The Beating Heart of the Milky Way

Say hello to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the beating heart of our very own galaxy!

For a long time, we've *assumed* there must be a SMBH at the center of the Milky Way, collecting a plethora of evidence that supported this theory. But we've never been able to see it, BECAUSE it's at the center of the galaxy, which is obviously a very, very busy, noisy place.

After the Event Horizon Telescope revealed the first ever direct imaging of a black hole in 2019, it turned its attention inward, and has been working diligently ever since to finally snap this picture. And it got it done.

Learn more about the image and all the science it has revealed here: https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=305148

Originally posted on Facebook.

Cover Art Wall, Redux

It's back!!!

After almost a year in storage, my beloved cover art posters once again hang in a place of honor. Also, bonus cozy reading nook with fireplace! And plenty of empty space for many more books...

For those curious, this is the far wall of our library-in-the-making, so the posters are right at home with a plethora of books.

Originally posted on Facebook and Instagram.

A More Innocent Time

So I'm working on the DISSONANCE hardback formatting, and I am finding myself just awash in nostalgia. It was such a simpler, more innocent time for our friends (comparatively speaking, lol).

Alex and Caleb didn't know what or who these mysterious 'Anadens' were, and they were barely beginning to figure out what "Amaranthe' was while desperately seeking the purpose behind the Mosaic. The IDCC was being created completely on the fly, Olivia was terrorizing the galaxy as a Prevo, and Miriam was forced into becoming a rebel against her own government (and what a clever rebel she was).

...Okay, maybe not innocent. But they have no *idea* what the future holds for them. Good times.

Originally posted on Facebook.

Catching A Rocket

Rocket Lab has just joined SpaceX in the club of space companies that can launch an orbital-class rocket booster and bring it back alive.

In a sense, the California-based company one-upped SpaceX by having a helicopter snag the first-stage booster of its Electron rocket with a cable and a hook as it floated past on the end of a parachute, 6,500 feet above the Pacific Ocean.

Read more about it here: https://www.universetoday.com/155706/they-did-it-rocket-lab-uses-copter-to-catch-and-release-a-rocket/

Originally posted on Twitter.

Office Renovations Complete

My new (does 8 months count as new?) office just might be perfect now. Never underestimate the difference new carpet makes, because wow. And matching bookcases.

I've got a bit more shelf space now, so the fiction selection has expanded a little. And I am SO HAPPY to get to properly display my logo art! All the not-sexy stuff is hidden away in the cabinets or behind the bookcases, where it won't trouble me.

As of today, I have zero items on the wishlist of how I might improve it.

....why, no, I'm not procrastinating starting the Chaotica ebook formatting. Why would ask that?

Originally posted on Facebook.

Keep Exploring

NASA has extended the planetary science missions of eight of its spacecraft due to their scientific productivity and potential to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the solar system and beyond.

The missions – Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity rover), InSight lander, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, OSIRIS-REx, and New Horizons – have been selected for continuation

Check that out! Curiosity is such a champ, showing no signs of slowing down on Mars after a decade of exploring the Red Planet. OSIRIS-REx is going to visit * another * asteroid, and New Horizons - can you believe it made its extraordinary visit to Pluto SEVEN years ago - will continue to probe the far outer reaches of our solar system.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-extends-exploration-for-8-planetary-science-missions

Originally posted on Twitter.

Happy 32nd Birthday to Hubble

Happy 32nd Birthday to the best telescope ever! Look at all this amazing activity going on in one tiny little sliver of our universe.

JWST will soon be bringing us even more astonishing images, but Hubble continues to carry the torch in spectacular fashion. Hubble has inspired 3 decades of space lovers, and we will forever be so grateful.

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/happy-32nd-birthday-to-hubble

Originally posted on Facebook and Twitter.

Questions I Ask Myself

Questions I ask myself while editing CHAOTICA:

(1) How many times is it appropriate to use the words "chaos" and "chaotic" in a book titled...? *looks up synonyms*

(2) How strong can Miriam's tea get? How many simultaneous Rasu attacks must occur before she's forgoing the water and simply eating the tea bags?

(3) How many f-bombs can Alex realistically drop in her opening argument with Mesme after the events in the Oneiroi Nebula at the end of AOT? Is there a limit?

Originally posted on Facebook.

Good News From Space

NASA is bursting with great news for us this week!

(1) Following the completion of the final critical mirror alignment steps, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team now expects that Webb’s optical performance will be able to meet or exceed the science goals the observatory was built to achieve. Every optical parameter that has been checked and tested is performing at, or above, expectations. The team also found no critical issues and no measurable contamination or blockages to Webb’s optical path. The observatory is able to successfully gather light from distant objects and deliver it to its instruments without issue.

The image was taken to "prove" alignment had been successfully completed - and, yes, all those smudges are galaxies. Expect the science images to start arriving this summer!

(2) After 21 flights, NASA has extended Ingenuity’s flight operations through September as it continues with scouting efforts for Perseverance. The helicopter that so many insisted would never be able to fly at all, will now fly on Mars for a second year. Go, Ginny! #thelittlehelicopterthatcould

Originally posted on Facebook.

Alcyoneus

Alcyoneus, a radio galaxy 3 billion light years away, now ranks as the biggest galaxy ever discovered - and it stretches for FIVE MEGAPARSECS (16.3 million light years). A single galaxy that's 5 megaparsecs in diameter??? That's as far as it is from the Milky Way to the Asterion Dominion! So that's, you know...big.

I wonder if it's the Rasu's home galaxy? Just speculating.

“The Biggest Galaxy Ever Found Has Just Been Discovered, And It Will Break Your Brain”: https://www.sciencealert.com/at-over-16-million-light-years-across-this-is-the-biggest-galaxy-ever-discovered

Originally posted on Facebook.

Ringshine

“This view, made from images acquired by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on February 17, 2007, shows the effect of "ringshine" on Saturn's night side. Twilight and pre-dawn on Saturn would be pretty bright, thanks to its reflective rings.”

Cassini graced us with a lifetime’s worth of some of the most stunning images imaginable of Saturn and its satellites. Until such time as we can send humans to orbit amidst the rings, let us stare upon them with wonder and joy.

Posted by Jason Major: https://twitter.com/JPMajor/status/1494317365072482307.

Originally posted on Twitter.