Digital Pigeon

From Benn Kobb's Experimental Radio News:

High Frequency stations

May 22, 2026

The FCC recently renewed the licenses of several shortwave stations believed to be connected with high-speed automated trading. These experimental stations are authorized to operate in multiple HF bands with effective radiated power levels up to 1000 kW (1 MW).

Licensees renewed include 3DB Communication, 10Band, Toggle Communications, Farside Communications and RCA Telecom.

The FCC formerly allowed these types of stations to avoid sending station identification. As covered in ERN issue 14 and Radio World, the FCC later removed that mysterious exemption.

New license conditions point to FCC plans

New conditions placed on the licenses read, "This operation under the experimental license will not be renewed, extended, or subject to modification" and "This license expires on either the start date of a license issued for these operations by the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) or the expiration date of this license, whichever is earlier."

The wording suggests that the FCC will graduate these stations from experimental status to regular operation, licensed not by the Experimental Licensing Branch but by the WTB which regulates commercial stations other than broadcast media.

Another HF licensee, Delmarva Broadband Services, requested renewal of its license for WJ2XXS in Yorkville, IL. "Delmarva is operating at 60 watts average transmitted power and intends to further reduce operations to 15 watts average power," the company told the FCC.

"This operational approach is substantially below the maximum power levels authorized in the existing grant (which includes authorization up to 6000 watts PEP), and reflects Delmarva’s continued effort to minimize interference risk while collecting meaningful experimental data."

To access issue 15 of Experimental Radio News, go to https://www.experimentalradio.news

A subscription to ERN requires only an email address.

Shortwave Radiogram now changes to Olivia 64-2000 …

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Coming soon: Extreme Shortwave, a sibling project to Shortwave Radiogram.

Extreme Shortwave will demonstrate the ability of slow but robust digital modes to convey information in difficult reception conditions.

Details soon.

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From Deutsche Welle:

Space race: Why Portugal is reaching for the stars A spaceport is being built on a small Portuguese island in the Atlantic. Is Portugal on the verge of becoming a space nation?

Jochen Faget May 31, 2026

Imagine rockets being launched from the Azores, an archipelago out in the Atlantic Ocean, carrying Portuguese-built satellites into space — and then picture reusable space capsules returning to base.

While this may sound like a rather futuristic scenario, elements of it could soon become reality. Portugal, after all, is working hard to become a spacefaring nation, with the help of its many highly skilled engineers and EU cooperation.

"Portugal has modernized considerably over the past 20 years," Portuguese Space Agency President Ricardo Conde tells DW. "Our universities produce outstanding engineers. We have created human capital that we can build on."

Conde, whose agency was founded in 2019, says about 80 different companies now employ some 2,000 highly qualified workers across Portugal's space industry. It generated a turnover of €200 million ($232.5 million) last year, according to Conde, with even greater productivity expected this year.

This is "because we hold another trump card: the Azores," Conde says.

Indeed, Portugal is presently building a spaceport on the sleepy Azores island of Santa Maria.

"This will be a big deal," Ivo Vieira of space industry group AED Cluster Portugal tells DW. "The European Space Rider spaceplane is even slated to land there in 2028."

It will float down on huge parachutes and land right beside the old runway, which was once built by the Americans during World War II and is now barely ever used. Vieira says a rocket launch is planned for 2030, which will send "a South Korean satellite into orbit."

Several satellite communication antennas are already in operation on the island, he adds.

Will Portugal seek to rival US spaceports?

Is Portugal in the process of establishing its very own Cape Canaveral? Not exactly. Bruno Carvalho of spaceport operator ASC says it will not rival the vast US rocket launch site. Advertisement

"It is much smaller and more of an addition to the European Kourou spaceport in French Guiana," Carvalho explains. "We will be a cost-effective launch site for smaller rockets with smaller satellites, within the EU, which is strategically important."

The space port's remote location in the Atlantic also means spacecrafts can safely land in the ocean without posing a potential danger to anyone. Thirty-five people will work at the spaceport once everything is set up and ready. This makes for a far smaller and cheaper operation than US launch sites.

Carvalho also wants the site to tap into local resources and hopes it could strengthen the local economy: "Maybe we can bring back young people who have left the island."

The first Azores spacecraft landing could take place later this year.

"Portuguese authorities have approved the first EU splashdown for the Phoenix 2.1 transport space capsule," Marta Oliveira of ATMOS Space Cargo tells DW.

Oliveira, co-founder of the German space logistics firm, aims to deliver satellites to orbit at low cost using reusable capsules. She jokingly describes her venture as "the FedEx of space."

For now, transporters are sent into space using SpaceX, though that could change, says Oliveira, as "we are in talks with European companies." The plan is for spacecraft to land in the Atlantic, near the Azores island of Santa Maria, with "ASC spaceport facilitating logistics and coordinating with the local authorities, which is ideal for us."

Portugal's compact satellites

What is still missing are satellites.

"Three Portuguese centers are developing them," says Ricardo Conde. "One is the CEiiA consortium in Porto in the north, another is the Open Cosmos multinational at the university of Coimbra in the center of [Portugal] and a third is based in Lisbon, which mainly builds satellites in collaboration with the armed forces."

They are small and used for commercial, military and mixed applications such as communications, Earth and ocean observation and, most recently, fighting wildfires.

CEiiA, which also develops mobility and aircraft technology, is already making big progress.

"We entered the space sector in 2018," Andre Dias, who is responsible for the consortium's downstream division, tells DW. "Our aim is to develop an industry for high-resolution satellites."

To achieve this, a research and development facility will be established in Portugal's north, near the city of Guimaraes, to "partner with the city and local university there, as we want to increase our production capacity by a factor of four or five."

CEiiA has the capacity to build four civilian satellites, weighing up to 500 kilograms (roughly 1,100 pounds), every year, says Dias. He adds that demand is growing steadily and expanding capacity could open the door to more international contracts.

