APOD 2.4

Home from above
Nice view. Our home planet viewed from the international space station, 350 kilometers up, with the horizon clearly curved. Clouds are still plainly visible, and if we could see more of it we would probably see another hurricane attacking Louisiana. Living in zero gravity must be an interesting experience, to say the least. Curious though about what that astronaut is thinking. She certainly isn't looking out the window. Also an interesting fact: she's also the lead vocalist of Max Q. Because going to space isn't enough to show off these days.

APOD 2.3

two views, two crescents
Now that Venus is visible in the morning,  it can be seen with the waning crescent moon, at least for a few days.
What's nice is that in the second picture Venus does appear as a crescent even at first glance. What I am curious about though, is why in the first frame the planet appears as a gibbous, rather than the crescent in the right. not entire sure how the geometry is working there.

APOD 2.2

Ghosts of the Cepheus Flare

the mass of dust appears to have two humanoid figures, running and ghost-like. These strangely shaped clouds happen to be in the constellation Cepheus, the king. Pretty good timing now that we've started reading Hamlet (not that the late father and king makes much of an interesting apparition). Odd that space could, by blind chance, yield such images via gravity and tossing a few dice. Still doesn't make me want to read Hamlet, though.