#sunrise-on-callisto

[viroman]

Callisto: how about watching the sunrise?

Penelope: if you dare to interrupt my sleep, then this will be the last sunrise that you will meet in your life.

[talonabraxas]

Sunday, January 28 Tonight let’s check in with Uranus in the constellation Aries, which it shares with the mighty planet Jupiter. The latter planet stands out as the brightest point of light high in the south an hour after sunset. Let’s start with it first: Jupiter shines at magnitude –2.4 and is a treat to view through a telescope. Its disk stretches 40″ across and is flanked by its four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. For most of the night, Europa and Ganymede sit to the west, while Callisto and Io lie east of the planet. But Io is closing in on Jupiter’s eastern limb; it crosses onto the cloud tops around 8:45 P.M. EST to begin a transit. It isn’t joined by its shadow for more than an hour, the round blot appearing just after 10 P.M. EST, when Io is more than halfway across the disk. Io slips away to the west just before 11 P.M. EST, while its shadow continues to cross for another 80 minutes or so. Those on the East Coast will likely lose sight of the planet before the shadow transit can end. To spot Uranus, look about 12.1° east of Jupiter, or about half the distance between the gas giant and the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus. Uranus is magnitude 5.7, roughly the limit for naked-eye observing. You’ll need a very dark observing site to spot it; regardless, it will be easy to pick up in binoculars or any telescope. The ice giant’s disk is just 4″ across and will look like a grayish, “flat” star. Now that the planet has reached its stationary point, it will begin moving eastward, or prograde, with respect to the more distant background stars. Sunrise: 7:12 A.M. Sunset: 5:14 P.M. Moonrise: 8:11 P.M. Moonset: 8:57 A.M. Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (92%) Sun & Uranus Talon Abraxas

[halfbakedspuds]

Characterisation through quotes

Taking the open tag from @illarian-rambling to do this.

Rules: write a quote for your character following your prompt

My prompt: Write a quote about your character/s favourite place.

I'm gonna do characters from all three my activr WIP's.

Children of the Stars

Adrian: Wow, what's my favourite place... let's see if I still remember this... Fifty-three Armfeldt Lane, floor five-oh-eight, Hab tower six, Callisto. It used to be a NASECA colonial armory some six hundred years ago. To us? Well, to clan Castellan it was simply Hémar, 'home'. Not a day passes that I don't wish I was back there, even if it would mean more gunfire and bloodshed daily than I've seen in the past six years.

Lyanni: This house, of course. Look, I don't fit in with the nobility, there isn't a Jezdeir left for me to return to, and regardless, I'm safer and happier here than I've been at any time during the last year and a half. Adrian can be a bit of an ass from time to time, but I'd rather argue with him out of boredom and spite than have my rights taken away because some gods-forsaken priest took offence to... my breathing, I guess, I don't know. And besides, the little shit is kinda endearing in his own thorny way.

Wilhelm: My favourite place? I... I confess that I do not know. My whole life has been spent either in places I hated or places I never want to go back to. Now that I'm free? Free to explore and live and do whatever else it is free people do with their lives, I'll let you know when I find it.

The Tempest Prince

Jason: The Archives. The Ordo Magos used to warn archivists and researchers to pack camping gear and rations whenever they went in there. My binge reading and exploration of that place is the sole reason that the Magi have set up lodgings and psychonet spell circles at regular intervals in that place. I don't know whether that's impressive or a sign that I need an intervention.

Alex: You're asking the walker of worlds what his favourite place is? You know, I've seen realities so bizarrely beautiful that they defy human language. Have you ever seen the Roses bloom under the skies of Neureich? Or the endless expanse of old mother night from the orbit of New Iernia? To you, this is all gibberish, but to me they are memories, and to pick a favourite would be a defilement thereof.

Helga: The lowveld in Southern Africa. I once went there on a trip with those two idiots and their mother. Beautiful place, so much more alive and vibrant than Allyria, yet quiet enough to get one's head on straight. To this day, I'll catch a lantern over that-a-way whenever I need to calm down or think. Just watchimg that sunrise is almost meditative.

Echoes of Shadows

Johan: The Zelver Frontier in Zuurveldt. Contrary to what people think, it's not all salt pans out west, in fact it can be downright mesmerizing when those dry hills bloom in early spring. When I still lived on the farm, we used to always take the day the flowers bloomed off. Ha! I guess once a country boy, always a country boy, hey?

Anastasia: When is not wartorn hellscape, Ulyenski forests hold certain... calming appeal to me.

Maire: Th'market square in Rodrickstown. As much as A' 'ate Angeheim an' 'ated livin' in th'Kingdom, Ye've got tae admit tha' our people know how tae do street markets right.

Hans: when I first moved to Neureich, the first thing they warned us about was that a field of Roses is a sign to stay away from an area. I thought nothing of it until I survived my first hellstorm and had watched those things in the storm tear apart my posse only for a field of Roses to spring up in the wake of that hell. Turns out Roses are a sign that an area is susceptible to hellstorms. There's something morbidly poetic and beautiful about such horrible violence being the catalyst for such beauty.

Sasha: Honestly? My old bunk back in Rostov. Never thought I'd say that but I honestly miss not having to sleep on a grimy couch in some foreign port city.

Tagging whomever wants it. Your prompt is: Write a quote about your characters best memory

[thepastisalreadywritten]

In Photos: See The Full ‘Cold Moon’ Light Up Christmas Skies Around The World

By Jamie Carter, Senior Contributor

27 December 2023

December’s full moon, the “Cold Moon,” rose during dusk on Tuesday as Boxing Day — the day after Christmas Day — was celebrated.

The final full moon of 2023 and the first of winter, it also reached higher into the night sky than any other.

