P.P. Corcoran's Blog, page 5
October 30, 2015
Close View of Saturn’s Moon Enceladus From Oct. 28 Flyby
This unprocessed “raw” image of Saturn’s icy, geologically active moon Enceladus was acquired by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft during its dramatic Oct. 28, 2015 flyby in which the probe passed about 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon’s south polar region. via NASA http://ift.tt/1MxNoLy
October 29, 2015
IC 1871: Inside the Soul Nebula
This cosmic close-up looks deep inside the Soul Nebula. The dark and brooding dust clouds outlined by bright ridges of glowing gas are cataloged as IC 1871. About 25 light-years across, the telescopic field of view spans only a small part of the much larger Heart and Soul nebulae. At an estimated distance of 6,500 light-years the star-forming complex lies within the Perseus spiral arm of the Milky Way, seen in planet Earth’s skies toward the constellation Cassiopeia. An example of triggered star formation, the dense star-forming clouds of IC 1871 are themselves sculpted by the intense winds and radiation of the region’s massive young stars. This color image adopts a palette made popular in Hubble images of star-forming regions. via NASA http://ift.tt/1kdERR7
Spacewalk Selfie
Expedition 45 Commander Scott Kelly took this photograph during a spacewalk on Oct. 28, 2015. Sharing the image on social media, Kelly wrote, “#SpaceWalkSelfie Back on the grid! Great first spacewalk yesterday. Now on to the next one next week. #YearInSpace” via NASA http://ift.tt/1kefVc5
October 28, 2015
Amazon #1
Thanks Readers!
Discovery of the Saiph is an Amazon UK number 1 best seller right now! I hope you enjoy the read.
Leave a Review
I also appreciate all feedback, so please don’t forget to let me and other readers know if you enjoyed the book by leaving a review. I’ve made it easy, just click below and write a few words, nothing fancy just whether you liked it or not.
UK
Canada
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Audio Book
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Don’t forget you can add the audio narration for under £4/$4 with Whispersync – a bargain price as Discovery is still just 99p/99c for another couple of days. Or download direct from Tantor Media.
Cheers,
Paul
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Colors After the Storms
Damaging heavy rains fell on South Carolina in the southeastern United States at the beginning of October 2015. Much of that water had, by mid-October, flowed into the Atlantic Ocean bringing with it heavy loads of sediment, nutrients, and dissolved organic material. The above VIIRS image shows the runoff as it interacts with ocean currents. via NASA http://ift.tt/1HbbVhG
October 27, 2015
Bright from the Heart Nebula
What’s that inside the Heart Nebula? First, the large emission nebula dubbed IC 1805 looks, in whole, like a human heart. The nebula glows brightly in red light emitted by its most prominent element: hydrogen. The red glow and the larger shape are all created by a small group of stars near the nebula’s center. In the center of the Heart Nebula are young stars from the open star cluster Melotte 15 that are eroding away several picturesque dust pillars with their energetic light and winds. The open cluster of stars contains a few bright stars nearly 50 times the mass of our Sun, many dim stars only a fraction of the mass of our Sun, and an absent microquasar that was expelled millions of years ago. The Heart Nebula is located about 7,500 light years away toward the constellation of Cassiopeia. At the top right is the companion Fishhead Nebula. via NASA http://ift.tt/1jNXN9y
Scott Kelly Prepares For a Spacewalk
Expedition 45 Commander Scott Kelly tries on his spacesuit for a fit check inside the U.S. Quest airlock of the International Space Station. Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren will venture outside the station for a pair of spacewalks on Wednesday, Oct. 28 and Friday, Nov. 6. via NASA http://ift.tt/1P2HJfa
October 26, 2015
Charon and the Small Moons of Pluto
What do the moons of Pluto look like? Before a decade ago, only the largest moon Charon was known, but never imaged. As the robotic New Horizons spacecraft was prepared and launched, other moons were identified on Hubble images but remained only specks of light. Finally, this past summer, New Horizons swept right past Pluto, photographed Pluto and Charon in detail, and took the best images of Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra that it could. The featured image composite shows the results — each moon is seen to have a distinct shape, while underlying complexity is only hinted. Even though not satisfyingly resolved, these images are likely to be the best available to humanity for some time. This is because the moons are too small and distant for contemporary Earth-based telescopes to resolve, and no new missions to the Pluto system are planned. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Rx1n1X
A Tale of Two Hemispheres
Enceladus is a world divided. To the north, the terrain is covered in impact craters, much like other icy moons. via NASA http://ift.tt/1P0XcfT
Why the PSNI forced me to un-publish The Province (short story) – Free
My short story The Province has a chequered history that most readers are unaware of. It is free to download today, and if you want to learn a little more… read on!
The Province by PP Corcoran
£/$ FREE
Are you outside the US or UK? Sign up here: ppcorcoran.com/subscribe.html to get your free copy.
In the world of Black Ops they are the most audacious.
Frank Winters is a soldier in the British Army. The one time Corporal in the Intelligence Corp has become a surveillance operative in the daring and deadly Military Support Group. Called upon to serve in political hotspots around the world he has a variety of skills, surveillance is just one of them.
Without warning a murderous terrorist attack plunges Northern Ireland into meltdown. The backlash results in the imposition of direct rule on The Province. London needs it fixed, fast.
Frank finds himself in County Armagh. His mission is simple – watch and observe. Until a deadly turn of events forces MSG to step outside their primary role and take risky explosive action.
This time there are no rules, there are no boundaries because MSG is deniable.
The Province Background
If you’ve read my bio you will know that I served in the British Army for over 20 years. If you read The Province you’ll get an idea of what some undercover units of the British Army are and what they may be required to do.
Following my army career I continued working in the security environment of Northern Ireland before eventually serving with the Police Service there (called the Police Service of Northern Ireland or PSNI).
I started writing part time in 2013, while serving in the police force and I started two series: the sci-fi Saiph series and military thriller Ghost Soldiers series.
Ghost Soldiers: The Province by PP Corcoran (mark 1)
In April 2014 I self published The Province (a few months after Discovery of the Saiph) with this original cover, that was, until the PSNI took the unusual step of forcing me to un-publish it or face disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
Imagine my surprise. There is very little mention of the PSNI in the book as it is primarily a procedural military thriller based on my army experiences – not police – although it touches on ‘The Troubles’. (Wikipedia gives a decent overview if you haven’t heard of it). Nevertheless, I had no choice and I removed it from sale.
The Province (MSG Short Story) by Jack Curran (mark 2)
Not to be deterred I re-released The Province under the nom de-plume – Jack Curran, and I self published it in November 2014.
The Province (The Ghost Soldiers 1) by PP Corcoran (mark 3)
The final incarnation was released this year when I left the PSNI to pursue my writing career.
And there you have it, the full story. So give it a go yourself and tell me if you find the book the PSNI forced me to un-publish to be controversial!
Missed this promotion? Are you outside UK/US? Then sign up at: ppcorcoran.com/subscribe.html to get your free copy.
