#m-51

The Whirlpool Galaxy This is Messier 51 (M51), also nicknamed the Whirlpool Galaxy due to the broad spiraling pattern of its arms. This galaxy is located 31 million light years from Earth and forms the core of a group of galaxies. It is part of the Virgo galaxy supercluster, along with our own local group of galaxies.

Astronomers find vast ionized hydrogen cloud in 'Whirlpool Galaxy' using ultra-sensitive Arizona telescope

Astronomers have been keenly peering into M51, or the Whirlpool Galaxy, since the 1800s, its signature spiral structure informing the earliest debates over the nature of galaxies and the Cosmos at large.                                

But no one—not with the naked eye or with increasingly powerful modern telescopes—has ever seen what Case Western Reserve University astronomers first observed using a refurbished 75-year-old telescope in the mountains of southwest Arizona.

Read more ~ phys.org/news

Revisiting Military Surplus Cargo Pants

At Put This On, we love military surplus. Vintage, deadstock, or reproduction (sort of cheating), surplus offers interesting and purpose-driven design in hard wearing materials, often at a good price and, if vintage, with an interesting provenance. It’s relatively easy to work some of this stuff into your daily wear--M-65 jackets, leather jackets, and plain olive drab pants haven’t looked unusual on the street since the 70s.

But surplus cargos can be a different story. The M-51 and M-65 designs, with the numbers indicating the year of initial release, are big, utilitarian pants. On the positive side, that means tough hardware and design--often Talon zippers, flapped pockets, and heavy cotton or nylon/cotton sateen fabric. On the potentially negative side, they’re big. High rise, cut to fit a range of bodies (each size covers multiple waist sizes but will fit each slightly differently), and roomy enough to fit a cold weather liner inside.

How to Wear Them

First, one piece of militaria is generally enough for an ensemble outside of the actual field--field trousers are best matched with items that maybe have a similar, rugged feel to them but aren’t specifically military or olive drab. Think work shirts, western shirts, flannels, or vintage-styled sweatshirts. Or contrast vibez with trad or prep-influenced items, like an oxford and shetland sweater.

You can try to size down, but APC jeans these ain’t. Nor Mark McNairy slim cargos (side note: photo from 2009!).  You have to embrace the bigness. These pants embiggen the smallest man. But if you haven’t heard, baggy is cool again. And the inherent bagginess doesn’t mean you can’t try different silhouettes with them.

A fitted tshirt or leather jacket, field cargos, and sneakers is a slightly 90s, slightly-skate-influenced shape that may deserve another look. Wearing them with other baggy clothes is a little trickier, but can be pulled off: see the last photo above, with an untucked oxford and full cut sweater. Low-profile shoes, like loafers or minimal sneakers, are not recommended, although a case can be made for, say, Vans slip-ons. They do have drawstrings at the hem that can be tightened to gather the cuff at the ankle, so your shoes aren’t swallowed by the leg.

Where to Find Them

Extragalactic Planet If you have seen the light curves that indicate transiting exoplanets before, this one might not look all that different. The amount of light coming from the object suddenly drops, and in a symmetrical way, comes right back up to where it was beforehand – suggesting that something briefly moved in the way to block the light. Well, there’s something unusual about this light curve. This one is in another galaxy.

M-1951 U.S.Military field Jacket "ONE MAN ONE VOTE"

One of my student’s projects. This is a Tamiya 1:35 M-51 ISherman tank built straight from the box.

The ultimate Sherman tank, M-51 was basically a gun with a tank to carry it.