A word cloud of the most-used words in an early chapter of ECHO RIFT. This one caught my fancy.
Originally posted on Facebook.
Concord HQ
For #reasons, I have found myself in need of a somewhat detailed layout of Concord HQ for ECHO RIFT. And if I get one, why shouldn't you?
Also, to continue our tradition of making fun of my truly atrocious handwriting, below the graphic I'll post my original, hand-drawn sketch.
Originally posted on Facebook.
Echo Rift Update
What do 10 MILLION Stars Look Like?
Well, they look like this astonishing image, captured by the Dark Energy Camera on the CTIO 4-meter telescope as part of a survey of the Milky Way's center bulge.
What some more wows? The Milky Way galaxy contains around 400 billion stars in total - or 40,000x the number shown in this image. And the Milky Way's an average, ordinary galaxy, maybe a little on the small side. We believe there are around 2 TRILLION galaxies in the universe. Our brains aren't built to properly comprehend the scale at play - but it fills us with wonder to *try*.
How much of our night sky is pictured here? Well, if you go outside and hold your thumb up, you've about covered it.
The full-sized image pictured here clocks in at a whopping 3GB, so I doubt anyone will be downloading that. But there's a handy online, zoomable version here: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2027a/zoomable/
Read more about the science, the numbers and see more awesome images in the article by the always excellent Phil Platt: https://www.syfy.com/.../what-do-10-million-stars-look-like
Originally posted on Facebook.
Sunlit Water on the Moon
To be clear, we already knew there was water on the moon, but until this discovery, we'd only found it deep in shadowy, frozen crevices.The more water that is harvestable on the moon, the easier it will be for us to establish permanent bases and, eventually, colonies, so this is great news!Also, the science is rather interesting, mostly because we don't know *how* water is not being created but retained in these areas of the lunar surface. Also, SOFIA is a very cool telescope, and an example of scientists getting creative with the resources available to them.
“NASA’s SOFIA Discovers Water on Sunlit Surface of Moon”: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-sofia-discovers-water-on-sunlit-surface-of-moon/
Originally posted on Facebook.
Every Author's Dream
There are many, MANY advantages to being an independent author/publisher, and I would never do this any other way. One of the few disadvantages, though, is how difficult (nigh impossible) it is to get my paperbacks onto the shelves of brick-and-mortar bookstores. With no corporate marketing team "telling" the bookstores to shelve my books, the only way they get there is when an individual bookstore manager or employee-with-power decides to order and display them.
So all the gushing thanks to J. S. Bailey and Cincy Book Rack for (a) stocking my books! and (b) sharing this beautiful, bucket-list-worthy picture with me.
Originally posted on Facebook.
Colorado Sunrise
I wish the days weren't getting shorter...but it does mean I get to catch wonders like this. 😍
Originally posted on Instagram.
From Space Opera to Cyberpunk: Influences of 13 Science Fiction Writers
Yes, I'm one of the 13, but my answer won't be a surprise to any of you who've been around here for a while. The others, though? There are some seriously creative and intriguing responses from my fellow sci-fi writers, so go give it a read!
Thanks to Joseph Hurtgen for the opportunity to contribute to this fantastic piece: https://rapidtransmission.blogspot.com/2020/10/from-space-opera-to-cyberpunk.html
Boop!
Horrendous Space Kablooie
I feel like such a failure as a nerd, as I have never heard of this before. *hangs head in shame* And now I have to resist the urge to use it in my books, because I'm too late to the party.
Unless I can think of a *really* clever way to do it....
Via Mark Wallace
Originally posted on Facebook.
Falcon Sunrise
From SpaceX's early morning Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites. Photo by astrophotographer Michael Seeley (https://wereportspace.com/team-member/michael-seeley/).
Why do we go to space? Because it inspires us to greatness. Look what we can do. https://twitter.com/Mike_Seeley/status/1313446189820342273
And here's incredible video of the solar transit, by Trevor Mahlmann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYcfSTK5K2c&feature=youtu.be. Simply astonishing to watch (stick around for the slow-mo version in the second half of the video)
New Amaranthe Swag
Check it out - I've added more "Amaranthe"-branded merchy to the Zazzle store. I have now field-tested the new t-shirt and hoodie, and the design is LIT. You can choose your own t-shirt style, too (some are cheaper than others). If you're so inclined, you can find these and more swag at: https://www.zazzle.com/store/aurorarisingapparel/products
Originally posted on Facebook.
Rhapsody of the Milky Way
Listen to the Rhapsody of the Milky Way here: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/news/data-sonification-sounds-from-around-the-milky-way.html
"Sonification is the process that translates data into sound, and a new project brings the center of the Milky Way to listeners for the first time. The translation begins on the left side of the image and moves to the right, with the sounds representing the position and brightness of the sources. The light of objects located towards the top of the image are heard as higher pitches while the intensity of the light controls the volume. Stars and compact sources are converted to individual notes while extended clouds of gas and dust produce an evolving drone. The crescendo happens when we reach the bright region to the lower right of the image. This is where the 4-million-solar-mass supermassive black hole at the center of the Galaxy, known as Sagittarius A* (A-star), resides, and where the clouds of gas and dust are the brightest."
Much more at the link!
Originally posted on Facebook.
Juno Flyby
Stressed out? Feeling down? Have a gorgeous, awe-inspiring dose of Jupiter to brighten your week: https://www.universetoday.com/147976/heres-jupiter-from-junos-latest-flyby/
Originally posted on Facebook.
Artemis Update
Yesterday NASA published more details on its Artemis plan to return to the moon, to stay.
