Hey, here's a 3D image of a nebula

Here's a nice little "holographic" starmap for your next night at the gaming table (or hyperfuel for your next fan fiction). It's a an animated .gif in 3D of cosmic cloud Melotte 15 in the Heart Nebula, IC 1805 by astro photogropher J-P Metsävainio.

It's essentially a stereograph of an object in space. So I have to ask--why aren't we doing this for EVERYTHING IN SPACE? I'm thinking we need to tie two Hubbles together. Should be easy! #NASAMAKEITHAPPEN

Okay, maybe not. But it's pretty cool, huh?


Full article at Universe Today

What would a wet Mars look like?

 

One of my favorite science fiction series are the Red Mars (then Blue, then Green) from Kim Stanely Robinson. It's a superbly researched and a fascinating look at what it would cost (in more than economic terms) to change the face of the red planet to one that could support life. But I've often wondered, what would it really LOOK like to see Mars as we know and experience the Earth--as a blue/green orb flocked with plant life and steeped in oceans.

Kevin Gill is a software engineer who has wondered the same and he took to making his own renderings, which--even if not completely accurate--are incredible:

A conception view of the Western hemisphere of Mars with oceans and clouds. Olympus Mons is visible on the horizon beyond the Tharsis Montes volcanoes and the Valles Marineris canyons near the center. 

A visualization of an Earth-like Mars, be it ancient or a future of terraforming. Eye position is about 6,600 kilometers (4100 miles) from the surface of the planet and looking at the southern hemisphere (~20° South) and the 180th meridian.

The Western hempisphere looks particularly intriguing with retaining its arid climate. Looks vaguely like the deserts of Spain to me. And the second image makes me think of the Irish countryside (Shire?). Perhaps I have to much hobbit on the brain. Truly inspiring stuff.

What do the images make you think of?

• Captioning, images, and info Nancy Atkinson with Universe Today via io9.com
• Mars globe image via NASA/JPL

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing all you far-out space cats a fantastic New Year in 2013. It was a banner year on the blog, reaching 122 of you signing on as official Exonauts! May you have exciting adventures in the year to come. Expiscor Eternus!

Merry Sci-mas!

All things being equal I had a fantastic holiday (and I hope you all did too) but there was a distinct lack of laser fire and psionic weirdness. That is, until my kid sister came through! She snagged a few vintage paperbacks that I plan on devouring this weekend!

So what nerdly goodness did the Jolly ol' Elf leave in your stocking?

Con of the North: Here come the Exonauts!

WELP, I REGISTERED. I'm all signed up for Con of the North, the big gaming shindig that takes place in the Twin Cities after we've all become sick of snow, the cold, and the indoors!

I'm excited, having never attended since it's been ages since I've had a chance to do some serious gamin'. Oh, and like a big dummy I went and sent a proposal to RUN A GAME. I've got no idea if it will be accepted or how this works. So we'll see I guess.

This is all only slightly terrifying as I've not run a game in a LONG TIME. I'm hoping I can get a few practice games before then.

It'll be X-plorers, since that's rules light and I can tweak the hell out of it. To make things even harder on myself, I'll run a one-shot adventure in the RAD ASTRA setting. If I'm going to go in--it's gotta be all in! I had to write a description for the listing (most listings are, thankfully, quite short) and I've not yet cobbled said adventure together--so I just gave a flavor for the source material:

RAD ASTRA: Far-out, Exploitation-style Space Opera
Take a rules-light sci-fi game and pack it with plenty of "spaghetti" space opera from the 60s, 70s, and 80s and you've got the makings of RAD ASTRA. You're part of a group of galactic troubleshooters--think: A-Team with rayguns, space yeti sidekicks, and sharp-shooting robots riding around in the Eagle-1 and taking down maniacal caped weirdos! 

So, sound like a game you'd be interested in?


Pertinent details:

• Register for Con of the North before Jan. 5 ($25 for the weekend) or pay more at the door ($37 for the same duration). Single day tickets are also offered.
• Con of the North - February 15-17 (Friday-Sunday) at the Holiday Inn in East St. Paul, MN