One can see decentralization playing out between "the large European space nations like Germanyand France and smaller countries such as Portugal, so what we are seeing is a kind of democratization of space travel," Dias says. "We are specializing in small satellites that cost between €20 and 30 million, not the big ones that can cost up to €500 million."

While aiming to build compact units, the Portuguese space agency's plans are anything but modest.

"We will have 30 satellites in space by 2030, some of them in collaboration with Spain," Conde tells DW. "We want to bring international players to Portugal to work with them and are building on European initiatives."

This also applies to the military sector, he adds, which is becoming increasingly important.

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This week's images …

Workers pack freshly harvested cherries into boxes near Srinagar, Kashmir. tinyurl.com/28ok4a7a …

A deer standing in a meadow of flowering consolida in Gyöngyöspata, Hungary. tinyurl.com/28ok4a7a …

Rare 15-week-old giant otter pups cool off after their first swimming lesson at Chester Zoo in England. tinyurl.com/2ct5ajdr …

The waxing moon rises near the summit of Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland. tinyurl.com/2ct5ajdr …

A sun pillar at sunrise in Washington DC, June 3. tinyurl.com/23uebnfj …

Amtrak and freight trains pass under the village of Bellows Falls, Vermont, via this 1851 railroad tunnel. tinyurl.com/2xvabjko …

A heron at Sandy Point State Park, Maryland, on Chesapeake Bay. tinyurl.com/2ctjwp6o …

Artichoke Thistle (aka Cardoon) at the Los Angeles Arboretum, May

tinyurl.com/227ma3kj …

Our painting of the week is "Rzeka Bug" (Bug River) (2020) by Stanislaw Baj (Polish, b. 1953). tinyurl.com/22jz9gh2 …

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Announcement from the National Research Council Canada (NRC):

As of June 22, 2026, the shortwave radio broadcast [CHU] of the NRC's official time signal will no longer be available.

The NRC's official time can still be found in the following ways:

The NRC's web clock https://nrc.canada.ca/en/web-clock/

The telephone talking clock English: 613-745-1576 French: 613-745-9426

The NRC's Network Time Protocol https://nrc.canada.ca/en/certifications-evaluations-standards/canadas-official-time/network-ti me-protocol-ntp

Time accuracy superior to telephone time accuracy is available throughout Canada and in many other parts of the world by means of the NRC's radio time signals broadcast continuously from shortwave radio station CHU. If corrections are made for the propagation delay from CHU to the user, and for delays in the user's receiver, an accuracy of better than 1 ms can be obtained. Signal availability at a user's location depends on ionospheric conditions. CHU also broadcasts a time code which can be decoded with common computers and modems.

Three frequencies are used: 3330, 7850, and 14670 kHz.

More information from NRC about CHU: https://nrc.canada.ca/en/certifications-evaluations-standards/canadas-official-time/nrc-shortw ave-station-broadcasts-chu

See also: https://swling.com/blog/2026/05/canadas-chu-will-go-silent-on-shortwave-on-june-22-2026/

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From Deutsche Welle:

Blinded by the light pollution: Cities seek to restore night Artificial lights are blotting out the moon and stars, harming human health, and disrupting the natural world. Why is this a problem? And how can we stop it without sitting in the dark?

Jeannette Cwienk May 25, 2026

A streetlight right out in front of your house can make it easier to safely get in the door at night — but good luck trying to sleep without heavy curtains. That's just one example of how artificial light is useful in many aspects of our daily lives, as well as a major problem.

Our world is illuminated by more artificial light than ever before. A recent US study found that artificial light emissions at night increased by about 16% globally from 2014 through 2022, according to research published in Nature.

Areas experiencing increased brightening also saw the intensity of the light increase, by an average of 9%.

Too much artificial light can make us sick

We can switch off light sources such as computers, phones, TVs and lamps ourselves. But other sources are beyond our control: streetlights, headlights on cars, illuminated monuments, flashing billboards, and spotlights on construction sites, storefronts, bus stops, parking lots, sports fields and stadiums, to name just a few.

Being exposed to artificial light to such an extent can disrupt our natural sleep-wake cycle, destabilizing our hormonal balance and increasing the risk of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, depression and obesity.

The color of light also has an effect. The colder, or whiter, the light, the more it resembles daylight — and the more it suppresses the hormone melatonin, which is what makes us feel sleepy in the evening.

No other environmental condition has remained unchanged over the millennia like the natural light of the sun, moon and stars. All living things have adapted to this rhythm. More than half of all species are nocturnal — if the nights become brighter, it could have devastating consequences.

Migratory birds use the moon and stars to navigate. Artificial light can distract and divert them from their routes, leading to detours and exhaustion. Other birds can be tricked into laying their eggs too early in the season, when there aren't enough insects for newly hatched chicks to eat.

Insects such as moths and beetles use the light from the starry night sky to find food and mating partners. But artificial lights are much brighter and inevitably draw them away. They continuously circle the light source until they drop to the ground, dead with exhaustion. Billions are killed in this way each year, a devastating toll when insects are already threatened by pollution, declining biodiversity and other dangers.

Nocturnal mammals such as hedgehogs and bats generally avoid well-lit places; in our brighter world, their habitat is steadily shrinking. And light can create an artificial barrier that some fish species will not cross. Lights cast on the surface of the water from an overarching bridge, for example, can prevent eels from swimming by — a major problem during their migratory spawning period.

Brightest night skies in China, India

The Nature study found that the increase in nighttime light emissions since 2014 was highest in Asia, particularly in the economically growing regions of China and India. In the United States, light pollution increased most on the West Coast because of the growing economy and population in California's cities. The East Coast, and parts of the US Midwest, by contrast, have become darker — in part because of a shrinking industrial sector, fewer residents and more energy-efficient lighting.

In Europe, overall light intensity compared to 2014 had decreased by 4%, with researchers noting a drop in light pollution across the region as a whole. That decline was most noticeable in France (33%), the United Kingdom (22%) and the Netherlands (21%).

Unlike in the United States, the darker night skies in Europe aren't always the result of economic decline.

