Gerald Maurice Clemence

Gerald Maurice Clemence (16 August 1908 – 22 November 1974) was an American astronomer. Inspired by the life and work of Simon Newcomb, his career paralleled the huge advances in astronomy brought about by the advent of the electronic computer. Clemence did much to revive the prestige of the U.S. Nautical Almanac Office.
Early life.
Born on a farm near Greenville, Rhode Island, Gerald's parents were Richard R. Clemence and his wife, Lora, "née" Oatley. Much of his elementary education was at home with his mother, herself a schoolteacher, and he learned about astronomy from his own enthusiastic reading. Clemence attended Brown University and read mathematics, achieving a PhB degree in 1930. In his own words, "as a recreation", he took the civil service examination for the job description "astronomer" and finished first out of fifty candidates, winning appointment at the United States Naval Observatory. Taking up the post, he married Edith Melvina Vail, a nurse, in 1929.
Mercury and Mars.
After initial work in the Time Service Department, alongside William Markowitz, Clemence was assigned to work under H. R. Morgan. George William Hill had computed the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn in the nineteenth century and Newcomb had completed the work for the other planets of the solar system. However, there was now almost fifty years of new observational data and Clemence set to recalculate the orbital elements of Mercury to provide more accurate predictions. His results, published in 1943, clearly showed the perihelion precession of Mercury predicted by the general theory of relativity.
Clemence identified systematic errors in the predictions of Mars' path. The residuals showed a marked periodicity and Clemence concluded that the Fourier series on which the predictions were based was wrong. Clemence set out to derive a new series from scratch using the methods detailed by Hill and Peter Andreas Hansen in the nineteenth century. The calculations were carried out with "a lead pencil, large sheets of computing paper, [and] a hand-operated "Millionaire" desk calculator". Though electronic calculators were available towards the end of the project, the calculations took twelve years.
Nautical Almanac Office.
Wallace John Eckert was appointed as director of the Nautical Almanac Office in 1940 and immediately imported his enthusiasm for using punched card machines for scientific calculation. Clemence was an early senior appointment to the new regime and soon saw the potential of electronic computation, using it initially on his Mars work but increasingly on the military work whose priority escalated following the entry of the U.S. into World War II.
Clemence was appointed assistant director in 1942 and was joined on the staff by Paul Herget. The pair worked on calculating mathematical tables and developed the optimum-interval technique to construct tables calculated at non-constant intervals and for which linear interpolation was everywhere legitimate.
In 1945, Eckert left for the IBM-sponsored computing laboratory at Columbia University and Herget became director of the Cincinnati Observatory. Clemence was promoted to director of the Nautical Almanac Office, the post once held by his role-model Newcomb, and proved an able and energetic administrator.
Research collaboration.
In 1947, there began an intense period of cooperative research on celestial mechanics between Clemence's office, Eckert's group at Columbia and Yale University Observatory, under the direction of Dirk Brouwer, a former collaborator of Eckert's on punched cards.
Later career.
In 1958, Clemence was appointed first scientific director of the U.S. Naval Observatory, a post he again addressed with enthusiasm and vigour. His own original research necessarily took a lower profile but he continued to publish on relativity, astronomical constants and time measurement, as well as collaborating on two text books.
However, Clemence's passion for research ultimately led him to relinquish his managerial roles in 1962, and, in 1963 Brouwer found him a post at Yale. Here, Clemence continued his work on the perturbation theory of the Earth's orbit but it was interrupted, never to be completed, in 1966 when Brouwer's death demanded that Clemence take over the administration of the department.
He died in Providence, Rhode Island on November 22, 1974, after an illness of several months.
Personality.
Clemence was reserved and dignified, conservative in manner and appearance. In writing he was concise and accurate. He was sincere and forthright with a code of ethics inherited from his parents. He was a family man, father of two sons, and always maintained contact with his three brothers and his sister. He was a keen, and self-taught, musician, accomplished at violin, piano and organ. He was also a keen railfan.


Barlow Planetarium

The Barlow Planetarium is a planetarium located at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Fox Cities Campus in Menasha, Wisconsin. Established in 1998, it was the first major planetarium in Wisconsin. It is named after late businessman and mineral collector F. John Barlow.
History.
Barlow Planetarium takes its name from F. John Barlow, who was the largest private donor to the building of the planetarium. The planetarium opened in March 1998. Its premiere show was "Through the Eyes of Hubble", a program detailing the Hubble Space Telescope's servicing mission and first few years of operation.
Facilities.
The planetarium has a 102-person seating capacity (98 regular chairs, 4 wheelchair positions). Each seat is equipped with an interactive control panel on its armrest that allows the audience to vote during programs. The Barlow has panorama slide projectors and an all-sky system (an all-sky image is a series of six pie-shaped images that are aligned to make a picture fill the dome). Video images can be projected onto the dome from DVD, laser disk, computer, or SVHS tapes. The planetarium is powered by a Digistar II star projector. In 2004 the Barlow acquired a laser projection system that uses a three-color argon laser to draw images set to music on the dome. The planetarium also has a 10,000-watt sound system.


Colette Heald

Colette L. Heald is a Canadian-born professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who is an expert in atmospheric chemistry.
She was born in Montreal and grew up in Ottawa. She received a BSc in engineering physics from Queen's University and a PhD in Earth and Planetary Science from Harvard University. She was first exposed to atmospheric science while doing research projects at the University of Toronto. In 2008, she became an assistant professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. She moved to MIT in 2012, where she holds positions in both the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. She is head of the Atmospheric Chemistry and Composition Research group at MIT.
Her research interests include atmospheric gases and particles and their effect on air quality, ecosystems and climate. Research by Heald demonstrated that there was limited understanding of the sources of organic aerosols in the atmosphere which led to further scientific investigation in this area. She has become known as an expert on secondary organic aerosols.
Heald has been chair of the Aerosol Working Group for the GEOS-Chem atmospheric model since 2009. From 2006 to 2007, she held the NOAA Climate and Global Change postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 2015, she received the James B. Macelwane Medal from the American Geophysical Union.


Alejandra Melfo

Alejandra Melfo (born 26 February 1965) is a Uruguayan-born Venezuelan physicist. She is known for her efforts studying and conserving glaciers, especially the Humboldt Corona, the last glacier in Venezuela.
Early life.
Melfo was born in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, and moved to Venezuela with her family in 1976 as refugees from dictatorship when she was 11. She later became a naturalized Venezuelan citizen. She studied at the University of the Andes (ULA) in Mérida and received her undergraduate degree in 1989, her master's degree in 1994, and became a faculty member at ULA whilst studying for a PhD in astrophysics at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy.
Career.
At the University of the Andes, Melfo has worked in the Department of Physics and as director of the Center for Fundamental Physics. She has contributed to more than twenty scientific publications since the early 1990s.
Originally working on supersymmetric theory, her work later became focused on deterioration of glaciers, specifically La Corona, the last glacier in Venezuela, after being introduced to the research of Andrés Yarzábal, a microbiologist at the University of the Andes. Melfo is the leader of a group of scientists who are dedicated to studying the disappearance of ice forms due to climate change.
She has also undertaken field work while researching glaciers, fronting an expedition to the Pico Bolívar glacier. She undertook training in climbing for months before traveling to the glacier, which has since melted completely. This is one of two expeditions from which 600 largely previously unknown microbial strains were recovered to be studied at the university, where they are preserved in deep freezers.
Post-retirement.
Melfo officially retired in 2016, but has continued to work through Venezuela's crisis as other academics, including the majority of her Vida Glacial project team, leave. The remaining scientists face difficulties with their work, primarily with keeping the samples frozen amid blackouts. Though Melfo is disturbed by the disappearance of the glaciers, she knows that with samples collected research can continue for a long time, and also believes that new ecosystems developing on the site of former glaciers will be "beautiful to see". She has also called the disappearance of glaciers a reminder of humanity's responsibility to look after the planet and to attempt to slow down climate change.
She worked with her cousin, the Uruguayan musician Jorge Drexler, to write the song "Despedir a los glaciares", which is included on the 2017 album "Salavidas de hielo" and is about the disappearance of the glaciers and the problems that cause it. Also in 2017, she was one of the jury deciding the recipients of the Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury Science Prize.
In 2019 Melfo and biology students of the University of the Andes began working with the GLORIA-Andes Project, focusing on the effects of climate change on biodiversity from high-altitude climates. They again face problems being unable to use computers for notes due to a lack of printing ink, and relying on second-hand or donated climbing gear that they store in a CLAP box.
Personal life.
Melfo disagrees with the Maduro administration. She wrote a famous 2014 letter to Drexler that was widely published in Uruguay, where she explains her feelings towards the crisis in Venezuela, especially the tupamaros of Mérida, and her personal reasons for participating in the 2014 Venezuelan protests.


