The dark markings visible on the near side of the Moon have been subject since ancient times to istances of pareidolia, the tendency to find familiar structures in natural features and artificial objects that have none. Throughout the ages, different cultures have seen various shapes while looking at the Moon, often linked with their mythology…
Author: Stefano Cammisa
How the most powerful Swedish warship sank on her maiden voyage
After a long time of being a peripheral and minor kingdom in Northern Europe, Sweden developed into one of the major powers in the continent in the 17th century. The country rose to prominence during the reign of king Gustavus Adolphus (1611-1632), seizing territories from neighboring states and becoming the dominant power in the Baltic…
The dwarf planets of the Solar System
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) introduced a new definition of planet, changing the way we classify the larger bodies in the Solar System. According to this definition, a planet is a celestial body that: orbits the Sun, is in hydrostatic equilibrium, meaning that it has a nearly round shape, it has “cleared the…
Visiting Carcassonne, a fortified medieval town in France
France is a country with a rich history and culture and, while Paris and the other large cities attract the most tourists, there is an abundance of smaller towns worth a visit. One of the most notable of these is Carcassonne, a town located in the south of the country and known for its incredibly…
The weird history of the defenestrations of Prague
If you know European history, you might be familiar with the phrase “defenestration of Prague”, as the event that sparked the Thirty Years’ War in 1618. However, there were curiously multiple similar incidents that happened in the same city throughout the centuries. First of all, let’s define what a “defenestration” is. The term means “throwing…
Tracing Loona’s steps in Paris
Last year, while I was traveling around Europe, I stopped in various places around the continent where the members of K-Pop group Loona have been, including the locations where they shot a music video and had photoshoots for their albums. While I was there, I tried to take the same pictures as them, and I…
The history of zombies
Zombies are one of the most popular and common creatures in the modern horror genre, being featured in countless movies, series, and novels. While now the characteristics of zombies are pretty well defined and uniform across different works of fiction, their features have changed and evolved since their first appearance in popular culture in the…
The continents submerged under the ocean
Only 29.2% of the surface of Earth is land, while the remaining 70.8% is covered by the oceans. The landmasses located above sea level are divided into continents. While there are various ways to distinguish the continents, the most common model counts seven of them: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica…
The most remote inhabited island in the world: Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a small archipelago located in the South Atlantic Ocean, consisting of the main island of the same name, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the Nightingale Islands. While the latter three islands are uninhabited, Tristan da Cunha has a population of around 250 people, and is the most remote inhabited island in…
My review of the three K-Pop concerts I attended this year: Red Velvet, Odd Eye Circle, Aespa
I have been a fan of K-Pop music for quite a few years now, and I previously attended two K-Pop concerts, I saw Blackpink in Barcelona on May 28, 2019, and Loona in Frankfurt on September 11, 2022 (and I talk extensively about the latter in this article). This year many groups held concerts in…