#Sun Transit 15 May 2019

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Uranus stations direct

Saturday, January 27, 2024, 07:35 UT, 19°05’ Taurus

Caveat: this probably won’t have much of an impact on anyone personally unless they have a strong Uranian presence in their birthchart: Aquarius Sun, Moon, or angle (Ascendant, IC, Descendant, MC); strong 11th House energy; Uranus in close aspect to the Sun, the Moon, or an angle.

Uranus is said to be in its “fall” in Taurus - that is, it is in the sign that is opposite its “exaltation,” Scorpio. A planet being in its fall is said to be like a person staying in a completely alien place, where it doesn’t know the rules. But can you see how that might be a good thing for the planet? It’s forced to stretch, to develop new ways to operate.

Uranus first entered Taurus in May 2018, retrograded back into Aries in November 2018, and went back into Taurus for the duration in March 2019. Many of us have been “kicked out of our comfort zones” (definitely a Taurus thing) or have undergone extreme financial vicissitudes (Taurus too). Mother Nature (Taurus) has been pushing back through the climate catastrophe.

Ideally we’ve used this time to simplify our lives, get closer to nature, and develop an attunement to what our bodies are telling us. We’ve used the retrograde period to work things out internally, and now we’re ready to act.

If you feel like you haven’t quite managed any of that yet, don’t worry! There’s still plenty of time to make the effort.

Uranus next goes retrograde on Sunday, September 1, at 27°15’ Taurus.

[nasa]

Tournament Earth: The Earthly Eight

To celebrate Earth Observatory’s 20th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we asked readers to pick our all-time best image. We have already completed two rounds of voting, which led to two rounds of stunning upsets. As we head into round 3, only two of the top eight seeds (#1s and #2s) remain. It is time now to cast your votes for the best of the Earthly 8. Voting ends on April 13 at 9 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time.

The nominees are separated into four groups: Past Winners, Home Planet, Land & Ice, and Sea & Sky. Check out the contenders still in the game:

Past Winners: Ocean Sand, Bahamas (#5 seed) vs. A View from Saturn (#2 seed)

Though the above image may resemble a new age painting straight out of an art gallery in Venice Beach, California, it is in fact a satellite image of the sands and seaweed in the Bahamas. The image was taken by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) instrument aboard the Landsat 7 satellite. Tides and ocean currents in the Bahamas sculpted the sand and seaweed beds into these multicolored, fluted patterns in much the same way that winds sculpted the vast sand dunes in the Sahara Desert.

This beautiful image of Saturn and its rings looks more like an artist’s creation than a real image, but in fact, the image is a composite (layered image) made from 165 images taken by the wide-angle camera on the Cassini spacecraft over nearly three hours on September 15, 2006. Scientists created the color in the image by digitally compositing ultraviolet, infrared, and clear-filter images and then adjusting the final image to resemble natural color. (A clear filter is one that allows in all the wavelengths of light the sensor is capable of detecting.) This image is a closeup view of the upper left quadrant of the rings, through which Earth is visible in the far, far distance. The full image can be seen here.

Home Planet: Twin Marbles (#1 seed) vs. Fire in the Sky and on the Ground (#7 seed)

A day’s clouds. The shape and texture of the land. The living ocean. City lights as a beacon of human presence across the globe. This amazingly beautiful view of Earth from space is a fusion of science and art, a showcase for the remote-sensing technology that makes such views possible, and a testament to the passion and creativity of the scientists who devote their careers to understanding how land, ocean, and atmosphere—even life itself—interact to generate Earth’s unique (as far as we know!) life-sustaining environment.

Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) used a digital camera to capture several hundred photographs of the aurora australis, or “southern lights,” while passing over the Indian Ocean on September 17, 2011. If you click on this movie, you can see the flowing ribbons and rays below as the ISS passed from south of Madagascar to just north of Australia between 17:22 and 17:45 Universal Time. Solar panels and other sections of the ISS fill some of the upper right side of the photograph.

Auroras are a spectacular sign that our planet is electrically and magnetically connected to the Sun. These light shows are provoked by energy from the Sun and fueled by electrically charged particles trapped in Earth’s magnetic field, or magnetosphere. In this case, the space around Earth was stirred up by an explosion of hot, ionized gas from the Sun—a coronal mass ejection—that left the Sun on September 14, 2011.

Ice and Land: Sand Dunes (#8 seed) vs. Retreat of Columbia Glacier (#6 seed)

Mountains of sand, some as tall as 300 meters (1000 feet), reach from the floor of Africa’s Namib Desert toward the sky. Driven by wind, these dunes march across the desert, bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and in other directions by solid, rocky land.

The abrupt transition from sand to land is visible in this image, acquired on November 13, 2019, by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. They show the northern extent of the Namib Sand Sea—a field of sand dunes spanning more than 3 million hectares (more than 10,000 square miles) within the Namib-Naukluft Park, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013. Sand appears red, painted by a layer of iron oxide.

Scientists have long studied Alaska's fast-moving Columbia Glacier, a tidewater glacier that descends through the Chugach Mountains into Prince William Sound. Yet the river of ice continues to deliver new surprises.

The image series begins in July 1986 (bottom image) with a false-color image captured by the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor on the Landsat 5 satellite. The false-color image from July 2014 (top image), acquired by the Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite, shows the extent of retreat after 28 years. Use the image comparison tool to better see the details.

Sea and Sky: Atafu Atoll, Tokelau (#8 seed) vs. Raikoke Erupts (#6 seed)

At roughly eight kilometers wide, Atafu Atoll is the smallest of three atolls and one island (Nukunonu and Fakaofo Atolls to the southeast and Swains Island to the south are not shown) comprising the Tokelau Islands group located in the southern Pacific Ocean. The primary settlement on Atafu is a village located at the northwestern corner of the atoll. The typical ring shape of the atoll is the result of coral reefs building up around a former volcanic island.

Unlike some of its perpetually active neighbors on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Raikoke Volcano on the Kuril Islands rarely erupts. The small, oval-shaped island most recently exploded in 1924 and in 1778.

The dormant period ended around 4:00 a.m. local time on June 22, 2019, when a vast plume of ash and volcanic gases shot up from its 700-meter-wide crater. Several satellites—as well as astronauts on the International Space Station—observed as a thick plume rose and then streamed east as it was pulled into the circulation of a storm in the North Pacific.

On the morning of June 22, astronauts shot this photograph of the volcanic plume rising in a narrow column and then spreading out in a part of the plume known as the umbrella region. That is the area where the density of the plume and the surrounding air equalize and the plume stops rising. The ring of clouds at the base of the column appears to be water vapor.

See all of the images and vote now HERE. 

 Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

[lunalilith19]

Marjorie Lajoie and Zach Lagha: Saturn and Uranus transits

2020 Canadian silver medalists, 2019 Junior World champions

This year, with transiting Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus for the entire year, people with fixed placements in their chart - Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius- from 5°-15° will be receiving hard transits. This may sound difficult, but the impetus from hard transits seems to give some athletes more focus and determination to succeed, the way diamonds are created from pressure, so it will be interesting to follow the Olympic season to see how this plays out.

Zach Lagha is a double Aries, but he has a very prominent fixed T-square in his chart in Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius which has been and will continue to be activated this year.

Saturn activated his T-square by transit in Jan-Feb, and it will again Sept-Nov, during the competition season.

Transit Saturn square his Saturn: period of soul searching and examining what's working and what's not. relates back to something which started around 7 years ago. (Around those years, he and Marjorie won Canadian Nationals as Pre-Novice, then Novice, broke up their partnership for 6 months in 2015 and then decided to skate together again). Aspects of your life which withstand the tests of this period will be strong and worthwhile.

Transit Saturn conjunct his Neptune: self doubt, uncertainty, anxiety. ability to make sacrifices for the higher good

Transit Saturn square his Mars: possibility for conflicts with others where your ambitions may make others feel defensive. need to be careful of health

His T-square has Mars opposite Saturn which can give you a deep need to prove your worth to yourself through achieving, and Neptune gives him an outlet for that through creativity and self expression. skating seems like a natural way of expressing the energies of this, so the transits may be evolving how he views and approaches it.

Marjorie Lajoie is a Scorpio with her Sun squaring Uranus in Aquarius in her chart, so she is getting some major transits as well.

Transiting Saturn squares her Sun (May-June 2021, Jan 2022): an important time for development. may feel discouraged or low in energy and feel challenged by outside forces. requires patience and perseverance. this period is linked to a time 7 years ago. a time of trial when things that aren't working fall away or need to be cut out. things which are working well culminate.

Transiting Uranus opposes her Sun (mid June-October): can be sudden changes which challenge you to stand up for yourself and take on more responsibility. things which have been restricting or limiting you may give way to more freedom but may rock your sense of security. adapting rather than resisting usually leads to better results.

To top it off, their composite chart of their relationship is heavily fixed, with Sun, Neptune, Uranus in Aquarius and Jupiter in Taurus.

Transit Saturn conjuncted their composite Sun in Jan/Feb: time of tremendous responsibility and hard work. concentration of energy that might feel restricted but keeps you focused.

Transit Saturn square composite Jupiter (end of March-April, end of June-July, end of Dec 2021-early Jan. 2022): freedom of action may be limited, making you feel restless or frustrated. competitive and complicated environments test your beliefs and values. pressure from authority figures. a need to be patient and not take any shortcuts.

Transit Uranus conjunct composite Jupiter (May, Dec 2021- Mar 2022): sudden changes or events which bring new possibilities. openness to new viewpoints or ways of looking at the world. wanting freedom and to take chances.

[ao-anonymousobsesser]

We Remain "Previously On" Timeline

NEXT

I've decided to move the timeline up for... well, mostly for convenience to be honest, but also to help match up the Moon Phases. Apologies for any inconvenience/misunderstanding! (ALSO THIS IS 100 PERCENT NOT GOING TO INCLUDE ANY REAL-WORLD EVENTS FROM THE LAST 5 YEARS SO DON'T EVEN WORRY ABOUT THAT)

Previously on... Vampire Diaries...:

2017 AD:

26 May (Fri, New Moon): Delena meet, Grayson and Miranda die

4-8 September (Mon-Fri, Full Moon-Waning Gibbous): S1E1 “Pilot”, S1E2 “Night of the Comet”

11-15 September (Mon-Fri, Last Quarter): S1E3 “Friday Night Bites”

16-17 September (Sat-Sun, Last Quarter): S1E4 “Family Ties”

21-23 September (Thurs-Sat, New Moon): S1E5 “You’re Undead to Me”, S1E6 “Lost Girls”

30-31 October (Mon-Tues, Waxing Gibbous): S1E7 “Haunted”

1 November (Wed, Waxing Gibbous): S1E8 “162 Candles” (which is already incorrect even if the episode took place in 2009 because Stefan was born in 1846 so he would be 163 not 162, so I’m just changing it to be “171 Candles”)

27-30 November (Mon-Thurs, First Quarter): S1E9 “History Repeating”

30 November-3 December (Thurs-Sun, Full): S1E10 “The Turning Point”, S1E11 “Bloodlines”

7-9 December (Thurs-Fri, Last Quarter): S1E12 “Unpleasantville”

16-17 December (Sat-Sun, New): S1E13 “Children of the Damned”, S1E14 “Fool Me Once”

2017-2018 AD (transitioning/new year):

27 December-2 January (Wed-Tues, First Quarter-Full): S1E15 “A Few Good Men”

2018 AD:

12-13 January (Fri-Sat, Waning Crescent): S1E16 “There Goes the Neighborhood”, S1E17 “Let the Right One In”

30 January (Tues, Full): S1E18 “Under Control”

9-10 February (Fri-Sat, Waning Crescent): S1E19 “Miss Mystic Falls”

16-17 February (Fri-Sat, New): S1E20 “Blood Brothers”, S1E21 “Isobel”

22-25 February (Thurs-Sun, First Quarter): S1E22 “Founders Day”, S2E1 “The Return”, S2E2 “Brave New World”

2-4 March (Fri-Sun, Full): S2E3 “Bad Moon Rising”, S2E4 “Memory Lane”, S2E5 “Kill or Be Killed”

7 March (Wed, Waning Gibbous): S2E6 “Plan B”

11-13 March (Sun-Tues, Last Quarter): S2E7 “Masquerade”, S2E8 “Rose”, S2E9 “Katerina”

19 March (Mon, New): S2E10 “The Sacrifice”

30 March-2 April (Fri-Mon, Full): S2E11 “By the Light of the Moon”, S2E12 “The Descent”, S2E13 “Daddy Issues”

3-4 April (Tues-Wed, Waning Gibbous): S2E14 “Crying Wolf”, S2E15 “The Dinner Party”