In France, for example, new bylaws now require lighting on all commercial buildings, storefronts, parking lots, public parks and cultural heritage sties to be turned off by 1 a.m., at the latest.

Other European nations took on the issue of the brightening night sky much earlier. The Czech Republic passed the world's first law against light pollution in 2002, which stipulates, among other rules, that streetlights may only be directed toward the ground, at risk of a fine of over €3,000 ($3,500).

Slovenia has been combating light pollution since 2007, with a regulation limiting the annual electricity consumption for lighting per resident to 50 kilowatt hours. Other rules also ensure that streetlights don't shine too brightly at night in residential areas.

Germany's 'star city,' Fulda, lights the way

Germany has yet to pass any nationwide rules against light pollution. The Federal Nature Conservation Act is, however, currently being updated in an attempt to rein it in. At the state level, Baden-Württemberg has already passed a law that prohibits facade illumination from April to September — the months when wildlife is most active in Germany.

The city of Fulda, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Frankfurt, is a forerunner when it comes to lighting. The Fulda Cathedral is illuminated with precisely targeted spotlights, instead of the standard floodlights. In new neighborhoods outside of the city center, walkways and cycle paths are only lit to 20%; when someone comes by, motion detectors briefly bring the streetlights up to maximum.

"Insect traps installed before and after these measures were put into effect have shown that the new lights kill 90% fewer insects," said Marcel Cire, environmental engineer with Fulda's city planning department. He said Fulda was starting to install the new streetlights in the city, replacing old lamps as needed to keep costs down.

Fulda has been recognized for its efforts to bring back the night. DarkSky International, a US-based nonprofit raising awareness about the harmful effects of excessive artificial light, designated the city as Germany's first "star city" in

It joined 11 other certified locations in the country with "outstanding dark sky conditions and protection practices." Bringing back the firefly

As shown in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Fulda, lights should only illuminate where absolutely necessary — walkways, for example, and not the entire night sky. Lights regulated with motion sensors are a good alternative to always-on outdoor lighting.

The warmer the light, the less harmful it is — for humans and other creatures. Conservation organizations recommend using a light temperature of no more than 3000 Kelvin for outdoor lighting, a warm, yellow-white light commonly used in living rooms and bedrooms.

Following these recommendations could help bring fireflies back to our parks and gardens. The firefly is another insect threatened by light pollution, with artificial light keeping the male and female insects from finding each other.

Simply closing the curtains in your house at night can help not only to block out any annoying outdoor glare, but also prevent indoor light from disturbing the nightlife outdoors.

Image: Illustration by Bärbel Busch showing stars over the reduced lighting of Fulda, Germany …

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This week's images …

We saw this black bear during our recent visit to Yellowstone National Park. Photo by our guide Kevin …

Looking up at the stairway at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, Scotland. tinyurl.com/24b67q7m …

Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River in Washington DC at sunrise, May 26. tinyurl.com/25m2udet …

Candles lighting the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on the evening of Memorial Day, May 25. tinyurl.com/2ywnt7f8 …

A desert cottontail rabbit at the Los Angeles Arboretum, photographed in May 2026. tinyurl.com/27x52zg3 …

A performer in Sydney wears a coral-inspired costume to show to raise awareness of threats to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. tinyurl.com/2yxxyfhh …

Brenton Balentien, known as Blue Face, a leading supporter of Curaçao’s national soccer team, doing well in early World Cup competition. tinyurl.com/25ga6482 …

A magnolia bloom at the Dominion Arboretum on Ottawa, Ontario. tinyurl.com/28s2ayjf …

Our art of the week is "The Chicago Bungalow" by Phil Thompson. rb.gy/pnidsh …

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From Radio Taiwan International:

Rti delegation visits Ukrainian national public broadcaster

18/05/2026

After the conclusion of the Lviv Media Forum, a delegation from Radio Taiwan International (Rti) toured Ukraine's national public broadcaster Suspilne alongside other media officials in Lviv, Ukraine. The visit provided firsthand insights into how Ukraine maintains nationwide news broadcasting and public information services amid missile threats and information warfare.

Suspilne was established in 2017 as the country's first integrated TV, radio, and local media public broadcaster. After Russia's invasion in 2022, Suspilne became a key media hub for the public, combating disinformation and connecting with the international community.

Suspilne Senior Executive Mariya Frey showed the delegation around the station. She said that, as the country fell deeper into a state of war, many media workers from other outlets, which were rendered inoperable, volunteered to join Suspilne to continue their duties. This has resulted in a station packed with workers from around the country.

To deal with the changing pace of information, the broadcasting center was rapidly upgraded to ensure uninterrupted information flow, such as in the case of television interference.

The heart of this broadcasting system is Suspilne's wartime broadcast control/dispatch center. Engineering teams monitor national signals and broadcast statuses 24/7 with the singular goal of maintaining uninterrupted broadcasting during the war. The biggest challenge, staff noted, is the need to instantly grasp emergency details – such as missile strike locations, signal interruptions, or frontline changes. Engineering teams often need to complete and reorganize signal switching and live broadcast scheduling in a very short period of time.

The Rti delegation noted the way in which, even in the ancient city of Lviv, public media remains a necessary piece of Ukraine's past and present. With the revelation that Rti currently offers Ukrainian-language broadcasting, both sides exchanged ideas on future cooperation, program exchanges, and experience sharing as vital organs of a country's public infrastructure.

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From Space Daily:

There is a single satellite launched by the US Navy in 1964 that is still in orbit, still transmitting, and still being used by amateur radio operators around the world — and nobody at the Navy has been in charge of it for decades

May 20, 2026

On December 28, 1964, a Thor-Able-Star rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and put a small US Navy satellite into a low polar orbit.

The satellite was called Transit 5B-5. It weighed about 70 kilograms. It was part of the first satellite-based navigation system in human history — the predecessor to GPS, designed to help American submarines fix their position anywhere in the world. It was given a working lifetime of a few years. Maybe five, if everything went well.

That was sixty-one years ago.

