The glass you gave me is emptiful

Watch me closely, God,
though you’ve seen it all before.

I’ve got the universe up my sleeve
and it’s itching for a sleight,
if you’re willing to be conned.

The stardust filling Aquarius
has poured for countless millennia
and it won’t brim the bottomless cup
of your oceanic blues.

That’s the warm-up for Lepus
who, lean and polar-white, leaps
out from my flipped-over cap
and is chased by the steel-plied
Orion’s hankering for roast hare.

Hunger-driven this heaven hunter
has a saggy belt; his sword’s tip drags,
slicing Gemini in two,
but twins can’t be parted long
and divinely grasping Pollux clasps
Castor’s pause anew.

Conjoined, they bow together
under showers of milky petals
kissing no-longer
furrowed brows till black
velvet curtains fall
and are followed by your eons of
endearing applause.

---

This poem was written for Poet's United's Thursday Think Tank Prompt: Magic

Another planet: Looking at twin possibilites, and more

I always find myself gravitating toward the latest astronomical stories, so it came as no surprise that I was drawn in to yesterday's pronouncement by scientists that Venus and our home world have a special relationship (see New Findings Underscore an Earth-Venus Kinship from the New York Times).

The European Space Agency used the analogy of "twins separated at birth" to grab headlines for the conclusions taken from their Venus Express spacecraft's data transmissions. The two planets share a similar size and composition, but Venus has surface temperatures in excess of 800°F and a dense atmosphere made up of carbon dioxide.

Venus once had Earth-like oceans, but the water evaporated in the Sun's intense heat and the resulting greenhouse-gas effect trapped more heat creating a feedback loop that generated the planet's current smog-like cloud cover. If our current carbon emissions continue unabated, the Earth may find itself spinning toward a similarly hazy future.

The Euro-scientists' twin reference is an interesting one and hearkens me back to the countless science-fiction renderings of parallel universes and through-the-looking-glass scenarios. As a kid, I watched a TV movie about an astronaut who when shot into space discovered a mirror Earth on the opposite side of the Sun. The prospect of such a duplicate world captivated my young imagination, offering a vague sense of heavenly second chances.

Of course why stop at two alternatives when there's a quantum theory full of broader probabilities. I'm fond of poetically conjuring the possibility of simultaneously occurring realities; a universe where all potential outcomes exist at once. It may seem a silly fantasy, but it's much easier to accept failure if there's another me or we who can get it right in the end.

Another Girl, Another Planet
by The Only Ones

I always flirt with death
I look ill, but I don't care about it
I can face your threats
And stand up straight and tall and shout about it

I think I'm on another world with you, with you
I'm on another planet with you, with you

You get under my skin
I don't find it irritating
You always play to win
but I won't need rehabilitating

I think I'm on another world with you, with you
I'm on another planet with you, with you
Another girl, another planet
Another girl, another planet

Space travel's in my blood
There ain't nothing I can do about it
Long journeys wear me out
But I know I can't live without it

I think I'm on another world with you, with you
I'm on another planet with you, with you
Another girl is loving you now
Another planet is holding us down
Another planet

(Click here to see a video of the song)

Google gives us the stars, but where's our New World?

Today's tech news has an interesting little piece about Google's latest upgrade to its Google Earth app, which allows users to zoom in on satellite images from around the planet. The new feature, called Sky, reverses the view, and turns our virtual gaze out into the universe (see Google puts universe online for more details).

It's the perfect enhancement for computer-chair-bound star gazers, especially those like myself who live in urban environments where the night sky is obscured by bright city lights. I love the fact that you can call up these images for free on your computer and take a virtual ride through the galaxies — a nice little space travel fix for all of us recovering Star Trek geeks.

The project has had strong backing from the scientific community, and it's envisioned as a future storehouse for astronomical data. The collaboration is another small step toward the still unfulfilled great promise of the Internet, delivering a tasty sampling of the social change the technology has dangled before us like Tantalus for years now.

My expectations may be too high, but Web 2.0 — extolled by many as the Internet's renaissance — has so far proved little more than a marketing gimmick. In theory, ever-expanding social networks should break down old prejudices and unite people around the world as never before. In reality, they're over-run by spam and get-rich-quick schemes, not to mention plenty of blogs that spew hate and stoke division.

