Category Archives: Mars

June 6, 2023: The bright moon is near the Teapots handle before sunup. After nightfall, brilliant Venus approaches Mars.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:16 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:23 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location. Times are calculated by the U.S. Naval Observatorys MICA computer program.

Here is todays planet forecast:

Morning Sky

An hour before sunrise the bright gibbous moon, 93% illuminated, is low in the south-southwest, at the handle of the Teapot of Sagittarius. The phase is clearly no longer full, but the moon easily casts shadows on the ground.

The moon is near the star Tau Sagittarii ( Sgr on the chart). With the moons brightness, the Teapot is washed out. Use a binocular to spot the star 0.7 to the upper right of the lunar orb.

For sky watchers in South America and Easter Island, the moon occults or eclipses the star.

Jupiter and Saturn are farther eastward at this hour. Saturn is easier to see, about 30 above the southeast horizon. While it is not as bright as Venus or Jupiter, it rivals the visual intensities of the bright stars this morning. The planet is now high enough above the filtering effects of the atmosphere for a good telescopic view, At lower altitudes height above the horizon the atmosphere tends to blur and redden astronomical objects. The view of Jupiter through a telescope suffers from that effect.

The Jovian Giant appears higher in the sky each morning as it emerges from bright sunlight into a darker and clearer sky. Look for it over 10 above the east horizon.

The star Fomalhaut, the mouth of the southern fish, is about 10 above the south-southeast horizon. Nearby, low in the east-southeast, Deneb Kaitos, the tail of the sea monster, is making its first morning appearance.

Thirty minutes before sunrise, Mercury is visible through a binocular. The speedy planet is over 5 above the east-northeast horizon and 20 to Jupiters lower left. The planet is brightening, but at this level of morning twilight, it is difficult to see without the binoculars optical assist.

Two other planets, Uranus and Neptune, are in the sky this morning, but they are too dim to see in this bright twilight.

Evening Sky

After sundown, brilliant Venus gleams in the western sky. An hour after nightfall, the Evening Star is over 20 up in the sky and 8.9 to the upper left of Pollux, a Gemini Twin. The planet is stepping eastward in front of Cancer, that seemingly open space between Pollux and Regulus, Leos brightest star. Venus is quickly overtaking Mars, 8.7 to the upper left.

The Red Planet is dimmer than might be expected. It is about the brightness of Castor, the other Twin, over 20 to the lower right of the planet.

Mars is still in the same binocular field of view with the Beehive star cluster. The separation is 2.6 with Mars to the upper left of the cluster.

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June 5, 2023: Before sunrise, the moon seems balanced on the spout of the Teapot. Jupiter and Saturn are visible before daybreak, while Venus closes the gap to Mars.

June 4, 2023: The star Fomalhaut has made news recently with a possible asteroid belt. It is visible to the lower right of Saturn before daybreak.

June 3, 2023: The Strawberry moon rises in the southeast after sunset. Venus steps into the Cancer to the upper left of Pollux.

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2023, June 6: Handled Moon, Venus Approaches Mars - When the Curves Line Up

a black rock

Scientists have discovered that the force needed to eject rocks from the surface of Mars that eventually pelt Earth as meteorites is actually much lower than previously believed.

Meteorites from a variety of sources have been discovered across Earth's surface for thousands of years, but Mars wasn't suggested as a possible source of this bombardment until the 1970s when measurements of the Martian atmosphere made by NASA's Viking orbiters were found to match gases locked in these space rocks. Nonetheless, it remained unknown how exactly these rocks might have made it all the way from the Red Planet to Earth.

In a new study, scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), simulated the "shock pressure" that is experienced by Mars rocks as they are ejected from the planet. In doing so, researchers found it may not be as difficult to catapult a rock from Mars to space as was previously believed.

Related: Building blocks of life found in famous Mars meteorite

"We're not on Mars, so we can't watch a meteorite strike in person," team member and JPL planetary scientist Yang Liu said in a statement. "But we can recreate a similar kind of impact in a lab setting. By doing so, we found it takes much less pressure to launch a Mars meteorite than we thought."

