Fifteen-thousand light years away in the northern constellation of Sagitta (the Arrow), a pair of aging Sun-like stars orbited each other so closely that the larger of the two eventually completely engulfed the other.
Nasa scientists believe that the smaller star continued orbiting inside its dominant companion, increasing the giant’s rotation rate. The bloated companion star spun so fast that a large part of its gaseous envelope expanded into space.
Due to centrifugal force, most of the gas escaped along the star’s equator, producing bright diamond-like flashes that are actually clumps of dense gas that span 12 trillion miles.
The Hubble telescope captured a beautiful pic of what Nasa has nicknamed the "Necklace Nebula." The space agency shared the photo last week on its Hubble telescope Instagram page, here. As of Sunday night, the post titled "Happy #JewelDay!" has earned more than 84,000 Likes.
Nasa explained that the dominant star and its companion are only a few million miles apart, and appear in the photo as a single bright dot at the center of the formation. Radiating from the center, one can see the glow of oxygen (green), hydrogen (blue) and nitrogen (red).
Credit: Image courtesy of ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Noll.
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you wonderful tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, the brainy British performer who blinded us with science in 1982, admits to being “Cruel” in a deeply personal song about an emotionally lopsided romance. Thomas Dolby, with a sweet assist from Eddi Reader, uses jewelry imagery to tell the story of a thoughtless boyfriend who refuses to change his ways.
He sings, “You were a shining pearl / In a broken shell / Under moonlight / And I was cruel.”
Dolby and Reader trade verses throughout the song, but join voices in a line about chasing false hope.
Together they sing, “But when my tears are washed away / You’ll still be blind / Skin-diving / For jewels.”
“Cruel” was released in 1992 as the second track from Dolby’s fourth studio album Astronauts & Heretics. Although the song failed to meet the commercial success of his biggest hit, “She Blinded Me With Science,” Dolby told PopMatters.com in 2008 that “Cruel” was one of three songs that best defined him as an artist.
When asked by PopMatters.com what he wanted to be remembered for, he answered, “My more obscure songs like ‘Screen Kiss,’ ‘I Love You Goodbye’ and ‘Cruel.’ I think it’s inevitable when you have hits as big as I had with 'She Blinded Me With Science' and 'Hyperactive,' that still get played on the radio 20 years later, people will tend to assume those songs define your music. But in my case, the music I really care most about is my quieter, more personal side.”
Thomas Morgan Robertson was born in London in 1958. The son of a distinguished professor of classical Greek art and archaeology, Dolby sang in a choir at age 11 and learned to sight-read music shortly thereafter. The artist’s stage name is a nod to Dolby noise-reduction cassettes. His schoolmates razzed him about the Dolby cassette player that he carried everywhere.
Dolby is primarily known for synth-pop, a subgenre of New Wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s. Dolby said he “got his hands on a kit-built synthesizer and never looked back.”
Early in his career, he promoted himself as a kind of musical mad scientist. Later on, he would become a technology entrepreneur in Silicon Valley.
He is currently the head of the Peabody Conservatory’s Music for New Media program at Johns Hopkins University. The four-time Grammy nominee will be touring this summer with appearances scheduled for Riverside, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Irving, TX; Houston, TX; Boston, MA; Atlantic City, NJ; Rochester Hills, MI; Cincinnati, OH; Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; and London, UK.
Please check out the audio track of Dolby and Welsh songstress Reader singing “Cruel.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“Cruel”
Written by Thomas Dolby. Performed by Dolby, featuring Eddi Reader.
