Orion Approaches Moon Before Return Flyby

On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, Dec. 4, 2022, a camera mounted on the Orion spacecraft captured the Moon just in frame as Orion prepared for its return powered flyby on Dec. 5, when it passed approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface. via NASA https://ift.tt/geqiFm5

Nature quote of the day

“Curiosity is the one thing invincible in Nature.” – Freya Stark

Art Quote of the Day

“If technique is of no interest to a writer, I doubt that the writer is an artist.” – Marianne Moore

Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster

Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Even if you have, you probably have never seen it as large and clear as this. Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of the Pleiades can be seen with the unaided eye even from the depths of a light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though, the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very evident. The featured 11-hour exposure, taken from the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, covers a sky area several times the size of the full moon. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades lies about 400 light years away toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus). A common legend with a modern twist is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named, leaving only six of the sister stars visible to the unaided eye. The actual number of Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more or less than seven, depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and the clarity of the observer’s eyesight. via NASA https://ift.tt/pFkzYIa

AM Rain today!

AM Rain today! With a high of 4C and a low of 4C.
93 Humidity.
2 C currently.
5 Km/h Wind from
South.