An Age of Magic

Marvellous Mercury

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Dramatic new pictures have revealed the unseen side of Mercury in detailed images taken from a Nasa spacecraft orbiting the planet.Astronomers saw the “dark side” of Mercury for the very first time when the spacecraft flew within 125 miles of the planet’s surface and took 1,200 high resolution images.

The reason the solar system’s smallest planet is so elusive is due to its close proximity to the sun. The light from the sun makes Mercury difficult to see from Earth and when spacecrafts have flown close to the planet on previous occasions only one side has been bathed in sunlight while the other has been shrouded in darkness. 

The new pictures from the Messenger craft show features as small as six miles across on the planet which is 57 million miles away from Earth.

Among many new sights, the picture shows the full Caloris Basin, a huge impact basin more than 620 miles across that sits on the border between the known and previously unknown regions of the planet.  More unprecedented images of the tiny planet are expected as the spacecraft completes three flybys of Mercury before settling into orbit in March 2011. For so long we have viewed these magnificent astral neighbours of ours, to be able to see them in close up is just fantastic.

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Take a walk on the spiritual side

Christmas might be over for now but if you have a birthday, anniversary or whatever coming up you might be looking for a gift with a difference. Many people nowadays are looking to the ‘alternative’ way of life; looking for ways to bring peace and harmony into their lives. If you know someone like this then finding a gift for them has become a breeze.

A great range of new age gifts is available at The Spiritual Dimension. A variety of gift choices in the range of feng shui, essential oils, figurines and incense burners is sure to provide inspiration when you are buying a very special gift for someone special.

If you choose one of their birdfeeders you will be choosing a gift that will enable that special someone to connect with nature in their own home. Birds bring a sense of peace traditionally; of reconciliation. Maybe this would make an ideal gift for someone who you have not seen for some time and wish to reconcile with. What greater gift of peace could there be?

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See the light of the Northern Lights

Some of the most amazing and spectacular things you will ever see occur right over your head at night in the sky. Of course the most moving phenomenon you can ever see, sky-wise,  is a total solar eclipse and having seen one myself I cannot recommend highly enough a trip to the next one. In China I think it will be. Even though the scientists have worked it all out and explained it all away it still remains mind boggling.

One thing though they are still discovering much about is the Northern Lights display and now they have solved the mystery of how and why they shimmer so brightly. If you don’t want your illusions shattered then look away now..

The glow from the Northern Light (aurora borealis) occurs when tiny little solar particles are trapped along by temporary ‘magnetic ropes’ that link the earth to the sun during what is called a substorm. This substorm moves at an incredible speed and covers 400 miles in 60 seconds flat. Truly amazing stuff indeed.

So now you know. You’ll never see them in the same way again eh?.

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