Astronomy picture of the day 11-11-2014 - Polar Ring Galaxy NGC 660

Polar Ring Galaxy NGC 660
Image Credit: Gemini Observatory, AURA,Travis Rector(Univ. Alaska Anchorage)

Explanation: NGC 660 is featured inthis cosmic snapshot, a sharp composite of broad and narrow band filter image data from the Gemini North telescopeon Mauna Kea. Over 20 million light-years away and swimming within the boundaries of theconstellation Pisces, NGC 660's peculiar appearance marks it asa polar ring galaxy. A rare galaxy type, polar ring galaxies have a substantial population of stars, gas, and dustorbiting in rings nearly perpendicular to the plane of the galactic disk.The bizarre-looking configuration could have been caused by the chance capture of material from a passing galaxy by a disk galaxy, with the captured debris eventually strung out in a rotating ring. The violent gravitational interaction would account for the myriad pinkish star forming regions scattered along NGC 660's ring.The polar ring component can also be used to explore the shape of the galaxy's otherwise unseendark matter halo by calculating thedark matter's gravitational influence on the rotation of the ring and disk. Broader than the disk, NGC 660's ring spans over 50,000 light-years.

Foto - Parc Aufrery - 10-11-2014

Parc Aufrery

10-11-2014

JoanMira

Astronomy picture of the day 10-11-2014 - Milky Way over Devils Tower

Milky Way over Devils Tower
Image Credit &Copyright:David Lane

Explanation: A mysterious formation known asDevils Tower rises into the dark above northeastern Wyoming's prairie landscape in this 16 frame panoramic view. Seen against the night sky's thin, pale clouds and eerie greenairglow, star clusters and nebulae of the Milky Way arc toward the galaxy'scentral realmat right. Of course the scene contains the Milky Way's own haunting and grisly visagesof halloween, includingghosts, a flaming skull, a glowing eye and a witch's broom. To find them, slide your cursor over the picture or just follow this link,if you dare. 

Foto - Parc d'Aufrery - 09-11-2014

Parc d'Aufrery

09-11-2014

JoanMira

Astronomy picture of the day 08-11-2014 - In Green Company: Aurora over Norway

In Green Company: Aurora over Norway
Image Credit & Copyright: Max Rive

Explanation: Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds -- mostly. On the third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not only cleared up but lit up with a spectacular auroral display. Arms went high in the air, patience and experience paid off, and the amazing featured image was captured. The setting is a summit of the Austnesfjordenfjord close to the town of Svolvear on the Lofoten islands in northern Norway. The time was early March. Our Sun has been producing an abundance of picturesque aurora of late as it is near the time of its maximum surface activity in its 11-year magnetic cycle.

Foto - Ponte 25 de Abril vista do Cristo Rei - 18-09-2014

"Ponte 25 de Abril, vista do Cristo Rei"

18-09-2014

JoanMira

Astronomy picture of the day 30-10-204 - A Spectre in the Eastern Veil

A Spectre in the Eastern Veil
Image Credit &Copyright:Ken Crawford (Rancho Del Sol Observatory)

Explanation: Frighteningforms and scary faces are a mark of the Halloween season. They also hauntthis cosmic close-up of the eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. While the Veil is roughly circular in shape and covers nearly 3 degrees on the sky in the constellation Cygnus, this portion of the eastern Veil spans only 1/2 degree, about the apparent sizeof the Moon. That translates to 12 light-years at the Veil's estimated distance, a reassuring 1,400 light-years from planet Earth. In the composite of image data recorded through broad andnarrow band filters, emission from hydrogen atoms in the remnant is shown in red with strong emission from oxygen atoms in blue-green hues. Of course, in the western part of the Veil lies another seasonal apparition,the Witch's Broom.

Astronomy picture of the day 29-10-2014 - Iridescent Cloud Edge Over Colorado

2014 October 29

Iridescent Cloud Edge Over Colorado
Image Credit & Copyright: Phil Plait (Bad Astronomy Blog, Slate)

Explanation: Sometimes your eclipse viewing goes bad in an interesting way. While watching and photographing last Thursday's partial solar eclipse, a popular astronomy blogger suffered through long periods of clouds blocking the Sun. Unexpectedly, however, a nearby cloud began to show a rare effect: iridescence. Frequently part of a more familiar solar corona effect, iridescence is the diffraction of sunlight around a thin screen of nearly uniformly-sized water droplets. Different colors of the sunlight become deflected by slightly different angles and so come to the observer from slightly different directions. This display, featured here, was quite bright and exhibited an unusually broad range of colors. On the right, the contrails of an airplane are also visible. 

Texto - A arte de bem viver com o dinheiro dos outros

HISTORIETA

Era uma vez o Alberto Sal’Azar, o Almerico Tomalo, Duras no Barroco, Peter Steps Rabbit, Marcus Catano, Sentuma Lapides, Marievc  Soà’Ares e mais alguns, que combinaram uma patuscada.

A sombra da Republica bananeira, refastelados, de pança cheia tratava-se de quem iria assumir a despesa: “Eu não, eu não , e eu também não…vociferava-se naquele pitoresco quadro… Até que o “chefe”, tentando erguer a trémula voz, resolveu com autoridade : “Ta decidido, quem paga é o membro mais efeminizado desta patriótica e nobre reunião!”

E ouve-se uma voz em forma de gaita: “Ah ele é isso, então vem já para a baila o caso dos “submarinos aéreos”…

Claro que quem pagou foram os “costumais”!

28-10-2014

JoanMira   

A hipocrisia muçulmana

Andar de cara tapada ou destapada não é opção de moda ou idiossincrasia cultural. Em regra as pessoas não andam de cara tapada quando interagem com outros. Além de ser a parte mais expressiva do nosso corpo, a cara é a forma de nos identificarmos. Ninguém espera que os alunos estejam na aula de óculos escuros e barba postiça, se alguém pára a mota para pedir indicações deve pelo menos levantar o visor do capacete e se entrarem pessoas num banco com barretes pretos a tapar a cara é certo que alguém vai chamar a polícia. Andar de cara tapada é uma atitude ameaçadora, porque uma pessoa que esconde assim o que quer e quem é não parece vir com com boas intenções. Em todas as culturas há uma aversão natural a quem aja assim.

E a burka não é excepção porque nas sociedades onde a usam as mulheres não são consideradas pessoas. São propriedade dos pais, dos maridos ou dos filhos e não faz mal terem um pano a tapar a cara. Pessoas de cara tapada não é aceitável, mas nessas sociedades as pessoas são os homens. Esses andam com a cara descoberta.

Os franceses querem proibir o uso da burka em espaços públicos e há quem diga que isto é atentar contra os direitos e costumes daquelas mulheres. Não é uma crítica muito acertada porque os costumes visados são mais os dos “donos” dessas mulheres. Mas, além disso, há outro aspecto importante. Na Europa as mulheres são pessoas. Não são gado nem objectos. E ninguém quer viver no meio de pessoas de cara tapada.