It's a *very* aggressive schedule, with a budget stratospheric enough to give Congress heartburn at a minimum; they might balk. The SLS rocket has been fraught with delays, problems, and extreme budget overruns - and it still isn't ready.
But this plan has momentum behind it, and the active participation of SpaceX, Blue Origin and other private companies - who are going to push ahead with or without NASA.
Will we put boots on the lunar ground in 2024? I honestly don't know. It might slip a year or two. But I believe this WILL happen. And when it does, we damn well better build a base and an orbital station, then see about getting ourselves to Mars. #footstomp
Much more here: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-publishes-artemis-plan-to-land-first-woman-next-man-on-moon-in-2024/
Originally posted on Facebook.
Video Chat: Now On YouTube
Everyone who joined EJ Fisch, Tammy Salyer and me for the live chat Sunday evening, thank you so much for coming, and I hope you enjoyed listening to us babble for an hour. We certainly had a good time - you can tell because we're all laughing in the screenshot!
If you missed the event, it's all good, because now you can watch the recording at your leisure on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq69z_rFFxg
Originally posted on Facebook.
The Passing of a Legend
Terry Goodkind passed away on Thursday, and wow, this one stings. We don't talk about it a lot here, but most sci-fi fans I know read at least a little fantasy (and sometimes a lot). The genres are intimately connected in so many ways.
As a teenager, I read Terry Brooks and Weis/Hickman. As an adult, I fell in love with Sara Douglass, Elizabeth Haydon, Guy Gavriel Kay - and Terry Goodkind. My husband introduced me to Wizard's First Rule, and we eagerly read every book that followed, side by side, racing each other to the end.
The Sword of Truth series is a masterclass in what you can do with a story, given the time and space to tell it your way. It greatly influenced my understanding of how writing could and should be done. Wizard's First Rule all the way through Confessor? Damn near perfection.
We've lost a great storyteller. We're all lesser for it, but his books will live on forever. Godspeed, sir.
From his Facebook page: “This morning, Thursday, September 17th, we lost Terry Goodkind. It is a great loss. An unimaginable loss. It is impossible to put into few words just how amazing of a man, a husband, a writer, a friend, and a human, Terry Goodkind truly was. He is already desperately missed. We are forever grateful for him having shared his life’s work with all of us, as he was always grateful to be held in our hearts.
“To exist in this vast universe for a speck of time is the great gift of life. It is our only life. The universe will go on, indifferent to our brief existence, but while we are here, we touch not just part of that vastness, but also the lives around us. Life is the gift each of us has been given. Each life is our own and no one else's. It is precious beyond all counting. It is the greatest value we can have. Cherish it for what it truly is . . . Your life is yours alone. Rise up and live it.” - Terry Goodkind
We love you, Terry.”
Originally posted on Facebook.
Live Video Chat This Sunday
Tomorrow is my live Hangout with SFF authors EJ Fisch and Tammy Salyer! Have you registered yet? You can do so by going here: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/live-hangoutqa-with-sci/register.
Thought of any questions? This is all about what YOU want to know. You can submit them ahead of time by hitting the "Ask a Question" button here: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/live-hangoutqa-with-sci, or by posting a comment below, or you can ask your question during the hangout. See you there!
Life on Venus?
HYPE-WORTHY SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY ALERT
Cue the hype in 3...2...1...go! Alien life on Venus? Well...maybe. Just maybe. For today, feel free to let your imagination run wild about Venusites (Venusians?) floating around in the toxic clouds of the planet next door, doing things that life does.
"Deep within the acidic clouds of Venus, astronomers have detected a tantalizing gas never found on the planet before — a gas that, remarkably, could be a sign of life on the hellish world. The gas’s presence isn’t enough to say for sure that Venus hosts life forms, but the fact that it exists in the planet’s clouds indicates that something is going on there that we don’t fully understand.
"Phosphine is a toxic and explosive molecule with a lingering odor of garlic and dead fish. Astronomers discovered the putrid gas lurking within a layer of clouds on Venus, where temperatures are pretty close to those on our planet. Phosphine is considered a "biosignature"—a molecule strongly associated with the chemistry of life that has few non-life methods of production, particularly on a rocky planet like Venus.
"But finding even a small amount of phosphine on Venus is enticing because of how the gas is made here on Earth. Either it is manufactured artificially by humans — into products like fumigants or biological weapons — or it is a natural byproduct of life. Phosphine can be found in swamps and marshlands, where it’s thought to be produced by microbes. It can also be found in the guts of animals or in the poop they leave behind. Above all, it’s a gas that is almost exclusively associated with life on Earth, raising the possibility that it could be a sign of microbes floating in the Venusian clouds.
“Or it could be coming from something that we can’t yet comprehend.
"Ultimately, everything comes back to one question: are we alone? Microbes on Venus may not seem that impressive, but if life can form on two worlds right next to each other, that opens up the possibility that life is much more abundant in the Universe than we think.
"No matter what, this detection is just the beginning of a long journey to discovering more about Venus and its potential for habitability. Right now, there’s no definitive answer. There may never be. “As they say, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” says Clements of the Imperial College of London. “We’ve got pretty good evidence, I wouldn’t say it’s extraordinary yet.”
Here are a few of the million+ articles that have been published about this announcement in the last two days:
The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/21428796/venus-gas-life-sign-discovery-phosphine-biosignature (source of most of the text above)
Space.com: https://www.space.com/venus-clouds-possible-life-chemical-discovery.html
The Planetary Society: https://www.planetary.org/articles/venus-phosphine-biosignature
Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/signs-of-alien-life-detected-on-venus-12071625
Originally posted on Facebook.