To make it from the surface of Mars, through the Martian atmosphere, in and out of the near-vacuum of space and then through Earth's atmosphere and onto the surface of our planet, the rocks must survive massive temperatures and pressures and an eventual crash landing.

Until engineers can figure out a way to collect and return Martian samples, these meteorites are the only way they can study the Red Planet's rocks up close and personal. While the meteorites are being studied, other researchers are working to better understand the nature of the impacts upon Mars that could launch pieces of the Red Planet in the first place.

Story continues

And as it turns out, Martian meteorites contain other details locked within them about their journey from the Red Planet to Earth.

a small black rock in a display case

The glassy material maskelynite is created when the mineral plagioclase is exposed to extreme pressure like those caused by giant impacts. That means finding maskelynite within the rock can hint at the kind of pressures they have been exposed to. Over the last five years, Martian meteorites have been found with a mix of plagioclase and maskelynite which puts constraints on the amount of pressure they must have experienced.

The Caltech/JPL team set about smashing plagioclase-containing rocks from Earth to observe how high pressures cause the mineral to transform. This involved using a powerful gun to blast the rocks with projectiles fired at five times the speed of sound, simulating the kinds of pressures rocks ejected from Mars would experience.

Previous experiments showed plagioclase becomes maskelynite at a shock pressure of 30 gigapascals (GPa), which is 300,000 times the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. These past tests have required reverberating shock waves through a steel chamber, something that doesn't give an accurate picture of what happens during impacts on Mars, however.

In these new experiments, without that steel chamber acting on the shock waves, the scientists found that the transition between plagioclase becomes maskelynite actually occurred at just 20 GPa.

"It has been a significant challenge to model an impact that can launch intact rocks from Mars while shocking them to 30 GPa," Caltech Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor of Geology and Geochemistry Paul Asimow said in a separate statement. "In this context, the difference between 30 GPa and 20 GPa is significant."

a hand holds a small black rock

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The results are in line with observations of other high-pressure minerals in meteorites that support the idea Martian meteorites experience shock pressures of less than 30 GPa on ejection from the Red Planet.

Armed with these new shock pressure parameters, scientists may eventually be able to trace Martian meteorites to the giant impacts that initially sent them hurtling through space.

"The more accurately we can characterize the shock pressures experienced by a meteorite, the more likely it becomes that we can identify the impact crater on Mars from which it originated," Asimow concluded.

The team's research was published in the journal Science Advances.

Link:

The mystery of how Mars meteorites reach Earth may finally be solved - Yahoo News

A bizarre mashup of celebs, trapped in a Mars base.Based Celebrities

Being trapped inside a small Mars habitat for months if not years at a time won't be the faint of heart. It's a journey that will require cool minds, quick wits, and plenty of technological know-how.

In a wacky take on the concept, Fox announced that it's pitting a unusual mix of 12 celebrities including disgraced Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and "Modern Family" actor Ariel Winter against each other during a simulated stay in a Martian colony for an upcoming reality TV show.

While it might sound like a vacuous reality TV distraction, it could still turn out to be an intriguing glimpse into a future in which spacefarers have to learn to live within tight quarters on the surface of a largely inhospitable planet.We'll probably be tuning in even if it's just so you don't have to.

The show, set to premiere next month, will be hosted by none other than "Star Trek" legend and depressed space tourist William Shatner.

"Thanks to lower gravity on Mars, youll weigh 62 percent less," Shatner quipped during a promo video. "Bad news: the air is unbreathable, so if youre from LA, itll remind you of home."

The guest list is a bizarre mashup of VIPs, from UFC champion Ronda Rousey and "Real Housewives of Atlanta" reality star Porsha Williams Guobadia to actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who you might remember as McLovin' from the comedy "Superbad."

