Why the “Cosmical” silence?

IrmaJuly 1, 2012blog

If you haven’t noticed, “Cosmical” has been seemingly quiet for almost a month now. An explanation is necessary.

I thought of saying that Pluto held me hostage and threatened to never let me post another Cosmical again until I got Neil DeGrasse Tyson to change his mind, but, alas, the real explanation is much less of a page-turner.

Firstly, I’ve said before that there is no set schedule for “Cosmical” currently. I would try to update weekly, but that wasn’t an official schedule. Therefore, gaps like this one aren’t out-of-the blue.

Secondly, there is a lot of stuff happening in the background here. I’ve also got a few Cosmicals in the bank that I am not posting yet for specific reasons. But the other work going on with Cosmicals has just delayed posting on the site.

New “Cosmical” comics WILL be posted. But in the mean time, I do have some “Cosmical” wallpapers for computer screens, iPads and iPhones sitting here that I will post for you guys this weekend. So stay tuned!

8 – Venus Transit

IrmaJune 3, 20125comic

First, if you’re as excited about the transit of Venus as I am happening this week, then you may want to show it with your iPhone or iPad with the Venus Transit wallpapers I made! You can find them in the blog below. Or click HERE.

Chances are, if you live in an area where the Venus Transit will be visible, then you’ve heard a LOT about it. Why is it such a big deal? Well, it’s not going to be the most spectacular thing you may ever seen, but it is one of the rarest. The next transit of Venus will not happen for another 105 years. So, chances are, this will be the only chance you get!

To read all about it check out THIS site. It has all the info you need on where and when it will be visible, and how you will be able to view it.

For me, I’m just hoping that the typical cloudy June weather here in Sweden will cease for just that morning! I have solar glasses ready and waiting!

Venus Transit Backgrounds

IrmaJune 3, 20121blog

A bit last minute, as the transit is happening this week, but I have made some Venus Transit backgrounds for your iPhone and iPad! There are 2 versions of the iPhone one, one fo the lock screen and one for the home screen. Enjoy! And I hope you are able to catch the Transit!

iPhone background:

Lock Screen

Home Screen

iPad background:

7 – Dragon

IrmaMay 28, 20125comic

Here’s a “Cosmical” that will really test how much you’re paying attention to current events 😉 Now this one isn’t based on natural events in our skies, which is mainly “Cosmical”‘s focus, but on a human made one; a history-making one that is worthy of mention.

This past week the private company SpaceX successively launched its Falcon9 Rocket sending their Dragon capsule to the International Space Station, therefore being the very first commercial craft to ever visit the ISS. Since the ending of NASA’s Shuttle Program last year, the United States has had to rely on other for transportation to and from the ISS. In the mean time, private companies are competing to take over what was once the job of the Shuttle.

SpaceX has so far won the race there, but will they win in the end? It’s an exciting time as we watch the beginning of something new in space travel. Competition is the fire for innovation. We’ve seen this before when the US wanted to be the first to reach the Moon.

6 – Angry Sun

IrmaMay 13, 20124comic

I’ve mentioned once before that our sun is entering its Solar Maximum, meaning its highest activity in its 11 year cycle. In astronomical news right now we’re hearing a LOT about a sunspot that is much larger than Earth that is generating some pretty massive solar flares and has the possibility of generating powerful solar storms. So far, none are headed in our direction. But go HERE to read and watch a short video about the activity on the surface of our sun right now.

And if you’ve ever seen a video of the Sun unleashing a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection), you’ll see that the sun always has ways of reminding us of its power.

Oh, if you’ve never seen one, watch this:

5 – Pluto’s Denial

IrmaMay 6, 20129comic

I admit it. I am still bummed that the solar system I grew up with is not the same. Well, it IS the same, it’s just classified a bit differently. It’s still a little hard to say that we have eight planets, not nine. It’s been 6 years now, so I should just be over it, right? Well, I HAVE accepted it, I just feel a little sorry for the guy. So, of course he gets a place in Cosmical.

