Imani Carter @ic_explorer

In 1618, Johannes Kepler discovered that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi major axis of its orbit. T² ∝ a³ Isaac Newton later showed why it works through gravity: T² = 4π²a³ / GM This single relationship explains why distant planets take much longer to orbit the Sun and became one of the foundations of modern celestial mechanics.

Astronomy, NOW! 👀  Track down Neptune with binoculars or telescope. At the start of July, Neptune rises at about 00:30 BST and climbs 20 degrees high by the end of the night. By month-end it rises at about 22:30 BST with 30 deg elevation by 02:00 BST.  Graphic is for 8 July:

SH2-101: The Tulip Nebula in Hubble PaletteSH2-101, commonly known as the Tulip Nebula, is a striking emission nebula located in the constellation Cygnus. Captured here in the iconic Hubble Palette, the image uses narrowband filters to map ionized sulfur (SII), hydrogen-alpha (Ha), and oxygen (OIII) emissions into a vivid color scheme — typically assigning Sulfur to red, Hydrogen to green, and Oxygen to blue. This palette is specifically chosen by astrophotographers to highlight the complex chemistry and energetic processes within star-forming regions, revealing structural details that are often invisible in natural-color images. The Tulip Nebula owes its name to its distinctive flower-like shape, formed by intense radiation and stellar winds from the massive, hot star HD 227018 at its center. This luminous O-type star, many times more massive than our Sun, sculpts the surrounding gas and dust into graceful loops and petals while ionizing the nebula with powerful ultraviolet light. The result is a glowing canvas of interstellar material spanning roughly 70 light-years across and lying about 8,000 light-years from Earth. In the Hubble Palette, the rich reds trace regions dominated by sulfur emission, while the blues and teals highlight oxygen-rich zones that have been highly energized. Delicate greenish filaments reveal the pervasive presence of excited hydrogen. These contrasting colors not only create a breathtaking visual but also serve as a scientific map, allowing astronomers to study the nebula’s temperature, density, and chemical composition in remarkable detail. What makes this image particularly compelling is how it captures the dynamic interplay between massive stars and their natal clouds. The Tulip Nebula is a perfect example of how stellar feedback shapes the interstellar medium, triggering new waves of star formation while simultaneously dispersing the material from which future stars will be born.

JUST IN🚨: New Evidence shows that the Earth is trapped in a void 2 billion light-years in diameter.

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The Black and Red books of the Exchequer, dating to the 12th/13thC. They detail the practices of some of the earliest known government officials. I saw these this evening in a private exhibition at the National Archives, organised by the Master of the Rolls @nationalarchivesuk #medieval #medievalexchequer

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July 17, 2026: A rare six-planet parade will appear in the night sky—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune aligned from Earth’s view. Bright planets visible to the naked eye, while Uranus & Neptune may need binoculars or a telescope. A must-see celestial event! #space #astronomy

When two stars collide, the result can be beautiful. This nebula, called the Blue Ring Nebula, is thought to show the aftermath of a stellar collision that occurred thousands of years ago. #MondayMotivation

Spiral galaxies captured by the NSF Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope Their winding arms are rich in star formation, with glowing H II regions appearing as red clouds 🌟. These are powered by hot, newborn stars ionizing surrounding hydrogen gas.

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Why is the Artemis spacesuit bright orange? 🤔 The orange color is highly visible in ocean waters—making the astronauts easy to spot after they have splashed down! Check out an Artemis spacesuit at the NASA exhibit in the Innovation Pavilion at the Great American State Fair!

Oi oi… Hope the horse and everyone involved is okay..

Rolf Karstein Lerum @VinnMedOss

a day ago

#PerNordlund og Inga Lisa Lixarve ville ikke være med… 🙀🫣 #Ulykke

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“There is no other species on Earth that does science. It is, so far, entirely a human invention, evolved by natural selection in the cerebral cortex for one simple reason: it works. It is not perfect. It can be misused. It is only a tool. But it is by far the best tool we have, self-correcting, ongoing, applicable to everything. It has two rules. First: there are no sacred truths; all assumptions must be critically examined; arguments from authority are worthless. Second: whatever is inconsistent with the facts must be discarded or revised. We must understand the Cosmos as it is and not confuse how it is with how we wish it to be. The obvious is sometimes false; the unexpected is sometimes true. Humans everywhere share the same goals when the context is large enough. And the study of the Cosmos provides the largest possible context. Present global culture is a kind of arrogant newcomer. It arrives on the planetary stage following four and a half billion years of other acts, and after looking about for a few thousand years declares itself in possession of eternal truths. But in a world that is changing as fast as ours, this is a prescription for disaster. No nation, no religion, no economic system, no body of knowledge, is likely to have all the answers for our survival. There must be many social systems that would work far better than any now in existence. In the scientific tradition, our task is to find them.” — Carl Sagan

DID YOU KNOW🚨:- The observable universe contains more atoms than there are grains of sand on every beach on Earth yet it might be just one bubble in a much larger multiverse. 📌 Source: Observable universe vs multiverse scale calculations

Planck time is the smallest meaningful unit of time in modern physics. It is about 5.39 × 10⁻⁴⁴ seconds. Below this scale, our current theories of quantum mechanics and gravity no longer work together, so physics cannot reliably describe what happens. tₚ = √(ħG / c⁵) ≈ 5.39 × 10⁻⁴⁴ s Key points: • It is not the smallest measurable second, but the smallest meaningful time scale in current physics. • Light travels exactly one Planck length in one Planck time. • Earlier than one Planck time after the Big Bang, our current laws of physics are expected to break down. • A complete theory of quantum gravity is needed to describe that regime.

Even ships had more aura in the past

John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad

2 days ago

The moment you realize those old stunning, impossible looking oil paintings of sailing ships in storms were absolutely accurate.

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Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was born #OnThisDay in 1907. She owned and wore this brown velvet huipil with machine-embroidered chain stitch and floral printed cotton skirt with holán (ruffle). She was photographed in a similar ensemble. @museofridakahlo #WomensArt #fashionhistory

A stunning palace and fortress complex built by the Nasrid dynasty in the 13th–14th centuries. 📍 The Alhambra, Granada 🇪🇸

Here, history still flows. Shushtar water management system was built around the 3rd century. An entire network of dams, canals, mills, waterfalls, and bridges. UNESCO calls it a “masterpiece of creative genius," and I can see why. Iran.

An incredibly detailed image of Mars captured by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, from the north polar ice cap, to the cloud covered Hellas Planitia in the south, the largest impact crater on Mars. 📸: ESA​/​DLR​/​FU Berlin

What Ancient Ruins Rest Beneath the Deep? Submerged off the Bay of Naples, lies the sunken Roman port of Puteoli holding a secret. A 2,000 year old Nabataean temple dedicated to their god Dushara. Along the shores is the easy part. But how much of the world’s coastlines are truly being studied? And does anyone dare to look in deeper waters, or are they afraid of what they might find.

When glaciers break, they reveal deep, bright blue ice. This happens because centuries of heavy snow squash the ice tightly and push out all the air bubbles. Without air bubbles, the ice absorbs red light and reflects a beautiful blue.