The California #Nebula aka NGC 1499 is about 1500 light years away in the constellation Perseus

(©Sergi Verdugo)

http://astrophoto-sv.com/index.php?p=1_31

#Astronomy #Astronomia

ANNOUNCE:

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and Xmas, an incredibly GENEROUS COSONAUT has paid for 20 (TWENTY) CounterSocial PRO accounts for a WHOLE YEAR.

So...

Using hashtag #COSOSecretSanta (nominations MUST have this tag), PRO users can nominate along with a reason, ONE Non-pro Cosonaut for a one yr subscription.

One winner will be selected per day from Dec 5th til the last of the 20 accts are gone on Xmas eve.

This way users get the chance to give a gift for xmas.

Start ur engines!

#cososcience

(Yes another link to my favorite theoretical physicist)

The present phase of stagnation in the foundations of physics is not normal.

We know this both because dark matter is merely a placeholder for something we don’t understand, and because the mathematical formulation of particle physics is incompatible with the math we use for gravity. Physicists knew about these two problems already in 1930s. And until the 1970s, they made great progress.

http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-present-phase-of-stagnation-in.html

#cososcience

A salamander’s dangerous liaisons.

The giant genomes of these struggling amphibians tell a story of outsider invasions, assault by disease and cross-species sex.
By Tim Vernimmen

This is important, because one of the goals in conservation is to increase “gene flow” by removing barriers and protecting the corridors that allow animals to move around. This may be particularly important for animals like salamanders that aren’t able to travel large distances.

https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2018/salamanders-dangerous-liaisons