An All-Sky X-Ray Image of the Universe

Made by the German-Russian eRosita telescope (which is currently mounted on the orbiting Spektr-RG space observatory), this remarkable image—completed last week—is an x-ray map of the universe. The scan was taken approximately 930,000 million miles from Earth’s surface, and “will revolutionize x-ray astronomy,” says Kirpal Nandra of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. The electrifying image records “violent action in the cosmos” which appear …

Understanding The History and Significance of Juneteenth

Juneteenth’s formalization as a federal holiday is long overdue. 19 June 1865 marked two months after the Confederacy’s surrendering, effectively enacting the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas (though it had been law for two years), and thus freeing the slaves there. Nearly 100 years later, in 1980, Texas adopted the day as a state holiday, but many call it “merely symbolic.” Since, 40+ states have moved …

Myungsik Jang’s Gelatinous Animated Characters

Seoul-based multi-talented creative Myungsik Jang develops animated characters that exist somewhere between the sweet, strange and surreal. These creations (oftentimes appearing as a kind of anthropomorphic jelly) are animated digitally, though their personalities and textures are somehow tangible—all slimy, shiny, gelatinous dancing characters. Influenced by comics, Jang “relates to the characters with the ability to shapeshift,” and tells Jyni Ong for It’s Nice That, “I’ve had …