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
From Stephen King’s Maine to Steinbeck’s California, Big Think’s “A Literary Map of the United States” charts the stories that changed how we see a nation.
They’d love to sell you the map, but there’s also an image you can expand to see the detailed poster, and examples of the stories and the places that shaped them.
The site’s tagline is “Journeys from fiction drawn on the real world.” That won’t be much use when it comes to Middle Earth or Star Wars, but is very cool when considering more local stories. Like Homer’s The Odyssey. Or Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Or Little House on the Prairie, which was somehow not where I expected it to be!
They have lots of classic books and also movies (like Raiders:). Have fun!
“We ought to view ourselves with the same curiosity and openness with which we study a tree, the sky or a thought, because we too are linked to the entire universe.” — Henri Matisse
Maybe you’ve heard of Jimothy, the Seattle native and short-spined raccoon who has captured the hearts and minds of the internets, but if you haven’t, this critter has inspired creatives far and wide.
That includes Chris Pirillo, a designer who has created not one, not two, not three, but four ! arcade-style video games starring the adorable little raccoon. If you need a bit of a break today, you can check them out here:
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!
“To begin anything — a new practice, a new project, a new love — is to cast upon yourself a spell against stagnation. Beginnings are notation for the symphony of the possible in us. They ask us to break the pattern of our lives and reconfigure it afresh – something that can only be done with great courage and great tenderness, for no territory of life exposes both our power and our vulnerability more brightly than a beginning.” — Maria Popova
It’s essentially a soft and chewy sugar cookie base with a chocolate topping. Simple, but the delightful part is that it really does taste like mint chocolate chip ice cream. It takes a bit of cooling time but is otherwise quick, easy, and delicious. Mr Man gave it a big thumbs up. If you are into mint and chocolate, this recipe is for you. Recommend!
And here we have my own Rothko-inspired food art courtesy of the recipe’s peppermint extract, olive oil, and food coloring. I shall call it: “One sun and two blues on a summer’s day.”
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