MEGA[tro]N

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Sun, 19 May 2013 22:34:04 -0400

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Fri, 03 May 2013 06:59:33 -0400

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Fri, 03 May 2013 06:53:02 -0400

mathewbrewer: Hulk Continuing the Marvel Character fan art....

Fri, 03 May 2013 06:51:45 -0400

mathewbrewer:

Hulk

Continuing the Marvel Character fan art. This is Hulk.

I was unsure over the choice between brown or blue, but went with brown because I’ve done the blue costume before.

23 out of 30 characters. keep em peeled for more.

7 more to go!

I am graduating today!

Fri, 03 May 2013 06:50:43 -0400

I am graduating today!

girl-non-grata: Husband animates joke about tortilla chips told...

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:03:31 -0400

girl-non-grata:

Husband animates joke about tortilla chips told by his drunk wife.

Pretty much the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

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Thu, 02 May 2013 18:26:53 -0400

Omg I love Tabatha!

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:19:42 -0400

Omg I love Tabatha!

infinity-imagined: Patterns on Mars

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:17:50 -0400

infinity-imagined:

Patterns on Mars

n-a-s-a: The atmosphere of Venus is visible as a short arc,...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:18:19 -0400

n-a-s-a:

The atmosphere of Venus is visible as a short arc, called the aureole effect, off the edge of the Sun during the 2004 transit of Venus. It is caused by sunlight refracting through the dense atmosphere of the planet. The Aureole is only visible during a transit of Venus. It can only be photographed then and a safe solar filter must be used.

Credit: Jerry Lodriguss

At the 17th annual Leesburg Bike Fest with Ryan and my family!...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:38:15 -0400

At the 17th annual Leesburg Bike Fest with Ryan and my family! Going again tomorrow and Sunday. =)

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Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:01:28 -0400

fuckyeahlgbt: The Rhode Island Senate just voted 26-12 to...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:33:39 -0400

fuckyeahlgbt:

The Rhode Island Senate just voted 26-12 to approve marriage equality, guaranteeing that The Ocean State will be the 10th state to allow same-sex couples to legally marry. Because the Senate made some revisions to the bill, it still requires a final passage in the Rhode Island House, which will likely happen next Thursday. Back in January, it passed easily there by an overwhelming 51-19 vote. Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) has promised to sign the bill.

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/04/24/1917741/rhode-island-becomes-10th-state-to-approve-marriage-equality/?mobile=nc

xwidep: Perspective.

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:30:14 -0400

xwidep:

Perspective.

spacettf: A changing fan by europeanspaceagency on Flickr.Via...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:30:24 -0400

spacettf:

A changing fan by europeanspaceagency on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
The Universe is rarely static, although the timescales involved can be very long. Since modern astronomical observations began we have been observing the birthplaces of new stars and planets, searching for and studying the subtle changes that help us to figure out what is happening within. The bright spot located at the edge of the bluish fan-shaped structure in this Hubble image is a young star called V* PV Cephei, or PV Cep. It is a favourite target for amateur astronomers because the fan-shaped nebulosity, known as GM 1-29 or Gyulbudaghian’s Nebula, changes over a timescale of months. The brightness of the star has also varied over time. Images of PV Cep taken in 1952 showed a nebulous streak, similar to a comet’s tail. However, these had vanished when new images of the star were obtained some twenty-five years later. Instead, the blue fan-shaped nebula had appeared. Twenty-five years is a very short period on cosmic timescales, so astronomers think that the mysterious streak may have been a temporary phenomenon, such as the remnants of a massive stellar flare — similar to the solar flares we are used to seeing in the Solar System. At the same time as this was happening, the star itself was brightening. This provided the light to illuminate the newly formed fan-shaped nebula. This brightening might be related to the start of the hydrogen-burning phase of the star, which would mean that it was reaching maturity. PV Cep is thought to be surrounded by a disc of gas and dust, which would stop light from escaping in all directions. The fan-like appearance is therefore probably a result of starlight escaping from the dust disc and projecting onto the nebula. PV Cep is located in the northern constellation of Cepheus at a distance of over 1600 light-years from Earth. A version of this image was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures competition by contestant Alexey Romashin.

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA.
Acknowledgement: Alexey Romashin

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Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:33:25 -0400

firelily24: Maleficent is probably my favorite classic Disney...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:58:12 -0400

firelily24:

Maleficent is probably my favorite classic Disney villain. She’s such a creep. I love it.

Art by Kelley Harris

jtotheizzoe: The New York Times has created an interactive...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:33:52 -0400

jtotheizzoe:

The New York Times has created an interactive feature tallying all of the exoplanets discovered by NASA’s Kepler Telescope. You should really check out the link, because theirs is animated, and much bigger, and completely awesome.

This comes after news of Kepler’s detection of a new multiplanet system, with not one but two planets in the habitable zone (original research paper). Doesn’t mean that either of them would, could, or should have life, but put a check mark next to criteria #1 for biology.

This brings us to a total of 871 confirmed exoplanets, which is a drop in a drop in a drop in the bucket for how many are estimated to be out there. Those 871 confirmed exoplanets represent a mere 0.0000008% of the likely number in just the Milky Way.

Bonus: Find out more about how astrobiologists calculate the odds of extraterrestrial civilizations in this episode of It’s Okay To Be Smart: The Odds of Finding Life and Love.

jtotheizzoe: Hubble and the Horsehead, Then and Now To...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:33:16 -0400

jtotheizzoe:

Hubble and the Horsehead, Then and Now

To celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope’s launch next week, astronomers released a new image (top) of the iconic Horsehead Nebula. It is stunning.

The clouds of stellar gas almost jump right out of my screen! It’s a far cry from the view of the nebula that we’re used to, in the bottom image. Phil Plait has a great description of what you’re seeing at Bad Astronomy:

Just off the top of the Hubble picture is the bright star system Sigma Orionis, composed of five incredibly luminous stars. Combined, they shine with the power of over 75,000 Suns! They are responsible for heating and exciting the gas behind the Horsehead.

The Horsehead itself is the site of ongoing star formation. The dense gas and dust inside the nebula is collapsing to form stars, and, at the same time, the edges are being eroded away by the fierce ultraviolet light of Sigma Orionis. The top of the Horsehead is acting a bit like a shield, protecting the material beneath it, which is why it’s taken on that umbrella-like shape. You can see more sculpted pillars of material around the sides, too, like sandbars in a stream.

Well done, Hubble team. Keep up the good work. You’ve inspired millions.

jtotheizzoe: The First Book of Space Travel: Getting Kids...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:35:09 -0400

jtotheizzoe:

The First Book of Space Travel: Getting Kids Inspired in Space, Circa 1953

Prolific children’s book author and illustrator Jeanne Bendick penned a vision of the future intended to inspire the minds of children to create the world of tomorrow. In 1953, when she wrote The First Book of Space Travel, that world was one where the stars would one day be within reach, despite preceding the space race by nearly a decade.

Maria Popova has collected many of the pages from this out-of-print book at Brain Pickings, and they are equal parts wonderful and sad (I seriously recommend checking them out). They painfully remind us that we have fallen short of these dreams, but maybe we can find hope in Jeanne’s words below:

Questions are more important than answers… If I were a fairy godmother, my gift to every child would be curiosity.

These visions are not yet out of reach. Let’s all exchange more of this gift. Here’s a little curiosity, with a bow on top. Because that’s the best kind of rocket fuel.

(via Brain Pickings)