Lunar and Planetary Laboratory

The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) is a research center for planetary science located in Tucson, Arizona. It is also a graduate school, constituting the Department of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona. LPL is one of the world's largest programs dedicated exclusively to planetary science in a university setting. The Lunar and Planetary Lab collection is held at the University of Arizona Special Collections Library.
Background.
LPL was founded in 1960 by astronomer Gerard Kuiper. Kuiper had long been a pioneer in observing the solar system, especially the Moon, at a time when this was unfashionable among astronomers. Among his contributions are the discovery of Miranda and Nereid, the detection of carbon dioxide on Mars and of methane on Titan, and the prediction of the Kuiper Belt.
Kuiper came to Tucson looking for greater independence than he had enjoyed at the University of Chicago, the chance to build a community dedicated to solar system studies, and also to be closer to southern Arizona's many potential sites for world-class observatories, such as Kitt Peak National Observatory (founded in 1958). LPL was established under the auspices of the University of Arizona, with Kuiper serving as director until his death.
LPL's endeavors are truly interdisciplinary. The accumulated knowledge and techniques of astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, atmospheric science, and engineering are all brought to bear upon the single goal of studying planetary systems. Many students come to LPL having studied only one or two of these subjects in detail, so a broad-based curriculum is essential.
In 1973, the university established a graduate Department of Planetary Sciences, operating continuously with LPL. This provided an administrative framework for LPL to admit graduate students and take a greater role in teaching. LPL's chief officer is simultaneously "head" of the department and "director" of the laboratory. The current Head and Director is Timothy D. Swindle.
Spacecraft missions.
The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has been involved in almost every interplanetary spacecraft sent. These are some of the major ones that it was or is involved:
Astronomical observations.
The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is involved with Spacewatch, the program to identify near-Earth asteroids, with the Planetary Atmosphere Project to measure the content of the atmospheres of various planets, with occultations, the art of measuring the spectrography of a star when it passes behind a planet, to see what a planet's atmosphere is composed of, with studies of the planet Mercury, with the Catalina Sky Survey, related to the Spacewatch program, as well as interdisciplinary sciences such as Theoretical Astrophysics and Space Physics, helping to find the answers to such questions as: What is Dark matter?
Annual Events.
The Art of Planetary science is an annual art exhibition run by the LPL to celebrate the beauty and elegance of science. The art exhibit was founded by graduate students in 2013 as a public outreach program and as a means to bridge the gap between scientific and artistic communities. In 2017, The Art of Planetary Science displayed over 200 pieces of art from approximately 100 artists and scientists, drawing more than 700 guests. Says Geoff Notkin, "It is wonderful to see a real variety and innovative art both inspired by and for inspiring people interested in space, science, and exploration."


Torrazzo of Cremona

The Torrazzo is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Cremona, Lombardy, in northern Italy.
The Torrazzo measures , and it is known as the third tallest brickwork bell tower in the world, the first being the tower of St. Martin's Church in Landshut, Bavaria, and the second at the Church of Our Lady in Bruges, Belgium. However, the Torrazzo (completed in 1309) is older than the Landshut tower (completed in 1500) and the Bruges tower (completed in 1465), and it is the oldest brick structure taller than 100 m that is still standing.
According to popular tradition, construction on the tower began in 754. In reality, it was built in four phases: a first dating back to the 1230s, up to the third dripstone, a second, between 1250 and 1267, up to the dripstone under the quadriphore, a third around 1284, and the completion of the marble spire in 1309.
Its height is announced by a plaque embedded in the wall at the base of the Torrazzo itself, stating 250 arms and 2 ounces, which in the ancient measuring system of the Lombard towns translates to approximately 111 metres.
Archaeological excavations made in the 1980s have discovered the presence of underlying structures which are supposed to be the remains of a more ancient churchyard (or a cemetery associated to it), or even previous Roman buildings.
The Astronomical Clock.
At the fourth storey of the Torrazzo resides the largest astronomical clock in the world. The clock dial has a diameter of .
The mechanism was built by Francesco and Giovan Battista Divizioli (father and son) between 1583 and 1588. The exterior, originally painted by Paolo Scazzola in 1483 but later repainted many times, including by Giovanni Battista Dordoni, represents the sky with zodiac constellations and the Sun and Moon moving through them.
The clock hands are five (actually, they are four because one of them is a double), and they have the main function of representing a lot of astronomical phenomena, such as Lunar phases, solstices, equinoxes and eclipsis.
The Bells.
The Torrazzo is formed by seven bells, all tuned in the scale of A major. There is also another bell, called the "Ringing Bell", used to strike the hour.


Solar eclipse of August 23, 2044

A total solar eclipse will occur on August 23, 2044. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide.
Totality will be visible across the Northwest Territories and Alberta as well as extreme southwestern Saskatchewan in Canada, and will be widely visible in Montana and partially in North Dakota in the United States of America; partiality will be visible throughout the western United States near sunset and in Siberia.
This is the last of 41 umbral solar eclipses (annular, total or hybrid) of Solar Saros 126. The first umbral was in 1323 and last will be in 2044. The total duration is 721 years.
The greatest duration of the eclipse can be observed in the Northwest Territories, approximately southeast of Great Bear Lake.
Images.
Animated path


West Woods

West Woods is a wood about southwest of the market town of Marlborough in the English county of Wiltshire, United Kingdom. Its area is approximately . It is open to the public, and is popular with visitors in the Spring, when bluebells cover the forest floor.
History.
West Woods was once part of the Royal hunting forest of Savernake until the bounds were changed in the 1330s. West Woods is approximately one fifth of the size of Savernake and was clear felled in 1928 then replanted, mainly with beech. The woods have been visited since before the Bronze Age, supplying flints and later charcoal facilities.
Archaeological interest.
In July 2020, it was announced that West Woods was the most likely origin of most of the sarsen stones used to create Stonehenge. Archaeologists analysed a core from one of the stones, taken in 1958, and compared it to samples from 20 sarsen outcrops around the country. The whereabouts of the core had been unknown until it was returned from the United States by Englishman Robert Phillips in 2019.
West Woods also contains a Neolithic long barrow, approximately 40 metres long and 27m wide at the widest point, up to 3.5m high, and surrounded by a ditch on all sides. The wood is bisected by an ancient earthwork known as the Wansdyke, dating back to the 5th or 6th century BC.
In February 2007 the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society conducted the first of a series of surveys which revealed considerable detail about West Wood and the surrounding areas, producing evidence covering a range of time periods including Mesolithic, Neolithic, and post-Medieval. The report discusses the findings of four seasons' worth of field work and includes maps and tables of discoveries. Hugh Newman conducted a search of the West Woods area in 2020, discovering more details about the long barrow as well as the sarsen stones within the area, including evidence at Clatford Farm.


