I say: O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days, Thou whose years endure throughout all generations.

Of old Thou didst lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.

They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall pass away;

Three sources have recently drawn my attention to the likely state of our world in 100 billion years’ time. 

Earth's gravity revealed in unprecedented detail

This latest news release from ESA, the European Space Agency, gives us the most accurate picture yet of the geoid, which

is the surface of an ideal global ocean in the absence of tides and currents, shaped only by gravity. It is a crucial reference for measuring ocean circulation, sea-level change and ice dynamics – all affected by climate change.

This is a short note to draw your attention to Jim Kaler’s recent page covering ADVANCES IN ASTRONOMY for 2009 – 2010.

It’s not very long, but the latest in everything from the Moon to the whole observed Universe is summarized neatly by a master of the subject, and is well worth a read.

Over many years, as a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, I have regularly received their magazine, formerly Chemistry in Britain, now Chemistry World.  This often contains an article of historical interest

Walking through the main campus of Reading University, where they have been planting a lot of saplings recently, I came across this:



With the sun getting stronger, and the leaves not yet out, one gets some very picturesque views at this time.  These, on a young Plane Tree (Platanus), are probably its first fruits.  They did, however, remind me of this: