Alan Aldridge

Gautam Nair

Chuntian by plangkye

ECTOPLASM

[noun]

1. Spiritualism: (from the Greek ektos, meaning “outside”, and plasma, meaning “something formed or moulded”) a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy “exteriorised” by physical mediums. Ectoplasm is said to be associated with the formation of spirits; however since World War II reports of ectoplasmic phenomena have declined and many psychical researchers doubt whether genuine cases ever existed. Ectoplasm is said to be formed by physical mediums when in a trance state. This material is excreted as a gauze-like substance from orifices on the medium’s body and spiritual entities are said to drape this substance over their nonphysical body, enabling them to interact in the physical and real universe. According to mediums, the ectoplasm cannot occur in light conditions as the ectoplasmic substance would disintegrate.

2. Biology: the outer, non-granulated part of a cell’s cytoplasm. This is opposed to the endoplasm which is the inner layer of the cytoplasm, and is often granulated.

The Sun is better than art This incredible image was produced using data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) taken on January 17, 2003. This is the sun photographed as it was building towards a major eruption. SDO carries imaging instruments that photograph different wavelengths of light released from the sun. If you remember your physics, there is a relationship between the wavelength of light, the frequency of the light, and the energy of the light, so SDO images basically reflect the temperature of the sun. The colors in this shot are 3 different wavelengths of light. Temperature across the sun’s surface and in its corona varies as gases are moved around by convection and by the sun’s powerful magnetic field. Images like this are both gorgeous and help scientists understand the forces churning beneath the surface of the body at the heart of the solar system. -JBB Image credit: NASA Goddard/SDO

Devil’s Horns by Jellyfishtimes // more art here

"Night Watch" by Phil Connor

Scott Façon

Arnaud Loumeau

Amanda Sage