"No, I'm just visiting"...
...says the classic joke.
And for those of us who have hope for at least extraterrestrial intelligence will be pleased by the discovery of a solar system quite similar to ours, with at least five planets, and maybe seven:
"Astronomers using ESO’s world-leading HARPS instrument have discovered a planetary system containing at least five planets, orbiting the Sun-like star HD 10180. The researchers also have tantalising evidence that two other planets may be present, one of which would have the lowest mass ever found. This would make the system similar to our Solar System in terms of the number of planets (seven as compared to the Solar System’s eight planets). Furthermore, the team also found evidence that the distances of the planets from their star follow a regular pattern, as also seen in our Solar System." (Read more)
On the subject of space-related things, did you catch the Perseid meteor shower in the middle of August? I didn't. For the first time in many years I actually remembered to look, and went up to the terrace with a glass of cava in my hand (I had visitors at the time), with the intention of enjoying nature's show - only to find that it had clouded over during the night and practically no bits of clear sky were visible.
Other people in different locations, and with very good photographic equipment, were luckier: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1008/PerseidStorm_arn.jpg Come to think of it, do you think the photo's 100% real, or touched up a little?
And again, on the subject of nice photos, how about this one:
Doesn't it remind you a bit of the Windows default desktop image, but a bit more dramatic?
But it's not. Apparently (I've just googled this) the actual "Windows" hill was later planted with grapevines, which is nice.
"Windows" Hill
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