I’d like to share this photograph of Earth from Saturn’s orbit, taken by the Cassini probe in 2013.

Earth is that tiny point to the right & down from the center.

Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot”, a reflection on a photo of Earth taken by Voyager 1 in 1990, comes to mind:

Q: Thou are notified that thy kind hath infiltrated the galaxy too far already. Thou art directed to return to thine own solar system immediately.

Picard: That's quite a directive. Would you mind identifying who you are?

Q: We call ourselves the Q.

*entire bridge crew cringes*

Q: Oh? You've heard of me?

Picard: Are you associated with the conspiracy-driven propaganda hate group found on Earth in the early 21st century?

Q: Well I must admit, I have dabbled in such things from time to time... but specifically? No.

*entire bridge crew looks relieved*

Q: But this is precisely why I am here, Picard. You can't deny that you're still a dangerous, savage child race.

Picard: Most certainly I deny it. That nonsense is centuries behind us.

Q: Then prove it, mon capitaine, through trial by combat!

*entire bridge crew cringes again*

Q: I suppose you'd prefer a mock trial and execution? I have a gibbet right here!

*another round of cringes, some shaking their heads sadly*

Q: Now see here, I'm not going to let you steal this from me!

*many of the bridge crew look visibly ill*

Q: This is ludicrous! I'm not going to let the mistakes of the past dictate my options here and now!

Picard: That's what you've gotten wrong, Q. Look at us, look at humanity, here and now. If we hadn't learned from the past, it would not be possible for us to be where are are.

Good morning America! You all seem thrilled about Biden’s moon rock. Its symbolism, of the scientific and exploratory achievements that have been made – and will ideally soon be surpassed – certainly hits home.

What you might not know is that rock has an *epic* backstory. 1/x

This rock is known as Lunar Sample 76015,143 - an unromantic name for one of the geologic treasures brought back from the Moon during the Apollo era. This was scooped up by the Apollo 17 astronauts, including Harrison Schmitt, the only professional geologist sent to the moon. 2/x

But that’s not where our story begins. The rock's sage starts 4.5 billion years earlier.

I don’t know if you know this, but you should: the Moon is a hole-punched volcanic crypt, a place sculpted by huge impacts and strange, epic effusions of lava. 3/x

We don’t know how the Moon formed. But the leading theory, partly because it’s the simplest, is that a Mars-sized protoplanet slammed into a magma ocean-covered baby Earth. The impact debris formed an orbiting disk, and it clumped together. Et voilà. 4/x

A whole bunch of cool stuff happened after that. But our moon rock comes into the picture around 600 million years later, around the time giant space rocks were pelting the Moon, Marco Inaros-style. They left some epic scars, mostly on the nearside for some unknown reason. 5/x

Just as the Sun moves through the Zodiac, medieval astrologers of the Islamic world also noted the movement of the Moon through a zodiac of its own, known as manzil al qamar or the lunar mansions.

A thread on the astrology and magic of the moon

There are 28 stations the moon travels through forming the basis of a lunar calendar used in ancient Arabia and drawn into the medieval astrology of the Islamic world.

A quick list of some of the mansions (though not all)

The first mansion is Sharatayn is of the nature of fire and is the period to take medicine and to avoid trade.

Its talismans are made to cause harm and destruction

The second mansion is Butayn of the nature of fire and is a period favorable to rulers, but less favorable for marriage.

Its talismans are made to find buried treasure and to soften the anger of kings.

The third mansion Thuraya is a good time to make requests of rulers and to travel.

Its talisman is made to grant wishes and acquire wonders and goods.

The next great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be December 21, 2020. That date is, coincidentally, the date of the December solstice.

The rare occurrence will happen after sunset on Dec. 21, 2020, the start of the winter solstice.

As we bid farewell to 2020, while it has been a difficult year for so many, one positive has been the steps forward we have made in space exploration.

Here is my top ten..

1/ @SpaceX launched astronauts to space for the first time on May 30.

@AstroBehnken and @Astro_Wheels became the first two astronauts to ride aboard Crew Dragon.

It was also the first time that @NASA astronauts had launched from US soil since July 2011.

@AstroBehnken @Astro_Wheels @NASA 2/ NASA’s Perseverance rover was launched to Mars.

Due to land on the Red Planet on Feb 18 2021, the mission – hunting for past signs of life- will last a year and also has the first helicopter to ever be flown on the planet!

@AstroBehnken @Astro_Wheels @NASA 3/ Phosphine gas was claimed to be detected on the planet of Venus.

This could be exciting as it could mean simple life might exist on the planet.

But there is still a lot of debate around this

@AstroBehnken @Astro_Wheels @NASA 4/ Water ice was confirmed on the surface of the Moon.

Studies also showed it is more common than first thought, with water ice identified on the Moons sunlit surface.

Potential here is huge for future Moon explorers.