RenoVous

  The James Webb Telescope observed 19 nearby spiral galaxies in near- and mid-infrared light. Webb's NIRCam (Near-infrared) captured millions of stars in these images, which sparkle in blue tones.  The MIRI (mid-infrared instrument) highlights the glowing dust, and the stars that aren't fully formed, still encased in gas, as the red dots. This is part of an ongoing project with the PHANGS program (Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS).  The team also has data from Hubble, the Very Large Telescope's Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, which includes observations in ultraviolet, visible, and radio light. Here we have NGC 628 split diagonally with Webb imagery at top left and Hubble at bottom right. This galaxy is 32 million lightyears away, in the constellation Pisces. Article

  I came across some notes of my dad's I had packed away and I thought this would be a good mission for the day.   From 1970. He took "Borealis" from this song for one of his band names. I remember he used this album to show me how the sound moves from left to right, how it fills your whole head when positioned correctly (or wearing headphones). Some songs you hear over and over again, but not this one. I might personally choose "Gimme Shelter" from Let it Bleed but.... Cheers, Pa.

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  "Gatorcicles" have been seen in Texas and North Carolina. According to experts, this behavior is called brumation, and is rarely witnessed. Alligators rely on their environment for temperature regulation.  In brumation, their metabolic rates slow down and they become lethargic.  With their snouts through the ice, they're able to continue breathing.  They can remain in this state for 4-5 months. Eddie Hanhart, from Gator Country Adventure Park, says the gators know when it's going to freeze.  So they find a comfy spot and wait. This photo was shared by Swamp Park, but they also have some non-frozen gators.

  Today celebrates the Welsh patron saint of lovers. Similar to Valentine's Day, couples send cards and share meals, but more traditionally, carve lovespoons. The story of Dwynwen is that of a young maiden who falls in love with Maelon Dafodrill, but she is unable to marry him.  She prays that she will fall out of love and an angel provides her with a potion.  Maelon turns to ice, but God grants her three wishes: that Maelon is released, that God will watch over all lovers, and that she will remain unmarried.  She then retreats to Ynys Llanddwyn to live out her days as a hermit. There her church sits. She is also noted to be the saint of sick animals.  While living in solitude, she studied the healing properties of herbs and was able to cure many illnesses of those who sought her out. Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus!

  On this day in 1935, canned beer makes a debut. In 1909, the American Can Company first started experimenting with beer with many trials and errors.  Then they had to wait for Prohibition to end.  In 1933, they finally developed a can that was pressurized and had a special coating to prevent the beer from chemically reacting with the tin. The can helped Krueger's sales, eating into the market share of the "Big Three" national brewers: Anheuser Busch, Pabst, and Schlitz.  They started canning too, and by the end of 1935, over 200 million cans had been produced and sold. The article mentions a renewed interest in canning from microbrewers.  Not only does it get their product out from the taphouse, but there's also the crowler as a to-go order. Cheers!! And here's an old local band.

  OutKast: André 3000 and Big Boi. We will be looking into something new, but first, some history. The duo formed in 1992 in Atlanta.  This song is from 1998. Perhaps you recall 2000. In 2003, they released a double album that also acted as a solo endeavor for each. And so we were blessed. 20 years later, André has released something entirely different. In 2022, he appeared as a flautist on the score for Everything Everywhere All at Once .  He later met jazz musician, Carlos Niño, who agreed to work with him on the album. New Blue Sun

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29 million-year-old grasshopper eggs found in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon. They're called "ootheca," a type of egg capsule produced by stick insects, cockroaches, praying mantises, and grasshoppers. Different species make their oothecae in different ways, creating a variety of egg pods. Many grasshopper species lay their eggs by inserting their abdomen into the soil and making excretions that mix with the soil and then harden.  The result is their eggs take on the shape of the surrounding soil. Chris Stacey, Flickr

 Still waiting on eggs here. Here we have two eggs. The first was laid on December 25 and the second on December 28.  They take about 35 days to hatch so we should be seeing some eaglets soon!

  On this day in 1953, Chevrolet unveils the Corvette at the GM Motorama show. Henry Earl, head designer, wanted a two seat sportscar, as European automakers were dominating the market. With an all fiberglass body and a red interior, the car ran at 150 horsepower and cost $3,500.  GM initially marketed to VIP customers, but decided to open the floor when sales were disappointing. In 1954, they only built 3,600 of the planned 10,000, and almost a third remained unsold by 1955. 1955 is the year Ford launched their Thunderbird, so GM decided to keep the Corvette in production and make some performance enhancements.  Once Zora Arkus-Dontov became head engineer, the car would be transformed. The 1955 Corvette had 195 horsepower.  1956 had 240, and 1957 had 283.  By now, the Corvette was setting speed records on the racing circuit. In 1963, the second generation was introduced with the Stingray. In 1977, the 500,000th Corvette was built.

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  Lily Gladstone Colman Domingo Margot Robbie Harvey Guillen Danielle Brooks Natasha Lyonne Mandy Moore Jessica Yu Carey Mulligan Quinta Brunson And the Emmy's are tonight, so we'll have another round tomorrow.