Ideally, the advent of digitized content should lead to the dawning of a new information age of enlightenment with all of the world's stored knowledge easily accessible to any querying mind. Instead, we're refining search algorithms to call up the latest viral videos of pensive cats playing piano, and regressing into a middling muddled era of inanity.

Maybe I'm just being impatient for changes that will inevitably come, or maybe the problem lies with the overarching social system that controls the applications of these technologies, and handicaps them to suit its self-preserving needs. My inkling is toward the latter, but my digression was really just an excuse to post about a favorite song that I've been listening to again recently.

In the safety of our home we may be able to escape into virtual worlds built from the collective observations of the cosmos, or the accumulated remnants of past civilizations. Once we step out into the street, however, we still find ourselves face-to-face with the problems of a broken society: homeless men and women pleading for change.

The New World
by X

"honest to goodness the bars weren't open this morning
they must have been voting for a new president of something
... do you have a quarter?"
I said yes because i did, honest to goodness
the tears have been falling all over the country's face
it was better before before they voted for what's his name
this is supposed to be the new world

flint ford auto mobile alabama
windshield wipers buffalo new york
gary indiana, don't forget the motor city
baltimore and d.c., now all we need is ...
don't forget the motor city
this is supposed to be the new world
don't forget the motor city
this is supposed to be the new world

all we need is money, just give us what you can spare
twenty or thirty pounds of potatoes, or twenty or thirty beers
a turkey on Thanksgiving, like alms for the poor
all we need are the necessities and more
it was better before they voted for what's his name
this is supposed to be the new world
it was better before they voted for what's his name
this is supposed to be the new world

Abuzz over dying stars

There's a very interesting story in the news about the unexpected observation of a dying star in our galaxy that's trailing bits of itself as it speeds through the universe. Astronomers are marveling at the discovery of Mira's comet-like tailing luminescence. This "red giant" is expanding as it approaches the final stages of life, and the force of gravity isn't strong enough to contain its growing mass. The gases escaping from its bursting seams are lighting the path behind it.

Mira is Latin for "wonder," and the phenomenon of its waking death, captured in NASA photographs such as the one above, is certainly an awe inspiring sight. Especially wonderful is the prospect that the pieces of itself Mira leaves behind will eventually develop into new stars. It's a miraculous sowing of celestial seeds revealed by the space agency's orbiting telescope called the Galaxy Evolution Explorer.

Here are a few excerpts from the Reuters story on Mira:

Astronomers surprised by star with comet-like tail

... Rocketing through our Milky Way galaxy at 80 miles per second (130 km per second) -- literally faster than a speeding bullet -- the star is spewing material that scientists believe may be recycled into new stars, planets and maybe even life.

"We believe that the tail is made up of material that is being shed by the star which is heating up and then spiraling back into this turbulent wake," said astronomer Christopher Martin of California Institute of Technology, one of the researchers in the study published in the journal Nature. ...

"It's giving us this fantastic insight into the death processes of stars and their renewals -- their phoenix-like revivals as their ashes get cycled backed into the next generation of stars," added Michael Shara of the American Museum of Natural History and Columbia University in New York. ...

I'm one who likes to look to the stars, even though the particular patch of sky above my home is obscured by bright city lights. Mira offers an inspirational example for all of us earthbound bits of space dust as we contemplate our legacies. What better way to leave this life than by blazing a trail that lays the foundation for future generations.

It's a very loose association, but reading Mira's sad but hopeful tale brought to mind a favorite song by the band Hum. I got to see the boys from Champaign, Illinois perform in Chicago several times back in the '90s, and they put on quite the live show (you can check out a vid of the song on YouTube).

Stars
by Hum

She thinks she missed the train to Mars,
She's out back counting stars
She thinks she missed the train to Mars,
She's out back counting stars

She's not at work, she's not at school
She's not in bed, i think i finally broke her
I bring her home everything i want,
And nothing that she needs

I thought she'd be there holding daisies,
She always waits for me
She thinks she missed the train to Mars,
She's out back counting stars

I found her out back sitting naked
Looking up and looking dead
A crumpled yellow piece of paper,
Seven, nines and tens

I thought she'd be there holding daisies,
She always waits for me
She thinks she missed the train to Mars,
She's out back counting stars

I thought you'd be there holding daisies,
You always wait for me
She thinks she missed the train to Mars,
She's out back counting stars

Re-imagining life to open up a universe of discovery

A panel of scientists with the National Research Council has released a report advising NASA to be a little more open-minded in its interpretation of what constitutes a life form. In their opinion, the US space agency has been too focused on rediscovering the traditional hydro-carbon model for life formation. With the recent discoveries of new organisms that thrive in extreme conditions of cold, heat and harsh chemicals, such a bigotted definition of ET could cause NASA to overlook some unobvious environments, such as Saturn's moon Titan (pictured at left).