Minnesota Planetarium Society

The Minnesota Planetarium Society (MNPS) was a Minnesota-based organization for the promotion of and education in astronomy. In September 2011, it was absorbed by the Bell Museum of Natural History and the society no longer exists.
The Minnesota Planetarium operated from 1960 until it was closed in 2002. Government funding for a new planetarium was cancelled in 2011.
History.
In 1889 the Minnesota Academy of Science was granted space in the Minneapolis Public Library for a science museum. When the Academy disbanded in 1929, the Library assumed responsibility for the science museum in a partnership that has evolved and endured for almost 80 years.
In 1960, the City of Minneapolis built a new central downtown library and, to honor its partnership with science, a planetarium was included within it, the only library outside of Alexandria, Egypt, to contain such a feature. 170,000 visitors came to see the night skies during the early years after opening. From 1974 to 1982, the Minneapolis Library had an agreement with the Science Museum of Minnesota to jointly run the planetarium. The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library agreed to take over its funding and management in 1982. The Minneapolis Planetarium was shuttered when the central library was torn down in 2002 to make way for the new Cesar Pelli-designed facility that would be funded largely through a city referendum. Plans called for a new planetarium with surrounding exhibit space to be built as the library’s fifth and sixth floors. Financing for construction of this project was to come through bonds authorized by the State of Minnesota. From the opening to the closing of the old planetarium, over 4 million Minnesota visitors took advantaged of the facility and its star-shows programs. Even in its last years, with no new capital investment or equipment since its inception, no marketing and no formal school contracts, the planetarium had 70,000 visitors per year.
When the Minneapolis Central Library was torn down in 2002, the former planetarium was shuttered with the understanding that it would be rebuilt as part of the new library. In September 2011, the Planetarium Society merged with the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History.
ExploraDome.
To provide programming to a state without a public planetarium, the Minnesota Planetarium Society in the fall of 2006 purchased a portable planetarium that could be set up in a school gymnasium or similar space. It provides presentations similar to those previously only displayed in large planetariums such as the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. The system utilizes Uniview software and was designed by Swedish academics at Linköping University and the company SCISS along with scientists at the American Museum of Natural History. The software uses digital images. Visitors can see representation of the sky not just as seen from the Earth but from space. The planetarium can project images of Earth as it would be seen from space. rs see Earth as never before, watching the changes on its surface from yesterday or from billions of years ago. This immersive imagery is projected into a GeoDome Theater using an OmniFocus fish-eye-lens, a system developed by The Elumenati. The Uniview software allows visualization from any point in time or space to put projected onto the dome.
The Minnesota Planetarium Society was the first organization to purchase the package. It named the dome “The ExploraDome” and the program it was to field “the ExploraDome Immersive Learning Program.”


UK Astronomy Technology Centre

The UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) is based at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
The UK ATC designs, builds, develops, tests and manages major instrumentation projects in support of UK and international Astronomy. It has design offices, workshops and test facilities for both ground- and space-based instruments, including a suite of test labs capable of handling the largest current and projected instruments.
The UK ATC was formed in 1998 in Edinburgh from the technology departments of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh (ROE), and the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Cambridge (RGO). Its initial "customers" were the then new Gemini Observatory, the former ROE observatories in Hawaii (the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT)), and a former RGO observatory, the Isaac Newton Group on La Palma, Canary Islands. More recently, collaboration with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have gained importance. Major projects and collaborations include:
Following increased government emphasis on knowledge transfer and declining funds for the Science and Technology Facilities Council the UK ATC is increasingly working on projects with astronomical institutions beyond the UK and the EU, with institutions dedicated to science and technology other than astronomy, and with technology-related businesses.


Jean Audouze

Jean Audouze () is a French astrophysicist. He is a research director at CNRS and teaches at the Paris Institute of Political Science "Sciences Po". From 1993 to 1996 he was president of the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in La Villette, and in 1998 he was named as director of the Palais de la Découverte, changing places with Michel Demazure who took Audouze's former position at La Villette. Awarded the Kalinga Prize in 2004.


