Image Schématique du Soleil

Schematic Image of the Sun and its Environment

This postcard from my space related collection shows the schematic image of the Sun and its environment. It provides a blue print showing the wide range of phenomena studied by the various experiments on board the spacecraft Ulysses.

Ulysses, decommissioned on June 30, 2009, was a joint robotic space probe to study the Sun by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). The launch of Ulysses was delayed until October 6, 1990 aboard Discovery (mission STS-41) due to the loss of its initially assigned carrier Challenger. It studied the Sun at all latitudes, breaking the limitation that the Sun had been only observed from low solar latitudes due to the Earth's orbit confined on the ecliptic plane. The mission was managed by JPL.

Gastown Steam Clock, Vancouver, Canada

Gastown Steam Clock, Vancouver, Canada

Postcard US-2359324 is traveling to Texas, USA, showing the Gastown steam clock, powered by steam from underground pipes that supply steam to heat many downtown buildings. The clock sounds its whistles every quarter-hour. It was built by horologist Raymond Saunders in 1977 based on an 1875 design.

I uploaded the following video of the steam clock in action to YouTube seven years ago on June 26, 2006. I have forgotten the login credential to that account since. However, to my surprise, it has accumulated 23259 viewers so far.

Petroglyph Panel at the Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument

Petroglyphs by Native Americans

Postcard US-2359303 is traveling to Canada. The petroglyph panel shown on the card is believed to be at least 1,200 years old. It is located at the Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument in Utah, formerly a State Park. Some suggest that the first carvings were made as old as 2,000 years ago, left by Native Americans from the Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Anglo, and Pueblo cultures.

Newspaper Rock gained the "State Historical Monument" recognition in 1961. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Indian Creek State Park in 1976.

Polar Bear in a Bank

Polar Bear at First Interstate Bank

I am sending this postcard US-2359330 I bought at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum to Australia. It shows a 1600 lbs or 725.75 kg and 11 ft or 3.35 m tall Polar Bear on display in the lobby of the Main office at First Interstate Bank of Nevada, Reno, NV. It says on the back of the postcard that the bear was shot by A.M. Smith 50 miles north of Cape Uelen, Siberia in Russia. However, it didn't say when it was shot and how it ended up there in the bank. If you have additional information on this bear, send me an email.

The Largest Thermometer in the World

Baker, CA, 2010

The largest thermometer in the World is located in Baker, California, USA. It is actually an electric display rather than a tall thermometer since it does take the temperature by itself. It was built in 1991 to commemorate the record 134°Fahrenheit or 57°C temperature in the nearby Death Valley on July 10, 1913. It is 134 feet or 40.8 m tall and is capable of displaying a maximum temperature of 134°F. Both mentionings of "134" are a reference to the record temperature.

The photo on the postcard US-2293209 to China was taken on October 10, 2010 during my last lag of the JetBlue's second "All-You-Can-Jet" (AYCJ) program. I was driving from Portland, Oregon via Baker, California to Las Vegas, Nevada with a one-dollar-per-day one-way rental car deal.

I Love New York

New York

I love this postcard US-2319552 from New York very much. It has a simple yet elegant black and white design, and features all my favorite places: Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Empire State Building and Chrysler Building. It was designed by Studio Zake, New York.

Father's Day in Taiwan

Postcard TW-974119 from Taiwan arrived coincidentally on August 8, 2013, the Father's Day in Taiwan. While not an official holiday, it is widely celebrated because the pronunciation of the number 8 in Mandarin Chinese, representing both the eighth day and the eighth month, is similar to the pronunciation of the Chinese character "爸", which means "father".

The postcard shows the Taichung Park Pavilion located in the middle of the Sun Moon Lake in the Taichung Park, a city historical site. The park was initially built during the Japanese occupation. It has a lot of historical buildings and monuments, including the "Victory against the Japanese Occupation Monument" built in 1947. It is also the location of the Taiwan Origin Reference Point (台灣地籍測量三角原點中心碑). In recent years, people have celebrated Lantern Festival in the park.