Painting by Cosmas Damian Asam, 1735. Photo ©Jay Pasachoff.

In honor of this weekend’s annular solar eclipse (going right over far-northern California! WOO!), I present something from the archives, possibly the first realistic depiction of a solar eclipse in art. Enjoy watching the eclipse, and remember kids, DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN without a proper solar filter or eclipse-rated eyewear.

Asteriant Prime, by Tobias Roetsch (Taenaron)

Gorgeous colors and violent weather in this beautiful illustration by Tobias Roetsch (Taenaron).

Asteriant Prime is a highly developed planet with giant city-scapes. There also is life on his moons. Due to the climate, which is very cold and windy , there are only a few savage colonies.

Vincent van Gogh. (Dutch, 1853-1890). The Starry Night. Saint Rémy, June 1889. Oil on canvas, 29 x 36 1/4" (73.7 x 92.1 cm). On display at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City

I’m starting to dig through the archives here at Silver Rockets, as I’m discovering that a lot of my favorite things were posted toward the beginning when nobody was reading this blog. I’ll be starting a series of highlights and best-ofs, every so often, to bring some happy images back to the surface for your enjoyment.

First up is The Starry Night, one of my favorite paintings PERIOD. This was post #4 here, on July 4, 2006. (Long time, no see!) It was also my first masthead.

It came to mind the other day, while I was remembering this:

Danielle visits Starry Night! June 2011, NYC.

I saw a lot of neat things while I was in New York City last June (most of them sparkly, not spacey), but there are a few specific things that are especially vivid memories, and this is one of them. I could have sat and looked at The Starry Night for an hour, I bet. The colors are vibrant. The texture is incredible. It’s smaller than I’d imagined. Funny how that works. The Starry Night is smallish. The Lady of Shalott is GIGANTIC. Go figure.

I buzzed around MoMA briefly, taking in a roomful of Monet’s water lilies, Art Nouveau furniture and more, but kept gravitating back to the Starry Night room. I could hardly take my eyes off it! I firmly believe that art is best experienced in person, if possible. Even the best reproductions can’t capture that feeling. If you’re able to, I highly recommend paying Starry Night a visit! And don’t be afraid to get close! I got about a foot away, before getting the Eyeball from a guard. Beware the Eyeball.

Moon rocket illustration by Jack Coggins, from "Spaceship to the Moon", 1952

…that’s some engine! I mean, really, that is ONE FAT ROCKET. Wowza.

A Japanese moon-lander concept, circa 1971 for your Friday. Image via x-ray delta one.

Photo by Mikiya Takimoto

I guess I’m pretty nerdy for having instantly recognized this, even shrunk down on Pinterest, as a Space Shuttle Main Engine bell. Oh well. A beautiful photo by Mikiya Takimoto, from a summer 2011 show at MA2 Gallery, Tokyo.

Mikiya Takimoto travels both into down the mountain and up into space with his two series ‘Land’ and ‘Space,’ showing … at MA2 Gallery in Tokyo’s Ebisu district. The Space series took two years and 4 trips to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, the Land series explores volcanic rock and mountain moss, to stunning effect.
— MOTHER

"A Journey Into Tomorrow" by David A. Hardy

A beautiful piece of art, inspiring the next generation of space explorers.

Found here; hat tip and many thanks to @terrazoom!

A Little Boy's Dream © Andy Lendway 2012

I love it when people send me things they think I’d like! This print by Andy Lendway is adorable — though I know quite a few women, myself included, for whom this image was a little girl’s dream as well. (I still have my space LEGOs!)

Agoraphobia © Austin Kleon

I’ve only just been introduced to the newspaper-blackout poetry of Austin Kleon — I love this one, ever so much. Buy the print here.

And what a lovely view it is, so close to the Moon. How I wish I could vacation there….
Artwork by David Hardy, image via x-ray delta one.