Ryan Teague

Andromeda Galaxy: Largest Photo Ever [video]

/ David James / Leave a comment

A couple days ago, NASA released a new photo of the Andromeda galaxy, our closest galactic neighbor.

Hubble produced one of the largest images ever created. With 1,500,000,000 pixels, you’d apparently need “more than 600 HD television screens” to view the entire thing at once. Instead, check this sublime video to get a swooping, zooming view of the galaxy.

What you’re seeing is a selection of over 100 million stars embedded in a section of the disc galaxy, spanning 40,000 light-years. That’s astounding.

If you want to see the full image for yourself, check out Hubble’s Zoom Tool. You’ll be able to pan and zoom as deep as you’d like, to view individual stars from the far end of the galaxy. It’ll take a minute to load at the deepest levels, but it’s worth it.

Sharpest ever view of the Andromeda Galaxy

Here’s a smaller “thumbnail” of the real deal, just to give you an idea of the scope at play here.

And finally, if you’re enjoying the song in that video, I’ve got it streaming below. Artist name Koda; he’s new to me.

Watching the video, I was thinking at first that I was hearing Ryan Teague. By the end I was convinced it was Sigur Rós. I’d say Koda falls somewhere between, and far more subtly. It’s not normally my sort of thing, but I might check out his other work.

So, I’m well aware you can view the image on all sorts of high profile sites, but I wanted to share it here because I’ve got a deeply rooted fascination with and love for anything space related. Thanks for reading!

Please, for the love of all that is holy, check out that Zoom Tool!

This Week

/ David James / 1 Comment

Here is a quick round up of some things I’ve been into lately:

  • Kraftwerk 1

One of three albums in their “lost” period before Autobahn, this is more akin to Popol Vuh and Ash Ra Tempel than the ‘man-machine’ electronic pioneering sound they’re known for.  Alternating dark drones and punchy pysch hairiness, it pairs well with my pitch black coffee and readies my day for the noise ahead.

[check it out]

  • Machinedrum – Room(s)

I sort of liked this when it came out last year.  I wasn’t excited for it, I wasn’t into high speed clipped vocals and juke rhythms, and I was probably just into something completely different at the time.  When I brought it back out on a whim a couple months ago, Room(s) already felt fresher – then I made a copy for my car.  Now it’s become a favorite driving accompaniment and sounds exponentially better with volume properly cranked.  Hell, I included its moodiest track in the Shadow Piece mixtape.  It’s fast and reveling in footwork colors and properly alien to first-time listeners, but there’s a depth and range of feeling here that doesn’t often crop up on dance albums.  It’s this emotional tug that keeps it spinning and my interest pegged.

[seriously get it]

  • Ryan Teague

This guy just released Field Drawings and it’s been floating me for weeks.  It was actually the first new album I heard after my mother passed and felt like it was piercing my dark world with a bit of much needed light.  I’ll have more to say about this in another post.  Just listen to the intro track above.

  • This handsome devil.

This is Tres, my cat’s cat.  He was third in his litter, hence the name.  Not everyone is a fan but to me, this is the most affectionate animal I’ve known.  He’s a needy little bastard and seems nervous despite his unapologetic laziness.  He is a bit out of shape but he’s spry.  I think he’s allergic to pollen.  He’s sitting on my lap as I type so I thought I’d share.