9-10 April (Mon-Tues, Last Quarter): S2E16 “The House Guest”, S2E17 “Know Thy Enemy”

13-14 April (Fri-Sat, Waning Crescent): S2E18 “The Last Dance”, S2E19 “Klaus”

28-30 April (Sat-Mon, Full): S2E20 “The Last Day”, S2E21 “The Sun Also Rises”, S2E22 “As I Lay Dying

22-30 June (Fri, Waxing Gibbous-Full): S3E1 “The Birthday”, S3E2 “The Hybrid”, S3E3 “The End of the Affair”

31 August (Fri, Waning Gibbous): S3E4 “Disturbing Behavior”

2-5 September (Sun-Wed, Last Quarter): S3E5 “The Reckoning”, S3E6 “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, S3E7 “Ghost World”

15 September (Sat, Waxing Crescent): S3E8 “Ordinary People”

21-22 September (Fri-Sat, Waxing Gibbous): S3E9 “Homecoming”

30 September (Sun, Last Quarter): S3E10 “The New Deal”

10-11 October (Wed-Thurs, New): S3E11 “Our Town”

20-21 October (Sat-Sun, Full): S3E12 “The Ties That Bind”, S3E13 “Bringing Out the Dead”

22-24 October (Mon-Wed, Full): S3E14 “Dangerous Liaisons”, S3E15 “All My Children”, S3E16 “1912”

27-28 October (Sat-Sun), Waning Gibbous): S3E17 “Break On Through”, S3E18 “The Murder of One”

3 November (Sat, Waning Crescent): S3E19 “Heart of Darkness”

9-12 November (Fri-Mon, New): S3E20 “Do Not Go Gentle”, S3E21 “Before Sunset”, S3E22 “The Departed”, S4E1 “Growing Pains”

17-18 November (Sat-Sun, Waxing Gibbous): S4E2 “Memorial”

26-28 November (Mon-Wed, Waning Gibbous): S4E3 “The Rager”, S3E4 “The Five”, S3E5 “The Killer”

29-30 November (Thurs-Fri, Last Quarter): S4E6 “We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes”

8-11 December (Sat-Tues, New): S4E7 “My Brother’s Keeper”, S4E8 “We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street”

12 December (Wed, Waxing Crescent): S4E9 “O Come, All Ye Faithful”

2019 AD

5-8 January (Sat-Tues, ~New): S4E10 “After School Special”, S4E11 “Catch Me If You Can”, S4E12 “A View to a Kill”

Recent Events: TVD Season Four (2019 AD)

9-10 January (Wed-Thurs, New Moon): S4E13 “Into the Wild”

11-12 January (Fri-Sat, New Moon): S4E14 “Down the Rabbit Hole” and S4E15 “Stand By Me”

12 Jan: Elena flips switch / burns house down

20 January-15 February: S4E16 “Bring It On”

20 Jan (Sun, Full Moon): “it’s only been a couple days” convo

15 Feb (Fri, Waxing Gibbous): “going back to school” convo / adventure, Elena’s party, Carolena fight, Klayley get “close”, Delena go to NYC

16-17 Feb (Sat-Sun, Full Moon): S4E17 “Because the Night”

16 Feb: Elena / Damon explore NYC, Bonnie completes Expression Triangle

17 Feb: Klaroline spat while burying bodies, start of Beklena road trip

5 March (Tues, New Moon): S4E18 “American Gothic”

Beklena were on the road for about 2 weeks before Willoughby

Beklena find Katherine / interrogate her

Elena goes to meet “em” at the gazebo

NEXT

[wtf-triassic]

Odontochelys semitestacea

By @alphynix​

Etymology: Toothed Turtle

First Described By: Lie et al., 2008 

Classification: Biota, Archaea, Proteoarchaeota, Asgardarchaeota, Eukaryota, Neokaryota, Scotokaryota, Opimoda, Podiata, Amorphea, Obazoa, Opisthokonta, Holozoa, Filozoa, Choanozoa, Animalia, Eumetazoa, Parahoxozoa, Bilateria, Nephrozoa, Deuterostomia, Chordata, Olfactores, Vertebrata, Craniata, Gnathostomata, Eugnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Rhipidistia, Tetrapodomorpha, Eotetrapodiformes, Elpistostegalia, Stegocephalia, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Romeriida, Diapsida, Neodiapsida, Sauria, Archosauromorpha?, Archelosauria, Pantestudines, Odontochelyidae  

Time and Place: Around 232 million years ago, in the Carnian age of the Late Triassic

Odontochelys is known from the Lower Member of the Xiaowa Formation of China, commonly known as the Guanling Fauna

Physical Description: Odontochelys is one of the earliest known turtles - preceded by one, possibly two, precursors other than stem members of the family group - and it showcases how this extremely unique group managed to evolve in the chaos that was the Triassic Explosion. It was simultaneously similar to and very different from living turtles, a true transitional organism. Like other reptiles, it had teeth embedded in its jaws, rather than the toothless beak found in turtle mouths. Like turtles, it had the lower plastron extending from its ribs, but unlike living turtles it had no upper shell - instead, it just had widened ribs and no bony shell around its body. The ribs and the vertebrae were put together differently from modern turtles as well, and its skull was more stretched out compared to its living relatives. It didn’t have fused tail bones, and its scapulae were very different from living turtles. It had short limbs and long, thick fingers, as well as a decently sized shell. It was about forty centimeters long from snout to tail tip. 

Diet: The diet of Odontochelys is fairly uncertain, despite us having its teeth; though they are small and peg like, we can’t really extrapolate a function since we don’t actually know its precise ecology! They may have been used for stripping plants, but it’s also possible they were used to chipp up algae and other aquatic water plants, or even invertebrates! So, more research there is clearly needed. 

Behavior: The life history of Odontochelys is actually a big mystery. It was found in a marine environment, leading initial studies to indicate it was marine. However, it had the hands of a fresh water organism, including fresh water turtles today. Furthermore, studies of other early turtles indicate that turtles first arose on the land, rather than in the water, and later groups would adapt to water life; the limbs of Odontochelys share similarities with tortoises and support a terrestrial lifestyle. So, the ecology of Odontochelys has been a constant battle. That said, there is some evidence that it was actually marine - and may represent an early experiment in ocean life by turtles. One fossil of Odontochelys indicates that it had completely messed up shoulder bones, likely due to a problem in life rather than destruction of the fossil. This pattern resembles decompression sickness, aka the bends, aka the condition caused by a diving animal coming up much too fast from a lower depth. Modern turtles have complex behavioral adaptations to avoid the bends, so Odontochelys may be an early experiment in marine life in a group mostly adapted for terrestrial life. In this transition to ocean life, it not only lacked better physical adaptations for the ocean, but also better behavioral ones, and was stricken with the bends on its trip back to the surface. So, as we try to determine its ecology and behavior, these clued paint a rich tapestry of the world’s most transitional turtle. A pioneer! 

Ecosystem: Odontochelys was found in - and thus, the null hypothesis is that it lived in - an ocean environment near the coast of the Tethys sea. This was a deep, open ocean - pelagic, hence the bends and problems Odontochelys faced trying to deal with the ocean. It was a very fertile ecosystem as well, with a variety of Triassic marine animals showcasing the rapid evolution of these groups. Among the invertebrates, there were many different types of Ammonites, plenty of bivalves, brachiopods, and crinoids & sea cucumbers as well. Still, the fascinating part of the ecosystem was the sheer number of marine reptiles. There were Thalattosaurs such as Anshusaurus and Xinpusaurus; Placodonts like Psephochelys and Sinocyamodus; and Ichthyosaurs like Qianicthyosaurus, Guizhouichthyosaurus, Guanlingsaurus, and Callawayia. One of many beautiful deposits of marine animals from this Period - and the many Ichthyosaurs would have been major predators of the relative n00b Odontochelys. 

Other: Odontochelys also just looks really weird because it basically looks like your usual turtle except it doesn’t have a freaking shell so here we are with this oddity. It’s transitional in shape, transitional in ecology, transitional in behavior, and just. What the heck. What the heck, Odontochelys. If you need more proof for evolution despite knowing about the dinosaur - bird transition, have I got a friend for you. 

~ By Meig Dickson 

Sources Under the Cut

Anquetin, J. 2012. Reassessment of the phylogenetic interrelationships of basal turtles (Testudinata). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 10(1):3-45. 

Bradley Shaffer, H., E. McCartney-Melstad, T. J. Near, G. G. Mount, P. Q. Spinks. 2017. Phylogenomic analyses of 539 highly informative loci dates a fully resolved time tree for the major clades of living turtles (Testudines). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 115: 7 - 15. 

Feldmann, R. M., C. E. Schweitzer, S. Hu, J. Huang, Q. Zhang, C. Zhou, W. Wen, T. Xie, E. P. Maguire. 2017. A new Middle Triassic (Anisian) cyclidan crustacean from the Luoping Biota, Yunnan Province, China: morphologic and phylogenetic insights. Journal of Crustacean Biology 37 (4): 406 - 412. 

Gilbert, S. F. 2007. How the turtle gets its shell. Biology of Turtles: The Structures to Strategies of Life. 

Heiss, E. 2010. Functionality and plasticity of turtle-feeding with special emphasis on oropharyngeal structures. Universitat Wien Doctoral Dissertation. 

Hess, H., W. Etter, and H. Hagdorn. 2016. Roveacrinida (Crinoidea) from Late Triassic (early Carnian) black shales of Southwest China. Swiss Journal of Paleontology 135(2):249-274. 

Joyce, W. G. 2015. The origin of turtles: A paleontological perspective. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution 324 (3): 181 - 193. 

Lee, M. S. Y. 2013. Turtle origins: Insights from phylogenetic retrofitting and molecular scaffolds. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 26 (12): 2729 - 2738. 

Lemell, P., N. Natchev, C. J. Beisser, E. Heiss. 2019. Feeding in Turtles: Understanding Terrestrial and Aquatic Feeding in a Diverse but Monophyletic Group. Feeding in Vertebrates: 611 - 642. 

Li, C., and O. Rieppel. 2002. A new cyamodontid placodont from Triassic of Guizhou, China. Chinese Science Bulletin 47(5):403-407. 

Li, C., X. C. Wu, O. Rieppel, L. T. Wang, and L. J. Zhao. 2008. An ancestral turtle from the Late Triassic of southwestern China. Nature 456:497-501. 

Lu, H., D.-Y. Jiang, R. Motani, P.-G. Ni, Z.-Y. Sun, A. Tintori, S.-Z. Xiao, M. Zhou, C. Ji, W.-L. Fu. 2018. Middle Triassic Xingyi Fauna: Showing turnover of marine reptiles from coastal to oceanic environments. Palaeoworld 27 (1): 107 - 116. 

Luo, M., Y.-M. Gong, G. R. Shi, Z.-Q. Chen, J. Huang, S. Hu, X. Feng, Q. Zhang, C. Zhou, W. Wen. 2018. Palaeoecological Analysis of Trace Fossil Sinusichnus sinuosus from the Middle Triassic Guanling Formationin Southwestern China. Journal of Earth Science 29: 854 - 863. 

Meredith, R. W., J. Gatesy, M. S. Springer. Molecular decay of enamel matrix protein genes in turtles and other edentulous amniotes. BMC Evolutionary Biology 13: 20. 

Neenan, J. M., N. Klein, T. M. Scheyer. 2013. European origin of placodont marine reptiles and the evolution of crushing dentition in Placodontia. Nature Communications 4: 1621. 

Nicholls, E. L., C. Wei, and M. Manabe. 2002. New material of Qianichthyosaurus Li, 1999 (Reptilia, Ichthyosauria) from the Late Triassic of southern China, and implications for the distribution of Triassic icthyosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22(4):759-765. 

Reisz, R. R., J. J. Head. 2008. Palaeontology: Turtle origins out to sea. Nature 456 (7221): 450 - 451. 

Rothschild, B. M., V. Naples. 2015. Decompression syndrome and diving behavior in Odontochelys, the first turtle. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 60 (1): 163 - 167. 

Schoch, R. R., H.-D. Sues. 2015. A Middle Triassic stem-turtle and the evolution of the turtle body plan. Nature 523 (7562): 584 - 587. 

Shang, Q.-H., and C. Li. 2009. On the occurrence of the ichthyosaur Shastasaurus in the Guanling biota (Late Triassic), Guizhou, China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 47(3):178-193. 

Vermeij, G. J., R. Motani. 2017. Land to sea transitions in vertebrates: the dynamics of colonization. Paleobiology 44 (2): 237 - 250. 

Wang, X., G. H. Bachmann, H. Hagdorn, P. M. Sanders, G. Cuny, X. Chen, C. Wang, L. Chen, L. Cheng, F. Meng, and G. Xu. 2008. The Late Triassic black shales of the Guanling area, Guizhou province, south-west China: a unique marine reptile and pelagic crinoid fossil lagerstätte. Palaeontology 51(1):27-61. 

Wang, X., X. Chen, C. Wang, L. Cheng. 2009. The Triassic Guanling Fossil Group - A Key GeoPark from a barren mountain, Guizhou Province, China. Notebooks on Geology 3: Chapter 2: 11 - 28. 

[callunavulgari]

Year-In-Life | 2020

Or that annual New Year’s meme where I talk about what the year was like to live through. And since this is 2020 the read through below features: a whole lot of depression, frank discussion about losing my cat, and pictures of my face.

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before? Lost my best friend. I lost a hamster when I was about ten, but other than that, I’ve never lost a pet before. Losing Mal was the worst thing about an already awful year. I have lost family members that I have mourned less than her. I am still fucked up about losing her, and probably will be for a long while yet. 

Things that I haven’t done before - 2020 edition - consists of extreme depression, global pandemics, wearing a mask if I’m not either at home or in my car, having covid, being in the ER twice in one year, cutting all carbs and losing sixty pounds, spending a weekend in Vegas (in January, obvs), gambling (and winning over a thousand dollars), and probably a lot of other things that I’ve blocked out. But it’s always going to be the year that I lost Mal.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Apparently, according to 2019 me, my resolutions were to lose weight and quit smoking. Which, strangely enough, I actually did. Who knew that going to the ER for heart issues at the age of 30 would scare me into switching some things up.So, yay! I kept my resolutions.

Resolutions for 2021 - lose the rest of the weight. End goal is only another 50 pounds away. Write something original if you can, but don’t stress if you can’t. Heal. Be happier. Breathe deep. Don’t do something you’ll regret.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? One of my coworkers had a kid earlier in the year, but nothing since.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Mal. 

5. What countries did you visit? Alternatively, what is your favorite place that you did go this year? No countries this year, because that is illegal. I did go to Las Vegas in January though, before the year turned into an absolute shitstorm. It was actually really wonderful, which I wouldn’t have expected out of Vegas. We watched our friends get married on the High Roller. Ate a lot of very good, but very expensive food. Gambled a bit and actually won money. Saw two Cirque du Soleil shows - the Beatles and water one. Saw the Bellagio fountains and maybe cried a little about it. It was really nice.

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? Well, I didn’t get a ring and we didn’t get a house, but we also made the decision to not do that this year. We did however, get a better president, so that was nice. In 2021, I would like a little more serotonin and a little less anxiety. And I’m not gonna say a damn thing about a ring.

7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? September 20th, 2020. Any other dates don’t fucking matter. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I lost a ton of weight and quit smoking, hopefully for the last time. Covid didn’t kill me. I didn’t kill me. I know that sounds bad, but it was a really, really horrible year.

9. What was your biggest failure? I don’t know. Not being able to save her? Not knowing that the heart abnormality had gotten that bad? Not getting her on clot busters the minute we took care of the thyroid problem.  10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had Covid near the end of October and had regular illnesses a couple times throughout the year. I went to the ER in May for heart-related problems. And I’ve had debilitating headaches every single day since Covid, so. Yes. 11. What was the best thing you bought? We rescued a new kitten approximately four days after we lost Mal. It was too soon, I think, and if I could have done it again, I may have waited longer. But BMO was incredibly depressed after she passed and had basically stopped eating, so we were desperate. But I can’t regret getting her. She’s been the little bit of sunshine we’ve had since October.  12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I don’t know. Everyone and everything sucked this year. 13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? I don’t know, mine? I’ve come a long way this year in terms of weight loss and smoking and holding it together, but I’ve also sunken into the deepest hole that I’ve possibly ever been in since September. I will always be deeply frustrated by Nick’s mother and my mother, so that’s not really new. Everything sucked. Hopefully 2021 is better.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bullshit medical stuff. Turns out that two ER trips, countless doctor visits, and dental fuckery is really expensive. I did also go slightly crazy and bought Nick too many gifts this year, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t bad. Also planning on buying a relatively pricey comforter as soon as I’ve confirmed that I haven’t gotten it for Christmas. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I am going to be completely and totally serious when I say that I don’t think I’ve experienced true excitement since about February. I did get a very intense, brief spike of serotonin when I saw the new Dragon Age and Mass Effect trailers. But like. I don’t know. That’s kind of it. 

Okay, no, that’s a lie. I was happy to lose the weight I did and was super proud of myself and my health was phenomenal, but then Mal happened and covid happened and it’s hard to see the good things that happened this year when I feel this fucking horrible right now.

16. What song will always remind you of 2020? Toss a Coin to Your Witcher (because yeah, that was this year, fuck). Teeth. Don’t Get Me Wrong. The Untamed theme. Well, the entire Untamed soundtrack. Dance Monkey. We Won’t Be Falling. Promare soundtrack. Own Me. Into the Unknown. Monster. Waving Through a Window. Eurovision soundtrack. 17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? So much more depressed. Which says a lot, because 2019 was not super great. ii. thinner or fatter? But hey, on the plus side my answer to this question is finally thinner. iii. richer or poorer? Probably around the same. Or maybe poorer? I had a lot in my savings last year that I had to dip into because of medical shit. 18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I’d done... anything. I wish I was allowed to leave my house without worrying about infecting myself or others. I wish that I had gone to the park more. I wish that I’d travelled. I wish that I’d written more. I wish I’d cooked more. I wish I’d worked out. Spent more time with my cat.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? God, I fucking wish I’d spent less time in my apartment.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I don’t know. Nick’s family wants to have a big gathering since his grandpa might not be around next year? But the idea of that makes me super flinchey, for obvious reasons. I mean, I’m reasonably sure that the antibodies are still in our system, so we have a smaller chance of infection, but fuck. Also, large gatherings have been giving me anxiety, also for obvious reasons. 21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? I hope that we’re staying home. I want to make pirozki and spend the transition into the new year on my couch, maybe playing a video game, maybe napping. 22. Did you fall in love in 2020? Still love him. He got me through this year. I don’t think I could have done it alone. 23. Best month for you this year? January through March was not horrible. I can’t remember a definitive good month of the three, but January was Vegas, which was really good, so lets go with that.

24. What was your favorite TV program? Of just 2020? The Untamed (live action and anime), The Magicians, Guardian, various Watcher Entertainment segments, She-Ra (season 5!!!), The Haunting of Bly Manor, Over the Garden Wall, Leverage, Motherland: Fort Salem...

My favorite being The Untamed, hands down. Obviously.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don’t think I have enough energy for hate at this point. I’m just tired.

26. What was the best book you read? Favorite was probably a tie between Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth, which works out well since they’re part of the same series. I really, really loved this series and am kind of sad that I have to wait until 2022 to get the third part of the trilogy. Top ten below, because why not.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

The Last Sun (and it’s sequel) by K.D. Edwards

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Toss a Coin to Your Witcher has singlehandedly escorted me through 2020. Basically all the songs listed a couple questions up were my favorites of the year, but the Untamed soundtrack was probably my favorite. Promare soundtrack was also bomb af.

28. What did you want and got? Nick’s mom bought us nice bookshelves when we moved into the new place.

29. What did you want but didn’t get? A lot of things. Namely, I wish Mal was still with me.

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Promare, 100% Most of the other movies I watched were all rewatches. I watched My Neighbor Totoro, Onward, Knives Out, Emma, and that Eurovision movie. They were all pretty swell.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I wrapped presents on the living room floor and watched Last Christmas, which I thought was just a rom-com Christmas movie but surprised the hell out of me at the reveal that her love interest was dead the whole time? Like? That came out of left field. We then had a very quiet lunch at the Lantern, the Chinese place we go every year, and ducked into Oakland Nursery and Barnes and Noble long enough to grab some plants and books. I also got to see the Easton Christmas tree from across the street. It was snowing and honestly, a really pretty day. Oh, also I had to go to the dentist. That was less fun.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I’d been able to keep Mal. 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? I wore a lot of comfortable work appropriate clothes and pajamas. My clothes don’t really fit me anymore since I lost all the weight, but I refuse to buy more until I’m actually at my goal weight. 34. What kept you sane? Nick was very helpful every time I had an anxiety attack and/or broke down crying. It could have been a lot worse, probably, but I literally cannot wrap my mind around that right now. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Every single actor in the Untamed live action is unfairly gorgeous, especially Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan. Also, Henry Cavill was a shockingly good casting for Geralt and needs to be grimey all the time because he is a LOT more attractive when it looks like he hasn’t showered in three weeks. 36. What political issue stirred you the most? FUCK DONALD TRUMP IN THE EAR 20156789 2020—– This has literally been my response since 2015. Here’s to hoping that it won’t be my response in 2021. Also, children in concentration camps? Lying to the public about the pandemic? The race riots that happened earlier in the year? Literally everything else? This year has been fucking awful. 37. Who did you miss? Mal. Myself when I’m not feeling like this. 38. Who was the best new person you met? Annie. New coworker, delightful lady. If the pandemic was not a thing I definitely would have already gotten drinks with her after work.

39. Talk about a new friend that you made this year: Uh. Annie is a delightful person and brought me and Nick food when we were wasting away with covid. She also gave us toilet paper when we ran out after all the assholes in the entire country bought all the toilet paper in March/April. 

40. Post a picture from the beginning of the year:

This is me in like... February? I think? In public. Without a mask. I have lots of pictures of me in January, but all of them have someone else with me.

41. Post a picture from the end of the year:

Taken on my birthday, snatched just outside the doors of Barnes & Noble with the Easton tree across the street. Note the mask dangling from my ear.

42. A memorable meal discovered this year? Okay, so like. Two things. One- I had a meal in Vegas, that was fucking amazing. Actually I had a couple of those. Let me see if I can find pictures. Okay, so below are the two best meals I have eaten this year. The top is a butternut squash and pistachio ravioli, which came with this sweet butter sauce and it was so. fucking. good. Like, I have craved this thing since January. The bottom is the beef wellington at Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen. Which was... overpriced, but admittedly still delicious. I could have lived off that damn ravioli though.

43. What was your favorite memory this year? My birthday was actually pretty okay, all things considered. The snow was magical and I felt solidly okay for most of the day. Other than that, all of the nights in Vegas were great.

44. What are you excited for next year? So, the message to me from 2019 me for this question is about how I was really sad on December 26th of 2019 and that I hoped that 2020 would be the year that we “seized life by the horns or whatever” and like. Baby. 2019 me. I realize your depression was valid, but holy fuck, my sweet summer child it got so much worse. Though, I guess technically I did seize life by the horns for a bit. And then September hit like a bag of bricks.

Anyway, I am cautiously optimistic and hopeful that the transition of power to Biden goes smoothly. I’m hoping that things get better and not worse. I’m excited for several books, movies, and games, but mostly, I’m hoping that things are better. 

45. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: My message from last year was this:

“I feel like my message from last year is fucking taunting me. Legit though, this is not the worst thing you’ve ever been through. You have a boyfriend who loves you, two wonderful cats that better not fucking die anytime soon, and like, I don’t know, working ovaries. A job. A car. An apartment that has a kind of shitty kitchen and a bath tub that might as well not exist, but is still an apartment! Which is more than some people have!”

Thanks 2019 Heather. It got worse. (Though admittedly, and knock on fucking wood, but 2019 me is right. It could technically still get worse. But I have hope that it won’t.)

My valuable life lesson in the year of 2020: Life sucks. Keep your head on straight. Mourn your dead and love your living like you’ll never see them again. Live life like you could die tomorrow. And don’t take the little things for granted. 46. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: I am going to make it through this year If it kills me - This Year, The Mountain Goats

(2018 me apparently quoted Singing in the Rain. 2019 quoted something sad and pretentious. 2020 me is just tired and clinging to life by my damn fingernails.)

First Fandom of 2020: January of 2020 seems to have been solidly The Magicians, The Witcher, and The Untamed. Favorite Main Character of 2020: Wei Wuxian, fuck. Favorite Villain of 2020: Wei Wuxian, fuck. Close second if that doesn’t apply - Xue Yang. Favorite M/F Couple of 2020: Does Parker/Elliot/Hardison count? Because them, holy fuck. Also, female!Byleth/Jeritza. Favorite F/F Couple of 2020: Catra and Adora!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! Er. Also, Harrow/Gideon.  Favorite M/M Couple of 2020: Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji. Close second is probably Ryan/Shane. Fandom That You Never Expected To Get Into: Honestly, probably the Untamed. I’m not usually crazy about live actions, but fuck, it was good. Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher. Also, in the last month I have been all over Mark/Damien(/Sam) from the Bright Sessions because I just listed to Neon Darkness. Fandom That Inspired The Most Crack: Yeah, idk. There’s crack in every fandom. Last Fandom of 2020: Buzzfeed Unsolved. And honestly, I’m still not out of The Untamed.  Favorite Fandom of 2020: Definitely the Untamed. Dipping into the Witcher was also nice.