Transit 5B-5 is still up there. It's still in orbit. It's still transmitting. And somewhere right now, an amateur radio operator with a backyard antenna is listening to a signal that was first beamed down from space when Lyndon B. Johnson was president.

Nobody at the US Navy has been in charge of this satellite for nearly thirty years. The program that launched it was officially retired in 1996, when GPS took over the job. The Navy walked away. The satellite did not stop working.

How it's still alive

The reason Transit 5B-5 has lasted this long is genuinely remarkable.

Most early satellites ran on chemical batteries or basic solar panels that degraded quickly. Transit 5B-5 carried something different: a SNAP-3 radioisotope thermoelectric generator — a small nuclear power source that converts the heat from decaying plutonium-238 into electricity.

Plutonium-238 has a half-life of about 88 years. That means a SNAP-3 RTG launched in 1964 should still be producing somewhere around 65% of its original power output today. The satellite isn't using sunlight. It isn't using a battery. It's using a small lump of slowly decaying radioactive material that simply continues to give off heat, year after year.

The radio transmitter on board doesn't need much power. Just enough to keep broadcasting a signal at around 136.65 MHz — a low-frequency telemetry beacon that, against all reasonable expectation, has never stopped.

There are no moving parts left to wear out. No fuel to run dry. No on-board computer to crash. The whole satellite is essentially a power source connected to a transmitter, drifting along in an orbit that itself doesn't require maintenance. It just works. It has worked for sixty-one years.

What it actually sounds like

If you tune the right radio receiver to the right frequency at the right time, you can hear it pass overhead.

Amateur radio operators describe the signal as a faint, rhythmic warble — telemetry data encoded as audio tones. With the right software, those tones can be decoded into actual numbers: information about the satellite's onboard systems, its temperature, the state of its hardware. Sixty-year-old engineering, still phoning home.

The amateur SDR (software-defined radio) community treats these old satellites as a kind of living museum. Receiving Transit 5B-5's signal requires no special permission, no military access, no expensive equipment — just a basic SDR dongle costing about thirty dollars, an antenna, and patience.

The Navy is no longer involved in any of this. The institutional memory of how Transit worked has been preserved largely by hobbyists.

The man who tracks the zombie satellites

A Canadian amateur radio operator named Scott Tilley has become something of a folk legend in this niche.

In 2018, he discovered IMAGE, a NASA satellite that had been declared lost in 2005 — picking up its signal from his backyard in British Columbia. In 2020, during pandemic lockdown, he tracked down LES-5, a US military satellite launched in 1967 that everyone had assumed was dead.

Tilley calls these "zombie satellites" — spacecraft that were supposed to be silent decades ago but are still, somehow, broadcasting. When NPR asked him in 2020 which was the oldest he'd ever heard, he didn't hesitate. "The oldest one I've seen is Transit 5B-5," he said. "A nuclear-powered U.S. Navy navigation satellite that still circles the Earth in a polar orbit, long forgotten by all but a few amateurs interested in hearing it sing as it passes overhead."

He said sing, not broadcast. The satellite produces a specific pulsing tone that, to those who know how to listen for it, is unmistakable.

What this story is actually about

There's something quietly beautiful about a piece of Cold War hardware that's outlived its mission, its program, and its handlers — and continues to do exactly what it was built to do, with no one giving it instructions, for sixty-one years.

The engineers who designed Transit 5B-5 in the early 1960s could not possibly have imagined that ordinary people would, in 2026, be listening to it from their backyards with a thirty-dollar device. They couldn't have imagined the device. They couldn't have imagined the people.

This is, in a way, the opposite of how we usually think about technology. We expect our devices to fail before they're obsolete. We replace phones every two years. The cycle of planned obsolescence has trained us to think of hardware as something that wears out predictably.

Transit 5B-5 was built by people who were not thinking that way. They were thinking: the cost of putting this thing in space is enormous; build it to last. They overengineered it. They gave it a power source that would outlive its operators. They built it for ten years and got sixty.

Somewhere overhead, right now, a small metal object the size of a microwave oven is moving at 17,500 miles per hour, listening to a heater fed by slowly decaying plutonium, and broadcasting a signal that nobody officially needs but that several people, in several countries, are still patiently catching.

The Navy walked away from it nearly thirty years ago.

It hasn't noticed.

Is it actually 5E-5? See … https://tinyurl.com/2cvvsrg2

Image: Illustration of the Transit 5B-5 satellite …

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This week's images …

A flower arrangement recently exhibited by the Asheville, North Carolina, chapter of Ikebana International. tinyurl.com/ysg33hzv …

Visitors at Dante’s Inferno Immersive Experience, at the Cattedrale dell’Immagine, in Florence, the former home town of the medieval poet Dante Alighieri. tinyurl.com/26n2gsjl …

Jinling's photo of Jenny Lake, with mountain background, in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming …

A cayote in Yellowstone National Park, photo by our guide Kevin. …

Refreshments at the Taste & Toast fundraiser at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. tinyurl.com/26358ewf …

A Fiesta Hibiscus at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Florida. tinyurl.com/ympoymh5 …

 A red campion (Silene dioica) at the Belmonte Arboretum in Wageningen, the Netherlands. tinyurl.com/ywo4w4h3 …

Our painting of the week is "Delicately Balanced" by Daryl Gortner (American, b.1986). tinyurl.com/ylk8e3g2 …

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From Phys.org:

Scientists trace latest interstellar comet's home to a cold, isolated corner of the Milky Way

by Marcia Dunn May 9, 2026

The comet that rambled past us from another star last year likely originated in a cold, isolated corner of the galaxy that had yet to gel into its own solar system, astronomers reported Thursday.

Comet 3I/Atlas is only the third interstellar visitor to be confirmed and quite possibly the oldest. Scientists estimate it could be up to 11 billion years old, more than twice as old as the sun.

A team led by the University of Michigan used the ALMA observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert to examine the comet last fall. The errant but harmless iceball was discovered last summer, giving NASA and the European Space Agency plenty of time to aim multiple space telescopes at it as it zoomed past Mars in October and made its closest approach to Earth in December. It's now well past Jupiter on its way out of our solar system for good, still visible only to the professionals.

