Author Archives: Chompsky
Behold IC417 and NGC1931, two large emission nebulae toward the constellation of Auriga. Also known as the Spider Nebula (for obvious reasons) and (less obviously, but continuing the theme), ‘The Fly’. To wit:
About 10,000 light-years distant, both nebulae harbour young, open star clusters. For scale, the more compact NGC 1931 (Fly) is about 10 light-years across. The featured picture in scientifically-assigned, infrared colours, combines images from the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). Spitzer is celebrating its 16th year orbiting the Sun near the Earth.
(Image: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope, 2MASS)
An interesting video essay on the Quent’s deft use of music in the soundtracks of his films by Daniel Netzel of Film Radar.
Three of a series of 30 second spots directed by documentarian Errol Morris and the Institute For The Future featuring the post apocalyptic inanities of Admiral Horatio Horntower.
See all nine (ten more to come) of the current ads here.
No, not stills from a Wes Anderson movie.
Rather, the retro Kegelbahnen of Southern Germany – largely untouched and mostly located in the basements of traditional restaurants – documented by Robert Götzfried who sez of them:
“Kegeln is pretty similar to bowling but with only nine pins, smaller balls, and shorter lanes. It used to be a big thing in Germany in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. These days this sport is not ‘en vogue’ anymore and it seems that mostly older people go these ‘Kegelbahnen.’ ”
Hot Wheels
at
Behold: the Untitled Zero XP – a revamp of the high performance 82kW Zero SR/F electric motorcycle by UK bike modifier Untitled.
Recreated as a ‘vision of the future of motorcycles’, the seat shell, nose, bellypan, and fork brackets have all been replaced by custom 6061 aluminium and polymer panels with a ’ghost grey’ paint job enhancing its moody, futuristic élan as you accelerate Tron-like from 0 to 200km/h without changing gears. But only in your mind.
Price: tbc.
A classic 2009 short story by Andy Weir animated by German educational design studio Kurzgesagt.
You may question your own existence.
Previously: World War A
Behold: M45 aka the ‘Seven Sisters’ aka the Pleiades Star Cluster, looking dustier than most people have ever seen it. To wit:
Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of the Pleiades can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though, the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very evident. The featured exposure took over 12 hours and covers a sky area several times the size of the full moon. It lies about 400 light years away toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus). A common legend with a modern twist is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named, leaving only six stars visible to the unaided eye. The actual number of Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more or less than seven, depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and the clarity of the observer’s eyesight.
(Image: Marco Lorenzi (Glittering Lights)