From Garth Spencer, The Obdurate Eye
From Leybl in Israel, CyberCozen
From Bill Burns, Added today at https://efanzines.com:
Bill
This is a new one to us, it’s from Sweden. The editor, Ahrvid Engholm, went to see Oppenheimer andbecame inspired!
The N3F sent us N3FReview202401in which quite a few books are reviewed, including A Wrinkle in Time which we’ve discussed a couple of times at MonSFFA.
Bill Burns sent us an update:
New today at https://efanzines.com are:
Rob Jackson’s Inca #23
Alexiad #132 edited by Lisa & Joseph Major
Rich Lynch’s You’re Still on My Mind #5, a letterzine companion to My Back Pages
Octothorpe #102, a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line
Opuntia #565, edited by Dale Speirs
Heath Row’s The Stf Amateur, February 2024 (apazine bundle)
Bill Plott’s Sporadic #77 (2023 archive issue)
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Bill
Due to circumstance beyond our control, we will meet February 10 by ZOOM only. The link will be posted on our website just before the meeting.
COLOURFUL, CRAZY MARDI GRAS!—Our meeting theme this month is Mardi Gras, aand we offer a quick primer on the celebrations, focusing on the colourful, exquisite costuming and decorative flair of New Orleans’ famous Carnival; SF/F cosplayers may well find inspiration here!
WORST MONSTERS!—We discuss and debate which are the genre’s worst monsters, in every sense of the word “worst”. Got some pictures? We can share your screen!
SCI-FI’S LOVABLE ROGUES, AND WHY WE LOVE THEM! Who are the Han Solos of the genre, and why are they so damned compelling, interesting, and appealing?
PROGRAMMING IDEAS!—We’ll be polling MonSFFA’s membership for programming ideas; we want to hear from you, the members of this club, as to the kinds of topics you’d like to see on future meeting agendas! Your suggestions are encouraged and welcome!
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WASP-69, given the formal name Wouri by the International Astronomical Union in 2019, is a K-type star somewhat like our Sun but slightly smaller. The planet with the tail, however, is much different from anything in our own solar system.
That’s because WASP-69 b, named Makombé in 2019 to match its host star (Wouri and Makombé are both rivers in Cameroon), is a hot Jupiter. This class of planet is defined by two major factors: its size similarity to our own gas giant planets and its close-in orbit around its host star.
WASP-69 b certainly fits the bill: It is about 10 percent bigger than Jupiter — though only 30 percent its mass — and orbits its star at a distance just less than five percent the distance at which the Earth orbits the Sun. This means the exoplanet is constantly scorched by stellar radiation to a degree that would make even Mercury sweat.
WASP-69 b was the subject of considerable attention in the summer of 2022 when it became one of the first targets of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
In new research published Jan. 9 in The Astrophysical Journal, a team led by astrophysicists at UCLA has revealed the planet’s atmosphere is escaping into space, creating a cometlike tail that stretches at least 350,000 miles (563,270 km).
Zines to Share!
From MonSFFriend Guy Lilian: Spartacus ,SPARTACUS no 70
An update from Bill Burns over at efanzines:
I received a flurry of fanzines following the snow, and here they all are at https://efanzines.com
Guy H. Lillian III’s Spartacus #70
Leybl Botwinik’s CyberCozen – Jan 2024
Andy Hooper’s CAPTAIN FLASHBACK #62
Christopher J. Garcia’s The Drink Tank #453
Octothorpe #101, a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line
Bill Plott’s Sporadic #78, 78.1, 79 (2023 archive issues)
Opuntia #564, edited by Dale Speirs
Perry Middlemiss’s Perryscope #39 & 40
Christopher J. Garcia’s Claims Department #63, 64, 65
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Bill
Japan’s Moon lander has resumed operations after being shut down for a week due to a power supply issue.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) said it re-established contact with the lander on Sunday, indicating that the glitch had been fixed.
Its solar cells are working again after a shift in lighting conditions allowed it to catch sunlight, the agency said.
It could not generate power when it landed on 20 January as the solar cells pointed away from the Sun.
With the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) spacecraft, Japan became only the fifth country to achieve a soft touchdown on the Moon after the US, the former Soviet Union, China and India.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-68118326
An “exceptionally rare” Star Wars figure found in a loft has outstripped its estimate after attracting worldwide interest at auction.
The Jawa character, complete with vinyl cape, is considered the “holy grail” of 1970s Star Wars figures, according to auctioneer Jonathan Torode.
It was snapped up by a UK collector for £19,500 during the Hertfordshire sale.
“I feel honoured to have handled another rare part of Star Wars toy history,” Mr Torode said.
“The Jawa figure is still the absolute ultimate for Star Wars collectors.”
It was the second time in six months that Excalibur Auctions, of Kings Langley, was able to show off such a sought-after collectible.
In July, it sold an identical Jawa figure for £26,670, including commission charges, after it was found by the same owner among memorabilia packed away in boxes.
Each figure was estimated to attain £10,000 to £15,000.
The figure owner, who worked for Marvel UK between 1974 and 1979, received a range of gifts from the UK toy company Palitoy during the promotion of the Star Wars line in Marvel comics.
Only 10 to 15 examples of this type of figure were documented, Excalibur Auctions said, with the vinyl cape substituted for a cloth cape not long into production.
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