[astrology-with-charu]

April to November 2020 -

The Summer of Stormy Eclipses & Jupiter Pluto Conjunction

==========================

“Chipping around, kick my brains around the floor, These are the days it never rains but it pours” ...

~ Under Pressure

It’s like David Bowie had seen the future we live today. It’s the title song of my Aries season as this Jupiter Pluto conjunction starts playing it’s tangible role meeting Sun and Mercury till 25/26 April in harsh aspect with Pluto standing still at its full potency about to go retrograde on 25th April.

Can you feel the pressure ? Everyone can ... from pressure come truth bombs & real growth, so let’s see what comes out of this for us. We will go into each sign as usual in part 2 of this post but let’s get clear on what it is cause there is an astrological aspect soup in the Sky right now.

I apologise this report was tough to write & I am sure it will be tough to hear, I rarely post these kind of reports. But looking at expectations for global events we would see how at an individual level we can contribute to growth that comes through this crisis and hopefully together we see deeper meaning of what’s about to come.

Jupiter meets Pluto every 12.5 years like any outer planets meeting in their path around Sun (synod) - this meeting defines global events but especially economic events.

Economic events have been historically clearly linked with this cycle, the conjunction being catalyst for growth that comes through popping of a bubble - truth coming to light, draining fake accomplishments & then becoming catalysts of growth away from previous cycle, away from our comfort zone. I had written about this in the 2020 introduction note along with the 12 Jan event on New Years - the note is pinned on the Facebook page for you to see sign specific focus of this aspect.

https://www.facebook.com/595133057621535/posts/770204786781027/?d=n

I had mentioned both US shifting it’s stance on severity of virus before the spread & further emphasise on economic crisis in my March note.

https://www.facebook.com/595133057621535/posts/818486065286232/

Do see April video if you haven’t on views of upcoming aspects on timelines of year ahead.

https://youtu.be/T8G-tgqcd4s

While these two planets will meet three times between April to November- the heliocentric meeting of 31 July will reflect a clear transition of global events. This would be critical moment in economy & a marker of financial markets bubble popping. First meeting which is in April usually stokes ambition and even greed - we see corporations & markets take a bullish outlook and stoke the bubble expanding it bigger. Seeds are sown of growth but with objective to gain power over resources by a few - rich become richer essentially & social disparity grows. At personal level despite the obvious signs, we try to gain growth & more control over the life that’s over - life as we know is shifted so we must look to reinvent our growth channels putting seeds of new way of doing things versus sticking to doing what we have been doing. The things that used to make us feel in power & control won’t appeal to us anymore - definition of growth will be reinvented in our individual capacities.

Central banks throwing money at the problem for example fuelling the junk bubble of large corporates & defunct industries is lower manifestation. We will see unfounded optimism on old crutches in markets possibly in May due to that. Instead of working on evolution to new way of growth.

This all goes out of the window in summer when it becomes starkly clear that it isn’t going to function for future - second meeting geocentrically is on 30th June, smack in middle of eclipse season and right after Venus Retrograde when Goddess of love transforms to Goddess of war. Mayans used to use this transition of Venus to time wars.

Truth has no way to hide. Mars would have just entered Aries then and clashed with the karmic nodes (26/27 June) springing us into action cause we have just seen the gap between what we truly want and what we are getting with Venus Retrograde - at individual level we would want to rage a war to change the course of life - it will be a summer of people totally shifting what they do & who they want to become and ofcourse of shifts in post quarantine relationships.

This second meeting usually comes with a crisis of faith, belief & question - is this worth it ? A stark U-Turn!

This period in June we would see loss of faith in leadership, it will be time of failure of leaders & resignations, people’s opinion of the heads of companies and administration will shift enormously as possibly how many have been benefiting from the crisis will be revealed & power hungry identities will be brought to light. This period can be marked with severe storms & accidents as well especially transport or airline related.

Travel should be avoided even if allowed in June, especially around 5 June eclipse.

Pluto rules oil & the few rich elite with power and money - the mafia elite or real. Jupiter rules airline, trade & education industry and we have already seen that bubble burst of artificial high prices in oil and industry coming to a crashing halt but we are trying to still live the same way by strengthening the oil cartel and bandaging airline industry and pretending that trade truce exists. We would see another round of crash in June July when the leaders will move back on their economic promises during Venus Retrograde in first ten days of June. We could see the oil cartel walk back on their promises at the time - as well as trade treaties being broken. Overall Venus Retrograde in Gemini - we would see people walking back on their contracts & promises. Don’t take promises made right now on the word - Venus is walking the flaky degrees it will walk back on between 13 May to 25 June - people will reconsider giving you what they promised in life & money. Bailouts of oil industry & airline wouldn’t work and possibly fire back.

As the Jupiter Pluto conjunction is happening in zodiac sign of Capricorn opposing Cancer zodiac (tropical), industries which could be impacted include - Real Estate, mortgage debt, stone work, ceramic, building / construction & supplies for it, large corporations, small businesses, women rights, women run businesses, children linked businesses, small farms, milk products, sheep, goats, water linked services & ports.

We would see CEOs stepping down, ruling class & high society disclosures, loss of religious leaders & bubble bursts in terms of truth and this will come with a slew of bankruptcy of industries with over leverage / debt in July. We would see truth of the multi trillions bail outs as well.

Capitalism requires failures - bailouts only delay them so what’s going on right now & will continue in May is just bandaging & greed - there is no getting away from this cycle of fluff moving out of financial markets with over exaggerated stock prices - unfortunately Cancer industries opposite to Capricorn could suffer but only briefly - Capricorn archetype represents big industries and Cancer small businesses, small Farmers, families, child education businesses which will suffer briefly in the process. But with north node solar eclipse in Cancer small businesses, women & children linked businesses, small farms have opportunity to reinvent themselves & save themselves whereas large corporations wouldn’t have any short term solutions to do so and would see a structural breakup or breakdown.

Also small businesses would receive some levels of additional support with north node solar eclipse in June as it gives a new start while south node Capricorn eclipse in July will ask big corporates & administration to release something as truths come to surface especially in United States as the 5 July lunar eclipse falls on Sun of United States in 8th house of crisis & transformation.

June July will be a very volatile time for US due to loss of diplomacy & international affairs crisis as well during Venus Retrograde going between natal Uranus & Mars in 7th house of partnerships diplomacy of US chart. This is triggered by the first eclipse of the season on 5 June which is a Lunar eclipse at 15° Sag square Mars in Pisces - t square of underhanded actions. International diplomatic affairs will go through a wringer in early June in wake of Venus retrograde and this very volatile eclipse of 5th June - which we would start feeling from end May.

This would be followed by 21 June solar eclipse at 0°21’ Cancer which is is conjunct Ascendant & Uranus of North Korea pointing to escalation in that direction. We would see a warning shot fired as early as 25/26 April when this eclipse of 21 June is getting activated by the nodes. But it would not be taken seriously.

Pluto is also going retrograde on 25/26 Apr within orb of natal Pluto in house of resources of United States - that’s why I believe both the diplomatic crisis & financial will strike together during summer with a trigger seen now in last week of April which would be ignored in noise of current moment. Bubbles in Pluto Jupiter burst not because of it being a surprise but more due to greed & complacency or overconfidence.

Pluto rules nuclear energy and July heliocentric conjunction in aftermath of unstable eclipses can be a dramatic. This along with 5 July eclipse were part of astrological configuration involved in 9/11. Though nothing is exactly same but this time between the eclipse of 21 June is happening within one degree of karmic nodes - this is instant event which isn’t long pronged but what would brew in this short period between 25 April to 21 June with diplomatic escalation in first ten days of June.

5 July lunar eclipse eclipse at 13°38’ Capricorn as I mentioned opposes Sun of United States square natal Saturn - this would be a tough eclipse on incumbent President and administration of US. Activation of this eclipse happened in September 2019 with the start of impeachment process in that month. This was the eclipse involved in events leading upto 9/11 as well. But this eclipse has repercussions way beyond United States as charts of major countries are engaged in this eclipse - UK, Russia, Germany for sure bringing pressure on Euro, Canada, Russia, Australia. I am not in politics so not sure what’s the common threat between these nations.

The eclipses don’t directly interact with China but they are very much leading from Jupiter Pluto conjunction in 12th house Jupiter of China’s chart. That’s where Covid began with Saturn Pluto conjunction Nov-Feb. Jupiter meeting this point will clearly bring out how China in a hidden fashion whether willingly or not are benefiting from this unfortunate crisis. This crisis will tilt the balance of power between the two Super powers. Pluto return of United States will threaten it’s position as largest economy in the world and these events have the power to shift that position.

I know I am taking this call when trillions are being thrown to ensure economic recovery & we will see some of it in May but as I have mentioned in my previous posts - Jupiter Pluto heliocentric(as seen from Sun) conjunction in July burst bubbles & Pluto is within orb of natal Pluto of United States in house of finances & value system.

This will hurt American economy very differently than China, where in US chart Saturn conjuncts natal south node all the way to 2021 in house of finances and in 2021 it will square Uranus in 6th - prolonged financial troubles and social divide. We will talk of Saturn square Uranus in 2021 separately though we are seeing preview of it right now as both planets are in loose square. All tangible strides that human civilisation has taken in name of advancement has engaged Saturn-Uranus cycle. Magna Carta - all men are created equal, American Revolution, World Wide Web, Euro, Napster as well as Putin & Harvey Weinstein were birthed under Saturn Uranus cycle. We will have a society revolution at our doors in 2021 and you would see a preview of it while Saturn is in Aquarius till 1 July as it’s in loose square to Uranus right now. Questioning boundaries, restrictions, people shaming each other for having different opinions, division like a chasm forming in a society but at same time ground breaking inventions & biggest tech breakthroughs which would be made available to large set of population.

That’s all for 2021 taking roots now.

In this unrest people who invent or espouse solutions to blend the past with future will gain - pairing the offbeat ahead of time ideas with new way of living new rules. Have an eye on your contribution to society in face of volatility as Saturn in Aquarius will take our vision through the wringer as a preview till July.

This cycle will possibly break up Euro which was birthed in the last square. We could see a civil war in America next year along with clear division in society, driver being the 14 December eclipse which is key for Trump and would be a catalyst. We could only do our part in these cycles - which is follow the principles of North Node in Gemini & South Node in Sagittarius as I mentioned in our videos - stick to concrete data & stay off extreme belief system, prejudice, stay in present moment, concrete practical commercial skills come into play & use versus generic ideologies. Upgrade your practical skills, Street smart skills, language skills, tech skills & your communication devices - stay with what you know in name of data without attachment to a specific belief system. Don’t listen to gurus, don’t listen to me, don’t listen to astrology if it feels like a cult or blind faith without use of concrete data & rules - stay with what you know in data & facts not perceived facts & belief system.

Unsubscribe to news or channels that pollute your thinking as I mentioned in the video - through north node in Gemini we manifest our destiny to existence through our mind & talk. Stand guard of your mind & learn practical stuff that can be implemented quickly and now. Stick to simple, local businesses using real life skills & talents versus generic global concepts - think of time following 9/11 and how globalisation went out of the window as did global travel.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3tUTLu8-MSgPM9mLoblQ7YErDkX6tYu

Coming back to current moment.

Pluto is lord of underworld and brings rebirth through disruption, storms, crisis & acts through our subconscious. Usually an external catalyst causes deep emotional reaction which drives us to bring a big shift in our life. Gut gnawing emotions become our source of growth when Jupiter & Pluto meet. It’s disruptive, it’s raw, it’s real - everything that’s safe is violated by this invasive planet (Pluto) touching our knowledge & faith (Jupiter) in a way freeing us from our own self even if that’s not perceived as such in that moment.

Pluto standing still brings the crisis & fear part of this cycle to obvious external display especially as its standing in connection with Mercury & Sun - fear of survival, death, change, transformation, of letting go yet subconscious drive to not wanting to accept limitations, control issues anymore. That’s the moment where we stand today to early May.

Old is being demolished but what “new” needs to be build isn’t clear yet - in this first contact of Jupiter Pluto cycle. Most cycles only have one contact - back in Dec 1994 we had one, then Dec 2007 we had one - but as unique 2020 is we got 8 months of this with exact contacts in April then in June & lastly in Nov. But as I mentioned July heliocentric meeting would normally bring a global economic event to pass & its usually burst of an economic bubble - fallen angels as it’s called in financial markets.

At personal level we would also feel clear markation of transition from one cycle to another & we would be bursting our own bubbles to see some truths which would ultimately become source of power & strength for us.

