https://clkagmi.com/request-a-sequel/2023-09-05T04:30:21+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/fiction/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/crashphilosophy.pngCrashPhilosophyhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/compelling.pngCompellinghttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/skychildren.jpgskychildrenhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/thedrakeequation.jpgComets Kick Up Dust in Helix NebulaThis infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Helix nebula, a cosmic starlet often photographed by amateur astronomers for its vivid colors and eerie resemblance to a giant eye. The nebula, located about 700 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, belongs to a class of objects called planetary nebulae. Discovered in the 18th century, these cosmic butterflies were named for their resemblance to gas-giant planets. Planetary nebulae are actually the remains of stars that once looked a lot like our sun. When sun-like stars die, they puff out their outer gaseous layers. These layers are heated by the hot core of the dead star, called a white dwarf, and shine with infrared and visible-light colors. Our own sun will blossom into a planetary nebula when it dies in about five billion years. In Spitzer's infrared view of the Helix nebula, the eye looks more like that of a green monster's. Infrared light from the outer gaseous layers is represented in blues and greens. The white dwarf is visible as a tiny white dot in the center of the picture. The red color in the middle of the eye denotes the final layers of gas blown out when the star died. The brighter red circle in the very center is the glow of a dusty disk circling the white dwarf (the disk itself is too small to be resolved). This dust, discovered by Spitzer's infrared heat-seeking vision, was most likely kicked up by comets that survived the death of their star. Before the star died, its comets and possibly planets would have orbited the star in an orderly fashion. But when the star blew off its outer layers, the icy bodies and outer planets would have been tossed about and into each other, resulting in an ongoing cosmic dust storm. Any inner planets in the system would have burned up or been swallowed as their dying star expanded. The Helix nebula is one of only a few dead-star systems in which evidence for comet survivors has been found. This image is made up of data from Spi2022-03-02T17:48:53+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/2021-10-01T18:41:59+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/services/2021-05-15T19:48:16+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/2020/06/10/whats-the-big-deal-about-planet-size/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/habitability.jpgHabitabilityhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/carboncycles.jpgCarbonCycles2020-05-31T23:03:21+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2020/06/08/where-do-planets-come-from/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/jupiter.pngJupiterhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/giantstar.gifGiantStarhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/giantmolecularcloud-1.jpgGiantMolecularCloudhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/giantmolecularcloud.jpgGiantMolecularCloud2020-05-31T23:02:54+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2020/06/05/how-to-get-started-worldbuilding-with-hard-science/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/alien-landscape-gary-tonge-science-photo-library.jpgalien-landscape-gary-tonge--science-photo-libraryhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/icemoon.jpgIceMoonhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/manipulate_audience_emotions_color_featured.jpgManipulate_Audience_Emotions_Color_Featured2020-06-06T02:45:45+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2020/06/03/sugar-acetylene-and-life-on-titan-life-not-as-we-know-it/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/titan.pngTitanPhotograph of Titan courtesy of NASA. NASA, what would we do without you?https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/acetylene.pngAcetylenehttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sucrose-1.pngSucrosehttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sucrose.pngSucrose2020-05-31T23:01:00+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2020/05/25/orange-dwarfs-life-around-class-k-stars/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/classk-1.jpgClassKImage: © NASA, ESA and Z. Levy (STScI) illustrating the relative commonality of three star types, and the size of their habitable zones.https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/classk.jpgClassK2020-05-29T02:19:51+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2020/05/22/life-around-red-dwarf-stars/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/phl_sunset_habitable_worlds.jpgPHL_Sunset_Habitable_WorldsThe data used to compile this image for reference and similar exercises can be found at: http://phl.upr.edu/library/media/sunsetofthehabitableworlds https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tidallylocketplanet.jpgTidallyLocketPlanetThanks to NASA and Ian Johnston for this image