StarCraft

StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance among four species—the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the ever-evolving insectoid Zerg, the powerful and enigmatic Protoss, and the godlike Xel'Naga creator race—in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector. The series debuted with the video game "StarCraft" in 1998. It has grown to include a number of other games as well as eight novelizations, two "Amazing Stories" articles, a , and other licensed merchandise such as collectible statues and toys.
Blizzard Entertainment began planning "StarCraft" in 1995 with a development team led by Metzen and Phinney. The game debuted at E3 1996 and used a modified ' game engine. "StarCraft" also marked the creation of Blizzard Entertainment's film department; the game introduced high quality cinematics integral to the storyline of the series. Most of the original development team for "StarCraft" returned to work on the game's expansion pack, '; that game's development began only shortly after "StarCraft" was released. In 2001, ' began development under Nihilistic Software. Unlike the previous real-time strategy games in the series, "Ghost" was to be a stealth-action game. After three years of development, work on the game was postponed in 2004. Development of a true RTS sequel, ', began in 2003; the game was announced in May 2007 and was released in July 2010. "StarCraft II" continued with the ' expansion, which was released in March 2013. The third and final "StarCraft II" installment, ', was released in November 2015. In 2016, a single-player nine-mission pack, "Nova Covert Ops", was released in form of DLC.
The original game and its expansion have been praised as one of the benchmark real-time strategy games of its time. The series has gathered a solid following around the world, particularly in South Korea, where professional players and teams participate in matches, earn sponsorships, and compete in televised matches. By June 2007, "StarCraft" and "Brood War" had sold nearly 10 million copies combined. "StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty" and its sequels obtained similar praise, and also sold very well. By the end of 2017, the franchise's lifetime revenue totaled over $1 billion. In addition, the series was awarded a star on the Walk of Game in 2006, and holds four "Guinness World Records" in the "Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition" of 2008.
On March 27, 2017, Blizzard announced "", a remastered version of the original "StarCraft", with the core updates being up-to-date graphics and revised dialogue and audio. As of 2017, the original "StarCraft", its "Brood War" expansion, and "StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty" are free to download and play from Blizzard's website.
Story.
Backstory.
The story focuses on the activities of three species in a part of the Milky Way known as the Koprulu Sector. Millennia before any of the events of the games, a species known as the Xel'Naga genetically engineer the Protoss and later the Zerg in attempts to create pure beings. These experiments backfire and the Xel'Naga are largely destroyed by the Zerg. Centuries before the beginning of "StarCraft" in 2499, the hardline international government of Earth, the United Earth Directorate (UED), commissions a colonization program as part of a solution to overpopulation. On the way, the computers automating the colony ships malfunction, propelling the Terran colonists far off course to the edge of Protoss space. Out of contact with Earth, they form various factions to maintain their interests. Intrigued by the behavior and mentality of the Terrans, the Protoss remain hidden to examine the humans, while protecting them from other threats without their knowledge. The Zerg, however, target the Terrans for assimilation to harness their psionic potential, forcing the Protoss to destroy tainted Terran colonies to contain the Zerg infestation.
"StarCraft".
"StarCraft" begins days after the first of these attacks, where the predominant Terran government, the Terran Confederacy, falls into a state of panic as it comes under attack by both the Zerg and the Protoss, in addition to increasing rebel activity led by Arcturus Mengsk against its rule. The Confederacy eventually succumbs to Mengsk's rebels when they use Confederate technology to lure the Zerg into attacking the Confederate capital, Tarsonis. In the consequent power vacuum, Mengsk crowns himself emperor of a new Terran Dominion. During the assault on Tarsonis, Mengsk allows the Zerg to capture and infest his psion second-in-command, Sarah Kerrigan. This betrayal prompts Mengsk's other commander, Jim Raynor, to desert him with a small army. Having retreated with Kerrigan to their primary hive clusters, the Zerg are assaulted by Protoss forces commanded by Tassadar and the dark templar Zeratul. Through assassinating a Zerg cerebrate, Zeratul inadvertently allows the Overmind to learn the location of the Protoss homeworld, Aiur. The Overmind quickly launches an invasion to assimilate the Protoss and gain genetic perfection. Pursued by his own people as a heretic for siding with the dark templar Zeratul, Tassadar returns to Aiur and, with the assistance of Raynor and the templar Fenix, launches an attack on the Overmind and ultimately sacrifices himself to kill the creature.
"Brood War".
In "Brood War", the Protoss are led by Zeratul and Artanis. They begin to evacuate the surviving population of Aiur to the dark templar homeworld of Shakuras under a fragile alliance between the two untrusting branches of the Protoss. On Shakuras, they are misled by Kerrigan into attacking the Zerg to advance Kerrigan's quest to securing power over the Zerg. This deception comes after she reveals that a new Overmind has entered incubation. Meanwhile, Earth decides to take action in the sector, sending a fleet to conquer the Terran Dominion and capture the new Overmind. Although successfully taking the Dominion capital Korhal and enslaving the Overmind, the UED's efforts to capture Mengsk are thwarted by a double agent working for Kerrigan, Samir Duran. Kerrigan, allying with Mengsk, Fenix, and Raynor, launches a campaign against the UED, recapturing Korhal. She turns against her allies, however; Fenix and Duke both perish in the ensuing attacks. Kerrigan later extorts Zeratul into killing the new Overmind, giving her full control over the entire Zerg Swarm. After defeating a retaliatory attack by the Protoss, Dominion, and the UED (consequently destroying the last of the UED fleet), Kerrigan and her Zerg broods become the dominant power in the sector.
"Wings of Liberty".
Four years later, in "Wings of Liberty", Kerrigan and the Zerg vanish from the Koprulu Sector, allowing the Protoss to once again take on a passive role in the galaxy. Meanwhile, Raynor forms a revolutionary group named Raynor's Raiders in order to overthrow Mengsk. On Mar Sara, Raynor liberates the local population from Dominion control and also discovers a component of a mysterious Xel'Naga artifact. The Zerg reappear and overrun Mar Sara, forcing Raynor to arrange an evacuation to his battlecruiser, the "Hyperion". The Raiders embark on a series of missions to undermine Mengsk, stop frequent Zerg infestations on Terran worlds, gather psychic individuals for military assets, and find the remaining pieces of the Xel'Naga artifact, which they sell to the enigmatic Moebius Foundation in order to fund their revolution. Soon after, Zeratul delivers a psychic crystal that allows Raynor to share visions involving an ominous prophecy where Zerg-Protoss hybrids and an enslaved Zerg swarm wipe out the Terrans and the Protoss. The vision reveals that only Kerrigan has the power to prevent the eradication of all life in the sector and beyond. After collecting more artifact pieces, the Raiders forge an alliance with Valerian Mengsk, Arcturus' son, who is their secret benefactor from Moebius Foundation. After recovering the final artifact piece, Valerian and Raynor work together to invade the Zerg world of Char and use the artifact to restore Kerrigan's humanity, thus weakening the Zerg at the cost of much of the Dominion fleet. An agent of Arcturus makes an attempt on Kerrigan's life, and Raynor defends her and takes her in for medical examination.
"Heart of the Swarm".
In "Heart of the Swarm", the Dominion discovers where Raynor and Kerrigan are hiding and launch an attack on them. Kerrigan manages to escape, but is cut off from Raynor and upon hearing news that he was captured and executed, she returns to Zerg territory to retake control of the swarm and exact revenge on Mengsk. During her quest, she has an encounter with Zeratul, who advises her to travel to Zerus, the original homeworld of the Zerg, where she regains her powers as the Queen of Blades, returning stronger than ever, and learns that a fallen Xel'Naga named Amon was responsible for making the Zerg what they are: a warring swarm, bound to a single overriding will. After confronting a legion of servants of Amon, including a breed of Protoss-Zerg hybrids, Mengsk informs Kerrigan that Raynor is still alive and uses him as a leverage against her, keeping the location where he is imprisoned a secret, until she joins forces with the "Hyperion" to locate and rescue him. However, seeing that she discarded her humanity after all the effort he took to restore it, Raynor rejects her, despite her confession that she loves him, and parts ways with her. Kerrigan turns her attention to Korhal and sends her forces to bring down Mengsk once and for all. However, during their showdown, Mengsk uses the artifact to immobilize her, but Raynor appears to protect her, and Mengsk is ultimately killed by Kerrigan. With the Dominion under control of Mengsk's son Valerian, Kerrigan bids farewell to Raynor and departs with the Zerg Swarm to confront Amon and his forces.
"Legacy of the Void".
In "Legacy of the Void", Zeratul invades a Terran installation under control of Amon in order to pinpoint the exact location of his resurrection, taking advantage of a sudden attack by Kerrigan and the Zerg swarm. After obtaining the exact location, he departs to an ancient Xel'Naga temple where he has a vision of Tassadar, who prompts him to claim the artifact in possession of the Terrans. Zeratul returns to warn Artanis of Amon's return, but he decides to proceed with his plans of leading his army to reclaim Aiur. However, Amon awakens on Aiur and takes control of the majority of the Protoss race through the Khala, the telepathic bond that unites all emotions for the Khalai faction of the Protoss. Only Zeratul and the Nerazim, the Dark Templar, are immune due to their lack of connection to the Khala, and the Nerazim proceed to save as many Khalai as they can by severing their nerve cords, which connect them to the Khala, with Zeratul sacrificing himself to save Artanis in the occasion. After escaping the planet with an ancient vessel, the "Spear of Adun", Artanis reclaims the artifact as Zeratul suggested and gathers allies among the many Protoss tribes scattered across the galaxy in order to remake his army and launch another assault on Aiur. Using the artifact, Artanis' forces restrain Amon's essence, time enough for the other Khalai Protoss who were still under his control to sever their nerve cords and banish Amon to the Void.
In a short epilogue after the end of "Legacy of the Void", Kerrigan calls for Artanis and Raynor's help to confront Amon inside the Void to defeat him once and for all. In the occasion, they meet Ouros, the last of the Xel'Naga who reveals that to confront Amon on equal terms, Kerrigan must inherit Ouros' essence and become a Xel'Naga herself, as Ouros himself is at the last of his strength. Assisted by the Zerg, Terran and Protoss forces, the empowered Kerrigan vanquishes Amon, before disappearing without a trace. Two years later, Kerrigan appears before Raynor in human form and he departs with her to never be heard from again, while the Zerg, the Terran and the Protoss civilizations begin to rebuild in an age of peace and prosperity.
Games.
The "StarCraft" series includes a core set of titles that carry the main storyline. These games were released in chronological order, with each new title following on from the events that are depicted in the previous title. A full second game, ', was released in 2010, taking place four years after the end of Brood War. Two expansions, ' and "" (both currently stand alone games), were planned from the beginning; the former was released in 2013 and the later was released in 2015.
