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sexy-sea-basss · 4 months

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Ghouls & Space

I have this theory/idea that all ghouls were created in the cosmos somewhere, but they don’t know where they came from. I’ve tasked myself to match the current ghouls with a nebula. Some with explanation, some without. This ties into an idea that I have that Phantom can project images with his magic.

So, I’ve combined a story and my headcanons into the thing below.

and this little story goes like this

A/N: shoutout to @swissndewdrop for listening to me talk about this and to @orcaog who heard about this idea first. @callmeghoulshit thanks for beta-ing and hyping me up to post.

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It’s a stormy day and the ghouls are stuck inside. It’s a heavy downpour so they’re not allowed to go outside as to not track mud in. They spent the whole day cleaning so all of their efforts would go to waste. Everyone was bored and the power kept flickering on and off, so video games were out of the question. Eventually the power went out from the heavy winds, and they all lounged together in the living room wondering what to do.

“Have I ever told you guys I can project?” Phantom softly spoke. All heads turn to him. “What?!” Dewdrop shouts.

“It’s something Aether helped me figure out, but, here, let me show you” Phantom focuses on his power and his palms start to glow blue, and wisps of power head to the ceiling. A 3D imagine on the ceiling forms from the wisps. Everyone stares in amazement. There were colors, dark spots, glittery spots, and… eyes?

Cirrus broke the silence first, “What are you showing us, honey?”

“Home.”

“Home?” someone questioned

“Well, it’s where I was created…”

“What do you mean?” another asked, getting comfortable on the floor to look up at the ceiling.

Phantom sat on on the recliner and spoke,

“We’re all born from the cosmos. No one remembers as our path from the cosmos, to the pit, to topside is too traumatic … but I remember. I know where you were born too. The Lord below gave me his favor. I was the runt in the pit: small, unprotected, casted out from all packs. He picked me up one day and said ‘Perfect, a little crybaby. I’ll take you home.’” Phantom chuckled remembering the interaction, “He spoke of the big sky above the world, the galaxies, the different worlds, and nebulas, our place of creation. Before sending me up, He spoke of my new pack. He showed me where you were created.”

“Can..” Swiss takes a deep shaky breath, still shocked at the words spoken by Phantom, “can you show us?”

“Of course!” Phantom summons more magic to blow up the projection so that they’re inside the projection, while also projecting in the center an image of the nebula. “This is my home, as I previously mentioned.”

Phantom: Cosmic Bat Nebula (LDN 43)

LDN 43 is about 1400 light years away in the constellation Ophinuchis. LDN43 is a stellar nursery indicated by the dark clouds and gases. Phantom was born from inside this Cosmic Bat. He is one of the bright stars shining through the dark clouds.

“haha it looks like a bat! is that why you like bats so much?”

“yeah… it reminds me of this” He takes a sip of water and continues “Aurora this is your creation place. Orion Nebula.”

Aurora- Orion Nebula

Orion Nebula (Messier 42) is a nebula situated in the Milky Way in the Orion constellation. It is the middle star of the sword. This nebula is one the brightest and visible to the naked eye. This is one of the most scrutinized and photographed objects in the night sky. It is one of the most studied celestial body. Much like Aurora was scrutinized and studied closely when she first joined the band, but she keeps on shinning. The Great Nebula is a host to many wonders and many young stars.

“Explains the pink,” Rain chuckled.

“Yes it does, Rain. Cumulus this is you, the Omega Nebula”

“This is my creation nebula? it’s gorgeous”

“yes, just like you, Lus. Omega Nebula is one of my favorites, it has so many fun features."

Cumulus- The Omega Nebula

Omega Nebula (Messier 17) is part of the Sagittarius constellation. It is one of the richest starfields in the Milky Way. It is also one of the brightest and most massive star-forming regions in the galaxy. It also goes by many names: Swan Nebula, Checkmark Nebula, Lobster Nebula and the Horseshoe Nebula. Cumulus is often seen as the “mom” of the pack, but she’s so much more.

“Up next, Cirrus. Every queen deserves a crown”

Cirrus- Cassiopeia A

Also known as Cassiopeia’s crown. Brightest extrasolar radio source in the sky. It is remnants of a supernova. Cirrus is a queen, and this is her crown.

“Swiss, the most chaotic and intricate of them all”

Swiss- Eskimo Nebula

Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2592) is also known as the Clown-faced Nebula, Lion Nebula, or Caldwell 39. Swiss is a silly ghoul that brings joy into all of our lives. He’s also fierce like a lion.

“You mean to tell me that this is where I was created?” Swiss wonders

“Yes. So special and intricate. There’s nothing else quite like it. You’re one of a kind.”

After a few more moments, Phantom continues

“Mountain, you were born in the Eagle Nebula. You were created in the Pillars of Creation. All earth ghouls are created here. You hold the power to create life with touch.”

Mountain- Eagle Nebula. Pillars of Creation.

