Recently in Nature Category

NASA released this photo yesterday of the massive wildfires burning in California. The extent of the fires is mind-boggling.
The country's mind-boggler-in-chief will be in southern California today to view the devastation.
K-
People used to rain miss it when it's taken away.
K-
Remember folks, it's the only one we've got.
K-
![]()
Isn't this an awesome picture? Brilliant young stars nestled in nebula NGC 3603 glowing red from the H-alpha spectral line of hydrogen emissions. It comes from Baltimore's own Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute. The photo was released as part of its Hubble Heritage program.
You can find more incredible photos here.
K-
But I wouldn't be surprised if that was the last one I'll see in '07.
K-
Thought this was interesting. The USGS has a ground water monitoring station in Christiansburg, VA, about 9,000 miles from Indonesia. Nominal tidal variations are only 2.5 inches. The earthquake and its aftershocks are clearly visible.
K-
National Geographic reports today a new ignominy for the solar system's outermost planet. Make that outermost dwarf planet. Not content to simply demote the planet Pluto from full-fledged planet status to ugly step-sister "dwarf planet", scientists now tell us that Pluto isn't even the biggest dwarf planet. That honor actually belongs to dwarf planet Eris, which is one-third bigger than Pluto. The new finding is creating a public relations nightmare for my employer, which is responsible for New Horizons mission management and spacecraft operations.
Kind of hard to whip up a lot of interest and excitement for a mission to the second-biggest dwarf planet in the solar system.
K-
Saw first hummingbird of the season at the feeder yesterday.
Heard first wood thrush this year singing in the woods coming out of work last night.
An indigo bunting dined at my feeder this morning.
Still no bluebirds.
Sorry for the bird crap. But a blog is sort of a diary and this is for the record.
K-