There is a small palo verde tree on the road in front of our house. Starting last year, I put some red ornaments in this nice little green tree for Christmas. Click on the image to enlarge.
The Ringed Planet
Actually, it is one of several ringed planets but the only one whose rings are visible in a telescope on Earth. Today’s APOD posted this wonderful false-color image of Saturn as seen by the Cassini spacecraft in orbit there. Note the backside of the planet (with the sun almost directly on the other side of Saturn) where the solar light reflected from the rings illuminate the dark side.
Imagine being on the dark side of the planet and observing the rings from that position. Click on the image to enlarge.
Image courtesy NASA and Cassini.
Western Bronze Sculpture
In addition to the bronze sculpture I posted last month, Double D Western World, a mercantile here in Wickenburg, had another sculpture in front of their store. I don’t know the title of this one, but it appears to be a couple of kids watering their horse. The plumbing at the bottom suggests that this one, like the other, is set up for water flowing from the pump into the bucket. Click on the image to enlarge.
The Truth About The Mayan Calendar
One of our gun bloggers thinks the administration welcomes all the hype over the Newtown massacre to hide their failure with the economy and the “fiscal cliff.” The media, of course, are complicit in the ruse. It serves two agendas: hide the fail and implement gun control.
Via The Patriot Post.
Sky-on-Fire Sunset This Evening
We get so many spectacular sunsets, especially in monsoon season, late fall, and winter. This evening, the sky went through several stages of pinks, flame orange and red. I took this image at a time when the sky looked like it was on fire. Click on the image to enlarge.
Saguaro Moon
Saturday evening, I stepped out to the driveway and captured this photo of our saguaro cactus with the thin crescent moon in the sky above. We enjoy seeing the plantlife, sunsets, asterisms and wildlife around our beautiful little desert home. Click on the image to enlarge.
Red Field, Blue Field
Damsel and I spent much of the day watching college football games. The best one was Arizona vs. Nevada in the “New Mexico Bowl.” Arizona trailed most of the day, but in an exciting last two minutes of play, the Wildcats came from behind to win 49 to 48. What a finish!
There was one other bowl game today, the “Famous Idaho Potato Bowl,” from Boise, Idaho, featuring Toledo and Utah State. That’s the blue field of Boise State on the bottom screen. There also was a late tournament semi-final game with Sam Houston State at Eastern Washington. That one is the red field of EWU at Cheney, WA, southwest of Spokane.
I took this image while both games were underway – it’s really unusual to see two non-green football fields on at the same time. Click on the image to enlarge.