Eagle Nebula, Pillars of Creation. These pillars of gas and dust are creators of life. New stars are born here. Pillars are designed to hold and sustain houses, monuments, etc. Mountain is the pillar of the pack. He is adored and loved by all. His work doesn’t go unnoticed.

“The lagoon nebula is our next stop, any guesses as to who was created here?”

“Me?”

“Yes Rain, this is you. The edges of the nebula look like sandbanks surrounding a lagoon”

Rain- Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8)

Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8). In long exposure, the nebula appears pink but to the human eye, it is grey as humans have poor lowlight sensitivity. Rain appears normal at a glance, but after examining him for a while you can see the patterns on his skin, the bioluminescent glow of those patterns in the dark. He is so much more than what meets the eye.

“Dew, I saved the best for last. You were once created here...”

Dewdrop (water)- Jellyfish Nebula

Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443)- It’s a supernova remnant in the constellation Gemini. Jellyfish quite literally go with the flow of the sea. Dew goes with the flow, he can’t really do anything to fight the changes that are and have occurred.

“...but during your transition, while you were unconscious for a few days, a little bit of the material in you that make you a pure water ghoul returned to the cosmos, and this nebulas material entered you...”

Dewdrop (fire)- The Heart Nebula

Heart Nebula- Also in the Cassiopeia Constellation. The heart shape was formed by stellar winds from the hot stars at its core. Dew has the biggest heart of them all. He loves intensely. The love he has for his pack and previous ghouls is immense. His love was formed from his rough life in the pit. He found a loving home after being summoned and decided to turn his hatred towards lifeinto love.

“...both of these nebulas live inside you. Neither fight for dominance, neither sway you one way or the other. You’re still water and you’re also fire. Opposites living in harmony. I know sometimes you struggle having once been water and now you’re fire, and you question who you are, but rest assured, you are both equally. Fire is a little more awake than water given your role to the pack, but she’s there if you ever need her. You see her awaken when you lay next to Rain. Fire ignites the passion. Water keeps out from burning yourself out. They’re balanced. Working in your favor.”

Dewdrop barely gets out a “Phant….” before being cut off.

“it’s okay Dew.” Phantom extends his hand to cover Dews. “It’s a lot. Not just for you, but for all. The Lord Below asked me to show you all. I didn’t know when, or how, but He said there would be one that would help. And it was Aether. He helped me bring this to you all. Once I mastered this, I knew I had to do my one task.”

Phantom recalled his power, pulling his hand away from Dew’s, and the projection ended. Wisps of blue and purple circled his pack’s heads in a playful manner before returning into his body. He looked around the room: Cirrus and Cumulus cuddling with teary eyes, Aurora snuggling between Dew and Rain with tails intertwined, Swiss wiping tears away from Mountain’s face.

“Phantom… thank you” came mountains soft voice

“My pleasure”

Later that night, once they’ve all gone to bed in pairs, or throuples, Phantom was alone in his room, staring at the ceiling, feeling the exhaustion of using his power for that long. He smelled something burning, and that’s when He appeared. “You did amazing little one, now sleep. You must be exhausted.”

“Hold me?”

Without hesitation, He slid into Phantom’s bed and cuddled him until he was fast asleep. “I’m with you always, little one”

#the band ghost #nameless ghouls #dewdrop ghoul #rain ghoul #phantom ghoul #mountain ghoul #swiss ghoul #cirrus ghoulette #cumulus ghoulette #aurora ghoulette #space facts #nebulas #luci writes #i love space

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thepastisalreadywritten · 2 months

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The Year’s Most Spectacular Photos from the James Webb Telescope

By Jeffrey Kluger

December 22, 2023

Close to 1,500 light years from Earth lie a pair of baby stellar twins known as Herbig-Haro 46/47 — which are barely a few thousand years old.

A star the size of our sun, by contrast, takes an average of 50 million years to reach even the stellar equivalent of young adulthood It's Herbig-Haro 46/47's extreme youth that gives the formation more of a blob-like appearance than the stellar duo it is.

Young stars are buried in clouds of dust and gas, which they absorb as they grow. Sometimes, however the infant stars ingest too much material too fast.

When that happens, dust and gas erupts from both sides of the formation, giving the young pair their misshapen look.

But if you have patience — 50 million years worth of patience — what is a blob today will be stars tomorrow.

NASA, ESA, CSA. Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

A pair of brilliant stellar nurseries located 1,600 light years from Earth, the Orion Nebula and Trapezium Cluster are home to a relative handful of very young but very bright stars.

Four of the stars are easy to see with a simple, amateur, four-inch telescope.

One of the four — the beast of the young litter — is especially visible, a full 20,000 times brighter than our sun.

Apart from their four main stars, the Orion Nebula and Trapezium cluster contain approximately 700 additional young stars at various stages of gestation.

NASA, ESA, CSA/Science leads and image processing: M. McCaughrean, S. Pearson, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

(L): It’s not easy being a Wolf-Rayet star, like this specimen imaged by the Webb telescope at a distance of 15,000 light years.

