Above: An artist's concept (not to scale) of Chandra observing the black hole eclipse. [More]

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed a remarkable eclipse of a supermassive black hole, allowing a disk of hot matter swirling around the hole to be measured for the first time.

The supermassive black hole is located in NGC 1365, a spiral galaxy 60 million light years from Earth. It contains a so-called active galactic nucleus, or AGN. Scientists believe that a black hole at the center of the AGN is fed a steady stream of material from a surrounding disk. Matter just about to fall into a black hole should be heated to millions of degrees before passing over the event horizon, or point of no return. This super-heated disk material glows brightly in the X-ray part of the electromagnetic spectrum where Chandra can see it.

Right: The black hole eclipse occurred in the core of this barred spiral galaxy, NGC 1365. [More]

The Chandra team directly measured the diameter of the X-ray source as about seven times the distance between the Sun and the Earth or 7 AU (astronomical units). For comparison, if such a disk were placed in our own solar system, it would swallow all the planets out to Mars and most of the asteroid belt as well.

A Judge in Romania was demoted and given a pay cut after co-workers accused her of witchcraft- and it didn't help her case that these accusations came after she threatened to hex people she didn't get along with.

A little boy and his parents are suing his school after they refused to allow him to dress as Jesus for a costume party. His parents are alleging religious discrimination, pointing out children dressed as witches and devils as example. The law of unintended consequences at work.

An Islamic Cleric in Malaysia suggested a novel way to prevent rape: chastity belts. A Russian woman who discovered her baby was listed as number 666 in a baby registration book is suing for a new number.

Finally, a man in Indiana is arrested for trying to cash a fraudulent check. How do they know it's fake? It's signed by God, and it's for fifty thousand dollars.

Some interesting links:

• Nostradamus – Good Nostradamus information here including: selected prophecies on many interesting topics, his life and methods, as well as the text of his complete prophecies in English.
• The Gravitational Impulse Generator – In 2001, Dr. Evgeny Podkletnov began publishing a series of scientific papers detailing the experimental results of what he called an "impulse gravity generator" that had many interesting effects.
• How to Make a Ghost: Magic and Mysticism in Tibet – Authors note that fictional characters have a tendency to take on a life of their own. But few readers realize just how literally they mean it.

The Ouroboros

Ouroboros is a greek word, and means "tail swallower." The ouroboros is usually depicted in the form of a snake swallowing its tail, and is usually circular, although it is sometimes depicted in a lemniscate (figure eight) shape. It originated in Egypt as a symbol of the sun, and represented the travels of the sun disk. In Gnosticism, it was related to the solar God Abraxas, and signified eternity and the soul of the world. In alchemy, it represents the spirit of Mercury (the substance that permeates all matter), and symbolizes continuous renewal (a snake is often a symbol of resurrection, as it appears to be continually reborn as it sheds its skin.), the cycle of life and death, and harmony of opposites. A double ouroboros (two creatures swallowing one another) in alchemy signifies volatility. The Ouroboros appears in many other cultures and settings as well...the Serpent Jormungandr of Norse legend, who encircled the world, and guarded Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life, is often depicted as an ouroboros. The Aztec serpent God Queztacoatl was depicted similarly, and Chinese alchemical dragons have both similar shapes and meaning.

Thanks for coming by and I hope you're having a great week. I'm enjoying a much-deserved week off from work so you know I'm smiling. My work on the final story 'Spell of The Dark Fae' is proving to be an interesting challenge. The previous four short stories in the collection are in locations that I have physically been to, while the climax of this final one is Mt. Kailash, a place I could only dream of visiting. What fueled my fascination was the fact that not only only is this mountain considered a holy site by no less than 3 religions and including millions of people, it has also never been climbed due to its status as a holy site. One legend claims that Shiva sits high atop the mountain in an invisible palace, swords poised to inflict punishment on the unfaithful.

See you in the ether !