WHATEVER THE SONG IS... THE STEPS ARE CLEAR!!!

Lmao I would do the same

I can't think of any good posts rn so heres some pics of my shark teeth (plus bone fragment and crab claw)

For anyone interested from the last pic from left to right they're lemon shark, something from the carcharinus family (possibly bull, silky, dusky or thresher), lemon, another carcharinus, giant white shark, and unknown fragment 🦈

Bran Castle - Romania (by Céline Harrand) 

What’s Inside a ‘Dead’ Star?

Matter makes up all the stuff we can see in the universe, from pencils to people to planets. But there’s still a lot we don’t understand about it! For example: How does matter work when it’s about to become a black hole? We can’t learn anything about matter after it becomes a black hole, because it’s hidden behind the event horizon, the point of no return. So we turn to something we can study – the incredibly dense matter inside a neutron star, the leftover of an exploded massive star that wasn’t quite big enough to turn into a black hole.

Our Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, is an X-ray telescope perched on the International Space Station. NICER was designed to study and measure the sizes and masses of neutron stars to help us learn more about what might be going on in their mysterious cores.

When a star many times the mass of our Sun runs out of fuel, it collapses under its own weight and then bursts into a supernova. What’s left behind depends on the star’s initial mass. Heavier stars (around 25 times the Sun’s mass or more) leave behind black holes. Lighter ones (between about eight and 25 times the Sun’s mass) leave behind neutron stars.

Neutron stars pack more mass than the Sun into a sphere about as wide as New York City’s Manhattan Island is long. Just one teaspoon of neutron star matter would weigh as much as Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth!

These objects have a lot of cool physics going on. They can spin faster than blender blades, and they have powerful magnetic fields. In fact, neutron stars are the strongest magnets in the universe! The magnetic fields can rip particles off the star’s surface and then smack them down on another part of the star. The constant bombardment creates hot spots at the magnetic poles. When the star rotates, the hot spots swing in and out of our view like the beams of a lighthouse.

Neutron stars are so dense that they warp nearby space-time, like a bowling ball resting on a trampoline. The warping effect is so strong that it can redirect light from the star’s far side into our view. This has the odd effect of making the star look bigger than it really is!

NICER uses all the cool physics happening on and around neutron stars to learn more about what’s happening inside the star, where matter lingers on the threshold of becoming a black hole. (We should mention that NICER also studies black holes!)

Scientists think neutron stars are layered a bit like a golf ball. At the surface, there’s a really thin (just a couple centimeters high) atmosphere of hydrogen or helium. In the outer core, atoms have broken down into their building blocks – protons, neutrons, and electrons – and the immense pressure has squished most of the protons and electrons together to form a sea of mostly neutrons.

But what’s going on in the inner core? Physicists have lots of theories. In some traditional models, scientists suggested the stars were neutrons all the way down. Others proposed that neutrons break down into their own building blocks, called quarks. And then some suggest that those quarks could recombine to form new types of particles that aren’t neutrons!

NICER is helping us figure things out by measuring the sizes and masses of neutron stars. Scientists use those numbers to calculate the stars’ density, which tells us how squeezable matter is!

Let’s say you have what scientists think of as a typical neutron star, one weighing about 1.4 times the Sun’s mass. If you measure the size of the star, and it’s big, then that might mean it contains more whole neutrons. If instead it’s small, then that might mean the neutrons have broken down into quarks. The tinier pieces can be packed together more tightly.

NICER has now measured the sizes of two neutron stars, called PSR J0030+0451 and PSR J0740+6620, or J0030 and J0740 for short.

J0030 is about 1.4 times the Sun’s mass and 16 miles across. (It also taught us that neutron star hot spots might not always be where we thought.) J0740 is about 2.1 times the Sun’s mass and is also about 16 miles across. So J0740 has about 50% more mass than J0030 but is about the same size! Which tells us that the matter in neutron stars is less squeezable than some scientists predicted. (Remember, some physicists suggest that the added mass would crush all the neutrons and make a smaller star.) And J0740’s mass and size together challenge models where the star is neutrons all the way down.

So what’s in the heart of a neutron star? We’re still not sure. Scientists will have to use NICER’s observations to develop new models, perhaps where the cores of neutron stars contain a mix of both neutrons and weirder matter, like quarks. We’ll have to keep measuring neutron stars to learn more!

Keep up with other exciting announcements about our universe by following NASA Universe on Twitter and Facebook.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

ethereal dreamscapes by maya beano

Mike Pence touched some NASA hardware that said “do not touch” — and in came the memes

Actually I was half expecting Jason to be on the show cos I already knew you would definitely put that guy on the show😁

What do you think about both Gwen and Hylla being overprotective towards Reyna? Do you wanna write a fic about them? Just asking, you know... BUT I WOULD LOVE TO READ A FIC 'BOUT THEM!!! CAN YOU DO A ONE?

I personally dont like Hylla being super protective of Reyna coz like gurl you abandoned her but I totally get Gwen. Gwen is her best friend and is 1000% protective of her.

I was going to do a really short blurb but my hand slipped?

Anyways this is crappy and unedited (sorryyy)

******

"Are you sure you don't want me to beat him up?" Hylla asked, a scowl on her face.

Reyna sighed. "Honestly guys. I'm fine. It's just a date!"

Gwen piped in, "But he broke your heart once already!"

Reyna shot her a dark look and muttered, "Thanks for the reminder, Gwen."

Gwen squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm just scared that he's going to pull the same shit again."

"You and me both," Reyna murmured.