A rare species of stellar beast — NASA estimates there are only 220 of them in a Milky Way galaxy with at least 100 billion stars — the Wolf-Rayet burns hot and burns fast, with temperatures 20 to 40 times the surface of the sun.

All of that rapidly expended energy causes the star to lose its hydrogen envelope quickly and expose its helium core.

The result: a very early and very violent death.

A star like our sun burns for about 10 billion years. As for a Wolf-Rayet? Just a few hundred thousand before it dissolves into cosmic dust.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team

(R): If the Wolf-Rayet star dies an ugly and violent death, the celebrated Ring Nebula, photographed by the Webb at a distance of 2,000 light years from Earth, has been expiring beautifully.

The glowing remains of a sun-like star, the nebula was discovered in 1779 by the French astronomer Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix.

As the nebula throws off its outer layers of ionized gas, it reveals its characteristic blue interior, composed of hydrogen and oxygen that have not yet been expelled off by the nebula’s stellar wind.

ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow (University College London), N. Cox (ACRI-ST), R. Wesson (Cardiff University)

Dwarf galaxy NGC 6822 lives up to to its name — home to just 10 million stars, compared to the minimum of 100 billion in the Milky Way.

But what NGC 6822 lacks in numbers, it makes up in spectacle — which the keen eye of the Webb telescope has revealed.

Discovered in 1884 by American astronomer E.E Barnard, NGC 6822, is now known to have a prodigious dust tail measuring 200 light years across..

What's more, it's home to a dense flock of stars that glow 100,000 times brighter than our sun.

ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Meixnev

Spiral galaxies are often defined by uneven — and even ragged — arms.

But not galaxy M51, which lies 27 million light years from Earth and is defined by the tautness of its arms and the compactness of its structure.

M51 isn't alone in space. Nearby lies the companion galaxy NGC 5195.

The two galaxies are engaged in something of a gravitational tug of war — one that the NGC 5195 is winning.

NGC's constant gravitational pull is thought to account for both the tightly woven structure of M51's arms and for tidal forces that are thought lead to the creation of new stars in the arms.

ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Adamo (Stockholm University) and the FEAST JWST team

Just below Orion’s belt lies one of the most celebrated objects in the night sky: the Orion Nebula, a stellar nursery that is home to about 700 young stars.

This Webb image focuses not on the entirety of the nebula but on a structure in the lower left-hand quadrant known as the Orion Bar.

So named because of its diagonal, ridge-like appearance, the bar is shaped by the powerful radiation of the hot, young stars surrounding it.

ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), and the PDRs4All ERS Team

A baby by stellar standards, the IC 348 Star cluster is just five million years old and located about 1,000 light years from Earth.

Composed of an estimated 700 stars, IC 348 has a structure similar to wispy curtains, created by dust that reflects the light of the stars.

The conspicuous loop in the right hand side of the image is likely created by the gusting of solar winds blowing in the direction that, from Earth, would be west to east.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Kevin Luhman (PSU), Catarina Alves de Oliveira (ESA)

When it comes to galaxies, there's big and then there's huge and by any measure, Pandora's Cluster — more formally, known as Abell 2744 — qualifies as the latter.

Not just a galaxy, and not even a cluster of galaxies, Abell 2744 is a cluster of four clusters, which long ago collided with one another.

Located 3.5 billion light years from Earth, Pandora's Cluster measures a staggering 350 million years across.

The cluster's massive collective gravity allows astronomers to use it as a gravitational lens, bending and magnifying the light of foreground objects, making them easier to study.

NASA, ESA, CSA, I. Labbe (Swinburne University of Technology) and R. Bezanson (University of Pittsburgh). Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Webb was built principally to look at the oldest and most distant objects in the universe, some of 13.4 billion light years away.

But doesn't prevent the telescope from peering into its own back yard.

This image of Saturn and some of its 146 moons, rivals the images obtained by the Pioneer and Voyager probes.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Matt Tiscareno (SETI Institute), Matt Hedman (University of Idaho), Maryame El Moutamid (Cornell University), Mark Showalter (SETI Institute), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Heidi Hammel (AURA). Image processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)

Infant stars are born all over the universe, but the closest stellar birthing suite to Earth is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, located just 460 light years distant.

A turbulent — even violent — place, Rho Ophiuchi is defined by jets of gas roaring from young stars.

Most of the stars in this comparatively modest nursery are more or less the size of the sun.

But one, known as S1, is far bigger — so much so that it is self-immolating, carving a great cavity around itself with its stellar wind, the storm of charged particle's all stars emit, though few with the gale-force power of S1.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (STScI)

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ton-618-ton-618 · 1 month

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2024 March 27

A picture filled with fuzzy yellow spots is presented. All of the yellow spots are galaxies, and most of the galaxies are members of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies. The two bright blue dots are foreground stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy.

