10 fevereiro 2017

Melotte 15 inthe Heart


Cosmic clouds form fantastic shapes in the central regions of emission nebula IC 1805. The clouds are sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from massive hot stars in the nebula's newborn star cluster, Melotte 15. About 1.5 million years young, the cluster stars are scattered in this colorful skyscape, along with dark dust clouds in silhouette against glowing atomic gas. A composite of narrowband and broadband telescopic images, the view spans about 15 light-years and includes emission from ionized hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen atoms mapped to green, red, and blue hues in the popular Hubble Palette. Wider field images reveal that IC 1805's simpler, overall outline suggests its popular name - The Heart Nebula. IC 1805 is located about 7,500 light years away toward the boastful constellation Cassiopeia.

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Mary Somerville was a self-taught polymath, with a deep...



Mary Somerville was a self-taught polymath, with a deep knowledge of math, astronomy, and geology – just to name a few. She published her treatise, On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences, in 1834. The scientific historian William Whewell read Somerville’s treatise and loved it. He wanted to write a glowing review. He encountered a problem, however: the term at the time for such an author would have been “man of science,” and that just didn’t fit Somerville.

So Whewell did something that would put his name in the history books. He decided to call Somerville a “scientist.” He intended the term to show the interdisciplinary nature of Somerville’s treatise.  Not just a mathematician, astronomer, or physicist, Somerville had the knowledge and intellect to weave them all together. He invented a gender-neutral term which would become more popular than the term Whewell was trying to work around.

Somerville might have had something to do with the popularity of “scientist.” She wrote nine subsequent editions of On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences, updating it for the rest of her life. These were not purely academic endeavors; they led to material changes. In the third edition, for instance, Somerville wrote that difficulties in calculating Uranus’s position may indicate the existence of an undiscovered planet. This led to the discovery of Neptune. While not a household name, many of her ideas appeared in 20th century textbooks, and her name can be found throughout academic halls and in which she made an impact: Oxford’s Somerville College bears her name, as do one of the Committee Rooms of the Scottish Parliament, a main-belt asteroid (5771 Somerville), and a lunar crater in the eastern part of the Moon.

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Starting in the mid-seventh century, the Japanese government...



Starting in the mid-seventh century, the Japanese government placed a ban on eating meat which lasted on and off for over 1,200 years. Probably influenced by the Buddhist precept that forbids the taking of life, Emperor Tenmu issued an edict in 675 CE that banned the eating of beef, monkeys, and domestic animals under penalty of death. (Side note: monkey must have been very popular to be named specifically in the law!) Emperor Tenmu’s original law was only meant to be observed between April and September. But later laws and religious practices essentially made eating most meat, especially beef, illegal or taboo.

It was not until 1872 that Japanese authorities officially lifted the ban. Even the emperor had become a meat eater, to show it was totally okay and not angering Buddha. While not everybody was immediately enthused, particularly monks, the centuries-old taboo on eating meat soon faded away.

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farsizaban: historical-nonfiction: Portrait of an unknown...



farsizaban:

historical-nonfiction:

Portrait of an unknown princess, from the Mughal Court in the 1800s. Courtesy of the Freer Gallery of Art

It says on the top of the portrait in Persian, “Tooti Begum, Shahzadi Iran”

Could you email the Freer Gallery of Art and let them know? They have this mislabelled, if you are right!

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Portrait of an unknown princess, from the Mughal Court in the...



Portrait of an unknown princess, from the Mughal Court in the 1800s. Courtesy of the Freer Gallery of Art

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Hubble Sees Spiral in Andromeda


The Andromeda constellation is one of the 88 modern constellations and should not be confused with our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy.

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Visit: http://ift.tt/2l17l4F for a...



Visit: http://ift.tt/2l17l4F for a fascinating interview with bestselling author Ryan Holiday, a champion of the study and application of the ancient philosophy of Stoicism.

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February 10th 1920: Poland’s Wedding to the SeaOn this day in...





February 10th 1920: Poland’s Wedding to the Sea

On this day in 1920, the first of the ceremonies marrying the country of Poland to the sea took place in Puck. The symbolic wedding commemorated the restoration of Poland’s access to the Baltic Sea. Poland had lost access to the sea in 1793 due to the Second Partition of Poland, in which Russia, Prussia and Austria divided Poland amongst themselves. After the First World War, Poland once again became an independent nation state, and this was celebrated with a wedding. General Józef Haller led the festivities - a Polish flag was dipped into the sea and Haller threw a ring into the water. Since 1920, other weddings to the sea have occurred, including many in 1945 at the end of the Second World War and Poland’s liberation from Nazi rule, but these later weddings were essentially a renewal of vows.

“In the name of the Holy Republic of Poland, I, General Jozef Haller, am taking control of this ancient Slavic Baltic Sea shore”

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