There are plenty of good reasons Pluto doesn’t fit in with the rest of the crew. Pluto’s orbit doesn’t lie on the same plane as all the other planets in our solar system. It’s tilted at a 17° angle. And for a portion if his orbit he’s actually closer to the Sun than Neptune is since their orbits intercept. Also, Pluto’s moon Charon is around half Pluto’s size and they, plus two tinier moons, orbit around a central point that is NOT Pluto. It’s like Pluto is running in circles chasing his tail. 😉

The big reason why Pluto isn’t a planet is because he hasn’t cleared his orbit. There’s a buch of other stuff sharing his orbit and he hasn’t dominated that orbit yet.

But I can’t obviously show any of these things in the comic. So, in Cosmical, Pluto is a cyclops. But he’s spent such a long time being accepted into the ranks of “Planet,” that he can’t really see his differences himself.

If you want to understand more about why exactly Pluto isn’t a planet then go here. There is a GREAT video to watch which should clear it all up for you.

Eclipses and Transits and Sunspots, oh my!

IrmaMay 3, 20121blog

Hey, Cosmical fans & Space Geeks!

Two VERY COOL solar events are coming up within the next 2 months and I thought you guys would appreciate this…

There is an annular solar eclipse coming up at the end of the month that will be viewable from the western US. Annular means that the sun won’t be entirely covered becasue the moon is too far away and will appear smaller than the sun, but those at just the right spots can see a ring of fire as the moon will sit right in the center. Others int he surrounding areas will see a very cool “bite” taken out of the sun. I had one of these pass through here ont he winter solstice of 2010. I remember the sky DID get a few shades darker. It was a bit eerie. But I didn’t have solar glasses to really see it. (Read about it HERE.)

The next event also involves a celestial object passing in front of the sun, and it’s the ONLY chance we’ll have to see it in our lifetime! It’s the transit of venus at the beginning of June. Depending on where you are in the world, you’ll be able to see Venus cross over the sun on June 5th or June 6th. (Read about it HERE.)

BUT… if you want to see these things you need to have the proper equipment! Sure, these are events you don’t want to miss if you can help it, but no matter how cool they are, going blind is PROBABLY not worth it.

I just ordered a bunch of Solar Viewing Eclipse Glasses from HERE. From that same page there are plenty of other items you can buy for safe solar viewing. So if you have any chance of viewing either of these events (and/or the TOTAL solar eclipse in Australia at the end of the year!), then I suggest you grab a bunch of these and enjoy!

Oh, and as a final note, these glasses can be whipped out at any time for sunspot observing!

Cosmical on a Podcast!

IrmaMay 1, 20121blog

I have a podcast for you! I was in San Diego, the home of the great Golden Voice of Tall Tale Radio, and I got in on a round table podcast about starting new comics! Since I just recently Cosmical, Tom thought that I’d fit well in this discussion. It was a blast! We talked with Joel Duggan of Starcrossed and John Sanford of Chippy & Loopus and K&J about the process of starting a new comic and how social media affects that process. So go check that out today! Get it right HERE, or get it through iTunes HERE!

A little Cosmical update…

IrmaApril 21, 2012blog

Hello Cosmical fans! As I’ve said before, there is no schedule for this comic as of yet, so it updates randomly, and this is obvious since it’s been about 2 weeks since the latest update. Also, it needs to be said that I am currently on vacation and not drawing a darned thing 😉 But please know that Cosmical IS in a LOT of exciting development in the background. 🙂

We are “GO” for launch!

IrmaApril 9, 20121blog

‎3… 2… 1… We have lift off! The new “Cosmical” website has cleared the atmosphere and has begun its mission!

Up until now I was only posting new “Cosmical” comics over at the comcic’s facebook page. I learned quickly, however, that the FB page format is not at all convenient for using as a comic site. So it pushed me to get this site up and running as soon as I could. It’s simple enough. I think. I don’t want to over-complicate this site. Hope you guys like it! But make sure you’re still following the facebook page to keep yourself updated!