The Coma Cluster of Galaxies

Image Credit & Copyright: Joe Hua

Explanation: Almost every object in the featured photograph is a galaxy. The Coma Cluster of Galaxies pictured here is one of the densest clusters known - it contains thousands of galaxies. Each of these galaxies houses billions of stars - just as our own Milky Way Galaxy does. Although nearby when compared to most other clusters, light from the Coma Cluster still takes hundreds of millions of years to reach us. In fact, the Coma Cluster is so big it takes light millions of years just to go from one side to the other. Most galaxies in Coma and other clusters are ellipticals, while most galaxies outside of clusters are spirals. The nature of Coma's X-ray emission is still being investigated.

#astronaut #astronomers #not astrology #star #stars #astronomy #outer space #art #space #artist #galaxy #coma #milky way #cluster #coma cluster #x ray #million years #spiral

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cecilebutcher · 9 months

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Thank you Irene and Aubbie for the tags<3 I really appreciate it a shit ton.

Twst content spotlight

@azulashengrottospiano Amazing, and I cannot stress this enough, AMZING octatrio content. Her writing style is so fucking amazing yet so simple? Go check her out she’s so fucking cool.

@axvwriter such a fantastic mind. Their oc Bobo is adorable and their art is even more adorable. The creatures they make are so fucking cool and awesome.

@twitchers-column a new blog made, but so far the stuff nem posts on their are just, chefs kiss. Not much on their but I see so much potential for it(I want to, uh, help with it).

@nem0-nee probably my newest moot but she is so sweet and her art is so fucking cool! Her Oc’s are so amazing and fantastic <3

@jemmidraws also new, I mean very new, but her art is so beautiful! Again not much posted but I highly recommend checking her out(her comms are open btw!)

@daily-trey posts amazingly accurate Trey content. They also respond to stuff as Trey by drawing them, my favorite post of theirs is the newest cater x Trey angst^^ (their comms are also open!)

@moonlit-midnight also writes amazing octatrio content. But they also write for other dorms like Diasomnia. Btw go check out their master list cause, it’s so fucking pretty? Like bro, that shit is so pretty and amazing.

@drdepper her art, gives me life. No no listen. The art style, the colors, the line art. I’m gobbling it up so hard. She’s also in love with Vil, don’t understand why, but Love listening to her talk about it.

@robo-milky her twst yuu is so fucking cute!! She’s so freaking talented, like tf? Girl, keep some talent for the rest of us T^T I wanna hold cloche is my hand like a small bird, ya feel me?

@altshin his twst yuu is so freaking chaotic it’s amazing 😭 his art style is so simple to me but still so gorgeous. Fellow photographer mc o7

@the-v-lociraptor everyone move it’s the creator of Castor and Pollux!! If you can’t tell I love those two twins with all my heart. Her art style is so much, that it becomes perfect.

@harunayuuka2060 while they do write for twst they also do obey me, and let me tell you they are always so fucking good!! Their writing style is Character A:….. Character B:……. It’s so fucking cool! Go check their blog out I always have fun with their stuff!!

@mintmoth they’re art style is so cute😭 my favorite Kalim artist in every single platform ever. The way they draw him makes me so happy!!

@malleusgethomeplz just posts twst shitposts. No really, that’s it, nothing more nothing less. But it still always brings me joy. They are also so stupid that it’s the best ever.

@egophiliac my favorite Lilia artist. They’re art is so unique. Like everyone move! It’s the the best Diasomnia artist is in town! Go check them out.

@oepionie I love love LOVE their writing the way they write scratches that one spot in the back of my brain. They’re writing style is so fucking gorgeous!

@blackopals-world she writes for various types of yuu. The way you can tell that she puts so much effort and love into her work is amazing, love her work so so much.

@siphoklansan sippy!! You think you’ve see great art with so much love in it? Ha yea right, you haven’t seen shit until you’ve checked my girl sippy out B) her oc’s are so fucking pretty and interesting, my personal favorite is my beloved Charin, I wanna give him a kissy kiss.

@ashipiko fellow ace kisser o7 she is so sweet and I just love her so fucking much like you have no idea. Her art style is so pretty like girl, you’re making me tear up with how gorgeous everything looks.

@ceruleancattail their themes give me life. It’s so fucking pretty and gorgeous and beautiful. Their art style is also, chef’s kiss, my personal favorite stuff is anything butler or/and yandere related<3 I will also continue to defend the kisser cater allegations with my life o7

@oheyfox Renny<3 best Jack Howl art there is, you won’t find any better then here folks! Her female first years ever. Her art style is so fucking pretty too!! Go check it out, this is a threat.

@shinysparklesapphires her art is so pretty with such interesting and incredible oc’s!! A beloved moot of mine<3

@terristre their art is so simple yet so fucking cute and adorable. I really like the way they draw the Twst characters. They’re comics are so freaking cool!!

@yuurei20 they technically analyze Twst characters and their relationships with other characters and more. It’s so interesting reading their works:0 I 10000% recommend everyone to check them out.

@dibbledoodle her yuu is a wine aunt without the wine and I am here for it. I fuckinh love her art style so much. I love the way she draws Leona he looks so stupid T^T

@revivemyreverie the way they draw, gives me life. They have so many oc’s and each one is more interesting then the last, I can’t decide who I love most. That’s a lie, it’s Vegas, it’ll forever be Vegas.

