Astronomy Tuesday

This bright burst of color is NGC 1898, a globular cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA

Another view of porpoising

Three penguins, this time, but unfortunately seen from behind.

I would have loved to get a shot of penguins porpoising seen from the side, but had to settle for a row of (admittedly cute) penguin butts.

Porpoising

Apologies for being late, but apparently yesterday was Penguin Awareness Day, and I neglected to celebrate.

Here's a picture from Antarctica, a year ago this month. This chinstrap penguin is porpoising, leaping out of the water and arcing back in. Penguins may be easy to photograph on land, but they're almost impossible to catch in the water. They race through the water like little torpedoes, then leap out to grab a breath before plunging back in. I never managed to get great pictures of them porpoising, because it was impossible to predict where they'd surface and by the time you saw them they were gone.

This is my best picture, but because it's only one penguin and he was out of the frame by the time he was completely out of the water, you can't really tell that he's leaping out of the water. It looks more like he's trudging ashore after a swim.

Sunday bird blogging

A tufted titmouse.

If not for that stupid branch in the way, this would be a perfect picture, but that typical titmouse adorableness comes though anyway.

Saturday reflections

The back of the Winter Garden, where I bought my tea on Monday.

So many reflection shots of buildings end up being layers of blue because of the sky, so here's a black and white version.

Looking through the eye

The new One World Trade Center, seen from -- and through -- the Oculus.

Oculus detail

More of the Oculus

A view from outside.

Because it's long and narrow in shape and gets wider below street level, the Oculus looks surprisingly small from the street.

Except for those enormous wings, of course.

Urban poetry

It took me a few years to get there, but here's the interior of the World Trade Center transportation center, also known as the Oculus, designed by Santiago Calatrava.

Monday I was looking through architecture photos online and saw an interesting photo of the exterior. It reminded me that I'd always wanted to go back there after it opened, but the few times I've been in Lower Manhattan in the past few years -- for classes or jury duty -- I never had time.

Now I've got nothing but time, so I hopped on a bus and went downtown on a whim. It was a clear sunny day, cold (because January) but not unpleasant with a cup of hot tea in hand, even by the river. I walked around, drank my tea, took some pictures, then got on another bus and came home.

I loved being able to do that.

Astronomy Tuesday

M100, seen in a recent photograph from the Hubble.

Monsieur Messier may have felt a thrill of accomplishment when his famous list of Celestial Objects That Are Not Comets hit triple digits, but hélas, he never got to see it in all this wonderful detail.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble

Sunday bird blogging

The green blades of grass are a clue that this is another picture from last summer, but one of the consolations of winter in New York is that cardinals stick it out with us and provide bright bits of color in the dull landscape.

Saturday reflections

You can tell from the green leaves that this picture, of an apartment building lobby on West 44th Street, was taken last summer. In January, the city palette is all grays and browns with cool silver light.

I bought an Instant Pot several weeks ago, and it's wonderful for making soup -- just chop up a bunch of vegetables, brown some meat if desired, and push a couple of buttons. If the vegetables are watery enough -- onions, cabbage, peppers -- you don't even need stock as the pressure cooking extracts a tasty broth.

If the seasoning is insufficient, I just pour in some Buffalo sauce, and voila! Hot and spicy cabbage soup, perfect for lunch on a gray January afternoon.