An annular solar eclipse was visible above the Americas on October 14, 2023. Since the moon was at the furthest point in its orbit from Earth (known as apogee), it did not completely block the Sun; instead, a bright ring remained visible. We added links to Nasa information and to a webpage where “dancing under the eclipsed sun“ was commercially offered. Already in six months, on April 08, 2024, a total solar eclipse will darken a strip of the sky from northeast Canada to Mexico (1, 2).

Fake stone: “Portland Stone reinterpreted as ceramics“ is a slogan of the Italian manufacturer Ceramiche Keope.

The 40th Cersaie, the international trade fair of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings held in Bologna September 25 – 29, 2023, registered 99,319 visitors (+8.8% compared to last year’s edition; 2019 before Covid: 112,340 attendees). There were 47,634 international visitors (48% of the total) and 51,685 Italian visitors. A total of 811 journalists were also present, including 396 non-Italians. Next year’s Cersaie will be held September 23 – 27, 2024.

Landing on the moon also means to prevent from a dust stir. This could be achieved with the help of innovative 3D printing technology that draws its energy from sunlight and is easy to transport to Earth‘s satellite. So: lunar squares or roads made of melted Regolith?

New mysteries have opened in Stonehenge around the so-called altar stone (stone 80), which lies in the inner circle. A high barium content distinguishes its sandstone from the standing pillars.

Concrete is the source of 6 to 8 % of man-made CO2 emissions – but at the same time it is able to chemically bind the climate gas emitted during cement production later. “Carbonatation“ is the name of this process, in which calcium hydroxide in concrete reacts with CO2 over decades to form limestone. Researchers at the Swiss Empa are investigating whether and how the process can be accelerated in the “DemoUpCARMA” project.

New study reveals the beautiful colors on the Parthenon marbles.

The National Museum Wales has demonstrated what would happen if all visitors touched one of its famed marble vases.

A life-sized limestone carving of a male boar has been uncovered at the 12,000-year-old site of Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Anatolia.

The role that the Granite from Stony Creek Quarry in Branford, Connecticut, played for buildings in New York City is described on a webpage.

Italian tombstone carver Luigi Brusa knew he was dying from silicosis when he had a friend carve his granite tombstone, known as “The Dying Man,“ now located at the Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont.

Like zodiac signs birthstones can tell much about individuals, is said in a report in the Hindustan Times.
 

Video of the Month: The second largest Hindu temple in the world made of marble, granite and limestone was opened in New Jersey. The stones for the BAPS Akshardham located in Robbinsville came from various places in Europe and was shipped to India, where artisans carved it for over a decade.

(17.10.2023, USA: 10.17.2023)