In the study, scientists said they detected extremely high amounts of deuterium, or heavy hydrogen, in the comet's water. That suggests that the comet originated in a place considerably colder—before the star of this solar system even formed—than our own cosmic neighborhood, said the University of Michigan's Teresa Paneque-Carreno.

While our sun may have been surrounded by other newborn stars as it was forming, she noted, this comet's home star could have been more of a loner, leading to less heating and colder conditions.

The findings were published in Nature Astronomy.

The comet's precise place of origin is still unknown. Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope put the size of its nucleus somewhere between a quarter-mile and 3.5 miles (440 meters and 5.6 kilometers). It's hurtling away at 137,000 mph (220,000 kph).

Linking all these "puzzle pieces together may give an idea to how the planet-forming conditions were at these early times," Paneque-Carreno said in an email.

The first known interstellar object to stray into our celestial backyard—Oumuamua—was discovered by a telescope in Hawaii in

Comet 2I/Borisov followed in 2019, named for the Crimean amateur astronomer who first spotted it.

Image: The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas captured by the Hubble Space Telescope on November 30, 2025, about 178 million miles (286 million km) from Earth …

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From Deutsche Welle:

Why Russia's Northern Sea Route is a risk for global trade

Dasha Thyssen May 2, 2026 Russia wants its Northern Sea Route to become an important artery of global trade. However, the Arctic shortcut between Europe and Asia is fraught with both political and environmental hurdles.

The Iran war and resulting blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have focused minds on international shipping. Russian officials are promoting the Northern Sea Route (NSR), an Arctic sea lane running along their country's northern coast. President Vladimir Putin said in April the route's importance as "the most safe, reliable and efficient path is becoming ever more obvious."

It is the shortest maritime route between Asia and Europe. But it's frozen for much of the year, and comes with significant political considerations. DW asked an environmental foundation which has studied the route — how realistic is this vision of the NSR as a new major shipping passage?

Northern shipping route less popular because of Russia's war in Ukraine

Shipping goods along the Northern Sea Route can reduce travel distance by up to 40%, compared to going via the Suez Canal, which is the most common route between Asia and Europe. But for a host of reasons, the NSR is not used that often.

Moscow had planned to move 80 million tons of cargo through it by 2024, but those ambitions were stymied by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Western sanctions that followed. NSR infrastructure operator Rosatom recorded less than half of the goal, around 38 million tons of cargo, actually passing through that year. That's less than 1% of global maritime trade — compared with up to 15% that usually passes through the Suez Canal.

Even so, Russia is continuing significant investment, budgeting 1.8 trillion Russian rubles (around €20.5 billion/$24 billion) for NSR development until 2035.

The NSR remains primarily a route for Russian crude oil and liquid natural gas (LNG), which formed more than 80% of cargo passing along in 2024. Those figures come from the Bellona Environmental Foundation's 2025 report, an international environmental NGO with headquarters in Oslo, Norway. Ksenia Vakhrusheva, Bellona's Arctic project adviser and co-author of its NSR report, told DW the Kremlin had wanted the route to become more popular.

"Economics of the use of this route is not matching the image that Russia wants to create around it," she said.

The route emerged due to climate change melting Arctic ice and reshaping the region. But it's still only fully accessible for a few months a year, from mid-summer to mid-autumn. And even then, floating ice can pose a danger to ships. The rest of the year the NSR is covered in ice, making passage only possible with an icebreaker leading the way.

Ice still a problem on NSR despite climate change

According to Bellona's report, the lack of emergency rescue infrastructure capable of quickly responding to incidents makes an already risky journey even more dangerous.

And despite the climate crisis, Vakhrusheva said it's unlikely the NSR will become much easier to navigate within the next decade, meaning that the all-year shipping won't become a reality anytime soon.

"If every ship will need an icebreaker to go through the whole route, then it will be extremely expensive," she said, adding that Russia only allows its own icebreakers to operate there.

Any ship sailing through the NSR must obtain a special permit, too.

There's also the question of Russia's dependability, said Vakhrusheva. Moscow's continuing war against Ukraine reduces the draw of using the NSR.

If the government continues to disregard international law, "then, of course, it's very dangerous for any country to be dependent on anything controlled by Russia," she said.

Environmental risks higher in Arctic waters

Even though the NSR is more direct than other routes between Asia and Europe, it's not much greener.

"That's also quite a common thought, that if it's shorter, then ships use less fuel and […] emit less greenhouse gases," said Vakhrusheva. "It's not the complete picture."

She said the ice-class vessels needed for such waters burn more fuel per nautical mile than normal ships, since they are heavier.

And any fuel spill poses a greater threat in the Arctic than elsewhere, because oil products decompose much more slowly in the cold. Additionally, black carbon emitted by ships' engines accelerates climate change when it lands in the Arctic because the soot turns ice and snow dark, reducing its reflectivity — meaning it absorbs more sunlight and traps heat.

The International Maritime Organization, the UN body that regulates international shipping, banned the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil in Arctic waters from 2024. The risks it posed in the event of a spill and its contribution to black carbon production were considered too high. But Russia did not sign up to the ban, and it remains unclear whether it will do so before its waiver expires in 2029.

European reluctance to cooperate with Russia to use the NSR could be strengthened by such environmental concerns.

"If European countries say that they don't want cargo going through the Arctic routes, because of the very vulnerability of this region from an environmental and climate point of view, then there is no development for it," said Vakhrusheva.

Asia tests Arctic shipping, but holds off on big investments

China's shipping giant Cosco ran test cargo trips between China and Europe via the Arctic from 2013, but stopped in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Yet, activity has not disappeared entirely: Smaller-scale shipments from Chinese to Russian ports resumed in 2023. Two years after that, the container ship Istanbul Bridge also completed a test transit from China to European ports, seen as part of China’s "Polar Silk Road" strategy.

