Love These! 😊🧪❤️💜💚💙

I’ve been meaning to share some artwork that was made for me by friends. Here’s a piece my good friend @krazykat188 made for me for my birthday 2 years ago, featuring my characters. (Ik, I’m super late) She doesn’t post much but I love her art style and you guys should go check out her work. 😊 Thanks again Kat! 🔹 ⠀ #art #instaart #DailyArt #ArtoftheDay #fanart #fanartfriday #artwork #ink #sketchbook #traditionalart #traditionalartwork #sketch #draw #drawing #comic #comicart #originalcharacter #characterdesign #pencil #coloredpencil #pencildrawing #pencilsketch #instaart #instaartist #instadraw #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #artist #CrystaltheCC #crystalcurie (at Long Beach, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEuv5WiDAyG/?igshid=1b0ho3qbnobba

OAC Day 1: Crystal the Mad Scientist! 😊👩🏼‍🔬🧪🎃 Swipe ➡️ to see previous iterations of the idea. 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/p/CGGVSbFDH0o/?igshid=5tobuc9gab5i

🚨Our last best chance to vote for net neutrality 🚨

Alright, Tumblr, we have a new mission: get the entire Internet to pressure lawmakers into restoring net neutrality before election day.

We’re two weeks away from the midterm elections and we need to educate as many people as possible about where their candidates stand on net neutrality before November 6th.

By now, I’m sure most of you are familiar with the FCC’s undemocratic repeal of net neutrality. The good news is that sitting members of Congress have the power to restore it using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) before the end of this year.

So we’re telling our elected officials: sign the discharge petition to restore net neutrality, or face the wrath of the Internet on Election Day.

Sitting members of Congress have had tons of time to do the right thing, but their time is almost up. We’re in the final crunch before election day and we need to make sure they know there is a massive voting block of people who care about this issue.

Here’s what you can do to help out:

Get as many net neutrality supporters to vote for the first time as possible. Tell everyone to text VOTE to 687-88 to get started. (Message and data rates apply, reply STOP to opt out.)

Educate folks about where their candidates stand using the Vote for Net Neutrality scorecard.

Volunteer to text voters in key districts where our pressure calling for lawmakers to act can have the most impact.

Join a local action team to organize protests, pass out lawn signs, and do voter education at the polls in key districts.

Spread the word on Tumblr and wherever else you lurk. Click here to find Vote for Net Neutrality materials for sharing.

We’re so close to saving net neutrality.

In May, the Senate passed the CRA resolution to overturn the FCC’s repeal in a historic bipartisan vote of 52-47.

Now all we need is for a simple majority of 218 House representatives to sign a discharge petition and bring the CRA to a vote.

Right now 177 members, including Republican Rep. Mike Coffman, have already signed on. We just need your help to pressure lawmakers to choose their constituents ahead of telecom lobbyists by signing the discharge petition.

Can we enlist you in the Internet’s most important mission?  

I finished Theme #3 Color! I'm kinda cheating actually... This one was already done, and I didn't want to redo it for the project because I already spent sooo much time on it.⠀ 🔹⠀ First, a little excerpt about this piece. It features my OC named Acid, who is part chameleon and part "giant" Komodo dragon. His name is a direct reference to psychedelia and LSD (aka acid). He changes colors! Here we see he's made friends with an average chameleon, and he's copying the chameleon's color.⠀ 🔹⠀ (3rd image) A year ago, the original drawing from 2015 was my inspiration for this digital painting. (2nd image) After one semester, I spent several hours and got pretty far, but my prof and I both knew I could do better. (1st image) A second semester later, in the same class, I worked several more hours on this painting.⠀ 🔹⠀ I know I could keep working on this, but I'm calling it finished for now and moving on. There's so much art that needs to be done and not enough time! I hope you guys enjoy. 😊 I'm working on the next one as I speak (er type...) Stay tuned! 🐲

This almost matches my current mood tbh.

I win.

I got introspective one day and sketched out a 6 panel comic. It sat in a folder for a few days before I expanded it to 10. Then it sat for a week. After which, I moved on. The expiration date had passed, and the comic joined the rest of the half-drawn files in the very same folder. 

I still don’t like it anymore, but I’ll take the victories where I can.

Finished my self-portrait! I’ll admit I made a mistake when I colored in the skin tones on the original, so I edited it in Photoshop. (2nd pic is original drawing) I need better skin tone colored markers… But that aside, I’m pretty proud of it. This was also my first attempt at coloring hair in a different style than I usually do, and I’m liking it a lot better. Again, this is part of a bigger piece that I wanted to do; I’m making a Meet The Artist page and drawing myself in my style is a big part of it. (*cough* spoilers. I promise I’ll share more info later!) Hope you guys enjoy! Zoom in for details! 😊

Here’s a video on why I only use a pen to sketch ✅ Hope you try it out, it has helped me tremendously to streamline my process and improve faster ☺️💕

10 Ways to BBQ on an Alien World

There are over 3,700 planets in our galaxy. Many of them orbit stars outside our solar system, these are known as exoplanets. Spend a summer weekend barbecuing it up on any of these alien worlds.

(WARNING: Don’t try any of this on Earth—except the last one.)

1. Lava World

Janssen aka 55 Cancri e

Hang your steak on a fishing pole and dangle your meat over the boiling pools of lava on this possible magma world. Try two to three minutes on each side to get an ashy feast of deliciousness.