Pallas Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom is a key participant in this cycle. She is a Greek warrior Goddess who represents win of diplomacy & strategy over conflict and shows us a way. Greek myth goes as Gods decreed Sea God Poseidon and Wise Goddess Pallas to present a gift to the city to earn guardianship. Who will be the protector? Poseidon gifted Horse and Pallas Athena gifted Olive tree. Horse was majestic royal show piece but did nothing in name of usefulness for stony ground of the city. Olive tree on the other hand would benefit larger set of citizens and will flourish over time.

She sets a different example - she is a woman in the man’s world. She is a warrior without hostility & brutality - she is cerebral, the weaver of patterns, she knows how to link ideas together , see the pattern of current times and create a war strategy.

She points to claiming your power through wisdom in crisis & conflict - keeping your head, objectivity is strength here & it’s going to be tough to come by as we are all being put through the wringer. She is represented as a diamond on top of a cross - purity, clarity, impartial to emotional pull of either side cause there will be two warring sides - what did you expect we have six months of Mars in Aries and we are reaching Saturn Uranus square of 2021 - revolution is knocking on our doorsteps just look around at the divided society we are living in - key raw material for it. But I digress from the solution -

She sees patterns of human behaviour in current moment - reads the direction of wind - understands that world is shifting & instead of fighting it - creates new strategies for it. She is a brain child literally born out of the brain of Zeus / Jupiter - she is a brain wave, she is non judgmental intuition - do you see it ? Can we try to stay objective & see it ? A heavenly flash pointing to a talent, an opportunity, a pattern we have been missing before.

This brain wave in the current moment can help us plant a seed of growth provided we stay objective & see what the current moment is showing us - it’s popping a bubble - can we take it, can we see beyond the pain of it so see the writing on the wall of what’s ahead for us so we can take right strategic move.

It will get easier - once the Sun and Mercury are done squaring Pluto Jupiter till end Apr along with conjunction to Uranus. Mid May these will be trines - easier to execute but squares in April create stress enough for us to do something about it. It’s a gift of obsession that needs to be productively channeled. End goal is more prosperity & mastery but through dogged determination but more importantly through adaptability.

Growth comes from crisis that gets rid of fluff & pretence. But growth comes with the intention to have more power & control (Pluto). Sense of expansion is strongly attached to sense of power over others - we see that clearly in chart of people who have Jupiter Pluto conjunction provided they interact with their personal planet else a whole set of people born in those years would be billionaires and power hungry.

Month of July will bring us closer to truth through a crisis or realisation - it will come after Venus & Mercury retrogrades in June - is it worth it - quintessential question - we would try to see our life path through the veil of happiness and many of us will take a total u turn in what we do for our living, it will provoke a crisis of faith & belief globally in July in administration & big corps as it happens in Capricorn

Through this gut wrenching feeling will come the intensity to doggedly pursue expansion of power in specific area of our life though underlying theme is career, life path & abundance - having more power over own time & resources as well as happiness in having it. It’s restructuring our life for power, autonomy, seeking prosperity - it’s obsession of something we truly want.

Focus on a life change - a project of consequence to shift your status for long term, change the structure of your body, your knowledge your thinking, your inner wiring. It’s going to introduce you to you - it will make you own your own desires - channel the intensity you are feeling - the passion, the rage, the anger, the jealousy - all the things we are told we shouldn’t feel but we would feel - our so called shadow side - to get what your soul desires. Don’t waste it in trying to convince anyone else about the validity of your dream or about the value of you - it’s an obsession but it’s yours - you have the ability to propel it in right direction.

So now in part 2 let’s see where would you feel the intensity to make something big happen, where some truth bombs will drop in releasing you to expand authentically with more power organisationally / mentally / physically ! Remember it’s all happening in zodiac sign of Capricorn - so we go cautiously optimistic & with a plan.

It’s the same area by sign that I covered in the 2020 post on New Years by sign -

https://www.facebook.com/595133057621535/posts/770204786781027/?d=n

Disclaimer - Views presented here are not equivalent to investment advice for professional or non professional investors, they are purely based on historic synods of Saturn Pluto Jupiter

[apod]

2019 November 10

A Mercury Transit Sequence Image Credit & Copyright: Dominique Dierick

Explanation: Tomorrow -- Monday -- Mercury will cross the face of the Sun, as seen from Earth. Called a transit, the last time this happened was in 2016. Because the plane of Mercury's orbit is not exactly coincident with the plane of Earth's orbit, Mercury usually appears to pass over or under the Sun. The featured time-lapse sequence, superimposed on a single frame, was taken from a balcony in Belgium shows the entire transit of 2003 May 7. That solar crossing lasted over five hours, so that the above 23 images were taken roughly 15 minutes apart. The north pole of the Sun, the Earth's orbit, and Mercury's orbit, although all different, all occur in directions slightly above the left of the image. Near the center and on the far right, sunspots are visible. After Monday, the next transit of Mercury will occur in 2032.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191110.html

[tofascinate]

twenty-twenty reflection

The year is 2020. I distinguish this year from the others. And there will be more. There might be many! I want to remember, if ever asked upon myself, that my year of 2020 was distinct from the mash of living. From the accordion of living, perhaps. From the “bellows” of my accordion life, here is my layer of 2020:

January

began with a visit from Kellan, the preparation for a long-anticipated trip to Hong Kong with Rohit. I was living at Momma’s. I had been working for her since I graduated in 2019, while I applied for job positions in cities and graduate programs in Europe and the West Coast.

In January I spent almost 2 weeks in Hong Kong with Rohit and his family. This was a life-changing trip. This was amazing. I felt so taken care of, and each day filled with exploration. And snacks. For the first time, Rohit helped me with Cantonese – every single time I asked, which was a lot, considering my personal goal was to learn as much casual Cantonese as I could while there. I recorded all my new vocabulary and phrases in a list on the plane ride back. Here I met Rohit’s family in their home element, spent an afternoon with Rohit’s mom, accompanied Rohit to friend meetups, and experienced a Chinese New Year family celebration (!!). I hiked the most exhausting and thrilling mountain of my life, called Lantau Peak (the second highest peak in Hong Kong). I felt some of my biases melt on this trip, and some of my interests open up and blossom.

I left Hong Kong as the coronavirus became an issue in the Eastern Asian world. I spent a night in Tokyo, not with Rohit, but with my nourishing airport snacks and exhausted schedule until my flight left the next day for the U.S.

February

In February life moved quickly. I applied to all 4 master’s programs, I had a second interview for a serendipitous job position in Philadelphia (the only job among many that wanted an interview!), I helped Rohit find an apartment in Norwalk, I left Rohit at his apartment in Norwalk, I accepted the job in Philadelphia, I found a place to live in Philadelphia (more magic was to come of that 2-weeks-before-moving FB find), and I moved to Philadelphia!!!

March

My momma helped me move here. To the city I’d never before been to, but in which I was about to find the happiest home. The first 2 weeks of this month were extremely memorable. I worked in the Comcast Technology Center building (a wow) as a LaunchCode teaching assistant for a 12-student, 14-week intro to computer programming and web development intensive course. I took every opportunity to explore the building, the surrounding city. The first week of connection with students was special. The idea of working the rest of the course remotely was ridiculously unlikely.

On March 14th, the pandemic was real. On March 13th, my co-teacher took home the classroom’s bottle of Purell.

My second roommate, Channing, and her kitty Tycho moved in. Deeksha, Channing, Tycho, and I would become a mini family.

We were in quarantine times, but I hadn’t had so much social interaction, peer interaction, freedom, intellectual stimulation, and work to do since the end of college 2019. It was a blessing to be where I was.

April

I will use April to say that I loved this job. It was a pinch-myself moment all the way through. I still sometimes can’t believe that I rose to the responsibilities, leadership, and organization required of me. Maybe it’s like that with new jobs that push you outside of your comfort zone and give you so much room to grow. LaunchCode was an extremely supportive and inspiring company to work for. The community of students (Comcast workers transitioning into future software engineering roles) were admirable and kind in how hard they worked, and how they helped each other.

I realized at this time that I was experiencing the dream I had put intention towards. It’s not always obvious realizing this. In fact, at first I thought I was accepting the job because it was the next best and only option. On the outside I didn’t know how meaningful it would be to me once immersed in it. When things all came together, I realized here I was, in the freedom of living independently from my home nest, in a friendly family of roommates, in a new city to explore, with a working position that supported me financially, allowed me to save for grad school, that opened me up to the computer science industry world, that used my strengths and pushed me to grow, that used my creativity, and that felt like I was being paid to learn.

I am sooooo grateful for serving in this role. It served me tremendously.

Also to be noted, Philadelphia spring. And Tycho the kitty made me love cats more than I thought I could love cats (who are now sometimes allowed to sleep under my blankets too).

May

At some point here, Deeksha, Channing, and I got to be really creative and goofy together. This plus sharing food and Deeksha eating my desserts ♡ ♡ = start of roomie love. Channing’s surprise birthday scavenger hunt.

At some point, I got accepted and not accepted into master’s programs!

And how did it happen that my random roommate’s husband was living and working in Germany following his CS master’s program there? Or that my roommate-friend would eventually move there too?

June

Work program extended by a week = another week of pay = I justify more so staying in Philadelphia longer… and longer… Staying also meant more time in the magical family and incredible bit of life I knew would end eventually. Staying meant not putting my parents at risk, or having to stay inside to keep them from risk.

In June I saw 6 helicopters flying above the city from my rooftop. I filmed them one night and was captured fleetingly in their search light. I stayed home for 6 and 8 pm curfews. I read ideas and information, and observed the panicked passion of my social media a little hesitantly. I spoke with my family. I read more until I felt settled and inspired with the movement of change. I walked around the city. I saw society a little differently; I saw reasons to question how I saw almost everything. 

The Monday after the big weekend, my coworkers asked me and us all how we were doing, if there were protests in our neighborhoods. It was the first time I saw my coworkers as Black. I didn’t know if I was saying the right thing. 

My co-teacher told me I was “lucky” I’d be moving out of the country. I told him I still wanted my home country to be a welcoming place for all. He was not so confident.

And! Rohit visited for a week :). I had fun and we both couldn’t wait to go back to having individual spaces to be ourselves.

July

At one point, with my job ended and Channing in North Carolina for most of the month, I was met with the pressure of everything I could do in the calm before the storm of change, and everything I wasn’t doing. A little rough. Oh to be leaving a place that has already been leaving you.

August

I moved in with Rohit in Norwalk! Took all my Philadelphia belongings in a car with not-friends Deeksha and Channing, and drove (Channing drove) to Norwalk. I was so grateful to them for that trip. We got a glimpse of the no-parking beaches. Specifically, we parked for 15 minutes in the “15 Minute Parking ONLY” spot by the beach at cotton candy sunset while Deeksha and I ran to the warm water and the two of us dove in like happy water pups and not 23- to 30-year-olds. Next day was a rockier beach and I’m still wishing Channing her next sunny beach day. This month was fun and without-a-car adventurous, though the airbnb-turned-rented-apartment that was actually’s Rohit’s didn’t quite feel like my settling in home. My daily purpose was working for my mom again and preparing for my master’s program.

I loved running so much with Rohit.

I did not love figuring out how to acquire a car to stay in Rochester for a month. Haha (thinking about tears). But we did it! And then we packed too many of my things into the car with Rohit’s things and drove 6 hours to Rochester, NY. 

September

I think we each ran longer distances than we had run before along the river trail in Rochester. We were a little outdoorsy. We had an ample supply of local Chinese bakery goods (that reminded me of Hong Kong bakery items). There was sun, but not in the apartment. By the way, this apartment was a miraculous coincidence from one of Rohit’s (very tidy and kind) friends who hadn’t been living there for months but would have to move out at the end of October. So we could pay him rent!

Also surprise to AriaRay’s patience, calm, and going with the flow acceptance: as a bonus level to the desperately declared plan of packing ahead of time to avoid the overwhelming stress of the previous move, Rohit and I learned we would also be cleaning and clearing out our friend’s apartment first! 

In the end, I had to accept that it was Rohit’s leading responsibility. Whatever we could do would make the experience easier for our absent friend. We moved out and found donation homes for almost everything. We did it! 5 pm and out the door to Burlington! (Extra exclamation points for whirlwind desperation and relief.)

October

I spent my last day with Rohit in Burlington. Burlington was love. And glorious fall.

I packed for Germany, I found a place to live in Germany, I boarded a plane to Germany. I got on the plane to Germany and went to sleep in Germany and thought, “Haha, isn’t it funny that I’m in Germany? Who thought of Germany?”

A new country and a new day to day life! I was grateful to be finally there and in awe that I had gotten to this point. My childhood self said, “when I’m 23, I’ll be in Europe.” Well, here I am.