The full moon is the lunar phase when the moon appears fully illuminated by the sun, from Earth’s perspective.

Since it’s opposite the sun in the sky, December’s full moon reaches higher into the night sky than any other — as seen from the northern hemisphere — because it mirrors the sun, which is now at its lowest in the daytime sky.

It’s called the “Cold Moon” because it occurs during the beginning of winter, which began on December 21 with the solstice — the longest night of the year north of the equator.

Other names for December’s full moon include “Long Nights Moon,” the “Moon After Yule” and the “Wolf Moon.”

A full moon has not occurred on Christmas Day for North Americans since 2015 and won't again until 2034, according to NASA.

The “Cold Moon” is the 13th full moon of 2023 because a lunar year (12 orbits of the moon around Earth) lasts 354 days.

Since Earth’s solar year lasts 365 days, any year where the first full moon occurs before January 11 will feature 13 full moons.

2024 will have only 12 full moons.

Full moons look their best as they appear on the eastern horizon during dusk.

They appear orange because they’re seen through the densest part of Earth’s atmosphere — just like a sunrise and sunset.

Long-wavelength red and orange light travels more easily through the atmosphere than short-wavelength blue light, which strikes more particles and gets scattered.

At 3,474 km in diameter, Earth’s moon is the fifth largest in the solar system behind Ganymede (largest), Titan, Callisto and Io.

Aside from Titan at Saturn, they all orbit Jupiter.

The next full moon after the “Cold Moon” will be the full “Wolf Moon” on Thursday, 25 January 2023 — the first full moon of 2024.

[miidnighters]

miidnighters

independent supernatural oc multimuse | selective

learn guidelines | muses | writer 

interact open starters  | prompts | wishlist

mobile summary

mun + rules

Hi I'm Possum or Poss, she/her 30+, Australian. My rules/about pages are more detailed, but the crux of it is don't be a dick, standard RP etiquette, smut only w ppl I connect with ooc.

muses

Barty FC: Aldis Hodge/Vondie Curtis-Hall

Immortal 'Time Vampire'; and can manipulate time Based in Florida Runs a sanctuary-like Cafe Been around since the dawn of time - can change his face to something older when he's Feeling It Make sure you hit him up on Insta - it's no secret he's been pictured existing for years

Bella Rose FC: Clare Bowen

372 (looks 22-25 ish) Vampire British based in New York Enjoys cosy nights in & feeding on men in clubs. Does Not look like a predator. Misses the sunrise so fills her apartment with colour

Billie García FC: Zión Moreno

135 (looks 28ish) Vampire New York Sired by Bella Rose after being injured in WW1 Native language is Spanish Writes romance books; often has nasty smut scenes drafted in her notes app

Callisto Jones FC: Georgie Flores

27 Witch New York Runs her family's Apothecary (fifth generation), sells spells on the side. Will not get in cars. Visibly scarred. Not a morning person - get her a coffee; stat

Flynn Hunter FC: Colton Ryan

25 in human years Beached selkie Portland, Maine Can only see in darkness, otherwise blind Eyes shine in the light Studying music production

Hartley Greer FC: Margot Robbie

32 Supernatural hunter (tired - maybe it's time to retire?) Originally San Francisco, now wherever Freelance fashion writer Extra feminine as a fuck you to the father who wanted sons Here for a good time not a long time

Isaac Norman FC: Mike Vogel

35 Mutant/Gifted Human Kentucky Runs the family apple orchard Can talk to plants Southern boy/Society boy/Mama's boy

Lulu Sutton FC: Jane Levy

29 Were-shifter Australian, currently in America Shifts into a dingo at will & on full moons Environmental scientist Dresses like she stepped out of a 90's catalogue

Morgan Lewis FC: Christian Byers

32 (looks 28) Cursed human Nebraska Died once, now that's off the table Artisan glass blower Tells other immortals he's a vampire rather than explain the whole curse thing

Pls make sure to read the full bios when you can bc there's a lot more detail in there and links to verse pages etc <3

[soulless-angel25]

Here's the plan for the things I'm doing in May!

Ghost's Romance May

Day 1, Pining - Genshin Impact Ayato/Lumine Day 2, Crush - Fairy Tail Lucy/Levy Day 3, Stars - Stardew Valley Farmer/Sebastian Day 4, Confession - Keeper of the Lost Cities Sophie/Tam Day 5, Sunrise - Stardew Valley Farmer/Emily Day 6, Getting Together - Ouran High School Host Club Haruhi/Mori Day 7, Picnic - Honkai: Star Rail March 7th/Stelle/Dan Heng Day 8, First Kiss - Alice in the Country of Hearts Peter/Alice Day 9, Garden - Black Butler Ciel/Elizabeth Day 10, Reveal - Doctor Who Thirteen/Rose Day 11, First Date - Mystreet Aphmau/Aaron Day 12, Soulmates - Grisha Trilogy Alina/Darkling Day 13, Sharing a Bed - Purple Hyacinth Lauren/Kieran Day 14, Scrapbook - Doctor Who Nine/Jack/Rose Day 15, "I love you." - Miraculous Ladybug Marinette/Kagami Day 16, Affection - Fablehaven Kendra/Bracken Day 17, Meet the Family - Obey Me! Satan/MC Day 18, Cuddles - Once Upon A Time Killian/Emma Day 19, Moving in Together - Miraculous Ladybug Marinette/Luka Day 20, Pets - Mystreet Aphmau/Garroth Day 21, Anniversary - Doctor Who Pete/Jackie Day 22, "Do you trust me?" - Grisha Trilogy Alina/Darkling Day 23, Movie/Film - Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia Midoriya/Uraraka Day 24, Proposal - Fairy Tail Origins Mario/Mania Day 25, Domestic - Miraculous Ladybug Marinette/Kagami Day 26, Dancing - Obey Me! MC/Lucifer Day 27, Pet Names - Death is the Only Ending for the Villain Penelope/Callisto Day 28, Protective - Genshin Impact Lumine/Venti Day 29, Wedding - Kamisama Kiss Himemiko/Kotarou Day 30, Parenting - Fablehaven Kendra/Ronodin Day 31, Future - Percy Jackson Percy/Annabeth