All the games in the main series are real-time strategy games, where the player views the events as a military commander for each of the three species. In addition, two spin-off titles have been released; these are authorized expansion packs to the original that focus on other characters and settings based at the same time as the main storyline. Like the main series, these two titles are also real-time strategy games. A spin-off, "", which was to be a third person action-stealth game, was in development, but has been placed on indefinite hiatus.
"StarCraft".
"StarCraft", released for Windows on March 31, 1998, is the first video game in the "StarCraft" series. A science fiction real-time strategy game, "StarCraft" is set in a distant sector of the Milky Way galaxy. A Mac OS version of the game was released by Blizzard Entertainment in March 1999. A Nintendo 64 port including "StarCraft", "Brood War", and a new secret mission "Resurrection IV" was released in the United States on June 13, 2000. The game's story revolves around the appearance of two alien races in Terran space and each race's attempts to survive and adapt over the others. The player assumes three roles through the course of the three campaigns: a Confederate colonial governor who becomes a revolutionary commander, a Zerg cerebrate pushing forward the species' doctrine of assimilation, and a Protoss fleet executor tasked with defending the Protoss from the Zerg. "StarCraft" soon gained critical acclaim, winning numerous awards, including being labelled "the best real-time strategy game ever made" and being ranked the seventh best game of all time by IGN in both 2003 and 2005, and the eleventh best game in 2007.
"" is the official expansion pack for "StarCraft", developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Saffire. Released for Windows and Mac OS in the United States on December 18, 1998, the expansion directly continues the events of "StarCraft". The expansion's story continues only days after the conclusion of the original game. It starts with the Protoss' struggle to ensure the survival of their species and continues with the intervention of the United Earth Directorate into local Terran affairs. The livelihood of both the Protoss and the previously silent Earth government is then threatened by the ever-increasing power of Sarah Kerrigan and her Zerg broods. In addition, the expansion introduces new features and improvements. A total of seven new units with different functions and abilities are included, the artificial intelligence behavior was modified, new graphical tilesets for terrain were added, and the game's level editor received improved scripting tools to facilitate cut scenes with the in-game engine. The expansion received critical praise for fixing various balance issues with the original game, development attention on par with that of a full game, and for continuing with single player campaigns that were heavily story-driven. In April 2017, Starcraft received its first update in over 8 years, and Brood War was released for free to both PC and MAC.
A remastered edition of the game, "", released August 14, 2017, preserves the gameplay of the original while adding support for ultra-high-definition graphics, Blizzard's modern online features, and re-recorded audio (soundtrack and sound effects). On July 10, 2019, Blizzard released "StarCraft: Cartooned", a graphics overhaul pack for the game by Carbot Animations, the producers of multiple Blizzard-related parody animations, including their first and longest-running one, the "StarCrafts" series. As a graphical overhaul, its effect applies to all game modes and menus in "StarCraft: Remastered".
A port of the "StarCraft" and "StarCraft: Brood War" campaigns was released in 2011 as a fan-made mod for StarCraft II under the name "StarCraft: Mass Recall". The mod includes the original units, campaigns, and hidden missions, but uses the "StarCraft II" engine including the AI mechanics, which makes the game notably more difficult than the original. It was completed in 2019 and has since received minor technical updates.
"StarCraft II".
"" is the official sequel to "StarCraft" released for Windows and Mac OS X by Blizzard Entertainment on July 27, 2010. The game was announced at the Worldwide Invitational in South Korea on May 19, 2007 with a pre-rendered cinematic cut scene trailer and a gameplay demonstration of the Protoss. Further demonstrations regarding the game's new features have been showcased at subsequent BlizzCons and other games conventions. The game incorporates a new 3D graphics engine and adds new features such as the Havok physics engine. "StarCraft II" also incorporates DirectX 10 level effects in Windows. Originally envisioned as a single game, "StarCraft II" was split into three parts during development, one for focusing on each race. The base game, "Wings of Liberty", follows the Terrans, while two expansion packs, "Heart of the Swarm" and "Legacy of the Void", have been released to complement "Wings of Liberty" and further the story from the views of the Zerg and Protoss, respectively. The story of "Wings of Liberty" continues from four years after the conclusion of "Brood War" and revolves around Jim Raynor's struggles against the Terran Dominion.
' is an expansion pack to ' and was released on March 12, 2013. It is part two of the "StarCraft II" trilogy. The expansion includes additional units and multiplayer changes from Wings of Liberty, as well as a continuing campaign focusing on Kerrigan and the Zerg race. It spans 27 missions (20 main missions and 7 side missions).
The saga of "StarCraft" is ultimately completed with "", which was released on November 10, 2015. "StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void" is a stand-alone game in which new units are added to all three races as well as changing existing units, and also makes groundbreaking changes to the economy-aspect of the game. The story of StarCraft is concluded by following the Protoss Race in their quest to reclaim their homeworld and for Kerrigan to ultimately slay the greatest threat to the entire universe. The game is divided into a 3-mission prologue, a 19-mission main story campaign, and a 3-mission epilogue that wraps everything up.
At BlizzCon 2015, during the "Future of StarCraft II" presentation, it was revealed that Blizzard will release additional mission packs to keep players engaged with StarCraft II. The first pack is called "", and will center around the character Nova. The mission pack consists of three episodes, with a total of nine new missions. It did not require the purchase of StarCraft II and could be played with the Starter Edition. The release date for the first episode is March 29, 2016.
At the same time, Blizzard has announced that new commanders are planned to be added to the Co-Op mode in Legacy of the Void as a DLC, with Karax to be the first addition given for free.
Spin-off titles.
The success of "StarCraft" spurred the creation of two authorized add-on titles to "StarCraft", as well as one failed attempt at a deviation into a genre other than real-time strategy.
Insurrection.
"" was the first add-on pack released for "StarCraft". Although developed and published by Aztech New Media, it is authorized by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for the PC on July 31, 1998. The expansion's story focuses on a Confederate colony during the course of the first campaign of "StarCraft". As in "StarCraft", the player takes control of each race in three separate campaigns. In the first campaign, Terran colonists attempt to defend themselves from the Zerg invasion of the sector as well as from a rising insurgency. The second campaign has the player directing a Protoss task force sent to clear the Zerg infestation of the colony by any means necessary. In the final campaign, the player assumes the role of a Zerg cerebrate, whose goal is to crush all opposition on the surface. The expansion contains 30 new campaign missions and over 100 new multiplayer maps, although it does not include new content in the form of units and graphical terrain tilesets. "Insurrection" was criticized by reviewers for lacking the quality of the original game, and is not widely available. Although the add-on is authorized by Blizzard Entertainment, they offer no comment on support or availability of the game.
Retribution.
"Retribution" is the second of the two authorized add-on packs released for "StarCraft". The add-on was developed by Stardock and published by WizardWorks. It was released for the PC in late 1998. The game is set during the second campaign in "StarCraft", revolving around the acquisition of a crystal of immense power connected to the Xel'Naga. Divided into three campaigns, the game has the player assuming the roles of a Protoss fleet executor, the commander of a Dominion task force, and a Zerg cerebrate, all tasked with retrieving "the crystal" from a Dominion colony and getting it off the planet as quickly as possible. As with its predecessor, "Retribution" does not include any new gameplay features beyond its single player campaigns and an abundance of multiplayer levels. The add-on was not well received by reviewers, and instead it was regarded as "average", but at least challenging. "Retribution" is similarly not widely available, and Blizzard Entertainment offers no comment regarding support or the availability of the add-on despite authorizing it.
Ghost.
"" is a tactical stealth game for video game consoles developed under the supervision of Blizzard Entertainment. Announced in 2002, the game was constantly delayed due to various issues, including a change of development team from Nihilistic Software to Swingin' Ape Studios in July 2004. As updates about the development of the game became less frequent, and the graphics and game mechanics became more outdated, suspicion began to grow that Blizzard would cancel the game. Finally, on March 24, 2006, Blizzard indefinitely postponed the game's development. The story of the game is about Nova, a of the Terran Dominion. Frequently used as an example of development hell, in 2008, Blizzard Entertainment refused to list the game as "cancelled". It was not until August 23, 2014, in an interview with Polygon, that Chris Metzen confirmed that "StarCraft: Ghost" was indeed cancelled.
Ares.
Blizzard still has yet to produce an FPS game based on StarCraft. In summer 2019 there was a 2nd project called StarCraft: Ares that was cancelled when Blizzard focused on developing Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 instead.
Development.
Blizzard Entertainment began planning development on "StarCraft" in 1995, shortly after the beginning of development for "Diablo". The development was led by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, who also created the game's fictional universe. Using the "" game engine as a base, "StarCraft" made its debut at E3 1996. The game's success led to the development of two authorized add-ons, which were both released in 1998. However, neither of the two add-ons were particularly well received by critics. "StarCraft" also marked the debut of Blizzard Entertainment's film department. Previously, cinematic cut scenes were seen as simply gap fillers that often deviated from the game, but with "StarCraft" and later "Brood War" introducing high quality cinematics integral to the storyline of the series, Blizzard Entertainment is cited as having changed this perception and became one of the first game companies to raise the standard regarding such cut scenes.
"StarCraft"s success also inspired third-party developer Microstar Software to release an unauthorized add-on, entitled "Stellar Forces", in May 1998. Blizzard Entertainment consequently filed a lawsuit against Microstar for selling the add-on, arguing that as the product was unauthorized and created using "StarCraft"s level editing software, it was a breach of the end user license agreement.
In November 1998, Blizzard Entertainment won the court case against Microstar Software. In the settlement, Microstar agreed to pay an undisclosed amount in punitive damages and to destroy all remaining copies of "Stellar Forces" in its possession, as well as to formally apologize to Blizzard Entertainment.
After the release of the first two add-on packs, Blizzard Entertainment announced the official expansion pack to "StarCraft", entitled "Brood War". Most of the team at Blizzard Entertainment responsible for "StarCraft" returned to work on "Brood War". Development on "Brood War" began shortly after "StarCraft"s release, and Blizzard Entertainment were assisted by members of Saffire, who were contracted for a variety of tasks consisting of programming and design for levels, visuals and audio effects.
