Jump to content

Wikipedia:Main Page history/2023 December 21b

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Welcome to Wikipedia

,
6,760,395 articles in English

From today's featured article

1953 magazine cover, "Surveying a Dying Sun"
1953 magazine cover, "Surveying a Dying Sun"

The Sun has appeared in fiction since classical antiquity, but for a long time it rarely received attention. Many of the early depictions viewed the Sun as essentially Earth-like and potentially habitable—a once-common belief about celestial objects in general known as the plurality of worlds—and depicted various kinds of solar inhabitants. As more became known about the Sun through advances in astronomy, in particular its temperature, fewer solar lifeforms were depicted. Instead, many stories focused on the death of the Sun, either by going out or going nova, and the ensuing havoc on Earth. Less disastrously, solar flares and eclipses have also been depicted. The Sun has been portrayed as a source of power—both in the form of solar power and superpower abilities. It poses a danger to spacecraft that approach it, which occurs in several stories. Overall, the Sun remains relatively uncommon as a point of focus in science fiction, particularly in comparison to depictions of Mars and Venus. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Blinken performing at the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative
Blinken performing at the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative

In the news

Grindavík eruption
Grindavík eruption

On this day

December 21

Crew of Apollo 8
Crew of Apollo 8
More anniversaries:
Leptura quadrifasciata

Leptura quadrifasciata, the four-banded longhorn beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It is found throughout the northern and central Palaearctic region. The species is distributed in northern and central regions of Europe and Asia. It is particularly common in Scandinavia, Finland and Great Britain, and typically seen during the summer months. The larvae make meandering galleries in various trees, including oak, beech, birch, willow, alder, elder and spruce – typically in dead and decaying wood, with a preference for damp areas. Adult beetles are 11 to 20 millimetres (0.43 to 0.79 in) long, black with four more or less continuous transverse yellow bands. In extreme cases the elytra may be almost entirely black. The life cycle of the species lasts two or three years. This L. quadrifasciata female was photographed on wild carrot flowers near Keila, Estonia.

Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus

Other areas of Wikipedia

  • Community portal – The central hub for editors, with resources, links, tasks, and announcements.
  • Village pump – Forum for discussions about Wikipedia itself, including policies and technical issues.
  • Site news – Sources of news about Wikipedia and the broader Wikimedia movement.
  • Teahouse – Ask basic questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
  • Help desk – Ask questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
  • Reference desk – Ask research questions about encyclopedic topics.
  • Content portals – A unique way to navigate the encyclopedia.

Wikipedia's sister projects

Wikipedia is written by volunteer editors and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other volunteer projects:

Wikipedia languages