Cruel – what a thing to do
I’ve been cruel to you such a long time
And how can I hide my shame
‘Cause there I go again
At the wrong time
And I know that it was just the fear of flying
And I know it’s hard to keep myself from crying
But when my tears are washed away
You’ll still be blind
Skin-diving
For jewels
You were a shining pearl
In a broken shell
Under moonlight
And I was cruel
And I know that it was just the fear of flying
And I know it’s hard to keep myself from crying
But when my tears are washed away
You’ll still be blind
Skin-diving
For jewels
Cruel – I’ve been such a fool
And I’ll be missing you
Such a long time
I was cruel
With many of you starting to plan your summer vacations, it's important to take note of the best ways to safeguard your fine jewelry when traveling. The importance of getting this right can't be overstated. In a recent survey by Jewelers Mutual (JM), nearly all respondents admitted to bringing their treasured pieces with them on holiday, while a surprisingly large chunk also reported suffering a loss.
For many women, their engagement ring is, by far, the most expensive piece of jewelry they possess, yet a whopping 87% of respondents regularly travel with this precious keepsake.
The pleasure of wearing your best jewelry on holiday has to be weighed against the risks. The JM survey revealed that a whopping 35% of respondents reported losing jewelry away from home. (Hotel rooms emerged as the most common location for such misfortunes).
JM recommends balancing fashion options with the purpose of your trip. If you are going to a beachy resort, you may get away with a few pieces of casual jewelry or no jewelry at all. If you're traveling for work or attending a destination wedding, it's likely your better jewelry will be making the trip.
Says JM, be sure to take an inventory of the pieces you choose to bring for your records. Pack them securely in your carry-on bag and wear any jewelry that reasonably suits your traveling attire. For added security, avoid wearing overly flashy or expensive jewelry while traveling.
Make sure to keep the carry-on bag in your sight at all times. That includes offers of help from airport staff, cab drivers, bellhops and the like.
If you do decide to remove your jewelry for whatever reason, put it into your carry-on bag, not in a TSA bin or bowl.
Never, never, never pack your fine jewelry in checked luggage.
According to the JM survey, approximately 40% of respondents said they insure their travel jewelry. Yet, nearly half of these individuals rely on their homeowners' policies, which typically have lower, insufficient coverage limits for jewelry.
In fact, about 50% of travelers attested they were uncertain whether their insurance policies provided adequate coverage while traveling abroad.
Travelers with insurance were more likely to secure their jewelry in hotel safes and dedicated travel cases, while those without insurance tended to keep their jewelry close by during their travels, reported JM.
The JM study also revealed that younger adults are more likely to opt for specialized jewelry insurance, recognizing the unique advantages it offers in safeguarding their precious possessions beyond traditional homeowners' or renters' policies.
"Our goal is to educate and empower consumers to safeguard their jewelry so they can wear it without worry,” said Howard Stone, vice president of Global Risk Services and Analytics at Jewelers Mutual. “The insights gained from our latest study underscore the need for more informed decision-making when it comes to traveling with jewelry, and we are committed to being a trusted advisor for loss prevention education and helping consumers keep themselves and their jewelry safe."
The Jewelers Mutual study of 300 adults was conducted in August of 2023 by usertesting.com via an online survey.
Panamanian archeologists have recovered a trove of golden treasures from the 1,200-year-old tomb of a powerful chief at El Caño, an ancient necropolis about 110 miles southwest of Panama City in Coclé province.
Among the artifacts discovered in the tomb were gold breastplates, gold bracelets, gold belts adorned with gold beads, gold-clad whale teeth earrings, a set of gold plates and gold earrings in the likenesses of a man, woman and crocodile.
Also in the funerary trousseau were two bells, skirts made with dog teeth and a set of bone flutes.
A more disturbing finding was that the tomb held as many as 32 other occupants, who were likely sacrificed to accompany the powerful leader to the "beyond." The archeologists said the chief was buried face-down, as was the custom of that society, but are unsure of the exact number of those who joined him because the excavation has yet to be completed.
Dr. Julia Mayo, the director of the El Caño Foundation, believes the tomb was constructed in 750 AD and that the gold items belonged to a high-status adult male from the Rio chiefdom who died in his 30s.
She added that the recovered items possess not only economic value, but also "incalculable historical and cultural value."