In 2001, "" began development under Nihilistic Software, with the aim of releasing the game for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube during late 2003. Unlike previous real-time strategy "StarCraft" titles, "Ghost" was to be a tactical third-person action game. Although the press was positive about the video game console direction taken by "Ghost", the game was consistently delayed, and during the third quarter of 2004, Nihilistic Software discontinued their work with the project. Blizzard stated that Nihilistic Software had completed the tasks it had been contracted for and that the game would be delivered on time. The game was never released.
"StarCraft II" was announced on May 19, 2007, nearly a decade after the original, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea. "StarCraft II" was being developed, under the codename "Medusa", for concurrent release on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OS X. Blizzard announced a release date for July 27, 2010. Development on the game began in 2003, shortly after "" was released.
Music.
The soundtrack for the original "StarCraft" was provided by Glenn Stafford, Jason Hayes, and Tracey W. Bush. The soundtrack for "StarCraft II" was provided by Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, Neal Acree, and Russell Brower. Brower, Blizzard's Director of Audio, has suggested that the music of StarCraft serves two functions: the music heard during gameplay is designed to be unobtrusive in order to allow the player to focus, with only the music that attaches to the cinematic interludes permitted to become more distinctive. Brower has also pointed out that certain musical themes in "StarCraft II" become associated with certain characters, a technique borrowed from composers such as John Williams and Richard Wagner.
StarCraft.
Brower has said that most of the music for the original "StarCraft" series was produced on keyboards.
StarCraft II.
The original material for the "Wings of Liberty" soundtrack spans approximately four hours. Brower has said in interviews that his team was consciously seeking a film-score feel for "StarCraft II". In a short commentary provided for Blizzard, he recounted that the orchestral music for "StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty" was performed by 78 members of the San Francisco Symphony and Opera and recorded at the Skywalker stage at the Lucasfilm Ranch in Marin County, California, under the name 'Skywalker Symphony Orchestra', conducted by Eímear Noone. Brower also recalled the use of a 32-voice choir in Seattle, Washington. Both these recording sessions were mixed by John Kurlander, who had previously worked on Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and The Beatles' "Abbey Road". The Terran country and blues pieces were recorded at Dreamland studio in Woodstock, New York and performed by members of Peter Gabriel's band, including bassist Tony Levin and drummer Jerry Marotta. Remaining pieces were recorded at the Blizzard studios, performed by musicians such as Laurence Juber (formerly of Wings) and Tommy Morgan. The soundtrack also contains John Bacchus Dykes and William Whiting's hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" (1860).
The orchestral music for "Heart of the Swarm" was likewise recorded in Marin County, again with the services of Kurlander and Noone, with 80 performers from the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra.
Brower stated in an interview in 2013 that he intended to continue the process of associative musical themes in "Legacy of the Void".
Adaptations and other media.
Novelizations.
The "StarCraft" series is supported by at least 12 novelizations and an anthology, all published by Simon & Schuster, two short stories, and two graphic novels. At BlizzCon 2007, Chris Metzen stated that he hoped to novelize the entirety of "StarCraft" and "Brood War" into a definitive text-based story. The first novel, "StarCraft: Uprising", was written by Micky Neilson, a Blizzard Entertainment employee, and originally released only as an e-book in December 2000. The novel follows the origins of the character Sarah Kerrigan. The second novel, entitled "StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade", serves as an adaptation of the first campaign of "StarCraft", following on a journalist following a number of the key Terran characters in the series. Written by Jeff Grubb and published in March 2001, it was the first "StarCraft" novel to be released in paperback. "StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga", published in July 2001 is the third novel, written by Kevin Anderson under the pseudonym Gabriel Mesta. It serves as a link between "StarCraft" and "Brood War". The fantasy author Tracy Hickman was brought in to write the fourth novel, "StarCraft: Speed of Darkness", which was published in June 2002. "Speed of Darkness" is written from the viewpoint of a Confederate marine during the early stages of "StarCraft". The first four novels, including the e-book "Uprising", were later re-released as a single anthology entitled "The StarCraft Archive" in November 2007.
A fifth novel entitled "StarCraft: Queen of Blades" was published in June 2006. Written by Aaron S. Rosenberg, it is a novelization of the second campaign in "StarCraft" from the perspective of Jim Raynor. This was followed in November 2006 by "StarCraft Ghost: Nova", a book focusing on the early origins of the character of Nova from the postponed ' game. Written by Keith R.A. DeCandido, the novel was meant to accompany the release of "StarCraft: Ghost", but was continued despite the postponement of the game. In 2007 Christie Golden, an author whose previous work included novels in Blizzard's "Warcraft" series, was brought in to write a trilogy entitled the "StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga". The trilogy acts as a link between "StarCraft" and its sequel '. The first installment, "Firstborn" being published in May 2007 and "Shadow Hunters", the second novel, being published in November 2007. The final part of the trilogy, "Twilight" was released in June 2009. "I, Mengsk" was publish in 2009, a novel that was written by Graham McNeill which focuses on the origins of the characters in the Mengsk family. In January 2010 Keith R.A. DeCandido and David Gerrold authored the "StarCraft: Ghost Academy" to elaborate the training of Nova as an espionage agent and in September 2011, Simon & Schuster published the "StarCraft Ghost: Spectres" as a sequel to the novel "StarCraft Ghost: Nova". Timothy Zahn released "Starcraft: Evolution" in 2016.
In addition to these, Blizzard Entertainment authorized two short stories in "Amazing Stories" magazine, entitled "StarCraft: Revelations" and "StarCraft: Hybrid". "Revelations" was authored by series creator Chris Metzen and Sam Moore, a Blizzard employee, and was featured on the cover of the 1999 spring edition with art by Blizzard's art director Samwise Didier. "Hybrid" was written by Micky Neilson and again was accompanied by artwork by Didier; the short story was published in the spring edition of 2000. At New York Comic-Con in 2008, TokyoPop announced that they would be producing a number of "StarCraft" graphic novels. Two series were announced: "StarCraft: Frontline", which is a series of short story anthologies that spanned four volumes, and "StarCraft: Ghost Academy", which was written by Keith R.A. DeCandido and follows several characters, such as Nova, during their training as the psychic assassins called "ghosts". There was a "Starcraft" graphic novel released in 2010, produced by Wildstorm and DC Comics, which features outlaws working on a last job, the assassination of Jim Raynor.
Merchandise.
A number of action figures and collectable statues based upon the characters and units in "StarCraft" have been produced by ToyCom. A number of model kits, made by Academy Hobby Model Kits, were also produced, displaying 1/30 scale versions of the marine and the hydralisk. In addition, Blizzard Entertainment teamed up with Fantasy Flight Games to create a based in the "StarCraft" universe. Blizzard Entertainment also licensed Wizards of the Coast to produce an Alternity based game entitled "StarCraft Adventures".
"Heroes of the Storm".
In 2015, Blizzard released "Heroes of the Storm", a crossover multiplayer online battle arena video game in which players can control over 15 characters from the "StarCraft" universe as playable heroes, such as Artanis, Kerrigan, Nova, Raynor, and Zeratul. The game features two "StarCraft"-themed battlegrounds, Braxis Holdout and Warhead Junction. Various soundtracks from "StarCraft," such as "Terran" and "Zerg Theme," are present as background music in the game. "Heroes of the Storm" originated as a custom map called "Blizzard DOTA", as a part of the arcade feature for "."
Reception and cultural impact.
The "StarCraft" series has been a commercial success. After its release, "StarCraft" became the best-selling PC game for that year, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide. In the next decade, "StarCraft" sold over 9.5 million copies across the globe, with 4.5 million of these being sold in South Korea. Since the initial release of "StarCraft", Blizzard Entertainment reported that its Battle.net online multiplayer service grew by 800 percent. "StarCraft" remained one of the most popular online games in the world ten years after its release. After its release, "StarCraft" rapidly grew in popularity in South Korea, establishing a successful pro-gaming scene. Pro-gamers in South Korea are niche media celebrities and "StarCraft" games broadcast over three television channels dedicated to gaming. "StarCraft" has won numerous Game of the Year awards, is often described as one of the best real-time strategy games made, and is widely credited with popularizing the use of distinct and unique sides—as opposed to sides of equal ability and strength—in real-time strategy games.
Although "Insurrection" and "Retribution" were not particularly well received, "StarCraft: Brood War" generally received very positive reviews, with an aggregate GameRankings score of 95.00%. The magazine "PC Zone" gave "Brood War" a short but flattering review, describing it as having "definitely been worth the wait" and also drew note to the cinematic cut scenes, stating that they "actually feel like part of the story rather than an afterthought." IGN stated that "Brood War"s enhancements were "enough to enrich the core gameplay without losing the flavor" while GameSpot noted that the expansion was developed with the same level of care as the full game.
In 1999, "Next Generation" listed "Warcraft" and "Starcraft" as number 32 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, ""StarCraft" took it all a step further, with an innovative campaign structure and fantastic game balance for endless hours of multiplayer fun."
The release of ' performed very well commercially and critically, selling 1.8 million copies within the first forty eight hours of release, which breaks the record of best selling strategy game in the history of the gaming industry. It received very positive reviews with an aggregate GameRankings score of 93%, and was nominated as the "Best PC Game of 2010" on GameSpot. By the end of 2012, "Wings of Liberty" had sold more than 6 million copies. This success continued with the release of the first expansion pack, ', which had a GameRankings aggregate score of 86%. The standalone expansion pack sold 1.1 million copies within the first two days of its release on March 12, 2013, and was the best-selling PC game in that quarter. "", the third expansion pack, was similarly well received, having a GameRankings aggregate score of 88% while selling more than 1 million copies worldwide within the first day of its release.
Since the release of "StarCraft II" a number of tournaments have been hosted in Korea and elsewhere, such as the GOMTV Global StarCraft II League (GSL).
In December 2018, an artificial intelligence system by Google's DeepMind (called "AlphaStar") beat professional players in StarCraft II for the first time.
Sales.
The series had sold over 17.6 million copies of games and expansions by the end of 2015. The first game (including "Brood War") sold 11 million copies by 2009, making it the best selling PC strategy game of all time. By the end of 2017, the franchise had grossed over $1 billion in total revenue.