It's always a good idea to step back from our failed obsessive pursuits and consider new ways of thinking and seeing. When we break out of the constraining boxes of old perceptual forms to re-consider and re-imagine our most basic, and closely held beliefs, we just may find a whole new universe open up to us. As the wise biochemist states below, it would be truly tragic to blindly stumble past the possibility of a profound discovery due to a lack of vision and imagination.

Here are excerpts from the Reuters story:

Look for life not as we know it, U.S. report urges
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

"The purpose of this whole report was to be able to look for life on other planets and moons with an open mind ... and not maybe miss some other life form because we looking for some obvious life form," said John Baross, professor of oceanography at the University of Washington in Seattle, who chaired the committee. ...

Recent discoveries of extremophiles -- organisms living in conditions of heat, cold and dark and using chemicals once thought incompatible with life -- have changed ideas of where life can survive.

As a biochemist, Baross said lab experiments also show water does not necessarily have to be the basis for life. It might be possible for a living organism to use methane, ethane, ammonia or even more bizarre chemicals, he said. ...

"If you are a biochemist, Titan is of enormous interest, because it's a carbon moon. It does have clearly some liquid methane or liquid ethane lakes or pools. There could be chemical reactions going on that could be favorable for producing complex biochemicals," Baross said.

"The exploration that could lead to a novel life form ... would be the most profound discovery ever made," Baross said.

Stumbling past it or worse, destroying it because it did not look like life, would be an equally profound tragedy, he said.

Read the full article

Martian Chronicles: A hole and a whole lot more

Scientists have made a discovery on Mars that may have implications on the search for life there. It also may prove to be a first step toward colonization, a possibility that has captivated science fiction writers going back to Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of a black spot that researchers think may be an entrance to a cave. Depending on how deep it goes, such a cavern could be an auspicious environment to harbor some form of life. It also might make an amenable place to set up camp for explorers.

Here's a bit of the story from Space.com, plus the link to the full text:

Deep Hole Found on Mars
By Leonard David

A very dark spot on Mars could be an entrance to a deep hole or cavern, according to scientists studying imagery taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The geological oddity measures some 330 feet (100 meters) across and is located on an otherwise bright dusty lava plain to the northeast of Arsia Mons, one of the four giant Tharsis volcanoes on the red planet.

The hole might be the sort of place that could support life or serve as a habitat for future astronauts, researchers speculated.

Read the full article

Beyond the hole, you can look at a whole series of amazingly detailed images taken by the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which are now available on a web site hosted by the University of Arizona. Check them out here and you'll see why writers have fantasized about the mysteries lying within our red planetary neighbor.

Tonight's the night ...

If you've ever used the expression "once in a blue moon" to describe something that doesn't happen very often, you can test out that proposition this evening. We North Americans get to experience the proverbial celestial event tonight, so all kinds of long sought after behaviors might transpire.

The technical explanation of what a "blue moon" is has nothing to do with the satellite's coloration. It's merely a second full moon in a calendar month. It may not be a frequent event, but it's also not rare on the scale of a Cubs World Series victory (99 years and counting). We get to experience them once every 32 months, on average.

If you've got an unfamiliar place you've been planning to go, or an exotic cuisine you've been hankering to try, or a partner-requested chore you've promised but not yet delivered on, tonight is a good night to take care of it.

Yahoo! News has more details on the phrase and its origins: The Truth Behind This Month's Blue Moon

Peering into the universe, searching for a mate

Astonomers announced today the discovery of 28 new planets outside our solar system. None among the large number of previously unobserved heavenly bodies are comparable to our home orbiting rock. That will disappoint some who peer up into the sky in the hope of finding another world like ours, one that could nurture life — our own, or others'.

Maybe that pursuit is driven by loneliness, or the desire to understand how we ended up here, or an inkling that we're running out of time on Earth and have to seek out other homes. Whatever the motivation, it's a search that will need to go on a lot longer, and chances are we may never find another Earth — so we should do our best to preserve the one we have.

