Astronomy Tuesday

Everything in the universe is moving -- expansion pulls it apart, gravity pulls it together. Galaxies may not technically dance, but they do spin.

This particular galaxy, UGC 12591, has the faster rotation rate yet measured, 480 kilometers per second, almost twice as fast as our own Milky Way. You go, girl!

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble

Welcome to the working week

A man selling balls in the plaza in front of the amphitheater in Amman. And more evidence that life in those scary Middle Eastern countries is often a lot like -- modern life anywhere. The father with the phone at his ear, the boys with their eyes, quite literally, on the ball.

This young man brought his own ball -- not as colorful maybe, but just as much fun to chase.

Sunday bird blogging

A brown-headed cowbird hanging out on a rather wintry looking tree, although I took this picture only a couple of weeks ago, and winter was already long behind us. Now we seem to have gone prematurely into summer, with two hot sultry days in a row.

Saturday reflections

The Empire State Building, looking moody in reflection.

More urban poetry

A young dancer in training.

Urban poetry

One of a group of dancers on Fifth Avenue on Sunday, captured in the act of creating that perfect shadow on the sidewalk.

Astronomy Tuesday

Another amazing image from Cassini.

That tiny point of light is Earth, seen between two of the rings of Saturn. (If you enlarge the image, you can just make out our moon to the left.)

Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

Sunday bird blogging

Oh where oh where can my baby be?

It's unfair that cardinals are so stunning to look at, and also have a beautiful song, full of whistles and trills that dip and swoop; if there were any equality in the animal kingdom, they'd squawk like bluejays.

More signs of the times

Signs for science

The signs at the march were wonderful -- some of the ones I couldn't get clear pictures of:

   Newton, not Putin

   Got Plague? No? Thank a scientist!

   Unicorn Frappuccinos are magic. Everything else is science

It was a reminder that there are thousands of smart, funny, passionate people out there, and maybe we're not all doomed.

And even if we are, this is definitely the team I want to be on when we go down fighting.

March for Science

I had to work today, so couldn't march, but when I went out to grab some pizza for lunch I walked over to Broadway to take a look. The info online had said the march would go from 62nd Street down Broadway to 52nd Street, but despite the rainy weather the crowd extended in both directions as far as I could see from 51st Street -- at least 20 blocks long and maybe more.

Saturday reflections

Here's the dazzle of a spring afternoon on Fifth Avenue -- and our spring has been mostly lacking in dazzle so far -- with crowds of spring break tourists reflected in the windows of one of the glittery emporiums there.