@del-thetiredwriter I love love love LOVE their mafia AU. Hello? Why is it so good? I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for the next chapter. I took inspiration from them while writing my own mafia AU, go check them out<3

@twistedchatterbox the creator of this amazing thing✨ she’s amazing and I love her writing so fucking much<3 tbh if it weren’t for her April collab I would’ve never had the courage to post twst content on here. So Rubia, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for everything. I owe all of this to you, Love you girl<3

I originally was gonna put like 10 people but ended up putting waaay more😭 but you know what, I regret nothing. All these amazing people write and/or draw some of the best stuff ever. And I’m so fortunate to have come across their stuff because it is truly amazing<33

#❦moots<3❦#twisted wonderland #twst #❦cece #twst spotlight💖#twst spotlight #go check everyone out<3 #they’re all such cool and talented individuals #and thanks to anyone who’s been supporting me on here #I never thought people would actually like what I make #but seeing people interacting and telling me they like my stuff is amazing #just remember to reblog and not only to like #rebloging is very important and it makes more people see our stuff

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sailtomarina · 8 months

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A New Year's Eve to Enjoy

The start of another new year meant black and white tie attire, political rivals sharing sneers behind smiles, elven champagne raised in a toast, and wizarding fireworks with all of the impressive fanfare and none of the choking smoke.

The start of this new year marked Hermione’s first as the British Minister of Magic. The role was 20 years in the making, after one marriage and one divorce, strategic promotions up the government ladder, and several landmark cases won in the Wizengamot. As the youngest Minister in history, a woman, and a muggle-born, Hermione was a household name.

She had never felt lonelier.

Funny thing was, she was never actually alone. Aurors shadowed her every step from her London flat to her office doors to weekends away at a cottage secret-kept by Luna Scamander. The head of her security detail stood just off to the side of the podium behind which she gave her speech, his hair as milky white as the lilies lining the path to her cottage and his eyes clear and pale as they scanned the ballroom and took note of every single face and name.

Hermione raised a celebratory toast, sweating past the useless cooling charms and hoping it didn’t show in the photographs. Her manufactured smile held firm at the sight of her ex-husband with an arm around his thrice-pregnant wife and Harry commiserating with the Longbottoms and Minerva near the back doors, likely ready to return to Hogwarts the moment their glasses were empty.

Her schedule, which her assistant Dennis had carefully planned to the very last second, mandated she remain in the public eye for a few hours yet, past all the dancing and midnight celebrations of kisses and fireworks. She’d agreed to the itinerary as was expected of the Minister and had worn the dress set out for her by her stylist, allowing her curls to be controlled and her face glamoured until she barely recognized herself.

What she wouldn’t give to kick off her heels in the privacy of her home and curl up in front of the fireplace.

“Minister.”

A cool hand engulfed her shoulder and the comforting scent of Malfoy’s cologne, all heat and spice, invaded her senses. His voice was low, the exhale tickling her errant curls.

“Is everything alright?” Alarm spiked along the surface of her skin, but she allowed none of it to show on her face just as he’d trained her.

“Yes, but I’ve spoken with Mr. Creevey and he’s agreed that your presence is no longer required should you prefer to retire for the evening.”

Hermione scoffed. Was this Malfoy’s way of suggesting she wasn’t strong enough to last the night? “I assure you that I’m perfectly capable of proceeding as scheduled.”

She couldn’t see him with how he stood behind her, but she could imagine the quirk of his lips. She could also see a certain persistent wizard making his way through the crowd in her direction.

“Are you sure about that? It looks like McLaggen’s about to ask you to dance,” he teased, hand still cupping the bare skin below her neck.

“It’s a good thing I have you here then, isn’t it?” Before Cormac could step up to her and open his mouth, Hermione pivoted to face her bodyguard and offer him a hand. “Why yes, Malfoy, I’d love to dance.”

Ever the actor, he didn’t bat an eyelash as he gripped her fingers and bowed his head to brush them lightly with a kiss. She might have heard a choked sound behind her, but Hermione was too focused on the man bent before her. Even though he was on duty, he wore formal robes designed to strip away as needed to the uniform hiding beneath, his wand hidden in the sleeve. All black should’ve made him look nearly vampiric, but all it did was emphasize the impressive figure he cut next to their peers.

Looking at Draco Malfoy now and after interacting with him these past several months, Hermione had to admit the git had grown on her. They had history, yes, but they’d put it behind them over a decade ago. She trusted him now. He often anticipated her intentions before she’d even formed the thoughts to do so—if he agreed to them, she found her way unimpeded; if he disapproved, he was ready to provide a handful of reasons for her reconsideration.

It was infuriating. He was infuriating. He was also a fabulous dancer.

He led her in an effortless waltz across the floor like they were the main feature. Considering her position, perhaps they were. Hermione loved dancing and appreciated an experienced partner, but Malfoy took her tendency to backlead right out of her control. With him, she let go in a way she never did, allowing him to path and spin and dip to his heart’s content. She felt as light as a fairy, as graceful as a Veela.