Here is an excerpt from the Los Angeles Times coverage of the story:

Array of new planets found, but none like ours
By John Johnson Jr

HONOLULU — An international team of astronomers on Monday announced the discovery of 28 planets outside the solar system, the greatest single haul since the first so-called exoplanet was found 12 years ago.

Still eluding the planet hunters, however, is the much-longed-for Earth replica, a planet like ours that could nourish some kind of life, allowing humans to feel a little less lonely in the cosmos.

Read the full article

What's the likelihood of finding another Earth in the infinity of the universe? Mathematically it's possible, just as theoretically Nature could produce identical snowflakes. In each case, the existence of a matched mate remains a mere abstraction.

Pursuing my world as snowflake conceit inevitably led me to ask the question: Exactly why is each snowflake different? Truth be told, scientists don't fully know. Digging into the archives of Wired magazine, I found the following partial explanation in the 2001 article "What Makes a Snowflake Unique?":

By growing snow crystals in the laboratory under controlled conditions, the research team discovered that they develop differently depending on the temperature and how wet the air is.

A typical snowflake begins by forming around a speck of dust. From this unassuming beginning it grows into a tiny hexagonal prism, just a few microns in size. The initial symmetry of the snowflake results from the intrinsic molecular structure of ice.

As the crystal grows, it's often blown about in the sky. The air and temperature around the crystal are constantly changing. Snowflakes are extremely sensitive; even a small change in these conditions can lead to different growth patterns.

The final shape of the crystal reflects these growth conditions. The longer the snowflake is blown about in the skies, the more complex the resulting snow crystal.

"No two crystals have the same history so they don't grow in the same way," said Libbrecht.

And, he added, no two have ever been the same, or ever will be.

We're told as kids that like snowflakes, no two humans are supposed to be alike. The description of how the vagaries of temperature and the changing winds shape ice crystals is certainly a lovely little metaphor for the evolution of our own appearance, personalities and consciousness. I think that comparison may extend to our world as a whole — through a special combination of circumstances life arose here and the Earth as we know it took shape. Can those conditions be reproduced in the vast reaches of space? The search goes on ...

Here's one more metaphor: Mathemeticians say that an infinite number of monkeys banging on keyboards over an infinite amount of time will produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. That may be true in theory, but I already have a serviceable volume of all the bard's plays. It'll be much easier for me to preserve the one I have, than wait millennia for those abstract monkeys to get me another. But that doesn't mean the little apes should stop typing, or the dreamers stop hoping.

Hot Ice? Maybe Hell can freeze over ...

Today in Geneva, European astronomers announced the discovery of a new paradoxical planet that's made of super hot, solid water. The space "ice" is formed by extreme pressure rather than the sub-freezing temperatures that create ice on Earth.

The new planet has the catchy name of GJ 436b. It's a mere 33 light years from Earth (that's 6 trillion miles), and has a surface temperature estimated at 540 degrees Farenheit. So, make sure you pack appropriately.

The discovery has brought hope to Chicago Cubs fans everywhere, raising the possibility that Hell can freeze over and the Northside nine could finally win another world series.

To read more about GJ 436b, check out this article from Reuters UK: Hot "ice" may cover recently discovered planet

Current neighborhood got you down? Maybe it's time to move

Are you sick of where you're living? Maybe the weather is getting you down, with all of the ups and downs and instability. Maybe the neighborhood has gotten so over-run with violence that you don't feel safe anymore. Maybe it's just too crowded and noisy, and you need a little room to stretch out and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Living on Earth just ain't what it used to be, but don't worry there's a way out. Scientists have finally discovered a lovely new neighborhood where we can relocate. They don't really know yet what the new planet is like, and there could even potentially be folks already living there but that's ok. We can spruce things up and force the natives out. We've gotten pretty good at that over the years.

Here's the story as reported on The Washington Post's site:

Potentially Habitable Planet Found

By SETH BORENSTEIN
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- For the first time astronomers have discovered a planet outside our solar system that is potentially habitable, with Earth-like temperatures, a find researchers described Tuesday as a big step in the search for "life in the universe."

The planet is just the right size, might have water in liquid form, and in galactic terms is relatively nearby at 120 trillion miles away. But the star it closely orbits, known as a "red dwarf," is much smaller, dimmer and cooler than our sun.

Read the full story