It’s a beautiful day here, all blue fall skies and fluffy white clouds, and birds singing in the back yard. What, one might wonder, did the landscape sound like in eons past? Before technology? Even before humans?
There are still a lot of questions to answer, particularly about dinosaurs and other creatures with soft tissue that has not traveled to us through time, but insects? That, we now have a better handle on.
Scientists spent over a decade reconstructing the calls of nine species of ancient insects to create the first accurate Jurassic soundscape.
Something to think about if you are a writer building a soundscape for your world. And having spent much of the weekend with mosquitoes buzzing in my ears, I can only say that insects certainly can make an impression!
The team started by building a homebrew AI-powered facial recognition program called CapuchinAI. They then installed it on a computer outfitted with a camera and touchscreen, loaded it in a protective DIY box, and included a dispenser to dole out dried forest banana slices. When CapuchinAI detects a monkey’s face, the touchscreen turns on. If the monkey triggers it, the machine dispenses a tasty banana slice. Simple as that.
I try to share big astronomical events, but I was in the northern woods and missed the lunar eclipse on August 28th. Luck was with me, though. I happened to be awake around midnight and looked out the window to see 93% of the moon missing. What a lovely and unexpected surprise!
And if you, like my friend Elaine Midcoh (great story, recommended!), are interested in the legal status of lunar-based events, this article has some preliminary thoughts.
Despite a lack of momentum toward a new legal framework, there are substantial mechanisms that can be taken now to mitigate harm from cislunar activity.
Best to prepare now, I think, while the regolith is still clear.
“If you believe you can accomplish everything by “cramming” at the eleventh hour, by all means, don’t lift a finger now. But you may think twice about beginning to build your ark once it has already started raining” [rocket parts]. — Max Brooks (with a minor addition)
From the Sun’s corona to animal behaviour and human emotions, these rare celestial events continue to provide scientists with valuable insights more than two millennia after they were first observed.
Tomorrow is an interesting day, astronomically speaking. Let me check my list; it’s a long one (and be warned, exclamation marks ahead!).
Let’s see:
solar eclipse, check
meteor shower, check
planetary conjunction, check!
The Eclipse
Parts of Western Europe will see a total eclipse, the first visible on mainland Europe in 27 years, but many other places on Earth will have at least a partial version. When and where can you see it? Here’s a look at the timing.
While totality will be visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, millions more people across Europe will experience a dramatic partial solar eclipse. Whether you’re chasing the moon’s shadow in Reykjavik or watching the moon take a ‘bite’ out of the sun from London, Paris, or Berlin, timing is everything.
New York City will only see about 9% totality just before 2pm, for example, but if you happen to be in London at 7:13pm, well, 91% totality for you!
The project, entitled “The Prado in the light of the eclipse”, proposes a progressive transformation of the lighting applied to some of the most iconic paintings in the celebrated gallery. Through this shift in light, the video shows how small variations in illumination can radically alter the perception of colours, shapes and the atmosphere of the paintings, revealing details and nuances that everyday light leaves hidden.
That’s already a lot, and we haven’t even talked about meteors or other planets!
The day starts before the Sun comes up. On the morning of August 12, six planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune — will appear spread across the sky.
Do not expect a tight line of bright dots. This is a wide planetary alignment, stretching from the horizon across a large part of the sky. Mars and Saturn will be the easiest planets to spot with the naked eye. Mercury will sit low above the horizon shortly before sunrise. Jupiter will be bright, but very close to the horizon. Uranus and Neptune will need binoculars or a telescope.
Check the link above for times, but for me this would be just after 6am.
It’s going to be a pretty special day, astronomically speaking. Actually, I should have set up this post in terms of time (location dependent, of course!), like so:
early morning: planet parade
early afternoon: solar eclipse
evening: Perseid meteor shower!
If you have a few moments and clear sky, check it out. There’s a lot going on up there!
* * *
A map showing viewing areas of the August 2026 total solar eclipse. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Early this morning, part of a SpaceX rocket was expected to hit the moon. Yes, our Moon! The bad news is that this is a pretty significant bit of littering. The good news is that the strike and subsequent impact crater were at least expected to provide some new observations for lunar science.
Sadly, despite a great deal of professional and amateur peering into the heavens early this morning, no one seems to have spotted the actual event. Yet.
US and South Korean lunar satellites will be positioned to photograph the site after impact but it may take days to receive that information.
With any luck we’ll know more soon. If you have any information leading to the discovery of this rocket part and its impact crater, inquiring minds want to know!
Created from thousands of images, the sequence begins with Mars as a small crescent in the distance. During close approach on May 15, the Red Planet’s cratered surface fills the imager instrument’s field of view. As the spacecraft departs Mars, the changing perspective reveals the planet’s icy south pole.
Want to learn more about the mission? Here’s an article from NASA:
One of the (many) great things about NASA is that the images it produces are public domain. What might a curious and creative person do with such imagery? Why, cut it together as a moon mission movie, of course!
“I have been completely spellbound by the images coming out of NASA’s Artemis II mission,” Boswell wrote on YouTube. “NASA / ESA deserves best cinematography at the Oscars! I dropped everything to put together a tribute to the mission, piecing together the best, highest resolution footage and mission photography with a custom eight-minute score.”
In case you could use a little space-based inspiration today. Thank you, John D. Boswell!
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