Good Planets, February 3rd edition is now available.  Head on over to see wonderful photography of our little place in the cosmos.

The Passion of Mary Cheney: Dan Savage doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to Mary Cheney suddenly pretending her lesbian relationship and pregnancy should be free from political discussion.  While he uses a bit of harsh language, as is usual for him, he justifiably takes her to task for suddenly pretending her situation should be treated differently than her party, her father, and her own silent acquiescence and active support have treated similar situations in the past—only in those cases, they were other gay parents and not her.  I strongly recommend that you go read what Dan has to say.  It’s a scathing rebuke and insightful discussion from a gay parent to a gay parent who’s trying to play both sides of the issue.  Please, go read it.

Today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day is truly dazzling.  It’s a view of the night sky overlooking the Alborz Mountains in Iran.