“You finally look like you’re enjoying yourself.” His observation came as the strings brought the song to a close, her body still close to his as he turned to murmur into her ear as was his habit, as if the words were hers alone.

“Don’t make me say it.”

“Say what?” He pulled away to smile innocently down at her, the flash of his teeth blinding as a camera flash went off in their direction.

“You dance extremely well,” she said begrudgingly, refusing to turn and give her own smile. Let the newspapers paint her however they pleased. She’d already given them plenty of material for the night.

“I’ll pass along your compliments to my mother,” he quipped.

He let go and bowed deeply, and Hermione tried not to miss the warmth of his arms. It was just a dance. She waved away the approaching reporter and made her way back to her table where her assistant promptly appeared.

“Dennis.”

“Minister, in ten minutes you’re scheduled to cut the cake—”

“Oh, for Circe’s sake—” This wasn’t a wedding! She knew she approved the schedule, but the act still seemed so silly.

“—but, I can just as easily have the elves do so and serve them directly to everyone. Did Mr. Malfoy speak with you?” Dennis cut her off in the no-nonsense manner he’d adopted in his time spent working with her.

“He did, but there’s no need to bow out early. I can stay.”

The younger man narrowed his eyes at her and she almost smiled affectionately back at him. He really had come into his own—she wouldn’t be surprised if he followed in her footsteps some day.

“Minister, with all due respect, the schedule was more of a suggestion. This is a celebration and you deserve to enjoy it just as much as the rest of us.” He continued to stare at her.

Damn him and damn Malfoy. They both knew her too well.

Hermione sighed. “Alright. How should I make my exit?” If only Harry hadn’t already disappeared with his cloak.

“I believe a witch of your standing can leave in any way she deems appropriate. Our team is ready and waiting.” Draco and Dennis exchanged nods.

As she walked away, head held high and flanked on all sides by security, she raised a hand to wave idly at the masses in her wake.

“Where to, Minister?” Draco asked once they came up to the Floo.

“Granger Cottage.”

She stopped him with a hand on his arm just as he prepared to toss down the powder. “And Malfoy?”

“Yes, Minister?”

There were a million and one reasons why she should take her leave as she did every day. They included notions of responsibility, loyalty, professionalism. Through them all, Dennis’ words echoed in her ears, ones that sounded suspiciously like Luna’s all those years ago, or perhaps like the small voice Hermione squashed underneath the weight of her lifelong vision.

…you deserve to enjoy it just as much as the rest of us.

“Come alone.”

His eyebrows jumped high, but he didn’t question her. With a quick order and a flash of green, the two vanished into the flames.

WC 1353

DHRMonth Prompt: Week 3 - Celebrations, September 16 - New Year's Eve

As hot as I find the idea of Draco calling Hermione "Minister", I'd like to think he drops the title the moment they walk into her cottage. I'm imagining a loveseat for two, hot chocolate in front of a fireplace, and a foot massage. Of course they'd want foot massages after all that dancing.

#dramione month #dramionemonth #dhr fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #dramione #draco malfoy x hermione granger #hermione granger #draco malfoy #dennis creevey

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sitting-on-me-bum · 5 months

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“The Bottle Tree Portal”

Socotra, Yemen.

Photographer: Benjamin Barakat

Milky Way Photographer of the Year

#benjamin barakat #photographer #milky way photographer of the year #bottle tree #tree #landscape #socotra #yemen #desert #nature #milky way #night sky

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mysticstronomy · 1 year

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HOW MANY DIMENSIONS ARE IN A VOID??

Blog#283

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023

Welcome back,

Somewhere, far away, if you believe what you read, there’s a hole in the Universe. There’s a region of space so large and empty, a billion light-years across, that there’s nothing in it at all. There’s no matter of any type, normal or dark, and no stars, galaxies, plasma, gas, dust, black holes, or anything else.

There’s no radiation in there at all, either. It’s an example of truly empty space, and its existence has been visually captured by our greatest telescopes.

At least, that’s what some people are saying, in a photographic meme that’s been spreading around the internet for years and refuses to die. Scientifically, though, there’s nothing true about these assertions at all.

There is no hole in the Universe; the closest we have are the underdense regions known as cosmic voids, which still contain matter. Moreover, this image isn’t a void or hole at all, but a cloud of gas. Let’s do the detective work to show you what’s really going on.

The first thing you should notice, when you take a look at this image, is that the points of light you see here are numerous, of varying brightnesses, and come in a variety of colors. The brighter ones have diffraction spikes, indicating that they’re point-like (rather than extended) sources.

And the black cloud that appears is clearly in the foreground of all of them, blocking all of the background light in the center but only a portion of the light at the outskirts, allowing some of the light to stream through.

These light sources cannot be objects billions of light-years away; they are stars within our own Milky Way galaxy, which itself is only around 100,000 light-years across. Therefore, this light-blocking object has to be closer than those stars are, and has to be relatively small if it’s so nearby. It cannot be a great void in the Universe.

