You've Got to Look Up Once in a While. Especially at Night!

Update: Aug 24,08

This recent picture shows the Perseid showers over Vancouver!

Credit & copyright, Yuichi Takasaka. (APOD)

I like things fried, cheese included! What is the moon made of?

There are some interesting things happening out there in the cosmos. Here's the moon catching fire. tmt caught the whole thing! Kudos for the heads-up, sharp eye, and perfect timing!

Click on the picture for more .

Voracious Appetite of a Black Hole (much like the US deficit)

A black hole cannibalizing a giant star below. The Cygnus X-1 binary star system contains one of the best candidates for a black hole. From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day [APOD]

Bubbles Blown in Space

Below, the Crescent Nebula, is a cosmic bubble about 25 light-years across, blown by winds from its central, bright, massive star.
OK, some of these images need special equipment to see, but it's nice to be aware of this magnificent cosmos that goes beyond our nose, our clan, and our species.
The aurora borealis, northern lights, is something amazing, but also a reminder that without our magnetic field, we'd be fried (the planet sterilized) by the sun's radiation.

This is my birthday month, so the gods every August mark the event with a sky show called the Perseid Showers!