+ alt prompts: Alt. 1, Miscommunication Alt. 2, Kisses Alt. 3, "This is my partner" "Wait, you weren't lying about that?" Alt. 4, Alternate Universe Alt. 5, Promises

Riverrose Week (May 20-26)

Day 1, Alien Planet Day 2, TARDIS Day 3, Beach Day 4, Family Day 5, Time Travel Day 6, Date night Day 7, Domestic

+ alt prompts Alt. 1, Alternate Universe Alt. 2, Soulmates AU

[fiendix-wcr]

LESSER TERRITORIES

I've come up with a working definition describing the "lesser territories" as just autonomously run places with a combination of one or more attributes:

1) located on a realm that it's not affiliated with 2) functions as a "proxy realm" i.e. moon 3) functions as a secluded coastal and/or island region 4) has an abnormal placement (airborne, deep underground, etc.)

SOLARIA

Nemos, Cosmos, Lunaria

Nemos is an Eraklyon-claimed territory that sits on Solaria's northernmost coastline. Flat cliffsides, dry weather. Salty breezes. People here are more withdrawn than the average Solarian, but remain community-oriented, and are much friendlier compared to their stoic mainland counterparts.

Cosmos is an airborne settlement occupying Solaria's middle cloudbank. It's ancient, likely as old as the realm itself, and is often used as a resort for thrill-seeking tourists (fitted with breathing gear, if necessary). Big astronomy culture. Permanent residents rarely, if ever, descend towards the ground.

Lunaria is a small province located in the realm's "underside" gorge, where sunlight from Solaria's suns barely reaches. Dawn, dusk are experienced, but never sunrise. Has a thriving, witch-friendly night culture.

MELODY

Espero, Cumulus

Espero is Melody's moon; it has a non-magic majority population, with a slow-moving, traditionalist culture in comparison to Melody's. Still, it remains a popular tourist destination, especially for wealthy retirees, or for those originating from colder realms, like Dyamond.

Cumulus is a high-elevation territory claimed by Linphea. Subtropical and heavily forested, it contains a nature reserve with an associated settlement of Linphean researchers, conservationists, and their families. With its similar climate, endangered species of Linphean plants are able to be replicated here.

LINPHEA

Karunda, Ohm

Karunda is another Eraklyon-claimed territory, sitting along Linphea's western coast. It's rainy, and contains different species of rare fruit, some of which favored by and exported back to Eraklyon (the "stoneberry jam" craze is still ongoing) whenever possible.

Ohm, a Melody-claimed territory, sits on Linphea's mountainous northern coastline. BIG meditation culture. There's many interconnecting waterfalls there, and at their apex, an open-air temple is concealed from outsiders.

ANDROS

Tenesa, Dolona, Oppositus

Tenesa is claimed by Solaria, and is a large peninsula on Andros's eastern coast. Surprisingly temperate. A few disgruntled Lunarian nobles settled there in secret, and naturally, several Solarian nobles followed. The rest is history.

Dolona serves as Andros's moon. Tropical, prone to monsoons. Rumored to be where the "blue-haired" gene originates, though that's unlikely.

Oppositus is actually miles beneath Andros, upside-down, and located in a deep sea cave system. Residents there are unusual and coy, and rarely, rarely ever get visitors. The one truly autonomous lesser territory, in my opinion. The MD's equivalent of Atlantis.

ERAKLYON

Hoggar, Bezel, Romulea

Hoggar lies on Eraklyon, but is separated from the mainland by both a northern-bound gorge and Eraklyon's enveloping North Sea. Jagged, bone-dry cliffsides, but it sits upon a gold mine (I guess) of metal ores, namely iron and copper.

Bezel is Eraklyon's southern province, and the realm's main supplier of gold, gemstones, and fine jewelry.

Romulea is a province bordering Bezel, claimed by Andros. Like Bezel, the territory is known for its precious gems, though theirs slightly differ from Bezel's variety. Also, textiles.

DOMINO

Callisto, Pyros

Callisto is Domino's closest, largest moon. It's older than it looks, and is seemingly average, aside from its warm, sparkly beaches. Tourists love those. Following Domino's destruction, an unofficial royal line was established there, that will only be dismissed upon Domino's eventual restoration.

Pyros is Domino's smallest, farthest moon. Younger than it looks. Following Domino's destruction, it became the designated breeding ground for hundreds of the other realms' dragons, monitored by the small and ageing population that volunteered to reside there.

ZENITH

Polaris, Vector

Polaris sits near Zenith's Arctic Sea, at the northernmost point of the realm, and belongs to Dyamond. Much of the Dyamondan diaspora lives here, and have found comradery and peace among the helpful Zenithian locals.

Vector is Zenith's moon. For some reason I haven't quite thought of yet, the residents here have blue skin, and look more alien-like.

[quaintnecromancer]

Send ✵ and my muse will answer the following.  

Alaois and callisto pls

Send ✵ and my muse will answer the following. | @ofangelsanddemigods

Their first impression of your muse:

Alaois: “How can such a pretty man stay so stoic? He seems friendly, though…”

Callisto: “I’ve never met such a ball of sunshine in my life! His smile is infectious!”

Current impression: “I love these two, and I would gladly fight and die for them! Two of the most important people in my life.”

