Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, science, space, winter on January 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Like many of you, we caught some of the winter weather that’s making such a splash this weekend. I feel for those who are digging out from the snow and sleet and ice many got, but for us it was a little snow and a lot of cold.
We hit -34C last night, which is (checks notes) really really cold! Which made today the perfect day to post this quick @ScienceandtheCity video on how space would feel, temperature wise.
Would space feel cold without a suit?
Yes. The answer is yes.
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Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, science, solstice, Thoughts on December 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
It’s that time again!
Yes, the darkest day of the year is here, but that means brighter days are ahead.
Sunday is the shortest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical winter.
That’s right, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the shortest day of the year. (And if you’d like a quick reminder of the astronomy of it all, this one’s helpful: December Solstice 2025.)
So light a candle (physical or metaphorical, your choice!), and look ahead to a brighter future.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, music, nature, science on October 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Ok, this is amazing.
And if you wired other nearby plants and trees, would they all play in synchrony?
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, MarsCuriosity, NASA, science, space, Thoughts on September 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Some days the day job is a little hectic, and what I’d really like is a moment to get away from it all, you know?
Curiosity knows. The intrepid rover has been on Mars since 2012 and is still very much out of the office.
In fact, let’s check in. Where is that little bundle of human ingenuity is now?
Curiosity Rover Location Map – NASA Science
And what has it seen? So much!
Being away from the rest of us doesn’t mean Curiosity isn’t getting the best dirt. In fact, its latest discovery has the potential to stir up what we know about life on Mars!
Here’s Neil deGrasse Tyson to break it down for us:
As Neil asks, “Could we have Martian neighbors?” If yes, would they fancy a mid-afternoon coffee break?
I know I could use one.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, lunar eclipse, planetary stuff, science on September 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Tonight there will be a total lunar eclipse visible for most of humanity (just not for we Western Hemispherians; here’s a map of viewing locations). The moon has been very bright the past few days, and tonight it will be full. As the Earth’s shadow blocks the sun, the moon will turn red.
What to expect during the ‘blood moon’ total lunar eclipse on Sept. 7-8 | Space
The Sept. 7-8 total lunar eclipse will be visible to over 7 billion people in Asia, Australia, Africa and eastern Europe.
Not in a region that will see the full eclipse? Enjoy the power of modern technology and livestream it:
LIVE: Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon) – September 7–8, 2025
Looking forward to it!
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, science, sorry!, Thoughts, writing on August 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »
/with apologies to the Lepidoptera experts among us…
Ok, so here’s the thing:
— I like moths and butterflies but there’s a lot about the evolution of the family Lepidoptera that I don’t know;
— the idea that moths evolved from butterflies is, as far as I can tell, bunk;
— also, moths come out during the day, too;
— but sometimes a thought / idea / feeling flutters my way and sticks around long enough to inspire, even when I regretfully inform said idea that it is probably flying in the face of science.
And so, that’s how this most certainly unscientific poem about moths dreaming about sunshine came to be.
Some days you just go with it.
Do moths love the moon
because they remember
being butterflies?
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, inspiration, JWST, NASA, science on August 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes a picture is worth much more than a thousand words:
Andromeda Galaxy Panorama Features Over 200 Million Stars
Stitching together more than 600 overlapping snapshots, the panorama serves as the largest photomosaic ever assembled from Hubble Space Telescope observations. Across its 2.5 billion pixels are a vast and vibrant assortment of 200 million stars, a mere fraction of Andromeda’s entire population. Taken in its entirety, the panorama is not only a technological or photographic achievement, it’s also a critical glimpse into the Andromeda galaxy itself.
And here’s the video version.
Andromeda revealed!
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, ISS, NASA, science, space, technology, Thoughts, Writers on August 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I have a folder of interesting articles, quotes, and ideas. When the cicadas are buzzing and the temperature is too hot to think of anything particularly timely, I search that folder for stories that might interest you.
Today, this treasure trove of ideas wants you to know about a critical space station issue: water.
When you’re on a camping trip, you might have to pack your own food and maybe something to filter or treat water that you find. But imagine your campsite is in space, where there’s no water, and packing jugs of water would take up room when every inch of cargo space counts. That’s a key challenge engineers faced when designing the International Space Station.
Real life Dune! Ok, not really, but kind of! And this is exactly the sort of technology that can benefit the Earth-bound among us too.
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Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, innovation, inspiration, science, science fiction, Thoughts on August 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a fun and productive use of the internet that answers a very important question: How close are we to living in the Star Trek universe?
Check it out and see!
This guide is intended to be a comprehensive look at the tech that Star Trek suggested to drive humanity forward ad astra per aspera. The emphasis is on innovations that don’t violate physics according to present consensus understanding. Go ahead and explore boldly… Just don’t waste too much time on idle speculation: there’s a whole lot to do if we’re going to get to Trek, and it’s going to take all of us.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, oceans, science, Thoughts on July 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
If you’ve ever wondered what’s down in the ocean deeps, the funnest version of the answer is that we mostly don’t know!
Here’s an interesting article featuring graphic illustrations by Angela Hsieh, showing what we know about the ocean, its depths, the differences between the Sunlit, Midnight, and other zones, and the many (many) things we have yet to discover about the oceans that surround us.
Why researchers are racing to study the world’s ocean – NPR
Did you know that the ocean produces approximately half of the world’s oxygen? Or that key medicines have come from ocean discoveries, like a painkiller found in a sea snail?
It’s all true! And so is this fact: Scientists know more about space than Earth’s ocean. Seriously, humans haven’t seen 99.999% of the deep sea floor.
So cool!
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J.R. Johnson 
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