Astronomers are all atwitter #Betelgeuse #astronomy #sciku #poetry #poem

Betelgeuse grows dim
Is the supernova blast
On its way to Earth?

by Kate Rauner, with thanks to astronomy.com

Betelgeuse is a bright star in Orion, a constellation many folk can find. Right now, in the northern hemisphere, Orion dominates the winter night sky. Betelgeuse has  dimmed and brightened before, but this is especially notable. It’s supposed to be detectable with the unaided eye. Hmm. When my current snow storms clear out, I’ll have to bundle up and check.

PS: Don’t worry. Betelgeuse is 642.5 light years away. If it goes supernova, it will be way cool to observe (even visible in the daytime) but not dangerous to life on Earth. As far as we can tell.

Cosmology #sciku #poem # poetry #cosmology #haiku

Milky Way spiral
A Local Group galaxy
Such a tiny place

Or, in longer form:

Once we thought the skies
Were calm and smooth above.
But that’s not true close to home.
Could it be uniform,
Sort of,
If extremely far
We roam?

Data now accumulates
Along an odd anomaly.
Something’s wrong,
We do not grasp
This provocative
Synchronicity.

With human eyes,
It’s hard to see
On a megaparsec scale.
With human minds,
It’s hard to know
The universal tale.

Expand our search,
Look farther still,
That’s the essential key,
Till finally we move in step
With dancing galaxies.

Kate Rauner

Thanks to astronomers led by Oliver Müller at the University of Strasbourg in France. “What I really like about this stuff is just that we are still at the pioneering phase,” said Müller. “That’s super exciting.” vice.com

Haiku for Every Element – You’ll Love This Cool Site #haiku #sciku #chemistry #poetry #ChemHaiku

I just ran into this site and have to share. If you love science-inspired poetry, you’ll get a kick out of this.

A review of the Periodic Table composed of 119 science haiku, one for each element, plus a closing haiku for element 119 (not yet synthesized). The haiku encompass astronomy, biology, chemistry, history, physics, and a bit of whimsical flair. Click or hover over an element on the Periodic Table to read the haiku. Share these poems and add your own on Twitter with hashtag #ChemHaiku. From Mary Soon Lee

One of the cool things about the Periodic Table is that it organizes elements by their physical structure

Check out this site and then write your own poems.

 

Lunar Eclipse – watch it January 20, 2019 #sciku #haiku #lunareclipse #lunareclipse2019

Earth’s bronze shadow falls
Reveals truth to human eyes
As God tips His hand

Lunar eclipse as seen from my house last year, Jan 2018

Kate Rauner

If the weather cooperates, a lunar eclipse is easy to observe (though I think media often exaggerate the color.) There are many articles – here’s one.

Shelter in the deepest pines #haiku #poem #poetry #winter

Not going up there – nope – not going

Branches sway and bounce
Cold and harsh are winter winds
One lone bird blows by

Kate Rauner

Sky washed clean in the dawn #haiku #poem #amreading #nature

Silver sky at dawn
Hammered on the fierce anvil
Of a stormy night

by Kate Rauner

2nd edition now available! Expanded!

Find more poetry inspired by science and nature here on my blog – every other post or so. Or read one of my collections of rhyming poetry and a few haiku too.

 

 

 

Hunter #haiku #cats #poet #poetry #nature #amwriting

Like a ghost I move
Carried on my silent paws
See, hear, smell the prey

by Kate Rauner

All my books, including collections of my science-inspired poetry, are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and other major online retailers. You’ll also find paperbacks at Create Space and all major digital formats at Smashwords. Read one today.

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