SOLVED by Alex at 12:02 CDT

Bonjour!  I hope everyone is having a good Saturday.  Are you ready to play riddle?  I have one lined up for you, of course.  We’re starting a new cycle, but another bonus riddle is imminent.  I’m already working on it.

No, really.  I am.

Okay, onwards:

Another NASA image -- thanks, guys.

This is in the real world.

It has mass, and takes up space.

Its shape is NOT round.

Don't you wish you'd paid attention in class now? "Oh no, I'll NEVER use this stuff..."

This is a radiant body.

It does something that nothing else in its home range is known to do.

Something about this is a well-functioning electrical system.

This image was created by "oceanhopper". You are free to copy, but attribute the source.

This has a strange association with melancholy and death.

Don’t look to Greek mythology to answer this one.

This body has orbital bodies; one of which is thought to possibly contain life.

How obvious can I be? This incredible image by Diane Minton.

And that’s that.  Now, I’ll be in the comments (as usual), but you know how lucky I’ve been with the internet lately, so if I crash and burn, I’ll catch up.

Aw! Isn't he cute? This is a tiny jumping spider, staring intently into the camera.

SOLVED!

Welcome to the bonus riddle.  Remember, the comments are closed until tomorrow, when we’ll open the riddle for anyone to try if it hasn’t been solved yet.  Here are the people who are eligible to send in three guesses by email:

Adrianus V, Dwight, Roger, Rob, Alex, Patrick, Kristian, Hugo, the Gregster, Andy, Gary, George, Claudia, Suzanne, Jeff Greene, Jon, and Jerry.

Tom and I will only verify receipt of your guesses, we will not comment.  We do verify your identity, also.

Ready?  Here you go:

This is a modern discovery.

Don’t look to WikiPedia to find the answer on this one.

It carries the name of a more well-known object.

This is near.

This is sometimes called “minor”, but that’s not what we usually call it.

Look at this image:

This beauty, image by Giovanni Dall'Orto, holds the key to your answer. The image is under copyright, so don't lift it from the blog, please!

That is your final clue.

There you go.  Good luck everybody, and I’ll let you know how it went tomorrow.

UPDATE:  Solved at 8:55pm CDT by Gregster.

Here we are, the final riddle of this cycle.  The bonus riddle is set for Wednesday the 15th, so if your name isn’t on the list, this is your last chance.

Okay; ready to riddle?  Today’s answer is found in the real world.

NGC604 NASA/Hubble

Rather than one thing, it is a group of things.

It’s well known, in fact, for being a group.

One part of the group probably doesn’t really belong; however, one part (not previously associated) probably does belong.

The actor Jimmy Stewart

This is interesting because it’s such a colossal train wreck.

A fairly modern discovery, this is the first of its kind.

You saw this featured at the beginning of a movie classic, but you might not have recognized it.

When you look at this, you “see” something usually associated with sound.

A few flying horses

That’s about it.  Short and sweet, and to the point.  We’ve discussed this particular thing before, so some of the clues may be strangely familiar.  They ought to be.

"Hey! Don't take my picture!"

And … WE’RE OFF!

After many warnings (and a well-placed threat or two), Tom and I are ready with another bonus riddle.  YAY!  You’ll have one more chance to get in on the action Saturday the 11th.  We’ll post the bonus riddle Wednesday, February 11th.  The prize this time is an amazing book by Scott Hubbard, Exploring Mars.

Image shamelessly stolen from Amazon.com.

Exploring Mars encompasses the Odyssey Mission, the rovers, the Reconnaissance Mission, Phoenix, and the upcoming Mars Science Labs.

Here are the people who can email their three guesses to Tom or me:  Adrianus V, Dwight, Roger, Rob, Alex, Patrick, Kristian, Hugo, the Gregster, Andy, Gary, George, Claudia, Suzanne, Jeff Greene, Jon, and Jerry.  I’ll add one more name after Saturday the 11th.

Since it’s been a while, let’s run through The Riddle Rules:

• Guesses on the bonus riddle will be by email to Tom or Marian.
• You will have 24 hours to submit your guesses; from noon CDT Wednesday, February 15th, until noon CDT Thursday the 16th.
• You get three guesses.
• Comments will be closed on the bonus riddle until after the submission deadline.
• The winner will be the first person to submit the correct answer.  If nobody solves the riddle by noon CDT July 5th, it will be opened for everybody to give it a shot.
• Tom will have the final say in any controversy.

                              
Of course, since this is a riddle post, it deserves …
wait a minute  … is that it?
…yes!  …
there’s…
a…

…
SPIDER!

UPDATE:  Solved by Jerry at 12:16 CDT.

YAY!  I’m actually on line … well, so far … we’ll see.  It has certainly been a mess.  There’s something about me which causes computers (and ISPs) to curl up and die.  Really; I should be required to wear a warning label.

Okey-dokey.  Here we are; another beautiful Saturday in scenic north-central Texas (blech).  Do you ever wonder how I come up with a brand-new riddle every week?  Yeah, me too.  Joining the lineup of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is today’s riddle — and you’re livin’ in the real world again (don’t worry; I’ll do another sci-fi riddle in the near future).

Father was NOT amused.

The water is deep and murky at this end of the kiddie pool, so if you want to play beach blanket volleyball, I suggest you use a buckyball.

Just when you got the bits worked out, along came the qubits.

Yes it can; no it can not; yes it can; no it can not.

Admit it; you secretly solved for the speed limit

(Okay, maybe that’s not fair)

If the initial concept isn’t “spooky” enough, in and of itself, there’s a fun little paradox you can kick around.

A thing can be here, at exactly the same time it can be there, at exactly the same time it can be everywhere.  Or anywhere.

Isn’t this fun?

Meow.

You’ve met my friends Alice and Bob, haven’t you?  They’re always splitting coins.

“Decoherence”.  Somehow, that doesn’t sound as friendly as playing with a buckyball.
That’s about enough out of me.  As soon as you guys solve this pesky little riddle for me, I’m going rock hunting.  Good luck!