Astronomy Tuesday

I don't think I'd ever seen this before: the Southern Crab Nebula, in Centaurus. The winged shape and beautiful gold and green remind me more of a butterfly than a crab, so it's a nice followup to my Washington adventures.

There's a binary star system at the heart of this nebula; a red giant sheds gases onto its much hotter companion white dwarf, which responds by tossing everything out into space.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI

Semi-abstracts

There are many more pictures from my week in Washington, of course, but here are two random shots to start off the week: water in the fountain at Duport Circle, and tulips on Embassy Row.

I wish I'd taken the time to frame a better shot of those flowers (though I did manage to catch a butterfly in the background), but I was running late to meet the group for an immersive theater experience in an abandoned subway station, which turned out to be everything that description suggests.

Sunday bird blogging

This handsome fellow is a chipping sparrow, one more sign that the spring migrations have arrived in Central Park.

Bonus reflections

Saturday reflections

The beautiful ironwork outside the African American Museum is lined with glass, creating wonderful reflections on the inside.

Something that's always bothered me

A few of the depictions of the Christ Child by Italian Renaissance painters at the National Gallery.

Auden claimed that the Old Masters were never wrong, at least about suffering, but looking at these paintings, I do wonder if any of them had ever actually seen a baby.

So many museums, so little time

I'm flying back to New York this afternoon after a wonderful week in Washington.

Good meals with old friends, (mostly) perfect weather for walking in a beautiful city, and a lot of time in museums: the Renwick, the National Gallery, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and, seen here, the National Archives.

I was sure I must have visited the Archives during my first trip to Washington many years ago, but as soon as I saw the Rotunda where the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are displayed, I knew I'd never been there before.

It brought tears to my eyes. The Declaration in particular is so faded you can hardly read it, but the ideals they embody are so resonant. I want my country back. I will do whatever I have to to make that happen.

Proof that I am actually in Washington

The very crowded South Lawn at the White House on Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll.

We did not attend.

The Common Morpho

I spent the most time chasing these frustrating little guys around the butterfly room.

The underside of their wings has a beautiful pattern in browns and golds, but the top is this brilliant blue. Unfortunately as soon as they touched down they tended to close their wings and keep them closed, as in the top photo where several of them are hanging out on a piece of pineapple.

I really wanted a picture of the blue wings, and while none of these are great, I did, quite literally, sweat for them.

More flutterbyes

Monarch

Well, this was unexpected. I went to the Natural History museum to see an exhibit of award-winning travel photographs. The photos were wonderful, but I spent more time in the butterfly room, despite heat, humidity and more than one screaming child who was terrified by the big bugs flying everywhere.

I wasn't prepared to take macro photos on this trip, but some of the butterfly shots came out better than I thought they would. Here's a monarch sipping oh so delicately from a delicious pink flower.

More Easter Sunday pictures

Easter pastoral

It turned out that I could eat again after all. Yesterday we had a late brunch in Fairfax, then spent the afternoon driving through the countryside of Northern Virginia.

How ridiculously beautiful is this? It was just a perfect day -- we sang Take Me Home, Country Roads in the car, stopping for the occasional photo, wandered through village streets ducking in and out of little shops, and had tea in Georgetown instead of dinner.

Sunday bird blogging

Happy Easter to all who celebrate -- here's a redwing blackbird in Central Park.

I am suffering from a food hangover this morning after an amazing Passover-Easter celebration at a restaurant called Gravitas. Fifteen people, six courses with paired wines, and lots of laughter and lively conversation. I can't drink much these days, so I had only a taste of most of the wine, but the food was exquisite -- savory matzo ball soup with shaved truffles, poached halibut with chive vinaigrette, and a rabbit dish that was one of the best things I ever ate.

But I'm definitely not used to feasting until midnight, and I'm moving very slowly this morning. I threw on enough clothes to visit the Starbucks down in the lobby, then immediately returned to bed with my laptop, my coffee, and a chocolate Easter egg.

I may emerge before noon. We'll see.

Saturday reflections

Here's something a little different -- a park bench by the Azalea Pond in Central Park reflected in the water.

Yes, I'm in Washington not New York, but don't have any pictures to post yet. We had a long bus trip down the gray, grim, and very wet Eastern Seaboard yesterday, but today was such a perfect spring day I didn't even miss the cherry blossoms.

Lights, camera, action

I was going to call this urban poetry, but it isn't really, even by my very loose definition.

I went to a television taping last week -- one of the perks of being retired in New York -- and these are the lights on the ceiling of the studio.

It was fun, and they gave everyone in the audience a huge bag of L'Oreal products, so I won't be running out of shampoo any time in the next year.

Urban poetry

Garbage bins outside brownstones on West 57th Street.

Speaking of pretty pink flowers...

I'll be in DC next week -- unfortunately, that's two weeks past peak cherry blossom.

Fortunately, peak cherry blossom in Central Park is right now.

Astronomy Tuesday

Here's a pretty pink rose for this beautiful spring day. This is the Rosette Nebula in Monoceros (the Unicorn.)

Image Credit and Copyright: Jean Dean

Notre Dame

One of my favorite places in the world is gone.

I'm crying while I watch the news. Notre Dame survived the Revolution, the Commune, the Occupation, and now it's been destroyed by a fire. I've been there so many times; it's always been the first place I go whenever I'm in Paris. The interior never failed to soothe and inspire -- that hushed darkness, lit by those magnificent windows.

I took this picture in 2017 -- it does not capture their beauty, but today I'm grateful to have it.

Bird blogging

A great blue heron in Central Park.

If the universe had meant me to be productive this week, there wouldn't have been daily marathons of Game of Thrones every afternoon and evening. 

Saturday reflections

This is possibly the most New York reflection ever -- a new building near Hudson Yards, across the street from an old brick skyscraper.

Urban poetry

An archway near the Pool in Central Park.

Astronomy Tuesday

That's the International Space Station, seen against a beautifully detailed moon.

Image Credit and Copyright: Eric Holland

Bonus bird blogging

Another photo from the Pool Friday -- those Canada geese aren't close enough to qualify this as much of a birding picture, but I love the way they're framed by the willow fronds that are just starting to turn green.

Sunday bird blogging

This grackle is really flaunting the iridescence.

Bonus reflections

Bare trees over the Pool in northwest Central Park during a gentle spring rain yesterday.

I met up with a birding group, but we gave up after one circuit of the lake. There were a few interesting birds -- flickers, field sparrows -- but there was a lot more rain. We're going to try again next week.

Saturday reflections

Here's a rainy spring sidewalk in New York. Apparently puddle reflections have become quite trendy on Instagram, so once again I am ahead of the curve. (That is, of course, a joke -- I manage to navigate most curves life throws at me, but getting ahead of them is not one of my talents.)

Antarctica flashback

I've been processing old photos in fits and starts. Most of them aren't that interesting -- they're the ones that get passed over during the many rounds of sorting, usually because there are better pictures I'd rather work on.

But I love this one. This was taken at the Chilean Air Force base on King George Island while we were waiting for the plane back to Punta Arenas. Such brilliant light, and the day before the wind and snow had been so bad we couldn't leave the ship.

Urban poetry

Entrance to a parking garage in Hell's Kitchen, with a sign truncated into being a New York koan.

Astronomy Tuesday

For some reason, this picture makes me want to intone Space: the final frontier.

NGC 1333 in Perseus shows a reflection nebula, with the bright blue of starlight reflected off the interstellar dust.

Image Credit and Copyright: Steve Milne, Barry Wilson - Processing: Steve Milne