Dazzling

Miners in Angola have uncovered a massive pink diamond that may be the biggest gem of its kind found in the past 300 years.The pink diamond is estimated to weigh 170 carats, making it just a smidge smaller than the 182-carat Daria-i-Noor diamond – the largest pink diamond in the world, which today is part of the Iranian National Jewels.  The new diamond has been nicknamed the "Lulo Rose," after the Lulo mine in northeastern Angola where it was found, according to a statement from the Lucapa Diamond Company, which owns…

If you’ve spent too much time lately watching garbage TV and feeling miserable about the state of the world, so has Billie Eilish.The 20-year-old singer-songwriter, three months after her Coachella headline set, released a pair of new singles on Thursday, the fan-favorite live cut “TV” and “The 30th.” Both are graceful, acoustic guitar-driven ballads with a very 2022 sense of alienation and worry.Eilish and her producer/brother Finneas have played versions of “TV” on her current tour (the recorded version samples some…

A solar storm sparked a brilliant display of the aurora after a solar storm struck Earth on Wednesday. Aurora is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions. Auroras are the result of…

Credit: NIWA Scientists working in Antarctica have captured breath-taking photos of the skies above the icy continent, including these mesmerizing shots taken by Antarctica New Zealand science technician Stuart Shaw, who is stationed at Scott Base for the winter. …

Big Hero 6 director Chris Williams jumps ship – literally – from Disney to Netflix for this immensely enjoyable animated maritime adventure. Aiming its harpoon at everything from Moby-Dick to Master and Commander, the film unfolds in a distant past in which generations of brave hunters have battled with a variety of fearsome monsters of the deep. But what, the film asks, if the real enemy is not the giant fish that is just going about its business, but a power that is rather closer to home? A few slightly pantomime-voice…

Solar flares have become more and more common in our Sun in recent months. As our star continues to flex its magnetic power, we’re sure to see more. Now, though, a solar flare video created using images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory gives us a dazzling view of the most recent flare-up. This solar flare video is absolutely stunning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OXrgy9Qf3Y The video was captured using Helioviewer.org and uploaded to YouTube. The solar flare video showcases a growing sunspot…

It starts with The Visitors, an icy, electronic track in which authoritarian agents hammer on the door of a fearful dissident – not the Abba you expected to come calling in this trailblazing, retro-futurist extravaganza of a show. The song’s lead singer, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, is, as we all know, not really on stage tonight either. She and her bandmates are 3D renderings created via the granular CGI of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which cut its teeth on Star Wars and the Marvel films.Lyngstad’s verisimilitude is,…

When asked how to write in a world dominated by a white culture, Toni Morrison once responded: “By trying to alter language, simply to free it up, not to repress or confine it … Tease it. Blast its racist straitjacket.” At a time when structural imbalances of capital, health, gender and race deepen divides, the young American Leila Mottley’s debut novel is a searing testament to the liberated spirit and explosive ingenuity of such storytelling.Based on a true crime in 2015 involving institutional exploitation, brutality…

Among Charles Koechlin’s huge catalogue of works – well over 200 with opus numbers, and plenty more without – there are four symphonies. Like most of Koechlin’s music they are rarely performed, but his Seven Stars Symphony at least gets sporadic performances, and, as the Capriccio release proves, even occasional recordings. Having been rather disdainful of silent film, Koechlin realised the potency of the talkies in 1932 when he saw Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel, and quickly became so enthralled by the new art form…

Skywatchers will have a chance to catch sight of the dazzling Eta Aquarid meteor shower in just a couple of days. The meteor shower is set to kick off on Thursday, May 5, 2022. During the event, you’ll be able to see as many as 50 shooting stars an hour, if the weather is clear. How to watch the upcoming Eta Aquarid meteor shower Image source: Benedict / Adobe The best views of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower will come in the hours before dawn. That’s because these meteors aren’t extremely bright. As such,…