Solabration

05/06/2026

The Artemis II mission may have been a work trip for the four astronauts onboard, but it was also the journey of a lifetime—and NASA just published the first big batch of photographs the crew took to share their experience with the rest of us. http://spklr.io/6042EKCFq

04/28/2026

Seven days ago, Comet C/2025 R3
passed its closest point to Earth.

73 million miles away.
The nearest it had been
in 170,000 years.

And at that exact moment
it was completely invisible.

The geometry placed it
3.7 degrees from the center
of the Sun in our sky.
No telescope reached it.
No dark sky saved it.
It arrived at its closest
through the one part of the sky
where our eyes cannot follow.

Tonight that changes.

As the comet continues its outbound
journey away from the Sun,
the angular distance between
the comet and the Sun increases.
Tonight it crosses the threshold
where it begins to emerge
into the evening sky.

Face west after sunset.
Let the sky darken fully.
Look low on the western horizon,
just above where Venus blazes.
The comet will appear as
a soft, slightly fuzzy warm glow.
Golden-green. Not sharp like a star.
Something that does not quite
resolve when you stare at it directly.

It was invisible at its closest.
Now it is returning to visibility
as it moves away.

The moment of greatest closeness
was the moment of greatest hiddenness.

Some things work exactly that way.

Are you stepping outside tonight
for the comet or the six planets
or both. Tell me below.

04/19/2026

IN 8 HOURS, 170,000 YEARS COLLAPSE INTO ONE MOMENT.

At 9:28 PM EDT tonight, Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS reaches perihelion. The point in its orbit where it comes closest to the Sun. 75 million kilometers. Closer than it has been in 170,000 years. Closer than it will be for another 170,000 years.

For context: 170,000 years ago, modern humans were just beginning to migrate out of Africa. There were no cities. No agriculture. No written language. No concept of astronomy. And this comet was beginning a journey that wouldn't end until tonight.

For 170,000 years, it has been falling toward this moment. Gravity pulling it inward. The Sun's influence growing stronger. And tonight, in 8 hours, that entire journey culminates in a single point.

Perihelion isn't just about distance. It's about transformation. The closer the comet gets, the more the Sun affects it. Solar radiation heats the nucleus. Ice sublimates directly into gas. Dust particles are released. The coma expands. The tail grows. The comet becomes more visible, more radiant, more alive.

This is the moment when the comet either survives or fractures. The moment when 170,000 years of momentum meets the full force of solar heat.

8 hours from now, the waiting ends.

Are you counting down with me?

04/15/2026

Ancient carvings at Göbekli Tepe may record time with surprising precision. A new interpretation suggests people 12,000 years ago could have tracked the year in ways once thought impossible.

At Göbekli Tepe, Pillar 43 is one of the site’s most famous stones, covered with carved symbols and animal figures. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh studied these markings and proposed they may represent a calendar system.

According to the interpretation, the carvings reflect 12 lunar cycles with 11 extra days added to match the solar year, creating a total close to 365 days. If correct, this would show advanced observation of the sky at a very early stage of human civilization.

Göbekli Tepe already challenges old assumptions. Built long before cities, writing, or metal tools, the site proves organized communities could create monumental architecture far earlier than once believed. A working calendar would add another remarkable layer to that story.

Not all scholars agree on every interpretation, and debate continues about the exact meaning of the symbols. That is a normal part of archaeology, where new ideas are tested against evidence over time. Even so, the possibility is extraordinary.

04/07/2026

04/06/2026

Goodness!

Liam Man, a photographer from the UK, captures rare images of a solar eclipse over the remote Glacier Leones.

03/24/2026