There’s a bird hanging around outside, one that’s been frequenting the yard on and off for the past couple of weeks. It’s a cardinal. Pretty, but not extraordinary around here.
This particular bird, however, is a bit peculiar in that it seems to have some interesting blotchy marks on its wings. Or maybe its belly. Or its back? Perhaps it’s just a juvenile taking his first flights into adulthood. I can’t be sure because I’m a typically nearsighted book nerd and the pesky little guy refuses to sit still long enough for me to get my phone or binoculars.
So I think it may have some unusual markings, but maybe it’s just me. All I know is that it’s interesting and I’d like a closer look.
I haven’t been able to get that close-up look, yet, but the possibility of it keeps me focused, and paying attention to what I can see. Squirrel shenanigans, a giant lazy bumblebee, gulls riding air currents overhead, a huge black wasp, a tiny little bee feeding on grass flowers, a chipmunk, lightning bugs in the yard, the beauty of the volunteer daisies around the corner of the house.
I may not always see everything I hope, but I see far more than I would if I were not paying attention at all.
And that’s a very good thing.
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
If you don’t track space news or astronomy news or science news, you may not have seen the announcement about the debut of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s recent drop of galactically cool imagery.
Even if you have seen the announcements, you may not know the story behind the observatory, its world-beating telescope, or the woman it’s named after. Here’s a quick orientation and of course, a look at some of that amazing imagery.
The Legacy Survey of Space and Time camera is expected to capture more information about the universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined.
What is the observatory observing from its perch on Cerro Pachón in Chile? All the things!
In just over 10 hours of test observations, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory has already captured millions of galaxies and Milky Way stars and thousands of asteroids. The imagery is a small preview of Rubin Observatory’s upcoming 10-year scientific mission to explore and understand some of the Universe’s biggest mysteries.
It should detect killer asteroids in striking distance of Earth and map the Milky Way. It will also answer crucial questions about dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up most of our universe.
Exactly who was Vera C. Rubin? Just a girl who dreamed of space, ignored the haters, and grew up to be a world-class scientist.
Vera Rubin is best known for presenting the first sound evidence of dark matter—an elusive substance that makes up more than 80 percent of our universe, yet doesn’t interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation, making it impossible to glimpse directly through a telescope. Her central scientific accomplishment involved discovering a mismatch between the predicted angular motion of galaxies and the observed motion of galaxies. Rubin’s calculations offered a solution to this so-called “galaxy rotation problem” by suggesting that galaxies must contain at least 10 times as much mass as can be accounted for by the visible stars. This invisible mass constituted evidence for what astronomers had earlier proposed to be dark matter.
Rubin became a cosmological giant against the odds, illuminating a path for future female astronomers.
(And, I’d like to add, becoming a role model for kids of all shapes and sizes!) Want even more in-depth info about telescope and its capabilities?
In this exclusive interview, Professor Mario Jurić reveals how the Vera Rubin Observatory accidentally discovered 2,000 asteroids in just 10 hours while testing its capabilities on the distant Virgo Cluster—transforming humanity’s asteroid discovery rate from 20,000 per year globally to potentially over one million annually with a single telescope.
Short and very cool video of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae, compiling more than seven hours of observing time: Trifid and Lagoon Nebulas (Video-ES).
Space Surveyors is a fun, interactive game where YOU move the Rubin telescope around the sky. How many stars, galaxies, supernovae, comets, and asteroids can you catch in one minute, before the sun rises?
While players aren’t moving the *real* telescope around, it’s still fun to play. (I discovered 22 objects before the clouds rolled in and the sun came up. Bet you can do better:)
Adventure! Discovery! Secrets of the universe! This, kids, is why math is important.*
* I mean, sure, also to figure out if you have enough money to pay rent and still buy ice cream, but also this!
Today the sun will reach its northernmost latitude. It will sit above the Tropic of Cancer, which means that today is the longest day in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest day in the southern hemisphere.
This marks the start of astronomical summer for the northern hemisphere for this year.
And in parts of Canada, we have a bit of added fun.
The entire country will experience the longest day of the year on Friday the 20th.
However, if you live anywhere from northern and eastern Ontario to the Atlantic coast, Saturday the 21st will be the exact same length as the 20th, down to the second. This includes Timmins, North Bay, Ottawa, and Bainsville in Ontario, plus everywhere to the east — all of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Check out the rest of the article for more on the astronomy of it all, where the name comes from, and what a solargraphy is (pretty, that’s what).
I hope you enjoy the solstice, no matter where you are. And if you (like me) get two, even better!
As usual, the Nebulas provide a slate of interesting material for my reading list. I’m also happy to say that Canadian authors are well-represented in this year’s awards.
As an embodied ship Intelligence and fugitive former warship, you’ve faced many challenges.
But when your captain dies suspiciously halfway through a hyperspace transit, you know you’re in trouble. Not because you need a captain — you can pilot yourself just fine — but because, as an aficionado of mysteries and detective stories, you know there’s only one explanation: murder most foul.
Investigate your rooms.
Interrogate your crew and passengers.
Solve the mystery.
Will you find your way back to reality — or be stuck in hyperspace forever?
It beat out big names like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and it’s free to play online? Sounds excellent!
So, my goal with these books was to create something that hit that same note, of: “You can just be comfy here for a while. You can just be safe. Nothing’s gonna jump at you, nothing’s gonna stress you out. But I am going to speak to you as a fellow adult. I’m going to talk to you about things that are relevant to you in your adult life.”
Sounds fun, and I’ve enjoyed other Becky Chambers books, so I’m adding the Monk & Robot series to my list.
“One of the things I aim for is just to say, hey, it doesn’t have to be this way. I think that’s the key goal of science fiction in general, whether it’s a positive future, a negative future, somewhere in between. It doesn’t have to be like this.”
I’m behind and my to do list is calling, but I’ve managed to sneak in some of the things that really matter. Like a little writing, food for the birds, and making Mr Man laugh.
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.”
As part of an answer to a woman looking for answers to big questions (excuse me, Big Questions), blogger Darius Foroux was asked to sum up his definition of life in 50 words or less. His answer?
No one knows what they are doing.
— Darius Foroux
I find this both reassuring and encouraging. I mean, sure, a lot of people know a lot of things, but no one knows everything. Everyone has questions, everyone has areas for improvement, and we’re all just wading through life trying to keep our feet dry (or not, you do you!).
J.R. Johnson 
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