The show will vaguely mimic a NASA analog mission, with contestants living and working inside a mockup of a Martian colony, though it's unclear for how long.

They will also compete with each other during several challenges set by Shatner and vote each other off of the show "send them back to Earth" until a single "space invader" is left standing, according to a press release.

Whether the show will be an accurate depiction of what it will actually be like to live on the Red Planet remains to be seen.

But given the show's competitive nature, it's probably best if it isn't.

More on living on Mars: These 3D-Printed Mars Habitats Just Won a NASA Award

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New Show Traps Lance Armstrong and Ariel Winter in Simulated ... - Futurism

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Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) plays a leading role in AI revolution. As the massive rise of ChatGPT is pouring fuel to the already burning fire, the stock has rallied 102% since the start of the year, indicating its ability to enable AI adoption across a wide range of markets.

While I believe that NVDA's dominant position is unlikely to be challenged in the near term, I'm concerned about its "flying to Mars" valuation as the stock is currently trading at 66x P/E CY 2023 (compared to TSLA's 43x), the highest multiple in the technology sector. As a profitable company, this high multiple was only seen during the post-pandemic bull market when the federal fund rate was at its lower bound of 0. However, with the current interest rate at 5.25%, I believe that the recent rally may be ahead of itself. Therefore, despite a robust long-term growth outlook, I'm tactically bearish on Nvidia stock in the near term.

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GTC Presentation slide

On 03/21/2023, Nvidia held its GTC Financial Analyst Q&A, which highlighted the cloud business model and emphasized its ability to address the increasing demand. The company's software solutions continue to rise, adding value to customers. Moreover, engaged with customers at every level of the value chain, Nvidia provides platform-as-a-service and AI infrastructure-as-a-service. During the webcast, the CFO also mentioned a surge in AI compute demand in the past month, which was more positive than the previous earnings call outlook, further fueling the recent bullish sentiment.

One of the most exciting announcements at GTC was the company's cloud-based service offerings, including DGX Cloud, which allows enterprises to train and operate a wide array of current and emerging AI workloads. While the team reiterated its view of seeing an accelerating demand profile for its datacenter business in the near and mid-term, the economic models of some of these new business opportunities remain uncertain. Given the market pricing in multi-year long tailwinds, the current risk and reward profile of the stock is not very attractive.

Revenue Model

The company's revenue growth has slowed down significantly to 0.2% YoY from 61.4% a year earlier due to the negative effect on pull-forward demand and macro headwinds. However, I believe this was largely due to a high bar basis and weak demand in the semiconductor industry, rather than a specific issue with the company. Particularly, the Graphics segment saw a revenue deceleration of 25% YoY largely due to a PC slowdown in the post-pandemic era, resulting in a CAGR of 15.9% from FY 2020 to FY 2023. On the other hand, the Compute and Networking segment remained resilient and grew 36% YoY, largely driven by a 41.4% YoY growth in the Datacenter subsegment, which reflected the demand resiliency of the company's cloud services and AI compute. Therefore, I believe that the stock is currently speculating on the future AI mania, with investors pushing up the price to reflect its strong growth outlook, which has already been largely priced in.

Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., CapitalIQ, J.P. Morgan estimates

The table from 05/05/2023 shows that NVDA is trading at 24.4x EV/Revenue CY 2023, which is the highest multiple in the group, compared to 5.9x of S&P500 - IT sector average. While some investors may argue that the lofty valuation can be justified by its hypergrowth outlook in the next decade, I find it overstretched, especially considering that the stock is trading at a four times higher EV/Revenue than Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (AMD). If we exclude Intel Corporation (INTC) from the comparison due to its value trap nature, 66x of P/E CY 2023 is still the highest in the group, even higher than Tesla, Inc.'s (TSLA) 43x multiple.

