Sirius, designated Alpha Canis Majoris, is the brightest star in the
night sky with a visual magnitude of −1.46. It is a close binary star
system, consisting of Sirius A, a white main-sequence star, and a faint
companion white dwarf, Sirius B, which was originally a massive bluish
star that became a red giant before shedding its outer layers and
collapsing to a white dwarf. It is one of Earth's near neighbors, at 2.6
parsecs (8.6 light-years). Sirius A is about twice as massive as the
Sun and has an absolute magnitude of 1.42. It is 25 times more luminous
than the Sun but has a lower luminosity than other bright stars. The
system is 200 to 300 million years old. Sirius is known as the "Dog
Star", due to its prominence in its constellation, Canis Major. The
rising of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile in Ancient Egypt and
the "dog days" of summer for the ancient Greeks, while to the
Polynesians it was important for Pacific navigation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1861:
Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States
of America, gave an extemporaneous speech laying out the Confederacy's
rationale for seceding from the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone_Speech>
1968:
War of Attrition: The Battle of Karameh took place between the
Israel Defense Forces and allied troops of the Palestine Liberation
Organization and the Jordanian Armed Forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Karameh>
2006:
A man smashed the statue of Phra Phrom at the Erawan Shrine in
Bangkok, Thailand, with a hammer, and was subsequently beaten to death
by bystanders.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erawan_Shrine>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
carceral:
(formal or literary) Of or pertaining to imprisonment or a prison.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/carceral>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Everything rhythmically organic is true. Everything, which
results from the proper feeling for rhythmically organized spiritual
units, is true and alive — alive within itself. When we lose the sense
for such true beauty we lose our natural sense for the rich flavor of
life, which is the basis for all inspirational work.
--Hans Hofmann
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hans_Hofmann>
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