NGC 2440: Pearl of a New White Dwarf

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

Like a pearl, a white dwarf star shines best after being freed from its shell. In this analogy, however, the Sun would be a mollusk and its discarded hull would shine prettiest of all! In the above shell of gas and dust, the planetary nebula designated NGC 2440, contains one of the hottest white dwarf stars known. The glowing stellar pearl can be seen as the bright dot near the image center. The portion of NGC 2440 shown spans about one light year. The center of our Sun will eventually become a white dwarf, but not for another five billion years. The above false color image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995. NGC 2440 lies about 4,000 light years distant toward the southern constellation Puppis.

from NASA http://ift.tt/1PNOVt1
via IFTTT

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What do you know about Gabon? It’s a small African country, bordering the Atlantic, which was first...

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

What do you know about Gabon? It’s a small African country, bordering the Atlantic, which was first contacted by the Portuguese, then colonized by the French. It is located right on the equator. Its democratic record is spotty, but low population density, abundant petroleum, and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the most prosperous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. But what about before the Europeans came? Check out my latest post at historical-nonfiction.com to find out.

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clouds over the gulf of alaska, photographed by goes 15, may...

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

clouds over the gulf of alaska, photographed by goes 15, may 2015.

the south coast of alaska around cook inlet runs across the top of the image; kodiak island is at left, and kenai peninsula to the right.

top: 10th may.
bottom: 15th may.

left: 8 images photographed 1130-1500 akdt.
right: difference between sequential images.

image credit: noaa/nasa. animation: ageofdestruction.

age

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In 1948, as T.S. Eliot was departing for Stockholm to accept the Nobel Prize, a reporter asked which of his books had occasioned the honor.

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

In 1948, as T.S. Eliot was departing for Stockholm to accept the Nobel Prize, a reporter asked which of his books had occasioned the honor.
Eliot: I believe it’s given for the entire corpus.
The reporter: And when did you publish that?
Eliot later commented: It really might make a good title for a mystery — The Entire Corpus.

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plannedparenthood: Trich often has no symptoms at all, so make...

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

plannedparenthood:

Trich often has no symptoms at all, so make an appointment to get tested today. Get the facts on Trich>

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postgraphics: The state of the world’s mothersDespite of global...

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

postgraphics:

The state of the world’s mothers

Despite of global improvements in children’s and maternal health, inequality between the world’s rich and poorest is widening, according to this year’s mother index released by Save the Children. See the graphic.

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Nongqawuse was an Xhosa orphan living with her uncle in South Africa. One day, after fetching water...

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

Nongqawuse was an Xhosa orphan living with her uncle in South Africa. One day, after fetching water with a friend Nongqawuse told her uncle Mhlakaza, a Xhosa spiritualist, that she had met the spirits of three of her ancestors. The ancestors had told her that killing the cattle and destroying the crops would end British rule over the Xhosa nation. The sun would turn blood-red and the ancestors would sweep colonizers into the sea. The Xhosa cattle had already been dying of lung disease, possibly introduced by European cattle.  Paramount Chief Sarhili heard the prophecy and ordered his followers to obey it. Historians estimate that the Gcaleka killed between 300,000 and 400,000 head of cattle, and razed large swathes of farmland.

But on the appointed day, the sun rose the same white it always was. Initially, Nongqawuse’s followers blamed those who had not obeyed her instructions, but they later turned against her. The British promptly arrested Nogquawuse, but did nothing to ameliorate the famine that followed. Now, if you think about the situation, wonder whether the colonial powers should have helped the people they were in political control over, even though they were passively rebelling against their control. Could their actions be counted as passive murder?

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May 17th 1954: Brown v. Board of EducationOn this day in 1954,...

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

A woman and her daughter on the steps of the Supreme Court


The Warren Court (1953)


Thurgood Marshall (1908 - 1993)

May 17th 1954: Brown v. Board of Education

On this day in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its unanimous decision in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The decision declared racial segregation in schools unconstitutional, striking down the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ segregation which had been enshrined in the 1896 decision Plessy v. Ferguson. The Brown case had been bought by African-American parents, including Oliver L. Brown, against Topeka’s educational segregation. It was argued before the Court by the chief legal counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Thurgood Marshall, who went on to become the first African-American Supreme Court justice in 1967. The Court, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, declared that segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The landmark decision is often considered the start of the Civil Rights Movement, which fought for racial integration and full equality for African-Americans. The movement transformed American society, leading to the end of legal segregation and landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965). However, the mission of the movement, so eloquently expressed by Dr. King, to achieve full equality, is far from over.

“We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”
- Warren’s opinion for the Court

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Learn about psychology here: http://ift.tt/1eWNk1f

By: vivian on domingo, maio 17, 2015

Learn about psychology here: http://ift.tt/1eWNk1f

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