Are they attracted to your muse?: 100% head over heels

Something they find frightening about your muse: Oh, of course he’s frightened of losing them!

Something they find adorable about your muse: Callisto’s smile knocks him out every time, and Alaois looks especially adorable when he’s just woken up and still rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

Would my muse sacrifice themselves for yours?: Without a second thought. He’d raise an army of undead to defend them, first, but whatever makes it through that is also gonna have to go through him, too.

Would my muse go on a date with yours? platonic/romantic: Fuck yeah! Date nights are always fun, and he’s been saving up to take them on a proper night out on the town for a while now. Dinner, drinks, dancing, and stargazing until sunrise!

One word my muse would use to describe yours:

Alaois: “Guardian.”

Callisto: “Radiant.”

Would my muse slap yours if they could?: Nope. He could never raise a hand to either of them.

Would my muse hug/kiss yours?: Only all the damn time! Their kisses make Jett melt~

[never-rpg]

WHEN I WOKE UP THIS NIGHT, THE SHIP WAS SINKIN’. THE LIFEBOAT IS WRECKED AND THE SHIP IS SINKIN’. THE LOOKOUT IS DRUNK AND THE SHIP IS SINKIN’ DOWN.

Cecco has been a pirate for many, many years and has served aboard many, many crews. Before ending up in Neverland and joining the Jolly Roger, they’d been a member of the Righteous Harpy. They’d been recruited during a prison break orchestrated by the Harpy’s crew at Goa. A prisoner who’d been sentenced to hang in a few short days, Cecco had gotten revenge by carving their name in the governor’s back during the commotion. This act of revenge had impressed the Harpy’s captain and he’d offered Cecco the position of quartermaster.

One night, the fearsome pirate crew were hours into celebrating a sizable haul when disaster struck. The ship’s hull collided with a hidden reef. The men were so deep into their supply of grog and hull had been so badly splintered that their fate was sealed. The frenzy to right the ship only led to a rapid spreading fire. Cecco didn’t expect to see tomorrow’s sunrise.

Imagine Cecco’s surprise when they awoke laying on a beach to the fresh sting of saltwater that filled their lungs and tore at their esophagus as they spat it back out, the white light of the sun glinting off the ocean’s water blinding them. They were so disoriented that it took them a while to notice the strikingly beautiful young woman peeking at the water’s edge or that another of the Righteous Harpy’s crew, Anna Cortés, was crumpled, unconscious on the sand a short distance from them. The Righteous Harpy had crashed close enough to Neverland that the Merfolk could hear the pirates crying for mercy and bartering with their god for their lives. They’d swarmed the area of the wreck, helping the crew along to their watery graves, leading them by bony ankles and handfuls of ragged clothing. That’s when Callisto had laid eyes on Cecco, one of the few pirates who seemed to have kept their wits as they threw bucket after bucket of water onto the sizzling sails and called out orders to men who were too terrified to obey. Urged by Alana, she’d pulled them safely to the island’s shore and disappeared once they’d woken up.

CONNECTIONS

✘ CALLISTO: thinks she may have been a hallucination, reveres ✘ HOOK: deep respect for leadership and strategics ✘ ANNA: met aboard the Righteous Harpy, appreciates her mettle ✘ ENTIRE CREW: brothers-in-arms, mutual respect

FACE CLAIM IS AIDAN TURNER | TAKEN

[fireinmywoods]

Just saying hi! I discovered your McKirk fics and I'm newly (re-)OBSESSED with that pairing. Your writing made me fall in love with them all over again. Thanks for sharing it with everyone! I had a rough week and dipping into the palimpsest verse was the distraction I needed.

Aww, thank you so much! I’m really glad to know that pverse was able to bring you some needed distraction and entertainment, and of course to notch a victory in my ongoing campaign to lure unsuspecting souls into (or back into) the McKirk pit. Enjoy your stay! 💙💛💙💛💙💛

Also, I’m sorry that you had a rough week. May I offer you an otter livecam in this trying time? Good for the soul.

[qqueenofhades]

Do you have an estimation how much racism or xenophobia Yusuf would have encountered traveling with Nicolo across Europe up to the modern ages? This is a very vague ask, forgive me. I wonder how much the concept of racism has changed over time. I have the vague impression that pre-modern European societies were always more diverse than one might assume nowadays, but I have little factual historic knowledge. I also wonder how much xenophobia Nicolo would have encountered.

And you would be correct! Because the “medieval ages were all lily-white and anyone placing POC in them is Wrong” is yet again, surprise surprise, another total lie that is a product of right-wing reactionary revisionism and not based on actual historical evidence. A couple years ago, I wrote a very lengthy post about historical people of color in Europe, starting from the Roman era and going down to about the 19th century (everything prior to the 20th century, basically). Obviously, it only discussed each example briefly, but there’s definitely more than enough there to debunk any idea that medieval Europe was monochromatically white. Iberia, Sicily, and other “crossroad” kingdoms had the most visibly and long-term settled diverse populations, but major cities such as London were ethnically diverse from their founding (which if you know anything about the Romans, truly, is obvious). There is extensive evidence for Africans and Muslims traveling to, if perhaps not settling in, early medieval Ireland and Britain (though sometimes they did do this, as there is a record of at least one African abbot of an English religious house). I also have this list of readings on the golden age of medieval Africa, including the richest king of all time and the various powerful empires that existed particularly in West Africa.

