Aliens may not be friendly -- they may be hungry!

Stay home, E.T.: Stephen Hawking says aliens may pose risks | detnews.com | The Detroit News: "British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking says aliens are out there, but it could be too dangerous for humans to interact with extraterrestrial life. Hawking claims in a new documentary that intelligent alien lifeforms almost certainly exist, but warns that communicating with them could be 'too risky.'
The 68-year-old scientist says a visit by extraterrestrials to Earth would be like Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas, 'which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans.'"

Comment -- At first glance, this may strike people as kind of a loony comment by Hawking. But it's a commonly expressed viewpoint in astronomy circles. And, when you consider that we've detected hundreds of planets circling nearby stars...maybe it's a good idea after all for humans to hunker down and hope no one notices us.

Top 40 Nature Photographs

Top 40 Nature Photographs - a set on Flickr

This Ansel Adams photo of the Snake River and the Grand Tetons caught my eye because Jennifer and I have been there! In the late '70s we stayed in the Grand Tetons park for a convention and we took a raft trip down the Snake River. Wish I had some photos of that trip, but I fear they are long gone.

Click through to see more of the "Top 40 Nature Photographs."

It's always sunny by the Sun

Eruptive Prominence | Incredible Space Photos | Comcast.net

Pretty interesting new images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite.

Flowering tree along the Grand River in downtown Lansing

Thought you might enjoy this picture I shot while I was out walking yesterday.

No reason to blow your top over volcanic eruption in Iceland

Volcanic eruption in Iceland unlikely to have global effects: "Toon said the amount of sulfur dioxide spewed by the volcano so far poses no threat to world climate as determined by an instrument aboard NASA's Aura satellite. But he noted than an apparently larger eruption of an Icelandic volcano in 1783 --which was written about by Benjamin Franklin -- caused some climate issues in Europe by creating smog-like conditions in London that partially blocked out the sun and persisted through the summer months. Toon compared the Icelandic eruption to the popping of a champagne bottle cork. When the pressure is released by breeching the rock 'cork,' gases bubble out, spewing tiny rock particles into the air like champagne droplets. Such rocks threaten the safety of airliners."

Comment -- I remember when Mt. Pinatubo blew up in 1991. It was the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century and killed 740 people. I personally noticed the impact of the eruption in my astronomy observations. During the summer and fall of 1991, when the ash from the volcano traveled into the stratosphere, the stars and Milky Way were noticeably dimmer than usual.

So far, it looks like the Iceland volcano won't have the same effect.

House fire in East Lansing this morning

This photo from Twitter shows a student apartment building in East Lansing burning down this morning. Luckily, all of the eleven residents escaped without harm. (photo by MaxKats88)

We could see the plume of smoke from our office windows in downtown Lansing. Hey, it wasn't like a volcano in Iceland but it was still pretty exciting.

Riled-up against federal taxes

At lunchtime I strolled down the street from my office and snapped this pic of the Tax Day participants. Gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox was delivering a spirited address.

I also bumped into Melissa!