Happy People Dancing On Planet Earth (APOD 22 Jul 2008)

[bystander]

"Scientists say they have discovered what makes the northern lights dance."

See Asterisk Cafe: Plasma Bullets Trigger Northern Lights

[bystander]

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[neufer]

"Scientists say they have discovered what makes the northern lights dance."

See Asterisk Cafe: Plasma Bullets Trigger Northern Lights

So the Plasma Bullets are shot at the feet of Aurora to make her dance?

(from Wikipedia)
<<In ancient Roman mythology Aurora, goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun. She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon). A myth taken from the Greek Eos[a.k.a., Aurora] by Roman poets tells that one of her lovers was the prince of Troy, Tithonus. Tithonus was a mortal, and would age and die. Wanting to be with her lover for all eternity, Aurora asked Zeus to grant immortality to Tithonus. Zeus granted her wish, however Aurora had failed to ask him for eternal youth. As a result, Tithonus ended up aging eternally. Aurora ended up turning her beloved Tithonus into a cicada.

In the poem "Tithonus" by Lord Alfred Tennyson, Aurora is described thus:

Once more the old mysterious glimmer steals
From thy pure brows, and from thy shoulders pure,
And bosom beating with a heart renewed.
Thy cheek begins to redden through the gloom,
Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine,
Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team
Which love thee, yearning for thy yoke, arise,
And shake the darkness from their loosened manes,
And beat the twilight into flakes of a fire >>

[bystander]

So the Plasma Bullets are shot at the feet of Aurora to make her dance?

Yup, that seems to be what scientists are saying. Wouldn't make me too happy.

I didn't know Aurora's sibs were Sol and Luna. Learn something new every day.

I guess the Romans didn't know Aurora was twins, Australis and Borealis.

[Peacekeeper]

Well I would like to say that I LOVED The video. I've seen it before, and have actually be following Matt since he began his travels years ago. I come here to see beauty, and this was no exception. Brought a tear to my eye... gave me hope for us all!

We might just make it man... we might just make it.

APOD, I thank you Very Much for sharing all the beauty you've shared with us over the years. Truly, your just Awesome.

Peace


P.S. Also, I've seen picture on here that had nothing to do with Astronomy before... so its not like this is breaking any rules.

[valcouns]

Gotta tell you, blending the sky and the earth makes sense to me. I forwarded this to a bunch of people who never look at APOD, and I saw this video as a unique sweep of world experiences and the stars. I am very curious to see the results. Thank you, APOD, for posting this.

[Lilee]

[color=indigo][size=9]
8) Matt's adventure is one of the greatest postings I'd ever expect to find, nevermind discuss at this Board. Why? Why do we look to the heavens and the stars, planets, systems? To get an idea, a hope of the good and potentially hope of and in life and our life times. With the help of friends, family, Matt took off on an adventure and "danced" his way around the Earth, "our world," and into the heads and hearts of so many individuals, crossed cultural boundaries with his dance stylings, likely met as if an alien from the outer worlds around ours.

The video was sent to me with the caption regarding Matt Harding: This guy should be running for US President. In a forum of political discussion I'd not just agree, but pontificate on the measure, particularly given our probable Primary partisan (with flaws each) candidates for our Nation's (US) Executive Branch and Highest office: President.

Matt, by choosing to travel and dance, met with the cultures, the people, the hearts and souls for whom one partisan side believes we should be sending, without question, financial and physical supply aid; while the other partisan side believes we need to drop in with not only our dollars and supplies, but with teams of educators, in some cases the "military" to fight for a right of freedom as we, US Americans perceive it to and as should be.

No red tape, no strings, no trade. Much like a simple act of random kindness can go a long way to brighten on person's day (some even longer), Matt's learned appreciation for the "universal spirit" of many cultures being expressed in dance, took the tool (and talents) along on a marvelous, enviable venture to the people the US is claiming to fight for the rights of and democracies in their homelands, to having a presence easily moved in on by military troops to defend the near democracies that are growning.

Matt did this with a smile, a melody, a joy in his dance steps that led to a contagion of uninhibited laughter, joy, possibly even unconditioned love of another's human spirit.

We'd be lucky to have such a non-partisan political candidate and this forum suits Matt's posting, the discussion, for the research and development of our Universe, recognition of ourselves in the "parallel" of any one or more universal clusters out there.

[bystander]

... regarding Matt Harding: This guy should be running for US President. ...

Yeah, the guy definitely has political qualifications. Look how he spends money on trivial events and ignores the larger issues.

I still don't understand how any one person can spend so much money traveling to so many diverse parts of our planet and only have these inane videos to show for it. IMHO, the money could have been spent much better.

Give it to Robert and Jerry, support APOD.

[emc]

[snipped 'cause I can]... IMHO, the money could have been spent much better.

Give it to Robert and Jerry, support APOD.

Aliens don't need money.

[bystander]

Aliens don't need money.

HUH

[emc]

Sorry, bystander, You'd needed to have read my previous musing posts in this thread postulating Robert and Jerry as aliens... (based on an off-planet view of Earth with the dancing humans qualifying this APOD as an astronomy subject from an alien (outer space alien) perspective). I also postulated that Matt is in cahoots being an alien himself.

And I was afraid I was beating a dead horse. (I know how words can be misconstrued, so "beating a dead horse" is just a figure of speech, I do not condone the beating of horses, especially dead ones.)

Thanks bystander, for the opportunity to muse about aliens once again.

[pat-on-mars]

I was going to make a comment on all of these comments, actually on the original, refreshingly different choice of the Dancing People video by APOD, but I don't think a single thing has been left unsaid.

Well, except maybe this: "Dance as if no one is watching ..."

Maybe some aliens are watching though, if I read some of these comments correctly. A good thing if so.

Matt originally just made videos of himself dancing in the countries he visited as a lark. The happy circumstance of also being paid to do this in new places reminds me of a similar happy circumstance - - actually being paid to do astronomy. I mean, come on, some one is going to pay me (or you) to do the greatest job in the world? Gaze at the universe and try to figure out how we come to be made up of star dust?

No one would ever believe that either!

PS-- My favorite moment is when Matt syncs his jig with the sari-ladies in India. Brilliant!

[emc]

"I can really shake 'em down!"

"Watch me now!"