As noted in the Historical People of Color post, the crusades themselves, despite their obvious violence and bloodshed, were vehicles for cross-cultural exchange, which resulted in both Islamic ideas traveling to the west and western ideas traveling to the Islamic world. Medieval Christians were fascinated by “Saracens” as much as they were frightened by them, and there was a flourishing genre of “Saracen romances,” such as Parzival (one of the most popular romances of German medieval literature,which features the half-Muslim hero Feirefiz) and The King of Tars. These romances obviously display complicated attitudes about race and religion; the Saracen heroes are usually depicted as having to forsake their mistaken beliefs (usually some jumbled combination of paganistic polytheism rather than actual Islam) to complete their moral and emotional journey, and in King of Tars specifically, that results in an actual physical transformation for the Muslim sultan, the Christian princess’ husband, from black-skinned to white-skinned as a symbol of his newly gained virtue. Obviously there is an element of colorism at play; I wouldn’t call it racism because racism as a scientific term and “biological” concept was invented in the 19th century when, yet again, the West was busy concocting “impartial” reasons for its colonialism and “civilization” of supposedly inferior people. In the Saracen romances, however, the Saracen characters are not unsympathetic (if misguided), and the star-crossed lovers trope between Christian princesses and gallant Muslim warriors is played pretty much as you would expect it to go (with the implication that we’re supposed to root for him converting to Christianity so they can be together). As long as religious identity is correct, skin color doesn’t really matter or is at least less important, is viewed as mutable and changeable, and not the only marker of a person’s identity.

So in that sense, Yusuf and Nicolo would not be unfamiliar as characters in their very own star-crossed Saracen romance, and since we’ve already discussed the bonds between knights and how deeply romantic and emotional friendships were often the case even between men who WEREN’T lovers, it’s entirely possible that people would have understood them in that context. It also depends on how much time they spent in medieval Europe (as in DVLA, I have them traveling across the Eastern world for several hundred years after the crusades and not getting back to Europe until the Renaissance, when ideas and attitudes toward race and religion were once more undergoing huge transformation). Obviously, yes, there would be an element of xenophobia throughout history, and England (aha, hello Ancestors of Brexit) has in fact pretty much always been known for hating foreigners. But these weren’t necessarily foreigners of color; white Europeans from France, Italy, the Low Countries, Flanders, Bohemia, etc could all be viewed suspiciously by the English, especially post-Henry VIII and the religious break from Rome. (But this was, again, also the case before that happened, because apparently the English just suck like that.) This plays into the fact that as has been pointed out before, racism in Europe is cultured along very different lines from how it is in America, and takes into account geographical, cultural, religious, and other factors, as well as simply skin color. (Though colorism is usually also unfortunately part of it pretty much everywhere, since the ideal medieval woman was often thought to be blonde and blue-eyed, and fair coloring has always been positively correlated with morality -- just look at “Dark Magic” and “Black Magic” and all those other fantasy tropes of the villain being Dark.)

So basically, Yusuf and Nicolo would probably have been equally mistrusted in, say, 16th-century England (such as when they go there in the attempt to rescue Andy and Quynh in DVLA). They’re sodomites, for a start (this is right about when male homosexuality starts to enter the books as a capital crime), and Nicolo is Italian and therefore deeply suspicious as a possible papal agent. Yusuf might have actually made out better in that case, because Elizabethan England had fairly friendly diplomatic relations with the Ottoman and Persian empires (this is written about in the Historical People of Color post) and there was even an idea of Protestant England and Muslim North Africa allying together to attack their mutual enemy, Catholic Spain. Othello is obviously a product of this cultural context, with its dashing but doomed and tragic Moorish captain (see once again: the character himself is not unsympathetic, and is misled by the evil Iago). So many Elizabethan Englishmen settled in Muslim societies that there were attempted royal incentives to lure them back, and Yusuf would probably have been an exotic curiosity more than an existential danger. (As noted, they would almost certainly hate Nicolo more.)

In places such as Constantinople, where I had them live for a while in chapter 4, Nicolo would also be the more obviously mistrusted party. In a Greek Orthodox city that had substantial and long-term populations of Muslims and Jews, a Latin Catholic would be more the Enemy, because... well, sometimes we hate the people who are almost like us more than we hate the people who are obviously very different and therefore cannot be compared. Emperor Alexios Komnenos of Byzantium helped launch the First Crusade, at least in part in hopes of getting formerly Byzantine lands back from the Turks, but very quickly realized that he couldn’t control the crusaders and things went sour long before the trauma of 1204 and the sack of Constantinople; relations between Latin and Greek Christians had been at the brink of outright hostility for most of the crusades (though of course hostility was not the only experience between them). The Byzantine emperors were used to diplomacy and negotiation and trade agreements with their counterparts in the Islamic world, all of which was viewed as “consorting with the enemy” by the West. Besides, the Great Schism in 1054 had already broken the Western and Eastern churches apart after centuries of bitter theological disputes (these arguments may look like the most mind-bogglingly boring and tiny and insignificant details ever, but the battle over defining heresy and orthodoxy RAGED almost from the founding of Christianity in the first century). Edited to add further discussion on the nuances and complexities of the Eastern-Western Christian relationship.

So yes. As ever, the reception that they would have encountered is complicated, and it would not be immediately analogous to modern racism and Islamophobia. It would also be intensely mediated by their cultural, chronological, and geographic location, where sometimes Nicolo would (paradoxically) be MORE mistrusted by other white Christian Europeans. Not to say that Yusuf wouldn’t have encountered prejudice too, because he would, but not quite in the same ways as he would now, or that we would expect.

Thanks for the question!

[andromeda1023]

July 2020 is probably the best month for astronomy enthusiasts. It started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on July 5. Now there are three eye-catching celestial events ahead: the opposition of Jupiter, the opposition of Saturn, and a double meteor shower. Let’s talk about the opposition of Jupiter.

In celestial mechanics, a planetary opposition occurs when the Earth lies between the Sun and the planet with Earth being on the same side of the planet as shown below.