of a tidally locked planet showing an icy night side, a temperate zone, and a mega-hurricane driven by fierce convection currents on its day side.https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/habzone.jpghabzoneCredit to NASA and https://www.astrobio.net/ for the image.2023-07-07T22:28:17+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2020/05/29/genetic-material-an-essential-ingredient-for-life/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chirality.pngChiralityThese two molecules are mirror images of each other - they're the same, but they can't be used interchangeably. Alien life with different chirality may not be able to digest Earth sugars or proteins or read Earth DNA and RNA, and vice versa.https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/hachimojidna.pngHachimojiDNATwo of these base pairs are used by life on Earth - and two of them usually aren't but were introduced by scientists.https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/rnapairing.pngRNAPairingNotice how only the correct base pair will "fit" into the hydrogen bond with the opposing base pair, forcing the newly formed strand to reflect the sequence of the original strand. This principle underlies all hereditary information.https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/basepairing-1.pngBasePairingThe dotted lines are hydrogen bonds between nucleotides. The selective base-pairing of nucleotides allows them to replicate their information by creating new nucleotide strands that follow their own pattern.https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/basepairing.pngBasePairing2020-05-24T03:52:25+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2020/05/27/the-biochemistry-of-life-as-we-know-it/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ice.pngIceHere you can see hydrogen bonds forcing water molecules into a lightweight, open lattice instead of collapsing densely together like most liquid molecules do when frozen.https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/rnahydrogenbons.pngRNAHydrogenBonsHere we see our partially charged water molecules hydrogen bonding with nucleic acids - the building blocks of DNA. Now the nucleic acids are unstable and more likely to react with each other. Thanks, needy water molecules! No, seriously. Thanks.https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/hydrogenbond1.pngHydrogenBond1A lonely hydrogen having an affair with another molecule's oxygen. Or, as chemists like to call it, "a hydrogen bond."https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/waterelectrons.pngWaterElectronsThe little dots represent electrons. Notice how Oxygen is hogging them all to itself, while the hydrogen atom's nuclei grow lonely (or, in this case, positively charged)https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/watermolecule.pngWaterMoleculehttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/hydrogen.pngHydrogen2021-08-02T14:56:25+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2020/05/20/why-use-hard-science-in-worldbuilding/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/aliens101-b.pngAliens101-bhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/aliens.jpgAliens2020-05-20T23:17:20+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/get-matched-with-a-beta-reading-buddy/2019-01-19T18:57:10+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/2018/12/06/what-if-we-could-communicate-through-scent/2018-12-05T19:13:45+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2018/12/04/review-the-names-and-motions-by-sheldon-j-pacotti/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/brain.pngBrain2018-12-03T07:29:10+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/worldbuilding/2018-11-29T08:33:40+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/patreon/2018-11-29T05:43:04+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/2017/04/10/review-he-who-shapes-by-roger-zelazny/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/nicolascage.jpgNicolasCage2017-04-10T17:19:36+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/contact/2017-03-21T02:11:13+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/2017/02/25/publication-announcement-skychildren/2017-03-09T22:34:09+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2017/03/04/goodnight-melancholy-by-xia-jia/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/nevit-dilmen.jpgNevit Dilmen2017-03-09T21:36:17+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2016/12/15/writers-of-the-future-win/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/wotfwinner.jpgwotfwinner2017-01-02T23:03:28+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2017/01/01/happy-new-year-tools-for-writers/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pen.jpgpen2017-09-10T16:54:24+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2016/12/25/merry-christmas-present-for-readers/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/christmas-xmas-christmas-tree-decoration.jpgchristmas-xmas-christmas-tree-decoration2016-12-25T07:28:43+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2016/12/18/book-review-emergence-by-david-r-palmer/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/emergence.jpgemergence2016-12-18T15:30:27+