Hylla said, crossing her arms, "Well, if he does it again, I'm going to break his face. The first time was, okay, not his fault but if he does it again," she made a menacing gesture, "he's done for. No one leaves my little sister behind!"

"No one except you," Gwen grumbled softly.

Reyna gave out a small snicker just as the bell trilled.

Hylla said, "Its your boy, Rey." She made a gagging face at the word boy and made her way to the stairs. "I'm going to threaten him for a few minutes. You just..finish up whatever she's doing," she pointed at Gwen, "and come down."

Shaking her head, Reyna sat back down as Gwen straightened the last bits of her hair.

Gwen whispered, "You sure about this?" Her eyes looked concerned.

Reyna nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

She walked down the stairs slowly, her heels already digging into her feet. Gwen trailed behind, lips pursed, staring at Jason.

Jason looked..well, hot. A blue button down, black pants and he had even combed his hair. Wow. He was talking to Hylla with a resigned look on his face, nodding his head in agreement to whatever she was saying.

As she reached them, Hylla glanced at her before she said to Jason, "Look at her, she's beautiful and perfect. You better take care of her this time, wolf boy."

He sighed. "I will, Hylla. I promise."

He turned to look at Reyna and his eyes widened and he let out a small breath. "Wow. You look...wow. Holy shit,"

Jason leaned down to kiss her cheek and Reyna could smell his cologne and for God's sake, she wanted to forget about the date and just take him back to her bedroom. But common sense prevailed.

When he moved away, Gwen walked up to him and poked his chest.

"Ow!" He exclaimed.

"Don't hurt her again," she said, softly.

"I won't," he promised.

Reyna interrupted, "Alright, let's leave!" She grabbed Jason's hand and practically dragged him out the door before she said, "Love you both. Byee," before slamming the door shut.

She said, "I'm sorry, they're just too protective,"

Jason squeezed her hand before bringing it to his lips and kissing it softly. "Its alright, Rey Rey."

Reyna sighed softly. "Its been ages since you've called me that."

"How about I make it up?" He said, a small smile on his lips before he leaned down to kiss her.

****

So @crownseabird not exactly what you asked for but I hope it's all right?

Tagging: @xstarsarewrong @evolving-into-icarus @kuuhakublank00 @knowitowl @cometlite @hayliemyers-agentofshield @kasoe21 @dragoncreek319

The trail to and views from Shelly Baldy Peak, Tushar Mountains, Utah

In our restlessness, we’re always tempted to climb every hill, to cross every skyline to find out what lies beyond. But yet, as you get older and wiser, it isn’t just flagging energy but rather increasing wisdom that teaches you to look at mountains from below. Or perhaps, just climb them a little way, for at the top you can no longer see the mountain. And beyond, on the other side, there is perhaps just another valley like this.

- Alan Watts

My parents rather have a busy life, and only things they cares about me are my education and health. I asked about this from my mom once, and her answer was, "I simply trust you more than you know!"

But still, I wish she could spend more time with me so I could really tell her that I'm not the same stubborn and witty girl who is apparently trying to soak up their attention. But, the reality is always too rude.

Revolutionary parenting hack:

If your child is in the middle of some activity and clearly enjoying it (and wasn't supposed to be doing something else instead), DO NOT interrupt them and have them do chores that will "only take 5 minutes or so!"

You haven't asked them to do anything before they got out the Legos, started reading a chapter of their book or painting the complicated picture, or began playing their video game.

As a result of being repeatedly interrupted, they will learn that their presence in public space of the household=availability to do chores, so they will make themselves scarce so you can't find them and order them around. They will also become suspicious of your efforts to engage with them as they play, as they've learned that these pleasantries are a prelude to "Take out the trash", or "move your boots and vacuum the entryway, there's dirt everywhere ".

"But I need my children to help me around the house!", I hear you cry. I understand. Children should not be treated like royalty and left to their own devices 24/7.

An alternative is to give the kids a clearly delineated chore chart and stick to it, resisting the urge to add anything to it. There are some chores that are easier and quicker with two people, though. A (in my opinion) even better option is to divide the child's day into "on-duty" and "off-duty " time. When they're on-duty, you can interrupt them as before, but you have *consulted with your child beforehand * and they understand that during this time they can relax, but they must be ready to jump in and lend a hand.

That way they won't start trying to level up in their video game or break out the clay and make stuff. When they are off-duty, you leave them alone and their only responsibilities are to clean up whatever mess they make at the end of this time.

Also, if they are tearing around the house or whining about being bored, don't make them do chores so they will "have something to do"; this could make the child conflate extra chores with punishment for whining and make them reluctant to help out when you randomly tell them to at other times because they might think they're being punished but they have NO IDEA WHAT THEY DID. And IMO children should see chores as things everyone has to do no matter what, not punishments.

I may seem unqualified to offer parenting advice as I have no kids, but I was talking with my dad today and he said: "I wish you didn't hide from us in your room so much, but every time your mom walked by she'd give you a chore to do, so I can't blame you for that." A kid who hides in their room to play has an entirely different relationship to the family than the child who sprawls on the livingroom floor and excitedly describes the city they are building out of Legos.

And today, in times of Covid I play a complicated game of hide-and-seek with my mother as I try to do my online coding homework and apply for jobs. I am now attempting to turn my bedroom into my own tiny office because if I work in our home office, she'll find me and go "I can't attach this file to my email," and so on.

Children *have* to obey their parents when they are young. But true respect and honoring collective responsibilities is stronger than forced obedience. If you demonstrate to your children that you respect them and their time, they will reciprocate.