In fact, this is a cloud of gas and dust that’s a mere 500 light-years away: a dark nebula known as Barnard 68. Over 100 years ago, the astronomer E. E. Barnard surveyed the night sky, looking for regions of space where there was a dearth of light silhouetted against the steady background of the Milky Way’s stars.

These “dark nebulae,” as they were originally called, are now known to be molecular clouds of neutral gas, and are sometimes also known as Bok globules.

The one we’re considering here, Barnard 68, is relatively small and nearby:

it’s located only 500 light-years away,

it’s extremely low in mass, at just twice the mass of our Sun,

and it’s quite small in extent, with a diameter of approximately half a light-year.

Originally published on www.forbes.com

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, April 1st, 2023)

"IS THERE A BLACK HOLE POINTING AT US??"

#astronomy #outer space #alternate universe #astrophysics #spacecraft #universe #white universe #parallel universe #space #astrophotography

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livingforstars · 7 months

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Thousands of Coma Cluster Galaxies - September 17th, 1995.

"Almost every object in the above photograph is a galaxy. The Coma Cluster of galaxies pictured is a dense cluster containing many thousands of galaxies. Many of these galaxies contain as many stars as our own Milky Way galaxy. Although nearby when compared to most other clusters, light from the Coma Cluster still takes hundreds of millions of years to reach us. In fact, the Coma Cluster is so big it takes light millions of years just to go from one side to the other! This picture was created at the WWW site Skyview, a "virtual observatory" where it is possible to view any part of the sky in wavelengths from radio to gamma-ray."

#nasa #space #cosmos #universe #astronomy #astrophysics #astrophotography #galaxy cluster #coma cluster

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johnlyngfr · 3 months

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The magnificent Orion Nebula: The darling of amateur astrophotographers, the Queen of the Winter Sky. It is the brightest nebula in the night sky and easily viewable with binoculars. It is an easy target for beginners, so how can you resist such a beautiful deep-space subject?

At a distance of only 1,300 light years, consider it nearby on the scale of our Milky Way galaxy. It is the closest region of massive star formation, a stellar nursery.

I photographed the Orion Nebula from my garden in Strasbourg France in early February 2024. 46 photos x 60 seconds each.

#astrophotography #astrophotographie #astrophotographiefrance #messierobjects #astronomiefrance #astronomy #messier42 #orion nebula #astronomie

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 7 months

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[ A team of amateur astronomers led by Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty made a surprising discovery to win the overall prize in the 2023 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. "Andromeda, Unexpected" shows a huge plasma arc next to the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest large spiral galaxy to our Milky Way. ]

By: Jess Thomson

Published: Sep 15, 2023

The universe is filled to the brim with weird and wonderful sights, which we are often lucky enough to see thanks to the skills of astrophotographers.

This year's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in the U.K., showcases some of these unique spectacles, ranging from the roaring surface of our sun to our galactic neighbor Andromeda.

Giant Plasma Arc

The overall winning entry of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023, taken by Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty, shows the Andromeda galaxy next to an unexpected hazy blue cloud.

This cloud, never before seen, is thought to be an enormous arc of plasma stretching across the space between the Milky Way and our neighboring galaxy, situated 2.5 million light years away.

"What you see is [a] gigantic blue arc of ionised oxygen gas that has never been seen before," amateur astronomer and astrophotographer Drechsler explained in a statement.

This picture reveals how new findings are always being uncovered just under our noses, as we have been observing Andromeda for over 100 years. The reason that the arc—christened the Strottner-Drechsler-Sainty Object 1 (SDSO-1)—had not been spotted before is that it only emitted light in the Oxygen 3 (OIII) wavelength, and was very faint. OIII is a wavelength of light emitted by clouds of oxygen, which only comprise around 1 percent of gas in the universe: hydrogen, by contrast, makes up over 75 percent.

"It was an absolute accident," Drechsler said. "No one expected to see it and that's why it's called Andromeda, Unexpected, because we wanted to take a beautiful image of the Andromeda Galaxy. And we looked at the first data and we spotted this hazy smudge on the edge of the image."

[ Angel An won in the Skyscapes category for snapping the extremely rare phenomenon of Sprites—or red lightning—in which atmospheric luminescence appears like fireworks. "It creates an unsettling, alien image that can't help but draw your eye," said judge Ed Bloomer. ]

Red Sprite Lightning

The winner of the competition's "Skyscapes" category is a spectacular red sprite lightning display, photographed by Angel An.

"Sprites are large-scale, lightning-like discharges that happen above thunderstorms," Caitano L. da Silva, a physics professor at New Mexico Tech, previously told Newsweek.

"They happen in response to powerful cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes in the underlying thunderstorms. These CG flashes radiate a strong electric field that creates sprites at the edge of the lower ionosphere, aka the edge of space," da Silva said. "Sprites are brief, but are huge, 50 km [30 miles] tall by 50 km [30 miles] across, about the size of a small town."

This image was taken at Lake Puma Yumco, in Tibet, China.

