co-orbital

The Earth had company this week when an asteroid practically grazed the planet - passing by just 400,000 miles away. That's less than twice the distance of the Earth to the Moon.

The 8-metre-wide rock, known as 2009 BD, is a co-orbital asteroid, which means it orbits the Sun on almost the same plane as Earth does. The coupling offers rare opportunities to discover more about asteroids.

Rather than speeding past fleetingly like most asteroids, co-orbital ones synch up with Earth and perform a spiralling dance around it, sometimes lasting for many months or even years. They are sometimes referred to as second moons, despite their diminutive size.

On average, eight co-orbital asteroids are discovered a year, but 2009 BD is special because, with a tilt of just 1.5 degrees from the Earth-Sun plane, it has one of the most Earth-like orbits of any yet observed, says Paul Chodas of the Near Earth Object project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

bubbling geologic time

A mudpot, mud pool or paint pot is a sort of hot spring or fumarole consisting of a pool of usually bubbling mud.

Mudpots form in high-temperature geothermal areas where water is in short supply. The little water that is available rises to the surface at a spot where the soil is rich in volcanic ash, clay and other fine particulates. The thickness of the mud usually changes along with seasonal changes in the water table.

The mud takes the form of a viscous, often bubbling, slurry. As the boiling mud is often squirted over the brims of the mudpot, a sort of mini-volcano of mud starts to build up, sometimes reaching heights of 3-5 feet. Although mudpots are often called "mud volcanoes", true mud volcanoes are very different in nature.

The mud is generally of white to greyish color, but is sometimes stained with reddish or pink spots from iron compounds. When the slurry is particularly colorful, the feature is then called a "paint pot".

oh such a short time...

Kubler is shaping my time

9 moons on a new moon

10 questions

1. How do we deal with trends?

2. Should you as an artist be aware? How do you self identify?

3. What is the responsibility of the artist? Is there any social responsibility?

4. How do you deal with feeling dumb?

5. How do you overcome a mental block?

6. To what degree is layered meaning important in work and where does that meaning reside?

7. How does craft and technical expertise play into work? And to what degree do you look for it in others work?

8. What is art? How do you distinguish it and to what degree do others influence your opinion?

9. How does your old work inform your new work and to what degree does it have an influence?

10. How do you filter the feedback of others? To what degree do your answers to these questions resonate in your response to others work?