Thus on July 14, the Sun, the Earth, and Jupiter will lie along a straight line with Earth at the center. This optimal positioning occurs when Jupiter is almost directly opposite the Sun in the sky. Since the Sun reaches its greatest distance below the horizon at midnight, the point opposite to it is highest in the sky at the same time.

At around the same time that Jupiter passes opposition, it also makes its closest approach to the Earth – termed its perigee – making it appear at its brightest and largest. However, Jupiter’s orbit lies far out in the solar system, at 5.2 AU from the Sun, and hence the angular size of Jupiter doesn’t vary over the course of conjunction and opposition.

At the opposition, Jupiter will be at a distance of about 619.34 million Km (4.14 AU) from the Earth. This is about 9 million Km closer than the average distance from Earth. Even at its closest approach to the Earth, however, it is not possible to distinguish it as more than a star-like point of light with the naked eye. A telescope can help you spot the four Galilean moons of Jupiter: Ganymede, Io, Europ, and Callisto.

Opposition marks the middle of the best time of year to see a planet. Since Jupiter will be opposite to the Sun, it will rise soon after sunset, reach its highest point in the sky around midnight, and will be out of sight at sunrise. The image below shows the position of Jupiter at 10:00 pm. Jupiter will shine bright at magnitude -2.75 and it will be the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon. The brighter Venus will rise a couple of hours before the Sun. Can you spot Saturn nearby? The ringed planet will make its closest approach a week later, on July 21.

Video and link: https://www.secretsofuniverse.in/opposition-of-jupiter-july-2020/?fbclid=IwAR3d7jIh4gOxsbF-0UR1IGzFGiyAJWMU9GJIKY1tzrLiu0dH2I13cAXTRYo

[kenstar-gregco]

tagged by: @waystar-roycos

tag game: post your lockscreen pic, the last pic you saved on your phone, and the last song you listened to. tag 9 people

tagging: @ratfriends @lesbiancolumbo @stewy-hosseini @harry-strickland @alex-krycek @acriia4 @sunrise-on-callisto @dhmfm @drylatte

[whileurmine]

"I don't know, take everything. You can fight my kids about it, at least I'll have something interesting to watch play out from hell." A shrug, a smile, as if it was that simple. When she disappeared he retreated back to his desk, dropping his face in his hands as he allowed himself a moment too breathe. God, he needed a vacation. A five star hotel by the beach, some fancy drink with a little umbrella on it. A great sunrise, better company, that's what he needed to fix his terrible mood.

He was so caught in the fantasy of it, she almost startled him when she showed again, "Great." Moving away from his spot with ease. "Here," He picked two dark aviator glasses from a velvet box full of them from a corner of his office, and put a pair on before offering another out to her. —James had gotten the sunglasses as a thank you gift for getting some guy out of trouble. He did not know how many pair of eyes the guy thought he had but he had gotten about twenty glasses too many. — The best course of action, of course, was to try and find increasingly silly excuses to get rid of those fucking things. "The mission is simple, agent Callisto. Out the front door, look like you are gonna attack someone, we are very annoyed and in rush. This is your opportunity to try out your best, my client will not be taking questions at this moment."

Callisto only raises an eyebrow at that. She can't exactly argue, since she prefers a bit of peace herself, but she doesn't want him to know that.

"Aye aye, captain. Dead, hot, we will all weep. Do you have anything good in your will?" She asks, waving a hand to gloss over his request and skip straight to the important matters.

Oh? She was going too? There went her plans for a quiet afternoon scrolling Facebook and dodging calls but whatever. It's not like he hasn't taken her to offsite meetings before, so the ruse would be believable. "Okay, okay, hold your horses. Give me five minutes to redirect the phones and cancel all your actual meetings today. Then I'm all yours and we can go hide or whatever." With a nod, she ducks out to her desk, firing off the necessary emails to say that the CEO would be uncontactable for the rest of the day (and an extra one to remind all staff that any enquires about billable hours should actually go to accounts, thanks) before redirecting the phone, leaving it off the hook, and gathering her bag.

"Okay," Callisto pokes her head back into his office. "Lets mission impossible you out of here."

[hereisleo]

tagged by sweet callisto @outroshooky

appearance

i am over 5’5 // i wear glasses/contacts // i have blonde hair // i prefer loose clothing over tight clothing // i have one or more piercings // i have at least one tattoo // i have blue eyes // i have dyed or highlighted my hair // i have gotten plastic surgery // i have or had braces // i sunburn easily // i have freckles // i paint my nails // i typically wear makeup // i don’t often smile // i am pleased with how i look // i prefer nike to adidas // i wear baseball caps backwards

hobbies and interests

i play a sport // i can play an instrument // i am artistic // i know more than one language // i have won a trophy in some sort of competition // i can cook or bake without a recipe // i know how to swim // i enjoy writing // i can do origami // i prefer movies to tv shows // i can execute a perfect somersault // i enjoy singing // i could survive in the wild on my own // i have read a new book series this year // i enjoy spending time with my friends // i travel during school or work breaks // i can do a handstand

relationships

i am in a relationship // i have been single for over a year // i have a crush // i have a best friend i have known for ten years // my parents are together // i have hooked up with my best friend // i am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // i have had a long-distance relationship // i am an only child // i give advice to my friends // i have made an online friend // i met up with someone i have met online

aesthetics

i have heard the ocean in a conch shell // i have watched the sunrise // i enjoy rainy days // i have slept under the stars // i meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // i enjoy the smell of the beach // i know what snow tastes like // i listen to music to fall asleep // i enjoy thunderstorms // i enjoy cloud watching // i have attended a bonfire // i pay close attention to colours // i find mystery in the ocean // i enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favourite season

miscellaneous

i can fall asleep in moving vehicles // i am the mom friend // i live by a certain quote(s) // i like the smell of sharpies // i am involved in extracurricular activities // i enjoy mexican food // i can drive a stick-shift // i believe in true love // i make up scenarios to fall asleep // i sing in the shower // i wish i lived in a video game // i have a canopy above my bed // i am multiracial // i am a redhead // i own at least 3 dogs

[astrogeoguy]

The Bright Corn Moon Prunes Perseid Meteors, but Saturn Shines while Jupiter Dances and Sports Spots!

