Unto us a Sun is given!

An early “Shining Solstice” to readers of Friendly Freethinker!

A BBC article amazes us with a description of the NASA probe circling Our Star– the Sun:

“Just as landing on the Moon allowed scientists to understand how it was formed, touching the Sun is a gigantic stride for humanity to help us uncover critical information about our closest star and its influence on the Solar System,” said Nicola Fox, the director of Nasa’s heliophysics science division.

The Parker Solar Probe is one of the most audacious missions ever mounted by the agency.

Launched three years ago, its goal is to make repeated, and ever closer, passes of the Sun. The spacecraft moves at colossal speed, at over 500,000km/h (320,000mph).”

Truly Sun-tacular!

Back here on our Warming Earth. . .

My column for this week is:

Welcoming the Solstice Season of Light, Dark and Gray

Here’s an excerpt:

“I’ve always found this season a mixture of gladness and sadness, light and dark and a whole lot of gray. Both my parents passed away in these colder, grayer months, but their memory still warms as well. Though I no longer celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, I still enjoy some lights, greenery and the exchange of a few gifts. I have no problem saying “Merry Christmas” to those who greet me that way (though I wish they would be aware not everyone is a Christian). I often say “Have a Shining Solstice” or similar to friends and family. The important thing is to share as much light as we can without being blind to the gifts that darkness can bring, the goodness of the shadowed times when we can find rest and read, be silent, sing, sleep or simply slow down. The days are shorter, reminding us how short life is. Not necessarily a somber thought (somber: “under shade”). Sometimes there’s too much light, too much exposure, too much going on. We can use a little time in the shade, the gray, even a bit of chill. It can feel so good to get toasty after a frosty walk.”