In ancient times, El Caño was considered a city of the dead. The necropolis was built circa 700 AD and abandoned circa 1000 AD, according to the researchers. In addition to monoliths, the site contained a cemetery and a ceremonial area with wooden buildings.
Mayo said the findings are significant because they shed new light on "multiple" or "simultaneous burials" of the Coclé society, which included a high-status person, as well as eight to 32 others, who were sacrificed to serve as companions in the afterlife.
Credit: Images courtesy of Ciudad del Saber/Panama Culture Ministry.
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you romantic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, a giddy and love-struck Brad Paisley is about to propose to his girlfriend, but accidentally leaves the engagement ring at home in 2001’s “You Have That Effect On Me.”
In this song, Paisley takes on the role of a young man who is so head-over-heels in love that he can hardly think straight. He tells his girlfriend how anxious he’s been during the past few weeks — that he’s been haunted by the vision of getting down on one knee and forgetting what to say. Each morning, while brushing his teeth, he’s rehearsed the lines, but still can’t get them straight.
He successfully acquires the ring of her dreams, but when it's finally time to pop the question, the awkward boyfriend comes up short.
Paisley sings, “You’ve had your eyes on a 2-carat ring / I finally went out and I bought it / Right now it’s at home sittin’ on my TV / Would you believe I forgot it.”
Our protagonist tries to explain away his absentmindedness: “You can’t blame me ’cause it’s plain to see that you have that effect on me.”
The character Paisley portrays in the song may be a close reflection of himself.
The singer famously recounted how, as a 19-year-old, he became spellbound by actress Kimberly Williams, who starred in 1991’s Father of the Bride. Paisley developed an instant crush when he saw her on the big screen and his feelings only grew stronger when he saw her in Father of the Bride II in 1995. It wasn't until 2001 that he gathered the courage to contact the actress and ask her out on a date.
In Paisley's world, good things come to those who wait. Williams accepted his marriage proposal in August of 2002 and the couple tied the knot in March of 2003.
“You Have That Effect On Me” was the 11th track of Part II, his second studio album — a release that rose to #3 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #31 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Born in Glen Dale, WV, in 1972, Bradley Douglas “Brad” Paisley was introduced to country music by his grandfather, Warren Jarvis, who gave the eight-year-old his first guitar, a Sears Danelectro Silvertone. Jarvis taught his grandson to play, and by the age of 10, Paisley was already performing at his church.
While in junior high, Paisley was doing a show at a local Rotary Club, when he was discovered by a program director for a Wheeling, WV, radio station. He was invited to be a guest on the popular radio show “Wheeling Jamboree” and the rest is history.
Paisley has sold more than 11 million albums, won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards and two American Music Awards. In 2001, at the age of 28, he became the youngest artist ever to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
He is currently on a European tour with performances scheduled in Glasgow, London and Belfast.
Please check out the audio track of Paisley performing “You Have That Effect on Me.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“You Have That Effect On Me”
Written by Brad Paisley and Frank Rogers. Performed by Brad Paisley.
Every morning the last couple of weeks
In between shaving and brushing my teeth
I’d lean on the sink and practice my lines
By now you would think they’d be memorized
But leave it to me to come all this way
Get down on one knee and forget what to say
I’m at a loss, should have known this is how it would be
‘Cause you have that effect on me
I must admit I still don’t understand
Why I lose my head holding your hand
There’s no explanation, no simple excuse
For this intoxication I feel around you
Now truth be known since I’ve met you girl
I’ve been walkin’ around in my own little world
One look in my eyes, oh and darlin’ any fool could see
That you have that effect on me
You’ve had your eyes on a 2-carat ring
I finally went out and I bought it
Right now it’s at home sittin’ on my TV
Would you believe I forgot it
But you can’t blame me ’cause it’s plain to see
That you have that effect on me
Yeah, you have that effect on me
Girl, you have that effect on me