album cover.

The Place of Good Fishing

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the Virgo (super!) Cluster of Galaxies. This is a excellent place to observe for amateurs using almost any decent telescope. "Mouseover" the image for a guide.

ARC Strike!

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a rare proton arc over Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan (my first view of an aurora was in the Upper Peninsula region, but I never have seen anything like this!).

Stopover at Shorty

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the Lunar Roving Vehicle carried on Apollo 17 parked at Shorty Crater in the Taurus-Littrow valley of our Moon. This week we're celebrating the anniversary of the first mission to carry the LRV, Apollo 15, which landed in a similarly striking region of the Moon.