Reblogged from rhamphotheca
tyoityoi
Art makes me much alive.
Milky way’s Black Hole Snacks on Hot Gas
by Whitney Clavin, JPL
The Herschel space observatory has made detailed observations of surprisingly hot gas that may be orbiting or falling towards the supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Herschel is a European Space Agency mission with important NASA participation.
“The black hole appears to be devouring the gas,” said Paul Goldsmith, the U.S. project scientist for Herschel at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. “This will teach us about how supermassive black holes grow.”
Our galaxy’s black hole is located in a region known as Sagittarius A* — or Sgr A* for short — which is a nearby source of radio waves. The black hole has a mass about four million times that of our sun and lies roughly 26,000 light-years away from our solar system…(read more: Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Image credits: ESA-C. Carreau
(via scinerds)
Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven
There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there’s a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long,
And the forests will echo with laughter.
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now,
It’s just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.
And it makes me wonder.
Your head is humming and it won’t go, in case you don’t know,
The piper’s calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
Axel Hoedt - Fastnacht (2010)
“A document of the famous ‘Fastnacht Festival’, which literally translates to ‘the night before fasting’, a festival celebrated throughout Austria and Switzerland. The annual adornment of masks that are inherently frightening and grotesque stems from the aim of chasing away ‘the spirits of winter away in preparation for the coming spring and new harvest’. The carnival-like festivities stem from both Christian and Pagan traditions.”
Billowing clouds of color floating by Daniel Silva
A rocky region of Portinho da Arrábida, Portugal, with the center of Milky Way behind it, visible at the dawn – almost in the daylight – with the stars of Saggitarius and Scorpius clearly visible, while the sky is turning blue, slowly. — Miguel Claro
(via scinerds)
Sinhalese Kastane Sword
- Dated: 17th or 18th century
Take a look at this Sinhalese Sri Lankan sword called ‘Kastane’ of early type 17th or early 18th century featuring a rare Ivory makarra lion hilt. Although hilts of these swords can be found made from a number of material including wood, horn silver, brass etc those with ivory tend to survive less freqently due to the inherent fragillity of this precious material. The blade is of simple steel, slightly curved and with a patination overall attesting to the great age of this example.
The carving to the lion hilt is finely done with mane, eyes and open jaws all depicted in traditional Sinhalese tradition style, very fine condition and colour to the ivory rich and golden. The metal guard parts are extremely finely chiselled with scrollwork and inlay of bronze and silver, various makarra or lion heads adorn the quillon terminals and a similar larger makarra or bird heads surmounts the flared handguard to the front of the hilt.
Source: © 2013 Ashoka Arts