We’re still in a pandemic. Meaning my classes are online and my traveling is cautiously limited to grocery store treks and to walks or bus rides around the city.

I have 3 very nice (and extraordinarily clean??) roommates from Ukraine, Russia, Iraq. All studying. One speaks better German than English, which is sometimes amusing as I really do want to have a conversation with her anyway.

Birthday, Halloween. But sometimes I forget and think my last birthday was in 2019. Blurry.

November

Hmmm studying. It still feels unprocessed to reflect on this. My master’s program can be considered a computational linguistics degree, formally called “Language Science and Technology M.Sc.” because to be more specific, this degree covers broader areas of computer science for language, and linguistics for computer science, than only computational linguistics. 

I do love the subject. It is by far a synthesis of my linguistics and cs interests. I’m learning a little more than what my focus for here initially has been. Is this a good thing? Maybe a nice cushion of knowledge and perspective. Still looking for how to study and process spoken language, how to relate this to second language acquisition. 

I think I get it. My core lectures right now are foundations for this field. I will leap from them into my specific field of interest. My software project is a learning ground for tools and seeds for future ideas, practice with coding group projects again. My seminars are for thinking, reading, discussing, weaving ideas, hearing from others seasoned in the topics and those of my peers investing their newfound or nurtured interests. Three more semesters.

Where will I be next?

I think I should mention one Thanksgiving meal that we cooked for, and shared with the additional guests of Olha’s partner Gaston and his roommate...with a name I can’t place now...from Morocco. This was a widely, uniquely fun night.

December

Hello cozy holidays, the first, by myself. My roommates and I decorated a tree from our local grocery store. I made cookies and cards, sent 14 gold letters. I spent hours decorating and felt creatively festive. ‘Tis the season :). Hoping everyone can feel the love I’m sending. 

Surprises came after small gifts appeared from each roommate to each other. Olha made us all Christmas gift bags of gingerbread cookies. I strung a decorated card on the tree for each roommate and shared cookies and oranges. Uliana wrapped Russian tea and a scented candle in parchment paper, leftover gold glittered tree ribbon, and a holiday clothespin. She wrote “Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!” in each of our languages: Russian (well, not Ukrainian), English, German. Zhenas gave us each a gift bag of treats. So, there has been magic in my apartment this season.

Happy New Year, and thank you 2020, for all the joy, discoveries, and change you have brought me. Here’s to love in 2021.

♡ 

[tameila]

The Sun Always Rises ‘verse, a timeline

Today, February 28th, as of about 2 am, it will have been three years since I first posted The Sun Always Rises. I am immensely proud of what this story became over the years and the universe it created. One thing I always loved while writing TSAR and still love today and, let’s be real, always will love is seeing readers engage with the ‘verse in their own ways. Fics, playlists, fanart! I am continuously overwhelmed by your engagement.

listen, the most tender of my years as a writer were spent as a roleplayer, collaborative writing/world-building is everything to me. so, what better way to nurture that collaborative spirit than to release an extensive timeline of what I have in my mind thus far! I would love to see you guys add your own spin or fill in your own blanks to it. Let’s talk headcanons! Let’s make those headcanons straight-up TSAR canon!!

I’m hoping to keep adding important dates as I continue this ‘verse, because - Yes! I do have sequels planned, and yes, they will come out someday! & I would also love to hear any feedback on dates/timeline particulars that you guys would like to see. This timeline only covers the timeline of Scanlan and Pike’s story, but perhaps I should go further into the past and talk about things like...When exactly did Grog join the Trickfoot family? What’s the timeline on the twins arriving in Westruun again? Wait, how old are Kima and Allura compared to Pike and Keyleth? Anything! You let me know! 

Let’s keep the collaboration going! ☀️

to start, some basic information:

Pike’s birthday: May 1990

Scanlan’s birthday: August 1986

Grog’s birthday: October 1986 (held back a year in school due to the trial and transition of him moving from his uncle’s custody to Wilhand’s_

and now let’s begin!

Scanlan and Pike first meet at Grog and Scanlan’s orientation week for college in August 2005

Scanlan just turned 19

Grog will be turning 19 in October

Pike is 15, going into her sophomore year of high school

During his freshman year, Scanlan records a couple demos and tries to peddle copies to as many people on his campus as possible. While visiting one weekend, he gave Pike a signed copy, which she thought was funny (but she still has it) and she took a handful back to distribute around school because Scanlan bought her froyo and she promised she would

Scanlan (20) is found by a talent scout during the Winter of 2006/7 while playing small taverns during winter break and is rush-signed to the Golden Grin. He resolves to stay in school, however, for the sake of his mother. However, juggling recording and song-writing with school work proves too difficult and, in Spring 2007, as his second year of college nears an end, he drops out

Grog (20) drops out with him, throwing himself full force into the fighting career he’d been low-key building up amongst amateur circles

Pike (16) is in her junior year of high school.

Scanlan (20) releases his first single in July 2007 to lukewarm acclaim, and his label immediately thrusts him out into the touring junket to try and get him seen.

Scanlan (21) releases his second single in December 2007, after months of grueling touring, and it’s a big hit. He’s an overnight success, played across stations nationwide. As he’s fielding congratulations from left and right, he receives the news that his mother was murdered in a break-in gone wrong.

He’s allowed (barely) a month to grieve before he’s thrown back into the limelight. Press. More shows. Finalizing his freshman album.

Scanlan (21) releases his first album, Royal, in June 2008. There was one more single released beforehand. He’s touring off-and-on the entire time, mostly as an opening act with a few small venue headliners.

Pike (18) graduates from high school in June 2008. A week later, she sets off on her world travels with Scanlan’s album as her backdrop.

Scanlan begins touring for Royal in July 2008.

Pike (18, almost 19) returns from her world travels in March 2009.

Near the end of his headline tour and after her return from her world travels, Scanlan (22) and Pike (19) see each other for the “second first time” in July 2009 at Grog’s (22) first headliner fight against his long-estranged cousin, Zanror.

it’s the night that their relationship dynamic changes from “kid sister/big brother’s friend” to flirty asides and shy glances.

While still touring and adjusting to his new celebrity status, Scanlan begins work on his new album. After touring ends in late July 2009, he throws himself into collaborations with other artists within the industry.

 During Spring Break 2010, Pike (20) visits Scanlan’s (23) new mansion along with her brother, Grog (23). [please refer to this work of art by the legend, jabletown]

In between Royal and Aubergine, Scanlan releases the Wine – EP in July 2010. It showcases songs that will eventually show up on his sophomore album and includes another chart-topping single that sustains his place in the zeitgeist until his next album.

Scanlan (24) releases his second album, Aubergine, in February 2011.

Scanlan tours Aubergine (March 2011-Feb 2012). At some point during the tour, Pike attends a show. Scanlan and her have some flirtations, but it doesn’t go anywhere. Mostly because Scanlan gets overwhelmed by the fact that, “Holy shit. She’s actually flirting back with, like, equal intensity and intent” and he freaks out, and Pike finds him later making out with someone else. Nice one, Scanman.

Half-way through the tour dates (Feb 2012), at the after-party of some award show, Scanlan coked out of his mind causes a big media scene. When he goes unresponsive during the car ride back to his hotel, he’s rushed to the hospital. He goes into rehab the first time (Feb 2011-May 2011). Dranzel takes over his management.

Despite Dranzel’s encouragement for him to take a break, Scanlan resumes touring in July 2011. He finishes touring in December 2011.

Scanlan relapses again in September 2012. Pike sends him her letter. Scanlan is 26. Pike is 22. He attends rehab from September 2012-January 2013.

Pike (23) graduates from college in June 2013. She worked at the temple throughout her studies but, with the addition of her degree, Wilhand increases her responsibilities.

After exiting rehab, Scanlan jumps right back into working. He releases a couple of stand-alone singles, as well as a couple of collaborations with other artists. He makes his rounds around the music world, as if showing off that – Look! He’s clean and back again! Probably stars in a movie while, in the background, he writes for other artists.

In his personal life, he’s thrown himself full force into the recovery program. And everything’s great! He’s so busy that he has no time to think about drugs!

During this time, there is more back-and-forths between Scanlan and Pike. Nothing substantial but little somethings, nonetheless. This is when Scanlan makes a lot of promises to Grog about visiting, but he never falls through, always too afraid that he’s not ready to face Pike yet. Not yet.

In June 2014, he tweets ‘#E6E6FA’, the color code for Lavender. He follows the tweet up with more cryptic social media posts that hint of his presence back in the studio.

Scanlan releases the first single to his upcoming album in late September 2014. It is included on an EP in February 2015, the EP includes previously unreleased B-sides from Aubergine. Scanlan releases it with an apology for the long wait.

Wilhand suffers an accident in early November 2015. Grog leaves competitive fighting to be close to home. Pike takes over as Head Cleric at the temple. Pike is 25. Scanlan is 29.

November 15, on the night before her first sermon, Scanlan and Pike have late night Skype call. This is when Scanlan writes ‘Late Night Angel’, a last minute addition to his album tracklist.

Scanlan releases his third album, Lavender, in May 2016. The touring is far less intense than for Aubergine. He plays primarily within the US with a few big shows in big-ticket international cities. The Lavender tour runs from late May 2016-December 2016.

Afterwards, Scanlan goes radio silent. He’s beginning to run out of steam. Recovery feels repetitive and pointless. Pike never made it to any of his Lavender shows. His grand plans to woo her were never seen to fruition. Though they communicate regularly, he feels more alone than ever. With no drugs or parties or touring to distract him, Scanlan begins to spiral again.

The Sun Always Rises starts in March 2018.

Chapter 17 takes place in March 2019.

Scanlan does a small, “farewell” tour from April 2019-September 2019.

[ms-m-astrologer]

Monday, September 6, 2021

Does anyone else follow Linda G (the Comanche psychic) on YouTube? She’s so talented and generous - one of the few people who predicted C19, in August 2019 IIRC. Linda is a Virgo and came up with the perfect Virgo prayer: “Please help me help myself and others.” (The “please” is my own addition - when my Leo son was young, he insisted we always say “please” when we prayed.) Anyway, if you’re really stumped about an intention for this Virgo New Moon, may I suggest that one? It will also work for those of us who tend to bite off more than we can chew, and there is plenty of that to go around today, too. We have so many good intentions, it would be foolish to squander them! Mercury moving into its pre-retrograde shadow today, less than six hours before the New Moon (in one of Mercury’s signs), is a hint that what we set in action today may take us on some unexpected journeys.

What's happening when:

Lunar Phase: Balsamic Moon (let go of the past, envision the future)

Moon/Virgo

Mars/Virgo trine Pluto Rx/Capricorn, 6:20 am MDT

Venus/Libra trine Jupiter Rx/Aquarius, 7:05 am MDT

Mars/Virgo inconjunct Eris Rx/Aries, 9:15 am MDT

Mercury/Libra sesquare Jupiter RX/Aquarius, 11:28 am MDT

Transiting Mercury enters pre-retrograde shadow, 10:08 Libra, 1:07 pm MDT

Lunar Phase: New Moon (set a new intention for the month), 14:38 Virgo, 6:52 pm MDT

Sun/Virgo trine Uranus Rx/Taurus, 7:29 pm MDT

Mars/Virgo inconjunct Jupiter Rx/Aquarius, 9:50 pm MDT

Looking ahead to Tuesday: partnership concerns

(Please note that MDT is six hours behind UT.)

[andromeda1023]

Last transit of Mercury until 2032.

Mercury – the innermost planet of our solar system – will transit the sun on November 11, 2019. In other words, Mercury will pass directly in front of the sun and be visible through telescopes with solar filters as a small black dot crossing the sun’s face. It’ll be visible in part from most of Earth’s globe. The entire transit is visible from South America, eastern North America, and far-western Africa.

The last transit of Mercury was in 2016. The next one won’t be until 2032. (For the Northern Hemisphere it won’t be until 2049)

Be aware that this is a morning event on November 11, according to U.S. clocks. Mercury will come into view on the sun’s face around 7:36 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (12:36 UTC; translate UTC to your time) on November 11. It’ll make a leisurely journey across the sun’s face, reaching greatest transit (closest to sun’s center) at approximately 10:20 a.m. EST (15:20 UTC) and finally exiting around 1:04 p.m. EST (18:04 UTC). The entire 5 1/2 hour path across the sun will be visible across the U.S. East – with magnification and proper solar filters – while those in the U.S. West can observe the transit already in progress after sunrise.

You need a telescope and solar filters to view the transit. Mercury’s diameter is only 1/194th of that of the sun, as seen from Earth. That’s why the eclipse master Fred Espenak recommends using a telescope with a magnification of 50 to 100 times for witnessing the event.