Earlier this year, South Korea also announced plans to send a container ship through the NSR to Rotterdam as a test in September 2026.

Even so, Vakhrusheva thinks the route is still unlikely to take over any significant proportion of international trade.

"Major logistics and shipping companies are not keen on investing money right now in this route," she said, adding that she sees current engagement as "more political than economic."

China's hesitation is rooted in the question of control. Russia effectively administers the NSR, so any Chinese investment in it would depend on Russian infrastructure.

"I don't see that China is so keen to just throw money in Russian infrastructure because, of course, China wants to have some control of it," said Vakhrusheva.

It's not China's only area of interest — and there are safer and more predictable alternatives available.

"China is trying to […] be part of every potential infrastructural development in the world," said Vakhrusheva. "But I don't think that the Northern Sea Route is a primary interest for now."

Yet in the longer term, the climate crisis could change this. A 2024 study in the scientific journal Communications Earth & Environment suggested that the NSR could be navigable year-round by 2100. However, Vakhrusheva said if that's the case humanity will likely have other, far greater concerns.

"With this effect of climate change, what will the rest of the world look like?" she asked. "Will we need this route then? Who will use it?"

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This week's images …

Sunset with birds at Machrihanish Scotland. tinyurl.com/2alwuqtv …

An Eastern Sweetshrub at Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia. tinyurl.com/24roc3a3 …

The Milky Way as seen in the dark skies of Sierra La Giganta in Baja California Sur, Mexico. tinyurl.com/2842xfac …

Dawn illuminates the peak of Mount Shivling, in the Garhwal Himalaya range, Uttarakhand state, India. tinyurl.com/27l3g6o6 …

Butterfly (moth?) with flower at the Dundee Botanic Gardens in Scotland. tinyurl.com/2alwuqtv …

Rhododendrons with bee at the Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, England, early May. tinyurl.com/2aous82d …

Annapolis after dark, May 6. tinyurl.com/27t8qud2 …

Our painting of the week is "Paros Twilight" (2026) by Jeff Stanford. tinyurl.com/2doedpqw …

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2020: Classic Blue, Pantone 19-4052

An expansive presence, Classic Blue is evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky opening a world of possibilities.

2021: For the second time, two shades were chosen as the Color of the Year.

Ultimate Grey, Pantone 13-0647, quietly assures, encouraging feelings of composure, steadiness and resilience. The versatile grey shade resembles pebbles on the beach and natural elements whose weathered appearance highlights an ability to stand the test of time.

Illuminating, Pantone 17-5104, is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity; a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power.

2022: Very Peri, Pantone 17-3938

Very Peri is a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone. Futuristic in feeling and encouraging inventiveness and creativity, Very Peri blends the faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red. A brand new shade, it marked the first time Pantone created a new color in the history of its Color of the Year forecasts.

2023: Viva Magenta, Pantone 18-1750

Viva Magenta is a nuanced crimson red with pink tones that presents a balance between warm and cool. Rooted in nature, this hybrid colour is powerful, empowering and assertive, but not aggressive – it encourages experimentation and self-expression without restraint. Ultimately, this electrifying, boundary-less shade promotes optimism, joy and strength.

2024: Peach Fuzz, Pantone 13-1023

Nestled between pink and orange, Peach Fuzz is a soft peach hue with a vintage vibe. This warm and cosy shade evokes a new modernity, bringing a feeling of kindness and tenderness, and communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration. Peach Fuzz marked the 25th anniversary of the Pantone Color of the Year forecast.

2025: Mocha Mousse, Pantone 17-1230

A warming rich brown, Mocha Mousse is a sophisticated, nurturing shade that challenges perceptions of the color brown from being humble and grounded to more aspirational and luxe. Its name makes a nod to the delectable quality of cacao, chocolate, and coffee, thus appealing to a desire for comfort.

 2026: Cloud Dancer, Pantone 11-4201

An ethereal hue, Cloud Dancer is described as a 'billowy, balanced white imbued with a feeling of serenity'. Marking a return to 'simplification', this lofty white shade acts as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world.

Our painting of the week is a rendition of Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn Blue” done using Pantone color chips as pixels by Nick Smith. https://tinyurl.com/rrmkr38f …

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 From AFP via Phys.org:

Nations to kick off world-first fossil fuel exit talks

by Nick Perry and Anna Pelegri April 28, 2026

More than 50 governments meet in Colombia on April 28 against the backdrop of the Iran war and a global energy crunch for the first international talks on phasing out planet-heating fossil fuels.

Ministers and climate envoys aim to revive the transition from fossil fuels at the inaugural conference in Santa Marta, one of the country's busiest coal hubs in a nation heavily reliant on energy exports.

The two-day conference bypasses the United Nations climate talks and reflects a growing impatience with its failure to tackle fossil fuels, the main driver of global warming.

"People seem refreshed to be able to talk about these issues without having to sort of argue the existential question of—do we need to do this at all?" the UK's special climate envoy Rachel Kyte told AFP in Santa Marta on Monday.

As government delegates arrived Monday, climate activists and Indigenous groups protested against fossil fuels on the streets and beaches of the Caribbean port town where coal tankers dot the ocean horizon.

The conference is not expected to produce binding commitments but a scientific panel has asked governments taking part to consider a halt on new fossil fuel expansion, among other proposals.

On the list of attendees are major fossil fuel producers Canada, Norway and Australia and developing oil giants Nigeria, Angola and Brazil.

They join major energy consuming nations in the European Union, coal-reliant emerging markets Turkey and Vietnam, and small island nation states extremely vulnerable to climate shocks.

The world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases—including the United States, China and India—are not attending, nor are oil-rich Gulf states.

"Good faith"

The conference was announced late last year but organizers say the US-Israel attacks on Iran had bolstered the case for a fossil fuel phaseout as nations confronted a sudden shortage of oil and gas.

"Fossil fuels are now clearly to be seen as a source of instability," Kyte told AFP in an interview.

Many nations "are here in good faith to really work through what is a very complex challenge made more urgent by the crisis," she added.