2. Hot Jupiter

Dimidium aka 51 Pegasi b

Set your grill to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit (982 degrees Celsius) or hop onto the first exoplanet discovered and get a perfect char on your hot dogs. By the time your dogs are done, it’ll be New Year’s Eve, because a year on this planet is only four days long.

3. Super Earth

HD 40307 g

Super air fry your duck on this Super Earth, as you skydive in the intense gravity of a planet twice as massive as Earth. Why are you air frying a duck? We don’t know. Why are you skydiving on an exoplanet? We’re not judging.

4. Lightning Neptune

HAT-P-11b

I’ve got steaks, they’re multiplying/and I’m looooosing control. Cause the power this planet is supplying/is electrifying!

Sear your tuna to perfection in the lightning strikes that could flash across the stormy skies of this Neptune-like planet named HAT-P-11b.

5. Red Earth

Kepler-186f

Tired of all that meat? Try a multi-colored salad with the vibrant plants that could grow under the red sun of this Earth-sized planet. But it could also be a lifeless rock, so BYOB (bring your own barbecue).

6. Inferno World

Kepler-70b

Don’t take too long to prep your vegetables for the grill! The hottest planet on record will flash-incinerate your veggies in seconds!

7. Egg-shaped

WASP-12b

Picture this: You are pressure cooking your chicken on a hot gas giant in the shape of an egg. And you’re under pressure to cook fast, because this gas giant is being pulled apart by its nearby star.

8. Two suns

Kepler-16b

Evenly cook your ribs in a dual convection oven under the dual stars of this “Tatooine.” Kick back and watch your two shadows grow in the fading light of a double sunset.

9. Takeout

Venus

Order in for a staycation in our own solar system. The smell of rotten eggs rising from the clouds of sulfuric acid and choking carbon dioxide will put you off cooking, so get that meal to go.

10. Take a Breath

Earth

Sometimes the best vacations are the ones you take at home. Flip your burgers on the only planet where you can breathe the atmosphere.

Grill us on Twitter and tell us how bad our jokes are.

Read the full version of this week’s ‘Solar System: 10 Things to Know’ Article HERE.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.  

Here’s Cath from @gloopcomic! I drew this for the gloop contest. I was thinking about doing more with the background, though this is what I got right now. I hope you enjoy. 😊 Go check out the comic! 🖤

9 Ocean Facts You Likely Don’t Know, but Should

Earth is a place dominated by water, mainly oceans. It’s also a place our researchers study to understand life. Trillions of gallons of water flow freely across the surface of our blue-green planet. Ocean’s vibrant ecosystems impact our lives in many ways. 

In celebration of World Oceans Day, here are a few things you might not know about these complex waterways.

1. Why is the ocean blue? 

The way light is absorbed and scattered throughout the ocean determines which colors it takes on. Red, orange, yellow,and green light are absorbed quickly beneath the surface, leaving blue light to be scattered and reflected back. This causes us to see various blue and violet hues.

2. Want a good fishing spot? 

Follow the phytoplankton! These small plant-like organisms are the beginning of the food web for most of the ocean. As phytoplankton grow and multiply, they are eaten by zooplankton, small fish and other animals. Larger animals then eat the smaller ones. The fishing industry identifies good spots by using ocean color images to locate areas rich in phytoplankton. Phytoplankton, as revealed by ocean color, frequently show scientists where ocean currents provide nutrients for plant growth.

3. The ocean is many colors. 

When we look at the ocean from space, we see many different shades of blue. Using instruments that are more sensitive than the human eye, we can measure carefully the fantastic array of colors of the ocean. Different colors may reveal the presence and amount of phytoplankton, sediments and dissolved organic matter.

4. The ocean can be a dark place. 

About 70 percent of the planet is ocean, with an average depth of more than 12,400 feet. Given that light doesn’t penetrate much deeper than 330 feet below the water’s surface (in the clearest water), most of our planet is in a perpetual state of darkness. Although dark, this part of the ocean still supports many forms of life, some of which are fed by sinking phytoplankton. 

5. We study all aspects of ocean life. 

Instruments on satellites in space, hundreds of kilometers above us, can measure many things about the sea: surface winds, sea surface temperature, water color, wave height, and height of the ocean surface.

6. In a gallon of average sea water, there is about ½ cup of salt. 

The amount of salt varies depending on location. The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean, for instance. Most of the salt in the ocean is the same kind of salt we put on our food: sodium chloride.

7. A single drop of sea water is teeming with life.  

It will most likely have millions (yes, millions!) of bacteria and viruses, thousands of phytoplankton cells, and even some fish eggs, baby crabs, and small worms. 

8. Where does Earth store freshwater? 

Just 3.5 percent of Earth’s water is fresh—that is, with few salts in it. You can find Earth’s freshwater in our lakes, rivers, and streams, but don’t forget groundwater and glaciers. Over 68 percent of Earth’s freshwater is locked up in ice and glaciers. And another 30 percent is in groundwater. 

9. Phytoplankton are the “lungs of the ocean”.

Just like forests are considered the “lungs of the earth”, phytoplankton is known for providing the same service in the ocean! They consume carbon dioxide, dissolved in the sunlit portion of the ocean, and produce about half of the world’s oxygen. 

Want to learn more about how we study the ocean? Follow @NASAEarth on twitter.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.