Unless you are well-versed with the telescope and how to properly use solar filters, we advise you to seek out a public program via a nearby observatory or astronomy club. Never look at the sun through a telescope.

What part of Earth will see the November 11 transit of Mercury? As shown on the worldwide chart above, the transit will be visible (at least in part) from most of the globe, with the exception of the shaded-out portion (Indonesia, most of Asia, and Australia). Mercury takes some 5 1/2 hours to cross the sun’s disk, and this transit of Mercury is entirely visible (given clear skies) from eastern North America, South America, the southern tip of Greenland, and far-western Africa.

For North America, the transit begins in the early morning hours on November 11. The eastern part of North America sees the start of the transit after sunrise November 11, whereas the western part sees the transit already in progress as the sun rises on November 11.

As for the world’s Eastern Hemisphere – Africa, Europe, and the Middle East  – the transit starts in the early afternoon November 11 in the westernmost parts of Africa and Europe, and in the late afternoon November 11 in eastern Europe and the Middle East. In New Zealand, the transit is in process as the sun rises on November 12.

We provide the geocentric (Earth-centered) contact times of the transit of Mercury in Universal Time (UTC). If you know how to convert Universal Time to your local time (here’s how to do it), you can get a good approximation of the contact times for the Mercury transit for your part of the world. NOTE: Because the transit is viewed from the Earth’s surface, instead of the Earth’s center, the contact times could differ from the geocentric contact times by up to a minute.

November 11 transit times in Universal Time

First contact (ingress, exterior): 12:35:27 UT Second contact (ingress, interior): 12:37:08 UT Greatest transit: 15:19:48 UT Third contact (egress, interior): 18:02:33 UT Fourth contact (egress, exterior): 18:04:14 UT

For further reading, more info, times in different time zones, video, pictures: https://earthsky.org/tonight/transit-of-mercury-on-november-11-2019

Photo at top: Mercury transit, May 9, 2016 via @altair_astro on Twitter.

The entire November 11, 2019, transit is visible from South America, eastern North America, and far-western Africa. Image via Eclipsewise.

[yellowkratom]

Yellow Kratom,

From Tree to Kratom Tea: How is Kratom Produced?

How is kratom produced? Is it made in a high-tech greenhouse or a lab? Actually, not much has changed over the centuries when it comes to kratom farming practices. You’ll be happy to know that kratom is naturally and organically cultivated and produced from the leaves of kratom trees which are picked, washed, ground up and dried.

In the Beginning

For millennia, the local people of Southeast Asia have been cultivating the kratom tree (mitragyna speciosa) to benefit from its medicinal and recreational properties. The earliest known reports of kratom consumption in Malaysia is 1836. Kratom belongs to the Rubiaceae family, which includes coffee and gardenia plants. These towering evergreen trees with their large glossy leaves are quite impressive and can reach up to 80 feet or more. 

Kratom trees grow naturally throughout the jungles of Indonesia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia but are also planted by kratom farmers for cultivation on private land. These trees require a tropical climate and are very sensitive to frost and drought. 

Indonesia as the Main Exporter of Kratom Leaves and Kratom Tea

Driven primarily by kratom tea’s increasing popularity and demand in the West, Indonesia has risen to become the main producer and exporter of kratom, as its laws have been relatively more relaxed than the neighboring kratom-growing countries. Indonesia’s tropical climate also creates the perfect conditions for producing a top product, and the farmers there have a long history of perfecting their kratom farming techniques.

In fact, it’s estimated that around 95% of the world’s kratom tea comes from Indonesia with kratom exports generating approximately $13 million U.S. dollars annually.

Farmers in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, where kratom also grows naturally, weren’t so lucky during the onset of the kratom boom, as their governments more strictly banned the cultivating and exporting of kratom.

Southeast Asia Kratom Laws

Kratom laws in Indonesia may seem a bit confusing: Although local sales and distribution are illegal, the Indonesian government currently allows the growing and harvesting of kratom for export. However, in June 2019, Indonesia’s Minister of Health proposed a potential kratom ban that could become effective in 2024. According to the government, this would allow farmers 5 years to transition their livelihood away from kratom and toward other crops. 

As virtually all of the world’s kratom is produced and exported from Indonesia, a ban would cause quite a shock to the kratom tea community, including Indonesian farmers, American kratom business owners and consumers. But there is hope that if worse comes to worst and the Indonesian ban is passed, Thailand may be able to fill in some of the demand, as the tide may be changing there regarding kratom legislation. 

Although the Thai government considered legalizing kratom in 2004, 2009, 2013 and 2020 to no avail, it did begin allowing kratom to be used for medicinal purposes in 2018. Then in 2019, the government announced that kratom would be removed from their narcotics list, where it has been since 1979. Kratom cultivation has been illegal in Thailand since 1943. 

In Malaysia, the use of kratom leaves is still prohibited under Section 30 of the Poisons Act 1952.

Kratom Tea Leaf Cultivation

Whether you decide you want white, red, or green kratom powder, it all goes back to the farmers’ cultivating and processing methods — not the type of tree. In fact, there is only one kratom tree species: mitragyna speciosa. The various vein colors result from the growing process — including how much sunlight is available and how mature the leaves are at harvest as well as the drying process. 

Although the tree stays leafy year-round, once the individual leaves reach a certain level of maturity, they either fall off or are picked off by the farmer. As the leaves mature, different levels of alkaloids build up. Harvesting kratom leaves, to eventually become kratom tea, is therefore a time-sensitive practice, as it directly impacts the concentration of the plant’s alkaloids (the botanical compounds responsible for the plant’s effects). Genetics may also play a role in alkaloid content.

It is also reported that the leaves cycle through the various vein colors — from red to green to yellow to brown. These time-dependent farming practices allow kratom farmers to produce several different veins at the same time, even though all of the trees are essentially the same species.

Different Veins Equal Different Effects

The vein color is an indicator of the overall effects of the kratom tea, but even two batches of the same vein can differ in color. This is because it is organically processed and never artificially colored.

White vein kratom, often relatively pale or yellowish in color, is derived from young leaves and is typically linked to more stimulating and energizing effects. 

Green vein kratom, which tends to come in a more vibrant green color, is derived from middle-aged leaves and is associated with a more balanced, euphoric effect. 

Red vein kratom, a darker reddish-brown color, is made from the most mature leaves and is typically linked to more relaxing effects. 

Once the leaves have been picked and collected, they are rinsed with water to remove any dirt or other contaminants. Next, the leaves are dried, or cured, on large racks which can further change the alkaloid content, depending on the amount of time they spend in the sun. Finally, the leaves are ground up with industrial grinders, resulting in fine powder ready to be sold to buyers.

American Consumers

Americans make up the large majority of kratom consumers worldwide. According to the American Kratom Association, “nearly 5 million Americans consume kratom as a part of their health and well-being regimen and have done so for decades.” Some data suggests there could be up to 15 million kratom consumers in the U.S. Surveys reveal that kratom users are educated, middle-income, employed, and have health insurance, according to the AKA.

According to a survey completed by Southeast Asian kratom tea exporters, the average monthly volume of kratom exported to the U.S. averages 1,950 metric tons of kratom products per month. 

Interested in kratom tea yourself? Click here to learn more about the different powders we offer!

from https://siestabotanicals.com/tree-to-kratom-tea-how-is-kratom-produced/

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from Red Borneo Kratom https://ift.tt/3gAxeBv via IFTTT

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[redborneokrat]

via Red Borneo Kratom,

From Tree to Kratom Tea: How is Kratom Produced?

How is kratom produced? Is it made in a high-tech greenhouse or a lab? Actually, not much has changed over the centuries when it comes to kratom farming practices. You’ll be happy to know that kratom is naturally and organically cultivated and produced from the leaves of kratom trees which are picked, washed, ground up and dried.

In the Beginning

For millennia, the local people of Southeast Asia have been cultivating the kratom tree (mitragyna speciosa) to benefit from its medicinal and recreational properties. The earliest known reports of kratom consumption in Malaysia is 1836. Kratom belongs to the Rubiaceae family, which includes coffee and gardenia plants. These towering evergreen trees with their large glossy leaves are quite impressive and can reach up to 80 feet or more. 

Kratom trees grow naturally throughout the jungles of Indonesia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia but are also planted by kratom farmers for cultivation on private land. These trees require a tropical climate and are very sensitive to frost and drought. 

Indonesia as the Main Exporter of Kratom Leaves and Kratom Tea

Driven primarily by kratom tea’s increasing popularity and demand in the West, Indonesia has risen to become the main producer and exporter of kratom, as its laws have been relatively more relaxed than the neighboring kratom-growing countries. Indonesia’s tropical climate also creates the perfect conditions for producing a top product, and the farmers there have a long history of perfecting their kratom farming techniques.

In fact, it’s estimated that around 95% of the world’s kratom tea comes from Indonesia with kratom exports generating approximately $13 million U.S. dollars annually.

Farmers in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, where kratom also grows naturally, weren’t so lucky during the onset of the kratom boom, as their governments more strictly banned the cultivating and exporting of kratom.

Southeast Asia Kratom Laws

Kratom laws in Indonesia may seem a bit confusing: Although local sales and distribution are illegal, the Indonesian government currently allows the growing and harvesting of kratom for export. However, in June 2019, Indonesia’s Minister of Health proposed a potential kratom ban that could become effective in 2024. According to the government, this would allow farmers 5 years to transition their livelihood away from kratom and toward other crops. 

As virtually all of the world’s kratom is produced and exported from Indonesia, a ban would cause quite a shock to the kratom tea community, including Indonesian farmers, American kratom business owners and consumers. But there is hope that if worse comes to worst and the Indonesian ban is passed, Thailand may be able to fill in some of the demand, as the tide may be changing there regarding kratom legislation. 

Although the Thai government considered legalizing kratom in 2004, 2009, 2013 and 2020 to no avail, it did begin allowing kratom to be used for medicinal purposes in 2018. Then in 2019, the government announced that kratom would be removed from their narcotics list, where it has been since 1979. Kratom cultivation has been illegal in Thailand since 1943. 

In Malaysia, the use of kratom leaves is still prohibited under Section 30 of the Poisons Act 1952.

Kratom Tea Leaf Cultivation

Whether you decide you want white, red, or green kratom powder, it all goes back to the farmers’ cultivating and processing methods — not the type of tree. In fact, there is only one kratom tree species: mitragyna speciosa. The various vein colors result from the growing process — including how much sunlight is available and how mature the leaves are at harvest as well as the drying process. 

Although the tree stays leafy year-round, once the individual leaves reach a certain level of maturity, they either fall off or are picked off by the farmer. As the leaves mature, different levels of alkaloids build up. Harvesting kratom leaves, to eventually become kratom tea, is therefore a time-sensitive practice, as it directly impacts the concentration of the plant’s alkaloids (the botanical compounds responsible for the plant’s effects). Genetics may also play a role in alkaloid content.

It is also reported that the leaves cycle through the various vein colors — from red to green to yellow to brown. These time-dependent farming practices allow kratom farmers to produce several different veins at the same time, even though all of the trees are essentially the same species.

Different Veins Equal Different Effects

The vein color is an indicator of the overall effects of the kratom tea, but even two batches of the same vein can differ in color. This is because it is organically processed and never artificially colored.

White vein kratom, often relatively pale or yellowish in color, is derived from young leaves and is typically linked to more stimulating and energizing effects. 

Green vein kratom, which tends to come in a more vibrant green color, is derived from middle-aged leaves and is associated with a more balanced, euphoric effect. 

Red vein kratom, a darker reddish-brown color, is made from the most mature leaves and is typically linked to more relaxing effects. 

Once the leaves have been picked and collected, they are rinsed with water to remove any dirt or other contaminants. Next, the leaves are dried, or cured, on large racks which can further change the alkaloid content, depending on the amount of time they spend in the sun. Finally, the leaves are ground up with industrial grinders, resulting in fine powder ready to be sold to buyers.

American Consumers

Americans make up the large majority of kratom consumers worldwide. According to the American Kratom Association, “nearly 5 million Americans consume kratom as a part of their health and well-being regimen and have done so for decades.” Some data suggests there could be up to 15 million kratom consumers in the U.S. Surveys reveal that kratom users are educated, middle-income, employed, and have health insurance, according to the AKA.

According to a survey completed by Southeast Asian kratom tea exporters, the average monthly volume of kratom exported to the U.S. averages 1,950 metric tons of kratom products per month. 