This includes developing nations highly dependent on fossil fuel revenue like Colombia, which is co-hosting the conference with the Netherlands.

Among other agenda items, nations will consider how to equitably reduce fossil fuel production and consumption, and reforming subsidies that throw up barriers to renewable energy investment.

Analysis by the International Institute for Sustainable Development on Monday showed that governments still spent five times more public money on fossil fuels than renewable alternatives.

"Fossil fuel ban"

On Sunday, a scientific panel released a 12-point "menu" of policy options that included "halting all new and expanding fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure projects."

"Without a doubt, there is no justification whatsoever for any new exploration of fossil fuels," the Brazilian scientist Carlos Nobre, a former member of the UN's climate advisory panel, told AFP in Santa Marta.

Even as record amounts of investment flows into renewable energy, scientists warn the pace is still too slow to keep global temperature rises to safer levels.

"Even if we carried out no new exploration, the amount of fossil fuels—oil, coal, and natural gas—that already exists will push temperatures up to two and a half degrees by 2050," Nobre said.

The world has already warmed about 1.4C above pre-industrial times and is tracking to blow past 1.5C in a matter of years.

Above that threshold, scientists warn that coral reefs and Greenland ice sheets could disappear, among other catastrophic and irreversible impacts.

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From the World Meteorological Organization:

WMO: Likelihood increases of El Niño 24 April 2026

          An El Niño event is expected to develop from mid-2026,           impacting global temperature and rainfall patterns,           according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The latest monthly Global Seasonal Climate Update from WMO signals a clear shift in the Equatorial Pacific: sea-surface temperatures are rising rapidly, pointing to a likely return of El Niño conditions as early as May–July 2026. Forecasts indicate there is a "nearly global dominance of above-normal land surface temperatures" in the upcoming three-month period, and regional variations in rainfall patterns.

"After a period of neutral conditions at the start of the year, climate models are now strongly aligned, and there is high confidence in the onset of El Niño, followed by further intensification in the months that follow," said Wilfran Moufouma Okia, Chief of Climate Prediction at WMO.

"Models indicate that this may be a strong event – but the so-called spring predictability barrier is a challenge for the certainty of forecasts at this time of year. Forecast confidence generally improves after April," he says.

El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO); one of the most powerful climate patterns on Earth. These events reshape global weather, influencing rainfall, drought, and extreme events across regions. Governments, humanitarian organizations, water managers, and farmers depend on accurate and timely ENSO forecasts to anticipate and respond to risks.

El Niño is characterized by a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific. It typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts around nine to twelve months.

WMO does not use the term "super El Niño" because it is not part of standardized operational classifications.

Typical impacts

El Niño events affect temperature and rainfall patterns in different regions and typically have a warming effect on the global climate. Thus, 2024 was the hottest year on record because of the combination of the powerful 2023-2024 El Niño and human-induced climate change from greenhouse gases.

There is no evidence that climate change increases the frequency or intensity of El Nino events. But it can amplify associated impacts because a warmer ocean and atmosphere increases the availability of energy and moisture for extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall.

Each El Niño event is unique in terms of its evolution, spatial pattern and impacts.

However, it is typically associated with increased rainfall in parts of southern South America, the southern United States, the Horn of Africa and central Asia, and drought over Australia, Indonesia, and parts of southern Asia.

During the Boreal summer, El Niño's warm water can fuel hurricanes in the central/eastern Pacific Ocean, while it hinders hurricane formation in the Atlantic Basin.

Global seasonal climate update

WMO also issues a monthly Global Seasonal Climate Update which takes into account ENSO and other key climate drivers, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Southern Annular Mode or the Indian Ocean Dipole.

For the May-June-July season, land surface temperatures are expected to be above-normal nearly everywhere.   The signal is especially strong over southern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and Northern Africa.

Preparedness and early action    

Seasonal forecasts are vital to guide preparedness actions, especially in climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, water resource management, energy and health.

WMO will issue its next WMO El Niño/La Niña Update in late May, providing more robust guidance for decision-making in the June–August period and beyond. This is based on contributions from WMO Global Producing Centres for Seasonal Prediction and expert consensus, facilitated by WMO and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society.

Regional climate outlook forums issue seasonal predictions at a regional level – for instance the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum will issue its forecast for the South Asian southwest monsoon on 28 April. National Meteorological and Hydrological Services are responsible for national updates.

Through the WMO Coordination Mechanism (WCM), co-designed and tailored products such as the WCM Global HydroMet Weekly Scan and the WCM Global Seasonal Climate Outlook Briefing support United Nations and humanitarian partners in preparedness and anticipatory action.

The WCM will present its Global Seasonal Climate Outlook Briefing to UN and humanitarian agencies on 29 April, covering ENSO and other climate drivers and key issues of potential concern.

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This week's images ...

Sunset from Saltcoats, Scotland. tinyurl.com/2abfsbrd ...

A Virginia Spring Beauty, Claytonia Virginica, at the Adkins Arboretum on the Delmarva Peninsula, Maryland, April 21. tinyurl.com/2dppewqc ...

A Blue and White Flycatcher オオルリ in Japan. tinyurl.com/2dcxaxe2 ...

Sunrise over the Memorial Bridge and Lincoln Memorial, April 25. tinyurl.com/29dfozlf ...

The north side of Chicago on a moonlit night, April 19. tinyurl.com/225e8t6j ...

A pine warbler at Janes Island State Park on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. tinyurl.com/25ksogpt ...

A Prenolepis winter ant gathers honeydew from a leaf in the forest understory at High Falls State Park, Georgia. tinyurl.com/246tcomz ...

A bee working a flower at the Smithsonian Gardens on the Mall in Washington DC. tinyurl.com/25ddyu3z ...

Our painting of the week is "Arum Lilies" (1911) by Auguste Herbin (French, 1882-1960). tinyurl.com/26kaa7p5 ...

