NEW EDGES IN SPACE ARE BEAUTIFUL NOW

Scientific explorations bring us to new edges of understanding and possibility. Today we are sharing some truly exciting, unbelievably Beautiful Edges happening right now.

PARACHUTE AT THE EDGE OF SPACE

NASA has developed the largest ever supersonic parachute, designed to take us to the edge of space. Its first mission is to help humans to land on Mars by slowing their vehicles down before they hit the ground.

At 110 feet in diameter, this parachute, called Keiki o ka honua, is part of a Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD), a complex package of devices including an inflatable flying saucer.

Scientists are testing the LDSD 34 miles away from the surface of the Earth. It travels at a maximum speed of four times the speed of sound, heating up to near 600 degrees Fahrenheit, landing in the Pacific Ocean.

The device will be outfitted with four GoPro cameras, plus several other cameras to show us the latest edge of our space travel capabilities. Testing will be conducted through 2015, with potential launch to Mars as early as 2020.

EDGE-ON JUPITER

Two weeks ago, Earth and Jupiter had a close encounter with each other, as they do every 13 months. Astronomers call it an "opposition" because Jupiter is opposite the Sun in the sky. But this year's opposition was particularly special, because Jupiter is now edge-on to the Sun.

Thanks to this edge-on positioning, for the next couple of months, using only regular backyard telescopes, we will be able to see the moons of Jupiter moving in and out of a series of mutual eclipses and transits.

EDGE-ON GALAXY IC 335.

Check out this thrilling new image of the edge-on lenticular galaxy IC 335, captured by a team of astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Also known as IC 1963, this galaxy is located in the Fornax Cluster, about 60 million light-years away.

At about 45,000 light-years long, this galaxy delivers a spectacular edge on view.

ICARUS AT THE EDGE OF TIME

Icarus at the Edge of Time, originally a children’s book written in 2008 by physicist Brian Greene, has since blossomed into a film and a multimedia live performance piece -- a collaboration among Greene, composer Philip Glass, writer David Henry Hwang and filmmakers Al+Al.

Music, science and film come together in high drama. It is an emotional experience, at the “edge of time,” where audience members are on the edges of their seats.

The story is set in outer space, where a young boy leaves his family’s space ship and gets up close and personal with a black hole. Its challenges are tempting, yet, just as with the Greek myth upon which it is based, pursuit can be self destructive.

The boy discovers that time slows down as he approaches the black hole. What seems like one hour to him, is actually thousands of years.

If you are lucky enough to experience Icarus at the Edge of Time, live, you will simultaneously hear a beautifully written story, narrated either by its brilliant author or by a powerful actor, such as John Lithgow, Liev Schreiber, and LeVar Burton; you will hear a world-class symphony orchestra performing music composed by one of America’s greatest composers; and you will see a film created by two of the world’s most innovative visual artists.

The performance, itself is timeless. It has been enjoyed around the world in dozens of live showcases over the past few years and continues to be brought in front of new audiences. Look for upcoming performances in 2015 here.

Check out the recently released video, The Making of Icarus at the Edge of Time, which provides an inside look at how the World Science Festival, the Southbank Centre, and their creative teams, developed this brilliant fusion of science and art.

Brian Greene is a leading edge thinker and theoretical physicist who teaches at Columbia University. He is the co-founder of the World Science Festival in New York City and has written numerous nationally bestselling books, including The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Elegant Universe, both of which were produced as highly compelling, beautifully presented TV programming for PBS -- check them out here and here.

I had the pleasure of spending time with Greene during interviews that were featured in my book, New Ideas About New Ideas: Insights On Creativity From The World's Leading Innovators.

For more information on Icarus at the Edge of Time, watch the trailer, read a review or go to Brian Greene’s website. Get the book here.

Read more about Beautiful Edges, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including 10 New Books on the Beauty of Edges Now.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Edges in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 03.01.15. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

1. Image: Courtesy of NASA. Concept for Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator.
2. Photo: Courtesy of NASA. Test Vehicle.
3. Photo: Courtesy of NASA. Retrieving the LDSD.
4. Photo: Courtesy of NASA. First Test of LDSD.
5. Photo: Courtesy of Bright Stars Wildomar. Jupiter’s Tilt.
6. Photo: by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Triple Eclipse on Jupiter.
7. Photo: Courtesy of ESA. Galaxy IC 335.
8. Image: Courtesy of Al+Al. Still from Icarus at the Edge of Time.
9. Image: Courtesy of Al+Al. Still from Icarus at the Edge of Time.
10. Image: Courtesy of Al+Al. Still from Icarus at the Edge of Time.
11. Image: Courtesy of Al+Al. Still from Icarus at the Edge of Time.
12. Image: Courtesy of Al+Al. Still from Icarus at the Edge of Time.
13. Photo: Courtesy of Polymus. Nikolaev Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia Performance of Icarus at the Edge of Time.
14. Photo: Courtesy of PBS. Brian Greene in The Fabric of the Cosmos.
15. Image: Courtesy of Knopf. Icarus at the Edge of Time.
16. Photo: Courtesy of Starrynight. Jupiter and Moons.