There are only a few nights that I can image one of the most spectacular nebulae in the sky. I refer to NGC 7293, also known as the Helix Nebula. It has also been referred to as the “eye of God.” Why it has been so difficult to image is because my observatory is situated near trees on the horizon, and unless it is trackable above the trees, I cannot get any image at all.
The Helix has the largest apparent diameter of any planetary nebula. It lies in the constellation Aquarius, which lies low in the southern sky. Looking like a giant circle, the nebula surrounds a dying star that has blown off its outer layers, once its central supply of nuclear fuel was nearly exhausted. The remnant central star is a dense “white dwarf” that can no longer support nuclear reactions. At a distance of 450 light years, it is the closest planetary nebula to earth. More
As Yogi Berra would say, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” After a four-month stay in Traverse City, I’m once again in the Luberon region of the Vaucluse in Southern France. Back home in Provence.
I was sorely disappointed to hear both Romney and Obama parrot the same codswallop about Iran. That is, I expected it from Romney. However, I’d thought the president was a little more savvy, especially since earlier this year Reuters reported that, “The United States, European allies and even Israel generally agree on three things about Iran’s nuclear program: Tehran does not have a bomb, has not decided to build one, and is probably years away from having a deliverable nuclear warhead.” Doesn’t he read the papers? 
Retired college professors must carefully tend to their social life, else it will fade away and eventually vanish. One way to slow this progression is to invite a guest for dinner. Perhaps a new member of the library staff, or a new nurse, or a senior secretary will agree to come, indeed she may be thrilled by the invitation. My invitations, unfortunately, are rarely reciprocated. Perhaps because my women guests are not very sure of their cooking skills, and as I was a marriageable bachelor, they may not want to reveal the paucity of their culinary assets … but who knows? 