Interested in kratom tea yourself? Click here to learn more about the different powders we offer!

from https://siestabotanicals.com/tree-to-kratom-tea-how-is-kratom-produced/

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[captainpotassium]

A Mercury Transit Sequence via NASA https://ift.tt/2Q0hyhb

Tomorrow -- Monday -- Mercury will cross the face of the Sun, as seen from Earth. Called a transit, the last time this happened was in 2016. Because the plane of Mercury's orbit is not exactly coincident with the plane of Earth's orbit, Mercury usually appears to pass over or under the Sun. The featured time-lapse sequence, superimposed on a single frame, was taken from a balcony in Belgium shows the entire transit of 2003 May 7. That solar crossing lasted over five hours, so that the above 23 images were taken roughly 15 minutes apart. The north pole of the Sun, the Earth's orbit, and Mercury's orbit, although all different, all occur in directions slightly above the left of the image. Near the center and on the far right, sunspots are visible. After Monday, the next transit of Mercury will occur in 2032.

(Published November 10, 2019)

[scifigeneration]

NASA's Parker Solar Probe sheds new light on the sun

In August 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched to space, soon becoming the closest-ever spacecraft to the Sun. With cutting-edge scientific instruments to measure the environment around the spacecraft, Parker Solar Probe has completed three of 24 planned passes through never-before-explored parts of the Sun's atmosphere, the corona. On Dec. 4, 2019, four new papers in the journal Nature describe what scientists have learned from this unprecedented exploration of our star -- and what they look forward to learning next.

These findings reveal new information about the behavior of the material and particles that speed away from the Sun, bringing scientists closer to answering fundamental questions about the physics of our star. In the quest to protect astronauts and technology in space, the information Parker has uncovered about how the Sun constantly ejects material and energy will help scientists re-write the models we use to understand and predict the space weather around our planet and understand the process by which stars are created and evolve.

"This first data from Parker reveals our star, the Sun, in new and surprising ways," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Observing the Sun up close rather than from a much greater distance is giving us an unprecedented view into important solar phenomena and how they affect us on Earth, and gives us new insights relevant to the understanding of active stars across galaxies. It's just the beginning of an incredibly exciting time for heliophysics with Parker at the vanguard of new discoveries."

Though it may seem placid to us here on Earth, the Sun is anything but quiet. Our star is magnetically active, unleashing powerful bursts of light, deluges of particles moving near the speed of light and billion-ton clouds of magnetized material. All this activity affects our planet, injecting damaging particles into the space where our satellites and astronauts fly, disrupting communications and navigation signals, and even -- when intense -- triggering power outages. It's been happening for the Sun's entire 5-billion-year lifetime, and will continue to shape the destinies of Earth and the other planets in our solar system into the future.

"The Sun has fascinated humanity for our entire existence," said Nour E. Raouafi, project scientist for Parker Solar Probe at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, which built and manages the mission for NASA. "We've learned a great deal about our star in the past several decades, but we really needed a mission like Parker Solar Probe to go into the Sun's atmosphere. It's only there that we can really learn the details of these complex solar processes. And what we've learned in just these three solar orbits alone has changed a lot of what we know about the Sun."

What happens on the Sun is critical to understanding how it shapes the space around us. Most of the material that escapes the Sun is part of the solar wind, a continual outflow of solar material that bathes the entire solar system. This ionized gas, called plasma, carries with it the Sun's magnetic field, stretching it out through the solar system in a giant bubble that spans more than 10 billion miles.

The dynamic solar wind

Observed near Earth, the solar wind is a relatively uniform flow of plasma, with occasional turbulent tumbles. But by that point it's traveled over ninety million miles -- and the signatures of the Sun's exact mechanisms for heating and accelerating the solar wind are wiped out. Closer to the solar wind's source, Parker Solar Probe saw a much different picture: a complicated, active system.

"The complexity was mind-blowing when we first started looking at the data," said Stuart Bale, the University of California, Berkeley, lead for Parker Solar Probe's FIELDS instrument suite, which studies the scale and shape of electric and magnetic fields. "Now, I've gotten used to it. But when I show colleagues for the first time, they're just blown away." From Parker's vantage point 15 million miles from the Sun, Bale explained, the solar wind is much more impulsive and unstable than what we see near Earth.

Like the Sun itself, the solar wind is made up of plasma, where negatively charged electrons have separated from positively charged ions, creating a sea of free-floating particles with individual electric charge. These free-floating particles mean plasma carries electric and magnetic fields, and changes in the plasma often make marks on those fields. The FIELDS instruments surveyed the state of the solar wind by measuring and carefully analyzing how the electric and magnetic fields around the spacecraft changed over time, along with measuring waves in the nearby plasma.

These measurements showed quick reversals in the magnetic field and sudden, faster-moving jets of material -- all characteristics that make the solar wind more turbulent. These details are key to understanding how the wind disperses energy as it flows away from the Sun and throughout the solar system.

One type of event in particular drew the eye of the science teams: flips in the direction of the magnetic field, which flows out from the Sun, embedded in the solar wind. These reversals -- dubbed "switchbacks" -- last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes as they flow over Parker Solar Probe. During a switchback, the magnetic field whips back on itself until it is pointed almost directly back at the Sun. Together, FIELDS and SWEAP, the solar wind instrument suite led by the University of Michigan and managed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, measured clusters of switchbacks throughout Parker Solar Probe's first two flybys.

"Waves have been seen in the solar wind from the start of the space age, and we assumed that closer to the Sun the waves would get stronger, but we were not expecting to see them organize into these coherent structured velocity spikes," said Justin Kasper, principal investigator for SWEAP -- short for Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons -- at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "We are detecting remnants of structures from the Sun being hurled into space and violently changing the organization of the flows and magnetic field. This will dramatically change our theories for how the corona and solar wind are being heated."

The exact source of the switchbacks isn't yet understood, but Parker Solar Probe's measurements have allowed scientists to narrow down the possibilities.

Among the many particles that perpetually stream from the Sun are a constant beam of fast-moving electrons, which ride along the Sun's magnetic field lines out into the solar system. These electrons always flow strictly along the shape of the field lines moving out from the Sun, regardless of whether the north pole of the magnetic field in that particular region is pointing towards or away from the Sun. But Parker Solar Probe measured this flow of electrons going in the opposite direction, flipping back towards the Sun -- showing that the magnetic field itself must be bending back towards the Sun, rather than Parker Solar Probe merely encountering a different magnetic field line from the Sun that points in the opposite direction. This suggests that the switchbacks are kinks in the magnetic field -- localized disturbances traveling away from the Sun, rather than a change in the magnetic field as it emerges from the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe's observations of the switchbacks suggest that these events will grow even more common as the spacecraft gets closer to the Sun. The mission's next solar encounter on Jan. 29, 2020, will carry the spacecraft nearer to the Sun than ever before, and may shed new light on this process. Not only does such information help change our understanding of what causes the solar wind and space weather around us, it also helps us understand a fundamental process of how stars work and how they release energy into their environment.

The rotating solar wind

Some of Parker Solar Probe's measurements are bringing scientists closer to answers to decades-old questions. One such question is about how, exactly, the solar wind flows out from the Sun.

Near Earth, we see the solar wind flowing almost radially -- meaning it's streaming directly from the Sun, straight out in all directions. But the Sun rotates as it releases the solar wind; before it breaks free, the solar wind was spinning along with it. This is a bit like children riding on a playground park carousel -- the atmosphere rotates with the Sun much like the outer part of the carousel rotates, but the farther you go from the center, the faster you are moving in space. A child on the edge might jump off and would, at that point, move in a straight line outward, rather than continue rotating. In a similar way, there's some point between the Sun and Earth, the solar wind transitions from rotating along with the Sun to flowing directly outwards, or radially, like we see from Earth.

Exactly where the solar wind transitions from a rotational flow to a perfectly radial flow has implications for how the Sun sheds energy. Finding that point may help us better understand the lifecycle of other stars or the formation of protoplanetary disks, the dense disks of gas and dust around young stars that eventually coalesce into planets.

Now, for the first time -- rather than just seeing that straight flow that we see near Earth -- Parker Solar Probe was able to observe the solar wind while it was still rotating. It's as if Parker Solar Probe got a view of the whirling carousel directly for the first time, not just the children jumping off it. Parker Solar Probe's solar wind instrument detected rotation starting more than 20 million miles from the Sun, and as Parker approached its perihelion point, the speed of the rotation increased. The strength of the circulation was stronger than many scientists had predicted, but it also transitioned more quickly than predicted to an outward flow, which is what helps mask these effects from where we usually sit, about 93 million miles from the Sun.

"The large rotational flow of the solar wind seen during the first encounters has been a real surprise," said Kasper. "While we hoped to eventually see rotational motion closer to the Sun, the high speeds we are seeing in these first encounters is nearly ten times larger than predicted by the standard models."

Dust near the Sun

Another question approaching an answer is the elusive dust-free zone. Our solar system is awash in dust -- the cosmic crumbs of collisions that formed planets, asteroids, comets and other celestial bodies billions of years ago. Scientists have long suspected that, close to the Sun, this dust would be heated to high temperatures by powerful sunlight, turning it into a gas and creating a dust-free region around the Sun. But no one had ever observed it.

For the first time, Parker Solar Probe's imagers saw the cosmic dust begin to thin out. Because WISPR -- Parker Solar Probe's imaging instrument, led by the Naval Research Lab -- looks out the side of the spacecraft, it can see wide swaths of the corona and solar wind, including regions closer to the Sun. These images show dust starting to thin a little over 7 million miles from the Sun, and this decrease in dust continues steadily to the current limits of WISPR's measurements at a little over 4 million miles from the Sun.

"This dust-free zone was predicted decades ago, but has never been seen before," said Russ Howard, principal investigator for the WISPR suite -- short for Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe -- at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. "We are now seeing what's happening to the dust near the Sun."

At the rate of thinning, scientists expect to see a truly dust-free zone starting a little more than 2-3 million miles from the Sun -- meaning Parker Solar Probe could observe the dust-free zone as early as 2020, when its sixth flyby of the Sun will carry it closer to our star than ever before.

Putting space weather under a microscope

Parker Solar Probe's measurements have given us a new perspective on two types of space weather events: energetic particle storms and coronal mass ejections.

Tiny particles -- both electrons and ions -- are accelerated by solar activity, creating storms of energetic particles. Events on the Sun can send these particles rocketing out into the solar system at nearly the speed of light, meaning they reach Earth in under half an hour and can impact other worlds on similarly short time scales. These particles carry a lot of energy, so they can damage spacecraft electronics and even endanger astronauts, especially those in deep space, outside the protection of Earth's magnetic field -- and the short warning time for such particles makes them difficult to avoid.

Understanding exactly how these particles are accelerated to such high speeds is crucial. But even though they zip to Earth in as little as a few minutes, that's still enough time for the particles to lose the signatures of the processes that accelerated them in the first place. By whipping around the Sun at just a few million miles away, Parker Solar Probe can measure these particles just after they've left the Sun, shedding new light on how they are released.

Already, Parker Solar Probe's IS?IS instruments, led by Princeton University, have measured several never-before-seen energetic particle events -- events so small that all trace of them is lost before they reach Earth or any of our near-Earth satellites. These instruments have also measured a rare type of particle burst with a particularly high number of heavier elements -- suggesting that both types of events may be more common than scientists previously thought.

"It's amazing -- even at solar minimum conditions, the Sun produces many more tiny energetic particle events than we ever thought," said David McComas, principal investigator for the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun suite, or IS?IS, at Princeton University in New Jersey. "These measurements will help us unravel the sources, acceleration, and transport of solar energetic particles and ultimately better protect satellites and astronauts in the future."

Data from the WISPR instruments also provided unprecedented detail on structures in the corona and solar wind -- including coronal mass ejections, billion-ton clouds of solar material that the Sun sends hurtling out into the solar system. CMEs can trigger a range of effects on Earth and other worlds, from sparking auroras to inducing electric currents that can damage power grids and pipelines. WISPR's unique perspective, looking alongside such events as they travel away from the Sun, has already shed new light on the range of events our star can unleash.

"Since Parker Solar Probe was matching the Sun's rotation, we could watch the outflow of material for days and see the evolution of structures," said Howard. "Observations near Earth have made us think that fine structures in the corona segue into a smooth flow, and we're finding out that's not true. This will help us do better modeling of how events travel between the Sun and Earth."

As Parker Solar Probe continues on its journey, it will make 21 more close approaches to the Sun at progressively closer distances, culminating in three orbits a mere 3.83 million miles from the solar surface.

"The Sun is the only star we can examine this closely," said Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. "Getting data at the source is already revolutionizing our understanding of our own star and stars across the universe. Our little spacecraft is soldiering through brutal conditions to send home startling and exciting revelations."

Data from Parker Solar Probe's first two solar encounters is available to the public online:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2019/11/12/first-parker-solar-probe-science-data-released-to-public/

Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA's Living with a Star program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The Living with a Star program is managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Johns Hopkins APL designed, built and operates the spacecraft