Bloomberg

Based on this chart, NVDA's Blended Forward 12 months (BF) P/E ratio ((Green line)) and P/S ratio ((White line)) is currently trading at 60x and 22.6x respectively, approaching to the pandemic peak when the federal fund rate was at 0. In contract, TSLA is currently trading at 43x BF P/E ((Red line)) and 5x BF P/S ((Blue line)). This indicates that investors are enthusiastic about NVDA's potential in the AI sector in the long term. However, the current multiples suggest that the stock's price may not be sustainable in the current environment with a 5.25% interest rate and 5.5% YoY of Core CPI. While the stock could continue to rise over the long term, I remain cautious as the street consensus have not been significantly revised yet.

Seeking Alpha

Despite the potential for accelerating demand opportunities through AI adoption, the market consensus for NVDA's revenue growth has not caught up with the current price action. In fact, sell-side analysts have actually decreased their FY 2023 revenue estimates by -3.89% over the past 6 months. While there were slightly upward revisions for revenue in FY 2023 and FY 2024 earlier this year, these estimates still haven't reached the peak levels of last year. This suggests that the recent 100% rally in the stock is purely speculative, especially given the sharp reduction in long-term revenue estimates.

Seeking Alpha

On the other hand, the near-term earnings revisions have remained stagnant, indicating that the surge in the stock price is not driven by an increase in earnings consensus as well. Earnings estimates for FY 2023 have only increased by 1.66% over the last 6 months. While longer-term earnings estimates are less reliable, they are still important in determining the company's valuation using the discounted cash flow ("DCF") model. The market appears to believe that NVDA's earnings will dramatically improve starting in mid and long term, as the earnings consensus for FY 2026 and FY 2027 has increased by 23% AND 26%, respectively. Therefore, I believe that the doubling of NVDA stock price in 5 months is overreaching.

In conclusion, Nvidia Corporation's stock price has soared by more than 100% YTD, driven by the market's enthusiasm for AI and its potential to transform various industries. However, despite the company's significant opportunities in the future, there are concerns about the current valuation, which appears to be overstretched based on traditional valuation metrics. Furthermore, the lack of significant upward revisions in revenue and earnings estimates by analysts raises questions about the sustainability of the stock's rally. While Nvidia Corporation may continue to move higher in the long term, investors should be cautious about the potential risks associated with the stock's high valuation and speculative market sentiment.

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Nvidia Corporation Stock: Flying To Mars (NASDAQ:NVDA) - Seeking Alpha

This week in science saw the cyclone known as Mocha intensifying around India while the other headlines mostly cover the cosmos. Not only did a Korean rover deliver some stunning images of the Moon's crater but NASA's Perseverance rover has now found the evidence of what seems like an ancient river on Mars, reaffirming the theory that the Red Planet once had water flowing through it.

Back on the Blue Planet, a meteorite crashes through the roof of a New Jersey home. What did the family think of it? They thought the neighbousr were throwing rocks at them!

Cyclone Mocha has strengthened into a very severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and is heading towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast.

ALSO READ:Cyclone Mocha intensifies into very severe cyclonic storm. What you need to know

Now, its moving with a speed of 9km per hour towards north direction, Indian Meteorological Department scientist Umashankar Das told news agency ANI.It is expected that the incoming cyclone will lead to heavy amounts of rainfall in the Andaman and Nicobar islands along with India's northeastern states.

South Korea's Danuri spacecraft has sent back detailed photographs of the Moon's craters months after it entered lunar orbit.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute's (KARI) Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) spacecraft has sent four photographs of the lunar surface as it continues to orbit the Moon. The photographs show not only craters, but also surface features on the Moon that are encased in regolith (lunar soil and dust).

In stunning clarity, the Orbitershowed four craters on Moon - Tsiolkovsky crater, Schrodinger Valley, Wichmann Crater, and the Szilard M Crater.

The Mars rover known as Perseverance Mars photographed a mosaic of a hill known as "Pinestand." at the Jazero Crater. Scientists believe the tall sedimentary strata stacked on top of each other here were produced by a deep, swift-moving river.

