Starship Asterisk*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glow-Worm wrote:

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"Das Glühwürmchen", known in English as "The Glow-Worm", is a song from Paul Lincke's 1902 operetta Lysistrata, with German lyrics by Heinz Bolten-Backers. In the operetta, it is performed as a trio with three female solo voices singing alternately and the women's chorus joining in the refrain. Rhythmically, it is in the form of a gavotte. The song, with its familiar chorus, was translated into English and became an American popular song.

It was originally translated into English by Lilla Cayley Robinson, in the early 20th century, and was used in the 1907 Broadway musical The Girl Behind The Counter. American lyricist Johnny Mercer later expanded and greatly revised Robinson's lyrics, for the 1952 recording by the Mills Brothers. His version was a hit for the Mills Brothers, and it has been performed by several others.

Robinson's English-translation lyrics (circa 1905):

Verse 1:

• When the night falls silently,
  The night falls silently on forests dreaming,
  Lovers wander forth to see,
  They wander forth to see the bright stars gleaming.
  And lest they should lose their way,
  Lest they should lose their way, the glow-worms nightly
  Light their tiny lanterns gay,
  Their tiny lanterns gay and twinkle brightly.
  
  Here and there and everywhere, from mossy dell and hollow,
  Floating, gliding through the air, they call on us to follow.

Chorus:

• Shine, little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
  Shine, little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer!
  Lead us lest too far we wander.
  Love's sweet voice is calling yonder!
  Shine, little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
  Shine, little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
  Light the path below, above,
  And lead us on to love.

Verse 2:

• Little glow-worm, tell me pray,
  Oh glow-worm, tell me, pray, how did you kindle
  Lamps that by the break of day,
  That by the break of day, must fade and dwindle?"
  Ah, this secret, by your leave,
  This secret, by your leave, is worth the learning!
  When true lovers come at eve,
  True lovers come at eve, their hearts are burning!
  
  Glowing cheeks and lips betray how sweet the kisses tasted
  Till we steal the fire away, for fear lest it be wasted!"

Johnny Mercer kept the original chorus basically intact and added 3 new "verses" to that same tune but did not use music from the original song's verses at all.

geckzilla wrote:Thanks, Stephen.

(I should pay more attention to these things)

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This charming and bright galaxy, known as IRAS 23436+5257, was captured by the the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It is located in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia, which is named after an arrogant, vain, and yet beautiful mythical queen.

The twisted, wormlike structure of this galaxy is most likely the result of a collision and subsequent merger of two galaxies. Such interactions are quite common in the Universe, and they can range from minor interactions involving a satellite galaxy being caught by a spiral arm, to major galactic crashes. Friction between the gas and dust during a collision can have a major effect on the galaxies involved, morphing the shape of the original galaxies and creating interesting new structures.

When you look up at the calm and quiet night sky it is not always easy to picture it as a dynamic and vibrant environment with entire galaxies in motion, spinning like children’s toys and crashing into whatever crosses their path. The motions are, of course, extremely slow, and occur over millions or even billions of years.

The aftermath of these galactic collisions helps scientists to understand how these movements occur and what may be in store for our own Milky Way, which is on a collision course with a neighbouring galaxy, Messier 31.

A version of this image was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures image processing competition by contestant Judy Schmidt.

Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble
Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

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