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American Astrophysicist Dr Kim Weaver was born on 19 April 1964 in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Dr Weaver says:

In her 20s, she had already discovered a galaxy and been awarded a PhD for her study of "The Complex Broad-band X-ray Spectra of Seyfert Galaxies". Soon after that she received a Presidential Early Career award to continue her X-ray work on black holes. She has had various jobs, including that of Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters for the Spitzer Space Telescope, Associate Director for Science at NASA's Goddard Flight Center, and more recently, US Project Scientist for XMM-Newton, an X-ray space observatory launched by the European Space Agency.

Dr Weaver says:

And she's not selfish about hoarding the excitement of X-Ray astronomy.

Books like the ones she devoured as a child make her want to inspire new generations to look to the stars. She has appeared in television programs and films as “the public face of NASA at Goddard,” and has written a popular book The Violent Universe: Joyrides Through the X-Ray Cosmos.
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On this day in 2017 – April 26th – the Cassini spacecraft made the first dive of the Grande Finale of its 13-year study of the Saturnian system.

It was the beginning of a series of close orbits that involved Cassini diving between Saturn and its rings. Astronomers collected data to learn more about the origins, mass, and age of Saturn's rings, as well as the mysteries of the gas giant's interior.

On this day in 1920 – April 26th – the Shapley-Curtis debate took place regarding the nature and distance of "spiral nebulae".

Even in 1920, we didn't know what the "spiral nebulae" were. Were they objects in our Milky Way galaxy and therefore comparatively close? Or were they "island universes", i.e., other galaxies, and therefore at a great distance?

A bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

—Isaiah 42:3

It is love alone that gives worth to all things.

Teresa of Ávila

Saint Teresa of Ávila was a 16th-century Catholic nun and mystic. She is known for her inspired spiritual writings and for founding numerous convents across Spain. In her books, letters, and poems, she described the asceticism and contemplation that she practiced alongside her fellow nuns. She believed love was a divine force that imbued earthly life with meaning and value. She wrote, “Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.”

Review of Boost Your Online Brand: Make Creative Animated Banners in Adobe Photoshop by Andrea Anzai, a Skillshare course.

Animated Banners in Photoshop by Andrea Anzai

“For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalm 89:1)

Mother's Day is approaching and kids (of all ages) want to present a special heart felt gift to their moms. Simple and inexpensive handmade gifts are especially cherished by moms everywhere.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas to Sew

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Northern Irish astronomer and mathematician Annie Scott Dill Maunder (née Russell) was born in Strabane, County Tyron on April 14, 1868.

Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1916, she was already a member of the British Astronomical Association (of which her husband was a founder member in 1890). She had been rejected as a fellow 24 years earlier because the RAS didn't accept women until 1916. (Shame!)

Annie took part in five expeditions with her husband Edward Walter Maunder to observe total solar eclipses, these being to Lapland (9 Aug 1896), India (22 Jan 1898, during which event she obtained the longest coronal extension photographed up to that time), Algiers (28 May 1900, which she observed and photographed from the roof of the Hotel de la Régence, Algiers), Mauritius (18 May 1901) and Labrador (30 Aug 1905).

As well as serving two periods as editor of the Journal of the British Astronomical Society (1894-1896 and 1917-1930), she wrote several books in collaboration with her husband Edward Walter Maunder, including ‘The Heavens and Their Story’ (1908). The 54 km diameter lunar crater Maunder, located on the northern shores of Mare Orientale and just beyond the western limb of the Moon, is named in her honour and in honour of Edward Walter Maunder.

Credit: Society for the History of Astronomy

On this day in 1990 – April 25th – the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed.

The Space Shuttle Discovery successfully launched the telescope during its STS-31 mission.

On this day in 1970 – April 24th – China became the fifth nation to launch its own satellite.

The satellite Dongfanghong I had a design life of 20 days. During that time, it transmitted telemetry data and space readings to the Earth.

On this day in 1957 – April 24th – in Britain, the first ever broadcast of the BBC's monthly documentary television program, The Sky at Night, was aired.

The show was presented by Patrick Moore from its first airing until his death in 2012. It's been the longest-running program with the same presenter in television history, and continues to air with various astronomers presenting.

On this day in 1858 – April 23rd – Max Planck was born in Kiel, Germany.

Planck was a theoretical physicist best known as the originator of quantum theory. His work won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. The European Space Agency (ESA) named a space observatory for him - it mapped the cosmic microwave background from 2009-2013.

On this day in 1724 – April 22nd – the German philosopher Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg [now Kaliningrad, Russia].

In November 1969, His theoretical work in astronomy and cosmology anticipated and inspired later discoveries about our Galaxy and others, including the idea that the Solar System was a part of a system of stars constituting a lens-shaped galaxy, and that there were many other galaxies scattered throughout and making up the whole Universe.

On this day in 1967 – April 20th – NASA's Surveyor 3 unmanned probe landed on the Moon.

In November 1969, Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean landed near the probe and removed some parts to return them to Earth.

On this day in 2021 – April 19th – NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity lifted into the Martian sky for the first time.

It was the first time ever an aircraft flew on a world beyond Earth.

On this day in 1971 – April 19th – Salyut 1 was launched by the Soviet Union.

It was the first ever manned space station.

On this day in 2014 – April 18th – NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) was intentionally crashed into the Moon at end of its mission.

LADEE, orbiting the Moon's equator, studied the lunar exosphere and dust in the Moon's vicinity. It was crashed on the far side of the Moon to ensure that it didn't damage historically important landing sites on the near side.

On this day in 1598 – April 17th – Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli was born in Ferrara.

Riccioli is best known for the Almagestum Novum published in 1651. It included his Moon map and over 1500 folio pages densely packed with text, tables and illustrations. The work became a standard technical reference book for astronomers all over Europe and included the names of prominent lunar features still in use today.

On this day in 1972 – April 16th – Apollo 16 was launched.

It was crewed by Commander John Young, Lunar Module Pilot Charles Duke, and Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly.

On this day in 1868 – April 14th – Irish astronomer and mathematician Annie Scott Dill Maunder (née Russell) was born in Strabane, County Tyrone.

She worked at Greenwich Observatory, but had to give up her job when she married her colleague Edward Maunder. However they made a formidable team, going on solar eclipse expeditions together and collaborating on publications. Annie also served as editor of the Journal of the British Astronomical Society and was one of the first women to become a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

On this day in 1629 – April 14th – Dutch scientist, mathematician and inventor, Christiaan Huygens, was born in The Hague.

Huygens was a prominent scientist in his day. His varied contributions included the invention of the pendulum clock, and the discovery of Saturn's moon Titan. ESA (European Space Agency) named its Titan lander after him.

On this day in 1579 – April 13th – Giovanni Battista Hodierna was born in Ragusa, Sicily.

Hodierna was an astronomer at the court of the Duke of Montechiaro in Piedmont, Italy. Pre-dating Charles Messier by over a century, he compiled a sky catalog that included a number of nebulous objects that might be confused with comets.

Posted my latest review on Selective Focus. "The Fox" is based on the true life story of the filmmaker's great-grandfather. The story begins in the 1920s in Austria, where the young boy Franz lives with his family in extreme poverty. In order to save the boy from starvation, his parents relinquish custody. As a young man, Franz joins the Army and ends up as a motorcycle courier serving in Hitler's army. "The Fox" is not a war film, however. It's about human and cross-species relationships, as the alienated young man adopts a fox cub and develops a deep bond with the animal. Here's the link. The Fox Film Review

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

—John 16:33