According to NASA, understanding these aqueous ecosystemscould benefit scientists in their search for clues of ancient microbial life trapped in Martian rock.

From the dinosaurs' possible extinction to sci-fi films like Armageddon, meteorites and asteroids can creep out humans. After all, no one would want to be knocked out with a space rock falling on their head without any warning. A home in Hopewell, New Jersey similarly witnessed a meteorite on Monday (May 8), a warm, black potato-sized chunk that they initially thought of as a rock that the neighbours threw. Causing a bit of a dent in the roof, the meteorite was small enough to hardly cause any damage.

The stony meteorite has been identified as a chondrite meteorite. The study of these meteorites will be able to help scientists in understanding the origins of the Solar System as they are often formed when various particles of dust and accumulated together in the early years of the Solar System to form primitive asteroids.

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Science Wrap: Cyclone Mocha, a new meteorite, and a river on Mars - DailyO

The Viking Mas is completing one year in service today.

Built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the cruise ship was delivered to Viking on May 12, 2022.

After being christened during a private ceremony in Malta a few days later, the 930-guest vessel kicked off its inaugural season in the Mediterranean.

Following a few voyages in the region, the Viking Mars welcomed its first paying guests for a 14-night repositioning cruise to Northern Europe.

The one-way cruise sailed from Barcelona to Bergen and featured visits to other eight ports in Spain, Portugal, England, France, Belgium, Norway, and the Netherlands.

The Viking Mars then spent the summer sailing in Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltic offering a series of 12- to 14-night itineraries across the region.

In July, for instance, the vessel offered a two-week itinerary named Into the Midnight Sun. Sailing from Greenwich to Bergen, the voyage featured different ports of call in England, Norway and Scotland, such as Edinburgh and Tromso.

Before repositioning to Australia and New Zealand ahead of the 2022-23 winter, the vessel also offered additional cruises in the Mediterranean during the fall, as well as repositioning cruises in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

Following the 2021-built Viking Venus, the vessel became the eighth in a series of ships that was introduced in 2015 by the Viking Star.

According to Viking, the Mars features Scandinavian design across its public areas and cabins, in addition to light-filled spaces and abundant al fresco dining options.

The ship also offers all-balcony accommodation, in addition to a selection of lounges and bars, three swimming pools, a full-service spa and a cinema.

In addition to the Viking Mars, Viking also took delivery of three more cruise ships in 2022: the Viking Mississippi, the Viking Polaris and the Viking Neptune.

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Viking Mars Completes First Year in Service - Cruise Industry News

After the celebrated, influential punk outfit At The Drive-In went on hiatus in 2001, members Omar Rodrguez-Lpez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala went on to form their own project,the Mars Volta. What followed was a just as influential band and a string of wild, experimental records that found beauty in chaos, while their live shows were easily as visceral as the most urgent of punk groups.

The duo broke up after the release of 2012s Noctourniquet, with Bixler-Zavala announcing the news via a series of tweets that took aim at Rodrguez-Lpezs new band Bosnian Rainbows. What am I suppose to do, be some progressive house wife thats cool with watching their partner go fuck other bands, he wrote at the time.

Thankfully, the two friends started repairing their friendship when At The Drive-In reunited to make 2017s comeback album, inter alia. And after a lot of teasing, they returned as the Mars Volta with their first album in over a decade in 2022.

I feel like the Mars Volta is finally beginning, Rodriguez-Lopez said recently, when the band announced they were releasing a reworked, acoustic version of their debut through their cultural lens.

With Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon out now and a whole lot of history behind the Mars Volta thats too interesting to overlook, we went ahead and ranked the prog-rock groups discography. See our ranking of their entire discography below.

Read more:Every Incubus album ranked: From worst to best

From De-Loused In The Comatorium to 2022's self-titled album, see our ranking of the Mars Volta's discography below.

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The Mars Volta albums ranked: From worst to best - Alternative Press

Global commerce marketing agency makes list of best U.S. companies for fostering employee growth

DETROIT, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With an ever-evolving media landscape and the competitive nature of a creative industry, The Mars Agency continues to find ways to attract and keep their world-class talent happy and thriving.

