Palacios cariocas - Parque Lage

Construído pelo empresário e amante das artes Henrique Lage, em 1920, o palacete com inspiração romana já foi um dos locais de maior concentração cultural e social do Rio de Janeiro na época da sua inauguração, o casal Lage realizava algumas das festas e saraus mais animados da cidade.

Já no final da década de 1950, o proprietário encontrava-se endividado e o local acabou se tornando patrimônio do estado.

Desde 1975, funciona no local a Instituição de Ensino EAV, voltada ao ensino de artes.

Astronomy picture of the day - 2016 December 11 - The Extraordinary Spiral in LL Pegasi

The Extraordinary Spiral in LL Pegasi 
Image Credit: ESA, Hubble, R. Sahai (JPL), NASA

Explanation: What created the strange spiral structure on the left? No one is sure, although it is likely related to a star in a binary star system entering the planetary nebula phase, when its outer atmosphere is ejected. The huge spiralspans about a third of a light year across and, winding four or five complete turns, has a regularity that is without precedent. Given the expansion rate of the spiral gas, a new layer must appear about every 800 years, a close match to the time it takes for the two stars to orbit each other. The star system that created it is most commonly known as LL Pegasi, but also AFGL 3068. The unusual structure itself has been cataloged as IRAS 23166+1655. The featured image was taken in near-infrared light by the Hubble Space Telescope. Why the spiral glows is itself a mystery, with a leading hypothesis being illumination by light reflected from nearby stars.

Astronomy picture of the day - 2016 December 10 - The Lunar X -

The Lunar X 
Image Credit & Copyright: Alessandro Marchini (Astronomical Observatory, DSFTA - Univ. of Siena),
Liceo "Alessandro Volta" Student Astronomers

Explanation: The striking X appearing in this lunarscape is easily visible in binoculars or a small telescope. Yet, not too many have seen it. The catch is this lunar X is fleeting, only apparent in the hours before the Moon's first quarter phase. At the terminator, or shadow line between lunar day and night, the X illusion is produced by a configuration of the craters Blanchinus, La Caille and Purbach. Near the Moon's first quarter phase, an astronaut standing close to the craters' position would see the slowly rising Sun very near the horizon. Temporarily, the crater walls would be in sunlight while the crater floors were still in darkness. Seen from planet Earth, contrasting sections of bright walls against the dark floors by chance look remarkably like an X. This sharp image of the Lunar X was captured at approximately 16:45 UT on December 6, 2016. For extra credit, sweep your gaze along the lunar terminator and you can also spot the Lunar V.