PHOTOS FROM MORE THAN 13 BILLION YEARS AGO

Yesterday I indicated that NASA would be releasing the first full-color image released from the James Webb Space Telescope. Well, here it is:

Our universe is around 13.7 billion years old. The JWST, launched on December 25, 2021, will have the potential to look back perhaps 13.4 billion years. It is six times larger and 100 times more powerful than Hubble, sent out 32 years ago in 1990. Here is a graphic of the same portion of the sky comparing Hub with Jim:

Galaxy clusters, as seen above, are the most massive objects in the universe. This boggles the mind, but a cluster of galaxies can consist of hundreds to thousands of galaxies bound together by gravity. The typical mass of each is 10 to the fourteenth power - 10 to the fifteenth power the mass of our sun! Then, there are bodies such as the Laniakea SUPERcluster as seen to the right.

Laniakea is Hawaiian for immense heaven. Remember that asteroid that recently zoomed through our solar system? Oumuamua was discovered by space scientists at the University of Hawaii using our Pan-STARRS1 telescope on Haleakala, Maui. Whether it was a comet or asteroid is still being debated. Oumuamua is Hawaiian for a messenger from afar arriving first.

What is shown in this first JWST photo was discovered by faculty of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. The infrared technology used on the new space telescope was developed at the Mauna Kea site on the Big Island of Hawaii. Sadly, Hawaii is beginning to abdicate international leadership, as the long-ago proposed Thirty Meter Telescope remains suspended by protests from local Hawaiian groups.

Four more photos will be released today. Here are two of them:

What do they represent? Read this article.

I've long been saying that light would take 100,000 years to pass through our galaxy from one end to the other. Well, I just got corrected, the answer now is 200,000 years. How come? Turns out that our Milky Way is bigger than we thought. Nothing to do with the James Webb Space Telescope, but light would take around that long to get across any one of the galaxies shown above. Of course, there are larger ones, like IC 1101. Light would take 6 million years to get across this giant frisbee. Of course, each speck in those JWST photos represents either a galaxy or galaxy cluster, meaning light would take from 100,000 to maybe a billion light years to across...each speck.

DAY 1 on the DIAMOND PRINCESS

But first, Sheraton Yokohama Bay highlights of our Sheraton Club eats/drinks and breakfasts. Breakfast stations. Then taxi off to the Diamond Princess. Fall colors. Approaching from the rear of the Diamond Princess. Departure of Diamond Princess from Yokohama, Departure snack of lamb, beef, penne pasta, Johnny Walker Gold and champagne. Leaving Yokohama. We then went to Kai Sushi for dinner, Sushi and sake dinner, Then, off to Fun Dance Class. That followed by karaoke. The night continued into some old time disco. Finally, after midnight, back to our stateroom. Walked 4127 steps today. -

ON THE MATTER OF PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Hawaii today celebrates King Kamehameha the First Day as a public holiday. Next Monday, June 19, or Juneteenth, is a Federal holiday. However, 22 states, including Hawaii, do not recognize this as a public holiday. Four of these will begin to honor this day next year, not Hawaii. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery. Here are the Hawaii holidays, and note three that only we have: New Year’s Day: 1st day in January Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: 3rd Monday in January Presidents’ Day: 3rd Monday in February Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day: 26th day in March Good Friday: Friday before Easter Easter: Calculating Easter Memorial Day: Last Monday in May King Kamehameha I Day: 11th day in June Independence Day: 4th day in July Statehood Day: 3rd Friday in August Labor Day: 1st Monday in September Veterans’ Day: 11th day in November Thanksgiving Day: 4th Thursday in November Christmas: 25th day in December There are 11 paid Fede...

HOW TO WATCH NETFLIX SHOWS

But first, maybe President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza Peace Plan is showing some progress . No one expects the Hamas to accept all of them, but they did agree to release all captives and the act of handing over administration to Palestinian technocrats. So far, in the Gaza Strip, 66,288 have been killed and 169,165 wounded. On 7October2023, almost two years ago, 1139 were killed in the initial Hamas-led attack. About my topic of the day, I've long been lamenting the overflow of watchable films and series available on Netflix and Prime. Why expand into the plethora of other streaming options when I can't keep up with what I have, which costs me around $30/month. And, of course, why venture out to a movie theater to end up watching a film that will cost me around that amount of money, when you add the popcorn, drink, gasoline cost, time it takes to get there and back, and the risk of a car accident or worse. Oh, also getting infected with ...

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