The agency was named today to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list. Featured in the May/June 2023 issue, which hits newsstands on May 16, and prominently showcased on Inc.com, the list is the result of a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture.

"We're better equipped to help our clients win when we help each other win."

This marks the second time this year The Mars Agency has been recognized by a leading publication for their exemplary culture. The agency was also named to Ad Age's 2023 list of the Best Places to Work in January.

"We're all working in support of the same mission: to make our clients' business better today than it was yesterday. And we're better equipped to help our clients win when we help each other win. We've found employees most receptive and productive when we give them the freedom and flexibility to work how they work best," says Rob Rivenburgh, Global CEO. "Our ultimate goal is creating an employee experience and environment where they can thrive and grow professionally while having the necessary balance for themselves and their families."

Finding a Better WayThe company has created an environment of trust and empowerment, giving employees the ability to do their job when and where they're most productive. That includes unlimited PTO, work-from-anywhere policies and log-off principles where management encourages teams to keep Fridays free of meetings and focus on deep work.

A truly supportive environment means that peersand managersgenuinely care about each other's well-being. The agency recognized a trend towards work-life "blend" and continues to add to its generous holistic benefits. From one-on-one professional coaching to guided meditation classes to family tutoring and child/elder care services, the list continues to grow.

"Both the larger organization and my immediate team go to great lengths to ensure that I am cared for and appreciated as both an employee and an individual. They prioritize the professional and personal needs of each person, which truly creates a healthy and happy work environment," as one employee stated in the anonymous survey collected by Quantum Workplace.

Cultivating a Place Where Martians ThriveThe Mars Agency rallies around a simple purpose: growth for its people, clients and communities. Its inclusive employee-centric culture is continually shaped by its Martians. The agency has shaped an environment where every individual can achieve their greatest potential through:

This continuous transparency makes everyone feel connected.

"I have never, in my 15+ years working in marketing, worked for a company that communicates as often and as effectively to their employees as The Mars Agency. As employees, we feel included and valued. It is so incredible knowing that leadership in your company cares about you as an individual and encourages a healthy work-life balance," stated another employee.

Uplifting Global Communities"With locations around the world, we're fortunate to be a part of and get involved in many communities," says Kerry Shaw, SVP of People & Culture and a 25-year veteran of The Mars Agency. Ten years ago, the company "started small" with a simple goal of spreading kindness by giving back to the communities in which we live. Today, our Start Small initiative gives employees multiple ways to get involved and contribute to the agency-wide community service goal of 4,000 hours annually: personal volunteer days, quarterly office donation drives, Martian Sabbaticals, and Global Citizenship Day. Shaw shares, "We believe that when our communities are thriving, so can we."

Above all, The Mars Agency culture supports professionals with a desire to do good and be good at what they do, both at work and in their personal lives.

"Being named to Best Workplaces is an honor that only a small fraction of companies have been able to claim," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Proving to the world that you're a magnet for talent and have a culture that keeps teams engaged, productive, and proud to come to work is a truly remarkable achievement."

"I'm so grateful for our employees and their engagement," Rivenburgh explains. "We've been named among the top workplaces because of themthey're shaping our culture of growth. I am thrilled and honored to work with them every day."

About The Mars AgencyThe Mars Agency is an award-winning, independently owned, global commerce marketing practice. With talent around the world, they connect people, technology and intelligence to make clients' business better today than it was yesterday. Mars' industry-leading MarTech platform, Marilyn, helps marketers understand the total business impact of their commerce marketing, enabling them to make better decisions, create connected experiences and drive stronger results. Learn more atwww.themarsagency.com andmeetmarilyn.ai.