John Rand Capron

John Rand Capron (1829–1888) was an English amateur scientist, astronomer and photographer. Though a solicitor by profession, he became an expert on spectroscopy, particularly in relation to the aurora, and published many articles during his lifetime.
He is also remembered for a speculative letter, in the scientific journal "Nature" on early incidences of "crop circles", in which he suggested they were caused by "cyclonic wind action".
Life.
Capron was born on 19 February 1829 in St. Leonards, Shoreditch, London, the son of a leather merchant. Educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, he was articled to his uncle John Capron, a prominent Guildford solicitor. He entered into partnership with his uncle in 1850, and was also appointed Borough Coroner and Clerk of the Peace.
His obituary in the "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society" described how at while at school, during convalescence from an attack of typhoid fever, he had been lent a microscope, which "opened out a new world of wonder and beauty" for him. Although initially interested in biology, fossils and the study of geology, he later developed a particular enthusiasm for the study of spectroscopy and astronomy, building a private observatory at Guildown on the "Hog's Back", Surrey. In 1877 he published a significant work on "Photographed Spectra", which provided reference photographs of the spectra of various elements. In 1879 he extended this into a study of the characteristics of the aurora, and in 1883 published an analysis of an extremely unusual phenomenon observed during the aurora of 17 November 1882; Capron was one of the first scientists to seriously research the nature of aurorae, particularly from a spectrographic perspective. He also conducted experiments on atmospheric electrical charges, fixing a "corona" of platinum wires on top of Booker's Tower on the Hog's Back, linked by wires to his observatory.
Capron was a prominent local philanthropist and was described as "ever ready, though in the most unostentatious manner, to afford aid and succour to those in poverty and distress". A contributor to "The English Mechanic and World of Science" commented "I have heard - what he tried hard enough to hide - that the good he did among the poor was something remarkable. Few men indeed possessing his wealth and leisure have devoted them more ungrudgingly to the benefit of others". He died on 12 November 1888 in Eastbourne.
A fir plantation near Normandy, Surrey, which Capron owned, still has the name "Rand's Plantation". The Surrey History Centre in Woking holds a collection of photographs believed to have been taken by Capron. The Guildford Institute Library in Guildford holds a collection of four albums of original sketches made by Capron on his travels in Britain and Europe.
Personal life.
Capron married Fanny Nibblett (1820–1909) in June 1856. They had one son, born in 1858.
Books.
In addition to many shorter articles, Capron published the following books:


Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation

The Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers astronomical instruments and its various components being proposed, developed, under construction, and in use. The journal focuses on astronomical instrumentation topics in all wavebands (radio wave to gamma ray) and includes the disciplines of heliophysics, space weather, lunar and planetary science, exoplanet exploration, and astroparticle observation (cosmic rays, cosmic neutrinos, etc.). It was established in 2012 and is published by World Scientific. The journal occasionally publishes thematic issues on specific topics or projects.
Abstracting and indexing.
The journal is abstracted and indexed in:


66P/du Toit

66P/du Toit is a periodic comet in the Solar System with a current orbital period of 14.78 years. It will next come to perihelion on 2018 May 19 at roughly apparent magnitude 12.
It was discovered by Daniel du Toit at the Boyden Observatory, South Africa on 16 May 1944, who estimated its brightness at magnitude 10. Other observers estimated magnitude 11 and 12.5. Its next return date was calculated to have a perihelion date of 10 April 1959 but it was not discovered.
The 1974 return was found almost accidentally with a perihelion date of 1 April 1974 and a brightness of magnitude 18-19. The 1989 appearance was again missed. The 2003 appearance had a perihelion date of 27 August 2003 and a brightness of magnitude 20.
See also.
List of numbered comets


Hans-Walter Rix

Hans-Walter Rix is a German astronomer and director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg. He is the son of the linguist Helmut Rix.
Career.
He was educated at the University of Freiburg, the University of Munich and the University of Arizona, Tucson, where he received his Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1991. He was Hubble Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton 1991–1994, then returned to the University of Arizona, and has been director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg since 1999.
Rix has been working on the evolution of galaxies. His doctoral thesis was titled "Disk Components in Early Type Galaxies" and he has, as of 2011, published 290 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He has made important contributions to the structure and dynamics of galaxies, to the evolution of galaxies since the early epochs of the Universe, and the formation of our own Milky Way and its satellites.


Solar eclipse of February 7, 2092

An annular solar eclipse will occur on February 7, 2092. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide.


Elizabeth Beckley

Elizabeth Beckley (c.1846-1927) was a pioneering British astronomical photographer.
She was the daughter of Robert Beckley, a mechanical engineer based at Kew Observatory, who developed the Robinson-Beckley anemometer with Thomas Romney Robinson.
Beckley worked at Kew Observatory, where she was one of the first women to work at an astronomical observatory. She photographed the sun in the 1860s and 1870s using a [[solar telescope|photoheliograph]].
Beckley married fellow Kew Observatory employee George Matthew Whipple. They had two sons. The elder, [[Robert Stewart Whipple|Robert Whipple]], was a scientific instrument collector, and founded the [[Whipple Museum of the History of Science]] in Cambridge, while the younger, [[Francis John Welsh Whipple|Francis Whipple]], was superintendent of Kew Observatory from 1925 to 1939.
References.
[[Category:1846 births]]
[[Category:1927 deaths]]
[[Category:British astronomers]]
[[Category:Women astronomers]]


Kale (moon)

Kale , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 2001 by astronomers Scott S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, and J. Kleyna, and was originally designated as '.
Kale is about in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of in 736.55 days, at an inclination of 165° to the ecliptic (166° to Jupiter's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an orbital eccentricity of 0.2011.
It was named in August 2003 after Kale, one of the Charites (, , 'Graces'), daughters of Zeus (Jupiter). Kale is the spouse of Hephaestus according to some authors (although most have Aphrodite play that role).
It belongs to the Carme group, made up of irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at a distance ranging between and at an inclination of about 165°.


Milne Cheetham

Sir Joshua Milne Crompton Cheetham (9 July 1869 – 6 January 1938) was a British diplomat.
Born in Preston, the son of Joshua Milne Cheetham, MP, he was educated at Rossall School, from which he won a scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford. He studied classics at Oxford, after which he entered the diplomatic service. He served in Madrid, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, Rome and Rio de Janeiro before being sent to Cairo in January 1910. When the United Kingdom declared its protectorate over Egypt in December 1914, he became acting High Commissioner, pending the arrival of Sir Henry McMahon. He took charge of the British Residency during the spring and fall of 1919, and thus had to confront the 1919 Revolution.
He later served in the British embassy in Paris, and was appointed minister to Switzerland in 1922. In 1924, he was appointed minister to Greece, after a two-year break in diplomatic relations. He was sent to Denmark in 1926, and retired in 1928.
Family.
Sir Milne Cheetham married twice. His first wife was Anastasia Muravieva (aka Mouravieff) CBE (died 1976), stepdaughter of Nikolay Muraviev, the Russian Empire's Minister of Justice and later ambassador to Italy. They married in 1907 and divorced in 1923.
They had one son, Nicolas (1910–2002), who followed in his father's footsteps and went on to have a successful career in the diplomatic service.
Cheetham's second wife was Cynthia Charlette Seymour (d. 1968), whom he married on 11 July 1923. She was the daughter of Sir Horace Alfred Damer Seymour and Elizabeth Mary Romilly.
Decorations.
Sir Milne Cheetham received the King George V Coronation Medal in 1911 and was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1915.


Solar eclipse of August 3, 2092

An annular solar eclipse will occur on August 3, 2092. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide.
Related eclipses.
Saros 137.
It is a part of Saros cycle 137, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 70 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 25, 1389. It contains total eclipses from August 20, 1533 through December 6, 1695, first set of hybrid eclipses from December 17, 1713 through February 11, 1804, first set of annular eclipses from February 21, 1822 through March 25, 1876, second set of hybrid eclipses from April 6, 1894 through April 28, 1930, and second set of annular eclipses from May 9, 1948 through April 13, 2507. The series ends at member 70 as a partial eclipse on June 28, 2633. The longest duration of totality was 2 minutes, 55 seconds on September 10, 1569. Solar Saros 137 has 55 umbral eclipses from August 20, 1533 through April 13, 2507 (973.62 years). That's almost 1 millennium!


Total penumbral lunar eclipse

A total penumbral lunar eclipse is a lunar eclipse that occurs when the Moon becomes completely immersed in the penumbral cone of the Earth without touching the umbra.
The path for the Moon to pass within the penumbra and outside the umbra is very narrow. It can only happen on the Earth's northern or southern penumbral edges. In addition, the size of the penumbra is sometimes too small where the Moon enters it to contain the Moon. The width of the Earth's penumbra is determined by the Sun's angular diameter at the time of the eclipse, and the Moon's angular diameter is larger than the Sun over part of its elliptical orbit, depending on whether the eclipse occurs at the nearest (perigee) or farthest point (apogee) in its orbit around the Earth. The majority of the time, the size of the Moon and the size of the Earth's penumbra where the Moon crosses it mean that most eclipses will not be total penumbral in nature.
Frequency.
Total penumbral eclipses constitute a relatively small fraction of lunar eclipses, and the distribution of these events is uneven, occurring between 0 and 9 times per century. The period of this variation is approximately 600 years and also correlates with the frequency of total umbral eclipses and tetrads.
The maximum number in Fred's 5K canon is eight for saros 19. Saros 32 and 132 have seven. Saros 58, 95, and 114 have six.
Saros 114 is the only saros in the canon to have a total of seven total penumbral lunar eclipses that are not all in a row. Likewise, saros 169 has five total penumbral eclipses, but only four of them occur consecutively.
Saros series with multiple consecutive total penumbral eclipses.
This table summarizes which saros series contain four or more consecutive total penumbral eclipses.