"I was standing on the highest ridge of the Himalaya mountains, enjoying the dancing lightning sprites like gorgeous fireworks in the night sky," Angel said. They acted as fairy-like creatures, giving a transient firework show for the audience on Earth. Seeing this extremely rare phenomenon of atmospheric luminescence with such high intensity was something that I have never witnessed before."

[ Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau's photograph of the sun with a huge solar filament in the shape of a question mark won in the Our Sun category. "If you zoom into the surface of the Sun, the image has a paint-like quality—I feel like I can see the brush strokes," said judge Sheila Kanani. ]

Solar Tendrils

The winner of the "Our Sun" category is a close-up of the sun's surface taken by Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau, showing a long tendril of solar plasma.

"This is such a clever image as while we have seen the granulation and surface of the Sun before, I've never seen a filament shaped like a question mark before," Sheila Kanani, competition judge, said in a statement. "If you zoom into the surface of the Sun, the image has a paint-like quality—I feel like I can see the brush strokes. There's a sense of movement and you can almost see the question mark filament moving if you stare long enough."

[ Ethan Chappel won in the Our Moon category for capturing in detail the moon passing in front of Mars on December 8, 2022. Judge Steve Marsh described the occultation as "one of the last and greatest celestial events of 2022." ]

Mars and the Moon

The "Our Moon" category was won by an image of the occultation of Mars by the moon, which is when Mars passes behind the moon in our skies. This image shows Mars as it peeked out from behind our satellite on December 8, 2022, as taken by Ethan Chappel from Texas.

"To capture the level of detail on Mars that you see here takes a huge amount of skill and practice," Steve Marsh, a competition judge, said in the statement. "Combined with a crisp, clear, perfectly processed lunar limb, the result is like taking a gigantic telephoto lens into lunar orbit itself! This image is a technical marvel and a real treat to look at. Two factors which make it a worthy winner in this category."

[ Monika Deviat's image of an abstract aurora in the shape of a brushstroke topped the Aurorae category. "We are accustomed to seeing aurora from an earthly perspective with mountains, trees and humanmade structures framing the dancing lights. This photograph offers something different, showcasing the beauty of the aurora in isolation," said judge Katherine Gazzard. ]

Northern Lights

The winner of the "Aurorae" category was of a long flame-like wisp of aurora, taken by Monika Deviat in Finland. Auroras are caused by solar wind slamming into the Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, causing gases to emit light in the form of the northern and southern lights.

"This photograph is an aurora abstract. I focused on this structure as it looked like a painter's brushstroke across a canvas. It's not the usual corona or big nightscape scene, but I thought it was a unique and beautiful shape with the feathered ends. I pointed the camera almost straight up to capture this formation," Deviat said in a statement.

New Nebula

The winner of the "Stars and Nebulae" category was an image of a galactic nebula around the YY Hya star, taken by Marcel Drechsler from Germany and Xavier Strottner from France over 360 hours of exposure across 100 nights.

This nebula was previously unknown to science.

"In its centre, a pair of stars surrounded by a common envelope was found. For the first time, amateurs and scientists have succeeded in providing evidence for a fully developed shell of a so-called 'common envelope system'," the photographers explain in a statement.

Several other images won their categories, while tens of others filled the longlist and shortlists, all revealing the beauty and mystery of the universe.

"Once again, entrants to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have conspired to make things difficult for the judges, with a flood of high-quality images covering an amazing range of targets. The highlight of this year is perhaps a number of genuine discoveries being imaged, but we've had wonderful efforts in every category," Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, said in a statement.

[ The Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year was awarded to two 14-year-old boys from China—Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang—who captured the vibrant colors of the Running Chicken Nebula. The giant cloud of dust and gas is nicknamed that because it looks like a giant chicken running across the sky, according to NASA. ]

[ Tom Williams topped the Planets, Comets & Asteroids category for photographing a unique view of Venus using infrared or ultraviolet false color. "Capturing these atmospheric details from the sunlit side of the planet when it is so far from Earth is a remarkable achievement," said judge László Francsics. ]

[ The Sh2-132 complex lies near the border of the Cepheus and Lacerta constellations and contains multiple deep sky structures. Aaron Wilhelm's winning photograph in the Best Newcomer category includes 70 hours of data and shows the rich interplay of all the gases. ]

[ John White claimed the Innovation prize for capturing the sound of a black hole at the center of the Perseus Galaxy using audio source material from NASA's Chandra Sonification Project and playing it through speakers with a petri dish attached to them. "Here, we are shown an interesting and playful visualisation of astronomical data that we could not 'see' by ourselves nor 'hear'. This is an image of a sound generated by a source that is invisible. Stark, beautiful, rather weird, and certainly innovative!" said judge Ed Bloomer. ]

[ Vikas Chander's photograph of star trails poking through the gray sky above a ship stranded in the treacherous, most northern part of Namibia's Atlantic-facing coast on August 25, 2008, prevailed in the People & Space category. ]

#astronomy #space #andromeda galaxy #religion is a mental illness

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