Comment - You'd have to have pretty dark skies and a good chart to actually see this without any optical aid. Still, novas this bright are fairly unusual. I'm going to try and see it this week before it fades.

I did some brief observing last night at Joe and Sarah's before the Moon rose. Cool temperatures and quite clear sky conditions. I viewed the major Messier objects in the Milky Way. Andromeda Galaxy was especially spectacular.

News - Retired Army general and paratrooper falls off ladder and is nearly paralyzed by neck injury: http://makeashorterlink.com/?J301548E1

Comment: A crazy injury. This guy survives hundreds of parachute jumps and then is nearly paralyzed by falling off a ladder while cutting off a tree limb. Interestingly enough, Brandon and I were talking at lunch yesterday about the hazards of working on ladders and roofs. This story just reinforces my point about the high risks (especially for not-so-young-anymore guys like me) of falls. Chances are good you are not going to fall, but if you do, the consequences can be devastating.

Gen. Shelton has now made an almost complete recovery.

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11:19:05 AM