About Inc. MediaThe world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

Media Contact: Sarah Jo Sautter, [emailprotected]

SOURCE The Mars Agency

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The Mars Agency Makes Inc. Magazine's Annual List of Best ... - PR Newswire

In April, archaeologists excavating at La Chapelle-des-Fougeretz, in Britanny, France, announced that they had discovered a large Roman temple, dating between the late first century BC and fourth century AD. They speculated that it had probably been used by Roman soldiers for hundreds of years to pay homage to Mars, the god of war.

It was the discovery of a fine bronze statuette of Mars that suggested the temple may have been a shrine to the god. But the site also had clay figurines of Venus and the mother goddesses, leading to uncertainty about which deity was worshipped there.

Two buildings were at the core of the site a square within a square, one slightly smaller than the other. This design is typical of Romano-Celtic temples (found in modern France, parts of Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and the north-west provinces of the Roman Empire).

Scholars of ancient religion in the Celtic north west regions of the Roman Empire (of which ancient France was a major part) used to regard a double temple arrangement as a dedication to a divine pair, one male and the other female, such as Apollo and Sirona or Mercury and Rosmerta.

The female names were usually derived from Celtic languages, while the male gods were from the classical Graeco-Roman pantheon, implying some sort of marriage between them and by extension, the synthesis of local culture with that of Imperial Rome.

But this theorising was a reflection of 19th and 20th century colonial thinking. Present day experts have found that ancient people chose their forms of worship, rather than having religions imposed upon them.

Ancient communities could preserve Iron Age traditions or adopt aspects of Roman classical religion. This is reflected in the archaeology of their temple sites.

Some had wooden buildings and few, if any, featured classical images of gods. Others, particularly in the towns, opted for a more full on Roman style of worship, even if the old native traditions still underpinned the rituals.

Looking at excavations of temples in Gaul (modern France, with parts of Belgium, Germany and Switzerland) and Britain, it is striking that the architectural form is often quite standardised.

The temples are usually in the Romano-Celtic design, with a small square central tower surrounded by a portico (a row of evenly spaced columns with a lean-to roof up against the central tower).

The sculpture, inscriptions, artefacts and sacrificial remains are, however, widely variable. They reveal the development of a highly localised suite of ritual activities that varied significantly from one temple to another.

Equally striking is their long-term stability. It seems that once established (either in the early Roman period or sometimes in the pre-conquest late Iron Age), rituals quickly settled down into patterns that continued, at some sites, for centuries.

The end usually came in the late Roman period, as pagan shrines were abandoned in the face of the expansion of imperially promoted Christianity.

Mars, Venus and the mother goddesses (and possibly others not yet discovered) were probably the deities included in the rituals observed in the two shrines and the equally important open air courtyard in which the shrines stood.

It is in the courtyard that much of the public ritual, such as sacrifices, would have taken place. From this perspective, archaeologists cannot be sure that, for instance, the bigger temple was for Mars and the smaller one for the female deities.

We do not know the exact purpose of the temple buildings themselves. The central cella area is usually thought to be a house for the god. Plinths are sometimes found within them, suitable for a statue or other cult idol.

The surrounding porticoes are secondary features, as some temples start life as a simple square structure and the portico is added later. At the site of Pesch, near Aachen in Germany, the portico of one of the two temples had altars to the Matronae goddesses (a variant on the mother goddesses). The cella, meanwhile, contained a statue of Jupiter.

It looks as though the porticoes developed as a shelter for votive offerings, up against the central shrine building.

At many temples, a wide variety of images and god names have been found.

At Gerolstein, near Trier in Germany, there was Minerva, Venus, Mercury, Bacchus and Hercules. At Le Hrapel in the Moselle region of France, there was Sol, Luna, Mercury, Bacchus, Hercules and Epona. At the Bregenz temple site in Austria, there is an inscription to the gods and goddesses, showing that many deities were worshipped collectively.

In Britain, the temple at Lamyatt Beacon, Somerset, had a cache of statuettes of Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Minerva, Hercules and a Genius. Similar hoards of figurines have been found elsewhere in the province.