(Above: An amazing image of multiple Perseid meteors, the International Space Station, plus aurora on the northern horizon taken by Bill Longo of Toronto in 2015. http://billlongo.com/)

Hello, Summer Stargazers!

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of August 11th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together!

The Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks!

The prolific Perseids Meteor Shower peaks from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning before dawn. Within a couple of nights before and after the peak date, the quantity of meteors will be reduced somewhat, but still well worth looking up for. Unfortunately, the moon will be extremely full and bright during the peak this year, so the dimmer meteors will be hidden by the moon-lit sky. Thankfully, Perseids are often very long and bright!

(Above: This brief animated clip of the Perseids Meteor shower was produced by Till Credner. NASA APOD for Sept 8, 2018) 

Meteor showers are annual events that occur when the Earth’s orbit passes through zones of debris left by multiple passes of periodic comets. (The analogy would be the material tossed out of a dump truck as it rattles along. The roadway gets pretty dirty if the truck drives the route a number of times!) Over centuries, or longer, the dust-sized and sand-sized (or larger) particles accumulate and spread out a bit. When the Earth encounters them, the particles are caught by our gravity and burn up as they fall through our atmosphere at speeds on the order of 200,000 km/hr. The grains moving that fast through the air generate heat that ionizes the air – producing the long glowing trails we see. The duration of a meteor shower depends on the width of the zone, and the intensity depends on whether we pass through the densest portion, or merely skirt the edges. 

The nickname for meteors is “shooting stars” or “falling stars”, but they bear no physical connection to the distant stars, and all your favourite constellations will look the same as ever at the end of the shower! 

The source of the Perseids material is thought to be 133-year-period Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The active period for this shower is July 13 through August 26, so keep an eye out for them beyond this week. This shower is known for producing 60-80 meteors per hour at the peak - many manifesting as bright, sputtering fireballs! 

While visible anywhere in the night sky, meteors will appear to radiate from a location in the sky (called the radiant) between the constellations of Camelopardalis (the Giraffe) and Perseus (the Hero), which gives this shower its name. The radiant is low in the northeastern sky during mid-August evenings – and nearly overhead by dawn. Meteor showers are best observed in the dark skies before dawn, because that’s the time when the sky overhead is plowing directly into the oncoming debris field, like bugs splatting on a moving car's windshield. When the radiant constellation is overhead, the entire sky down to the horizon is available for meteors. 

The highest Perseid meteor rates this year are expected to occur on from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning August 12-13, when the Earth will be closest to the orbit of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and densest part of its debris trail. If you begin to watch after dark on Tuesday evening, you might catch very long meteors that are skimming the Earth’s upper atmosphere. These are fewer, but spectacular. As the night rolls on, the radiant of the meteors will rise higher in the sky, revealing more meteors because they are no longer hidden by the bulk of Earth. The absolute best time to view is around 4 am local time when the radiant will be almost overhead.

(Above: The radiant for the annual Perseids Meteor Shower is in northern Perseus, shown here at 1 am local time this week. But don’t watch for meteors there - any appearing in that area will be the shortest because they are heading directly towards you!) 

For best results, try to find a safe viewing location with as much open sky as possible. If you can hide the moon behind a building or tree, that will help. You can start watching as soon as it is dark - to catch very long meteors produced by particles skimming the Earth’s upper atmosphere. These are rarer, but leave very long streaks. Don’t worry about watching the radiant. Meteors from that position will be heading directly towards you and have very short trails. 

Bring a blanket for warmth and a chaise to avoid neck strain, plus snacks and drinks. Try to keep watching the sky even when chatting with friends or family – they’ll understand. Call out when you see one; a bit of friendly competition is fun! 

Don’t look at your phone or tablet – the bright screen will spoil your dark adaptation. If you can, minimize the brightness or cover the screen with red film. Disabling app notifications will reduce the chances of unexpected bright light, too. And remember that binoculars and telescopes will not help you see meteors because they have fields of view that are too narrow. I’ll post some diagrams here. Good hunting! 

The Moon and Planets

This week, the moon will reach its full phase and illuminate the night sky worldwide – to the disappointment of Perseid Meteor Shower viewers. Then the moon will commence its two-week swing back towards the sun. In the meantime, the moon will visit Saturn, and Jupiter will sport spots on Monday and Saturday. Here are your Skylights for this week! 

In the southeastern sky after dusk tonight (Sunday), look for the waxing gibbous moon positioned just four finger widths to the right (celestial west) of the bright, yellowish planet Saturn. The pretty duo will cross the sky together for most of the night and will easily appear together within the field of binoculars. If you watch the pair over several hours, starting at dusk, you will see the moon’s orbit carry it closer to the planet while the rotation of the sky lifts Saturn higher than the moon. Observers in eastern Indonesia, most of Australia, northern New Zealand, Melanesia, and Polynesia (except Hawaii) will see the moon occult Saturn on August 12. 

(Above: As shown here at 9:30 pm local time, on sunday evening, August 11, the waxing gibbous moon will sit above the Teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius, and close to yellowish Saturn. Very bright Jupiter will be about three fist diameters to their right. Note where Saturn is so you can find it again after the moon hops away.) 