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From Phys.org:

'Slopaganda': How AI-generated content becomes a political weapon

by Tilburg University (Netherlands) April 21, 2026

An Iranian propaganda video depicts Donald Trump, Netanyahu and Satan as Lego figurines, the White House combines real footage of airstrikes with clips from films and video games, and the American president shares AI-generated videos of himself as a fighter pilot. It sounds like satire, but it is the new reality of political manipulation. Researchers call this phenomenon "slopaganda."

The term was coined by philosopher Michal Klincewicz of Tilburg University, together with his Australian colleague Mark Alfano and Amir Fard, an independent media researcher. In their paper "Slopaganda: The interaction between propaganda and generative AI," they describe how artificial intelligence is giving propaganda a dangerous new face. "By propaganda we mean communication intended to manipulate beliefs, emotions and attention for political ends," explains Klincewicz. "Add generative AI, and the result is slopaganda."

Not to deceive, but to associate

Slopaganda does not necessarily aim to mislead on factual grounds. Nobody genuinely believes Trump pilots an F-16. But that is not the point. "Slopaganda is not about facts, it is about sentiment and image-making. It is designed to create an association," says Klincewicz. "Satan next to Trump. America next to evil. Through repetition, those associations stick, even when the viewer knows the content is fake. That makes it particularly dangerous for democratic societies. Citizens are flooded with content whose origins they cannot verify." The features that set slopaganda apart from other forms of slopaganda—scale, speed, and personalization—make this association tactic work.

The Netherlands is no exception. Dutch politicians are increasingly the subject of manipulated images and AI-generated quotes on social media. And anyone who believes they can always spot fake news is overestimating themselves—which is one of the ways in which slopaganda finds its mark.

The real danger: Nobody believes anything anymore

That is what concerns the researchers most. "People are getting better at spotting fabricated material, but as a result they are also becoming more likely to wrongly distrust genuine images and information. When it becomes difficult or impossible to identify trustworthy sources, you can choose to believe whatever brings you comfort, excitement or outrage."

What can be done?

The researchers identify three avenues for intervention. Individuals can develop digital literacy: learning to recognize AI-generated content, verify sources, and block accounts that systematically spread slopaganda. Klincewicz, Alfano, and Fard also advocate mandatory watermarking of AI-generated content. "And major tech companies such as OpenAI, Google and X must be held accountable through taxation or regulation."

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From New Atlas:

Is Finland's new car-free bridge the longest of its kind in the world?

By Abhimanyu Ghoshal April 20, 2026

Finland's just inaugurated its longest bridge, and not a single a car or motorcycle will ever be allowed on it.

That's because the Kruunuvuori Bridge, officially opened to the public over the past weekend, is designed only for pedestrians, cyclists, and trams (which will begin rolling out early next year).

This 0.74-mile (1.19-km)-long bridge is the last of the three Crown Bridges to be built, connecting Helsinki's eastern island suburbs with the city center. They allow residents from those areas to easily access everything the city has to offer, without compromising on their lifestyle that's strongly tied to spending time out in nature.

This one links the Kruunuvuorenranta residential area on the waterfront, the island of Korkeasaari, the district of Laajasalo, and central Helsinki.

Designed by UK-based bridge specialists Knight Architects and structural engineers WSP Finland, this striking bridge is cable-stayed from a 443-ft-tall (135-m) pylon. According to WSP, its horizontal curvature is "based not only on structural reasons, but also on improving the user experience – by walking on a curved bridge, a person can better perceive the destination."

There are some thoughtful features built into the structure. The towering pylon's entire facade lights up with colored LEDs that change according to the time of day, as well as the seasons. If you're walking or cycling along the bridge, specially designed railings at the south edge should offer you protection from harsh winds from that direction. And lastly, patterned plastic piping on the cables will cause any ice that accumulates on said cables to simply flake off.

It took a total of 100,000 hours of design work to bring this all together. This bridge has a planned lifetime of 200 years, which means it's been designed with specific structural design and material choices, and its maintenance is scheduled as such.

That includes engineering the reinforced concrete structures in the water exchange area to handle high stress, and reducing fatigue in steel joints and stiffeners. Expensive stainless steel on the outer layer of rebar on the piers in the sea help prevent corrosion. The clip above from construction partner ULMA showcases some of the work that's gone into building the bridge.

Work on the light rail system is ongoing. The idea is to quickly move traffic through the Laajasalo area ahead of its population doubling, as a new residential district called Kruunuvuorenranta opens up. This will also reduce the projected strain on the eastern branches of Helsinki's metro system.

With that, Finland is now home to what's being described as one of the largest public transport bridges in the world. In fact, I couldn't find a longer one that combines pedestrian and light rail tracks, and we're not counting rail-only bridges – so if you know of any I've overlooked, drop it in the comments.

With its citizen-friendly design and forward-looking engineering approach, this might be one for other countries to emulate in the years to come.

Image: A view of the bridge with its upcoming tram system alongside pedestrian and cycling paths …

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This week's images …

Students on catamaran sailboats set sail for a lesson in Valras-Plage, France. tinyurl.com/2582aapn …

Sunrise behind Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth east of Edinburgh, Scotland. tinyurl.com/2ck4z4ur …

A family of geese swim in the Main River, Frankfurt, Germany. tinyurl.com/2xzfghhx …

Yagi birds in Lochgilphead, Scotland. tinyurl.com/2aqlunt8 …

An Aegithalos caudatus lands on a fence in West Linton, Scotland. tinyurl.com/2aqlunt8 …

A post box topper in Helensburgh, Scotland, celebrate 100 years since John Logie Baird's first mechanical 'televisor' system in He was born in Helensburgh. tinyurl.com/2aqlunt8 …

A yellow monkeyflower in Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona. tinyurl.com/2ahda3ge …

A Stonechat at Ardrossan North Shore, Scotland. tinyurl.com/2aqlunt8 …

A flower at the North Carolina Arboretum near Asheville. tinyurl.com/2y3lergy …

Our painting of the week is "Lupine Patch" (1913) by William Wendt (German/American, 1865—1946). tinyurl.com/2d9vzfdg …

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