Clearly, the poly in polytheism meant just that many deities, worshipped together. There may have been a main or original god or goddess at many temple sites, but there was a clear tendency to worship a range of deities, possibly accumulating new idols over time.

The broader sacred landscape adds clarity to the finds at La Chapelle-des-Fougeretz. The site is complemented by another temple at Mordelles, to the west. Both were within easy reach of the Roman city of Rennes and it is quite possible that they were linked to the town by processional or pilgrimage routes.

In the heart of Rennes itself, evidence for worship of Mars is strong. All three places may have formed the sacred landscape of the citizens, in the form of processions and seasonal festivities.

It is tempting to think of ancient religion in monotheistic terms one temple, with one god. But the evidence from the Romano-Celtic regions of the empire suggests otherwise. It is much more genuinely polytheistic. Several deities were worshiped at most temple sites, with strong regional networks linking many gods and goddesses together.

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Head of English section, France edition

Original post:

Roman temple thought to be dedicated to Mars could actually have been used to worship many gods expert explains - The Conversation

DENISON The Le Mars Community boys tennis tandem of Michael Meis and Evan Pratt earned a spot at the state tournament as they were crowned champions of the doubles tournament bracket at the Class 1A district meet hosted by Denison-Schleswig on Monday.

Meis and Pratt earned the top seed in the bracket and worked their way through the days competition with relative ease.

Michael and Evan had a great run today, Le Mars Head Coach Michael Bahr said. They earned the one seed and played like it all day. They played solid, aggressive, and smart tennis all day and were able to walk out as the district champions. They have set the tone all year for our team and we are looking forward to what they will do at the individual state tournament.

The partners picked up a 6-0, 6-0 opening round win over Adam Kohn and Jack Waldner from Cherokee.

In the next round, the Bulldogs met up with Lewis Central pair Payton Fort and Colby Souther. The Le Mars team doubled up their opponent 6-3 in the first set and then took the second set 6-0 for the win.

The semifinals featured the No. 1 seed against the No. 12 seed. as the Denison-Schleswig duo of Braden Curnyn and Gavin Hipnar upset their first two opponents, the No. 5 and No. 4 seeds in the bracket. The upset run came to an end against Meis and Pratt as they won 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the finals.

The finals match paired the top two seeds in the bracket as the Bulldogs faced Denison-Schleswig duo Wyatt Johnson and Carson Seuntjens. The match went 6-1, 6-1 in favor of the Bulldogs as they claimed the doubles title. The second place team also advances to state.

Johnson and Seuntjens had knocked out the other Le Mars doubles team in the quarterfinals. Caden Wurth and Jacob McGill fell by a 6-1, 6-4 score to the Monarchs.

These guys went in unseeded and had a tough draw. But, they put up a fight against the eventual district runner-ups and played one of their better doubles matches of the season, Bahr said.

They got the win over the Bishop Heelan team of Jack Bousquet and Teegan Reiners in the first round. The Le Mars team won that one by a 6-2, 6-1 score.

In singles action, Christian Jensen of Lewis Central was the tournament champion. The top seed in the bracket opened up against Ian Penne of Le Mars and won 6-2, 6-1.

He played a great match against a tough opponent, Bahr said. I was so proud of his poise and coachability during this match against the district champion.

The other Le Mars singles competitor was Devin DeVall. He won his opening round match by a 6-2, 6-0 score over Jaxson Lehnen of Council Bluffs St. Albert. DeVall then lost 6-0, 6-0 to No. 3 seed Tyler Grote of Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Grote ended up taking third place in the tournament.

Devin played two outstanding matches today. He is such an important part of our team and did a good job of playing good tennis against tough opponents today, Bahr said.

The Le Mars doubles team of Meis and Pratt will compete at the Class 1A state tournament which will be held Tuesday, May 23 and Wednesday, May 24 at Byrnes Park in Waterloo.

Continue reading here:

Le Mars doubles team of Meis and Pratt advances to state tennis - nwestiowa.com