The August full moon, known as the “Sturgeon Moon”, “Red Moon”, “Green Corn Moon”, and “Grain Moon”, always shines among or near the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer) or Capricornus (the Sea-Goat). Full moons always rise at sunset and set at sunrise. Since this full moon phase will occur in the morning daylight hours of Thursday, the moon will appear to be full on both Wednesday and Thursday evening in the Americas. When full, sunlight is hitting the moon vertically and casting no shadows. All of the variations in brightness we see are generated by differences in the reflectivity, or albedo, of the lunar surface rocks. 

On nights around the full moon phase, bright ray features may be seen radiating from the younger craters on the lunar near side. A particularly interesting example of this is the ray system for the crater Proclus. The 28 km wide crater and its ray system are visible in binoculars. They are located at the lower left edge of Mare Crisium, the round, grey basin near the moon’s upper right edge (northeast on the moon). The Proclus rays, about 600 km in length, only appear on the eastern, right-hand side of the crater, and within Mare Crisium, suggesting that the impactor that made them arrived at a shallow angle from the southwest. (Note that east and west are reversed on the moon). 

The still-very-bright moon will end the week below the stars of western Pisces (the Fishes), but it won’t rise until late evening and then linger into the morning daytime sky. 

Aside from the moon, Jupiter will be the brightest object in the night-time sky this week. As the sky begins to darken, look for the giant planet sitting less than halfway up the southwestern sky. As the evening passes, Jupiter will sink lower, setting in the west just before 1:30 am local time. On Sunday, August 11, Jupiter will end a westerly retrograde loop that began in April, and resume its regular eastward motion with respect to the stars of southern Ophiuchus (the Serpent-Bearer). 

The difference in orbital speed between a given planet and Earth generates these predictable, temporary reversals in motion that astronomers call retrograde loops. During Jupiter’s retrograde period, Earth was passing Jupiter “on the inside track” of the Solar System’s “racetrack” around the sun. The stars, which are far beyond the planets, are fixed in place, allowing us to see the planets move among them. The word planet comes from a Greek word for “wanderer”. Take note of Jupiter’s position with respect to the bright, reddish star Antares, which is sitting about a palm’s width to Jupiter’s lower right this summer. If you check back every week or two, Jupiter’s orbital motion will be apparent. 

On a typical night, even a backyard telescope will show you Jupiter’s two main equatorial stripes and its four Galilean moons - Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede looking like small white dots arranged in a rough line flanking the planet. If you see fewer than four dots, then some of them are in front of Jupiter, or hidden behind it. Good binoculars will show the moons, too! 

From time to time, the small, round, black shadows cast onto Jupiter’s surface by those four Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. On Monday evening from 9:07 to 11:20 pm EDT, observers in the Americas can watch Io’s small shadow transit Jupiter. On Saturday evening from 8:53 to 11:25 pm EDT, observers in the Americas can watch Europa’s shadow transit the northern hemisphere of Jupiter.

(Above: On Monday evening between 9:07 and 11:20 pm EDT, Io’s small, black shadow will cross the disk of Jupiter as shown here at 9:30 pm EDT.)

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet tonight (Sunday evening) from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am EDT, on Tuesday night after 11:30 pm EDT, after dusk on Wednesday and Friday, and after 10:30 pm EDT next Sunday. 

Yellow-tinted Saturn is prominent this summer, too - but its less bright than Jupiter. The ringed planet will be visible from dusk until about 3:30 am local time. Saturn’s position in the sky is just to the upper left (celestial east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). To find Saturn, look about 3 fist diameters to the left (east) of Jupiter. 

Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan! Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s axis), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can arrange themselves above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from the right of Saturn tonight (Sunday) to the left of the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

(Above: The ice giant planets Uranus and Neptune are visible overnight this week, as shown here for midnight local time. The main belt asteroid designated (15) Eunomia, which is at peak brightness for 2019, is at upper right, in Aquarius.)

Tiny, blue Neptune is low in the southeastern sky in late evening, among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). The planet will be rising shortly before 9:30 pm local time this week. You’ll find the magnitude 7.8 Neptune sitting half a finger’s width to the left (east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii, so both objects will appear together in the field of view of a telescope. The planet is actually moving slowly toward that star and will “kiss” it in early September. 

Blue-green Uranus will be rising just after 11 pm local time this week. It is sitting below the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus (the Whale). At magnitude 5.8, Uranus is bright enough to see in binoculars under dark skies, but not this week. 

This week, Mercury is in the northeastern pre-dawn sky - below the stars of Gemini (the Twins). After swinging widely away from the sun last week, it will now be descending again. Your best opportunity to see it will land between 5:15 and 5:45 am local time.

(Above: Mercury is at peak visibility in the northeastern sky this week, as shown here at 5:30 am local time on Monday morning.) 

Venus and Mars are lost in the sun’s glare for the next while.  

Aquila the Eagle

If you missed last week’s information about the constellation of Aquila (the Eagle), I posted it here. 

Public Astro-Themed Events

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

On Wednesday, August 14, starting at 11 am, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be a Kids Summer Break Show. Find tickets and details here. 

At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, August 14, the RASC Toronto Centre will hold their free monthly Recreational Astronomy Night Meeting at the Ontario Science Centre, and the public are welcome. Talks include The Sky This Month and funtastic stories of the night sky for public outreach. These meetings are also streamed live on RASC-TC’s YouTube channel. Check here for details. Parking is free. 

On Saturday and Sunday, August 17-18, the Ontario Science Centre will present Rockets, Robots & Rovers, exhibits and activities highlighting planetary exploration. Free with admission to the OSC. Details are here. 

The next RASC-hosted Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, August 17. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!