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2016/12/11/book-review-the-girl-with-all-the-gifts/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/melanie.pngmelanie2016-12-11T20:04:53+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2016/06/08/twiceborn/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/twiceborn6x31.pngtwiceborn6x3https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/twiceborn4x4.pngtwiceborn4x4https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/twiceborn6x3.pngtwiceborn6x32016-12-11T06:20:27+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2016/12/31/a-hundred-billion-suns-part-1/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/alien_sunset.jpgalien_sunset2016-06-09T13:24:30+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/this-work-is-seeking-publication-2/2016-06-09T13:21:36+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/this-work-is-seeking-publication/2016-06-09T13:20:20+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/about/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/blog2.jpgBloghttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/contact.jpgContacthttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/fiction.jpgFictionhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/clkagmi1colorboost.jpgCLKagmi1ColorBoosthttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/blog1.jpgBloghttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/blog.jpgBloghttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/good_morning_from_the_international_space_station1.jpgGood_Morning_From_the_International_Space_Station2016-11-22T02:55:41+00:00weekly0.6https://clkagmi.com/2016/01/09/grandmother-nai-leylits-cloth-of-winds-by/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/antique_persian_mashad_rug1.jpgAntique_Persian_Mashad_rughttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/antique_persian_mashad_rug.jpgAntique_Persian_Mashad_rug2016-03-27T05:08:31+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2016/01/15/malak-by-peter-watts/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/us_navy_020712-n-5471p-010_eod_teams_detonate_expired_ordnance_in_the_kuwaiti_desert.jpgOperation Enduring Freedom2016-01-15T17:45:52+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2015/12/16/why-and-how-to-write-short-stories-even-if-you-normally-cant/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/arthur-c-clarke-the-sentinel.jpgArthur-C-Clarke-The-Sentinelhttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/sentinel.jpgSentinel2016-01-04T18:39:59+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2015/12/18/hardfought-by-greg-bear/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/vista27s_infrared_view_of_the_orion_nebula.jpgVISTA's infrared view of the Orion Nebula*This photograph was produced by European Southern Observatory (ESO). All ESO still and motion pictures, with the exception of the ESO Logo, are released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, unless the credit byline indicates otherwisehttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/m45_pleiades_merope_nebula_from_the_mount_lemmon_skycenter_schulman_telescope_courtesy_adam_block.jpgm45_pleiades_merope_nebula_from_the_mount_lemmon_skycenter_schulman_telescope_courtesy_adam_blockImage by Credit Line & Copyright Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona, shared under Creative Commons 2.0.2016-01-03T22:34:00+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2016/01/01/catch-that-zeppelin-by-fritz-leiber/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/zeppelinoverlosangeles.jpgZeppelinOverLosAngeles2016-01-01T17:09:34+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2015/12/25/the-book-of-martha-by-octavia-butler/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/octavia_butler.jpgoctavia_butler2015-12-31T03:18:41+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2015/12/05/ode-to-leonard-nimoy/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/astronaut_salutes_nimoy_from_orbit.jpgAstronaut_Salutes_Nimoy_From_Orbithttps://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/tweetnimoy.jpgtweetnimoy2015-12-29T12:58:22+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2015/12/23/the-value-of-dead-time-for-writers/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/libellago_lineata_male-kadavoor-2015-08-21-001.jpgSONY DSC2015-12-27T03:39:11+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2015/12/02/that-shock-of-recognition/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/neuromancer.jpgNeuromancerDistressingly, I have not been able to trace the authorship of this wonderful image, which has been widely distributed by a wallpaper website. If anyone is aware of the original authorship, please let me know!2015-12-24T19:50:53+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2015/12/11/a-rose-for-ecclesiastes-by-roger-zelazny/2015-12-24T19:48:08+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.com/2015/12/04/the-queen-of-air-and-darkness-by-poul-anderson/https://clkagmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/siemiginowski_allegory_of_summer_28detail29.jpgsiemiginowski_allegory_of_summer_28detail292015-12-24T19:47:14+00:00monthlyhttps://clkagmi.comdaily1.02023-09-05T04:30:21+00:00