Trackbacks
-
[...] good yarn. Fans of this space and the Fiction River series will also remember our recent reviews of Recycled Pulp, and Universe [...]
The Sky is Waiting.
Search AstroGuyz
Custom Search
Advertise on Astroguyz!
 |
|
 |
 |
Pictured is a Delta IV rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on November 21st, 2010. The image is a 20 second exposure taken at dusk, shot from about 100 miles west of the launch site. The launch placed a classified payload in orbit for the United States Air Force.
Difficult but not impossible to catch against the dawn or dusk sky, spotting an extreme crescent moon can be a challenge. The slender crescent pictured was shot 30 minutes before sunrise when the Moon was less than 20 hours away from New.� A true feat of visual athletics to catch, a good pair of binoculars or a well aimed wide field telescopic view can help with the hunt.
The Sun is our nearest star, and goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. This image was taken via a properly filtered telescope, and shows the Sun as it appeared during its last maximum peak in 2003. This was during solar cycle #23, a period during which the Sun hurled several large flares Earthward. The next solar cycle is due to peak around 2013-14.
Located in the belt of the constellation Orion, Messier 42, also known as the Orion Nebula is one of the finest deep sky objects in the northern hemisphere sky. Just visible as a faint smudge to the naked eye on a clear dark night, the Orion Nebula is a sure star party favorite, as it shows tendrils of gas contrasted with bright stars. M42 is a large stellar nursery, a star forming region about 1,000 light years distant.
Orbiting the planet in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) every 90 minutes, many people fail to realize that you can see the International Space Station (ISS) from most of the planet on a near-weekly basis. In fact, the ISS has been known to make up to four visible passes over the same location in one night. The image pictured is from the Fourth of July, 2011 and is a 20 second exposure of a bright ISS pass.
�
Next to the Sun, the two brightest objects in the sky are the Moon and the planet Venus. In fact, when Venus is favorably placed next to the Moon, it might just be possible to spot the two in the daytime. Another intriguing effect known as earthshine or ashen light is also seen in the image on the night side of the Moon; this is caused by sunlight reflected back off of the Earth towards our only satellite.
A mosaic of three images taken during the total lunar eclipse of December 21st, 2010. The eclipse occurred the same day as the winter solstice. The curve and size of the Earth�s shadow is apparent in the image.
Book Review: Recycled Pulp edited by John Helfers
On sale in September 2015!
Remember the pulp novelettes of yore?
Named for the woodsy, low cost paper they were printed on, dime store pulp novels were an integral part of many readers� childhoods. They were formulaic, sure, but we always knew the tales within would deliver.
The folks at Fiction River recently challenged authors to concoct some pulp tales of their own, and the results were far from rigid or predictable.
Recycled Pulp edited John Helfers for the Fiction River series edited by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a unique collection 15 tales worthy of the Fiction River name. The challenge was for each author to select a title to riff on out of the three given to them to pick from, with the admonition for the author not to go for the first (or even the second) obvious thing. The result is a shining collection of diverse and original tales that plumb the depths of pulp-dom far below the anthology’s ‘rockets and rayguns’ style cover.
Some of our faves from Recycled Pulp include:
The Imperfect Otter Empire by Dayle Dermatis: have you ever been drawn to the zoo or the park just to watch your favorite animals frolic for hours? The main character of this tale does just that, especially when times in her life are hard. But be wary, you may have more in common with those otters than you dreamed�
The Delicatessen from Beyond the Monolith by Lisa Silverthorne: Sure, lots of murder mystery thrillers take place in seedy burger joints or delicatessens, but not like this one. If you�ve ever wondered why that hole in the wall restaurant in your hometown survives, the read on. Just don�t forget your Beretta.
Crypt of the Metal Ghouls by Angela Penrose: Pulp can cross sub-genres, and what�s not to love about an occasional post-apocalyptic tale. The Crypt holds great promise, for those who dare to venture within. But enter if you dare�
We love how each tale gets a sub-headline that jumps us right into the premise for the dramatic action as well, in true pulp genre style.
And that�s just a small sampling of the fascinating tales that wait within. Fun factoid: one of the most prolific authors of pulp story-dom was Lester Dent, the creator of the Doc Savage series and a prolific author who created a down and dirty formula for a sure-fire pulp fiction tale.
In addition to editing the Fiction River anthologies out from WMG publishing,�Rusch is a prolific author across just about every genre. Some of our faves that we�ve reviewed here previous include Diving into the Wreck, Blowback, and The Enemy Within, to name a very brief few.
Then there are the other Fiction River anthologies that we�ve covered, such as Universe Between, Christmas Ghosts, and our (soon to be reviewed) Alchemy and Steam.
Don�t miss Recycled Pulp for a great set of unique and fast-paced tales of the imagination!
Next up� we�re back in the Anniversary Day saga also by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, with Book 4: Search and Recovery!