SuperWatch

Today while browsing, I came across a reference to a asteroid that has been named "Apophis" ( after a sci-fi villain ).  What makes this object unique amongst the gazillion of other objects floating around space is scientists having originally concluded that, relatively speaking, it had a pretty good chance of hitting the Earth. Length-wise , Apophis is about the size of the Empire State Building, though a lot wider (as illustrated above).  So it isn't that big when compared to the Earth at large.  But a rock of its size would not only penetrate the atmosphere but also proceed to make impact and cause a massive amount of destruction, enough that "millions of people could... die" . Apophis was originally discovered in 2004, and some parties took its potential threat very seriously.  Remember, that was just a few years after  Armageddon , a big budget Hollywood film whose plot revolved around a menacing asteroid hurtling towards Earth, came out. Also, it isn't...

Originally, I intended to write an elaborate post on how the United States is frequently experiencing eclipses these days at an unconventional rate.  For instance, the US of A is about to have its second solar eclipse in seven months.  There is a total solar eclipse set to transpire over the continental US on 8 April 2024.  Meanwhile, the country had experienced an annular solar eclipse as recently as 14 October 2023. But upon doing further research, I learned that the US isn't wholly unique in this regard.  For instance, from 2045-2046, Brazil is scheduled to have two total solar eclipses within a 12 month period.  In 2053, Indonesia will have an annular eclipse and total eclipse in the same year.  Earlier this century, from 2001 to 2002, southern Africa had an annular and total within 18 months.  And note that the continental United States, Brazil and southern Africa are all very large land masses and therefore would logically be prone to more ecli...

Black Panther (2018) is generally considered to be one of the best movies the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ever produced, harping back to the days when MCU films were worth watching.  This article is based on a previous review I wrote of the flick, closer to the time it was released.  But instead of revising the original article, I decided to rework it altogether, this time focusing solely on esoteric or less-notable aspects of Black Panther . KILMONGER: THE MCU'S MOST-REALISTIC VILLIAN Besides "Thanos" and probably "Loki", "Kilmonger" ( Michael B. Jordan ) is the MCU's most memorable villain.  For instance, he's the only bad guy to have been made a member of "the Guardians of the Multiverse". One of the reasons Micheal B. Jordan was able to portray this character so well is because, unlike virtually all other MCU villains (with the exception of "the Vulture"), this depiction of "Kilmonger" is motivated by a l...