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Daily Tidbits

An alien joke, an alien poem, a scientist spotlight, and a number-theory fact — fresh every day.

Aug 25, 2026

🛸 Daily joke

An alien researcher recently studied the solar system's magnetic history. He said the early Sun was quite a polarizing figure.

📜 Daily poem

The Starshade's Veil

A petal of shadow, wide and deep, To watch the rocky worlds that sleep. It masks the glare of a distant sun, So the hunt for life has truly begun. Scanning the dim, the small, the far, Searching for life on a terrestrial star.

🔭 Scientist spotlight

Johannes Kepler 1571–1630 · Astronomy and Mathematics

Kepler was a German astronomer whose work was fundamental to the development of modern astronomy. He is best known for his three laws of planetary motion, which described how planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun. His insights broke the long-held belief in perfect circular orbits and laid the groundwork for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation.

🔢 Number theory fact

The Sum of Two Squares

According to Fermat's Theorem on sums of two squares, an odd prime number can be expressed as the sum of two integer squares if and only if it leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by 4. For example, the prime 13 works because 13 = 2² + 3², and 13 divided by 4 leaves a remainder of 1.