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From today's featured article Hydrus is a small constellation in the deep southern sky. Its first appearance was on a celestial globe published in 1598 in Amsterdam by the astronomer Petrus Plancius and the cartographer Jodocus Hondius. The first celestial atlas to depict it was Johann Bayer's Uranometria, in 1603. The French explorer and astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille charted the brighter stars and gave their Bayer designations in 1756. Its name means "male water snake", as opposed to Hydra, a much larger constellation that represents a female water snake. Hydrus remains below the horizon for most Northern Hemisphere observers. The brightest star is the 2.8-magnitude Beta Hydri, also the brightest star within 15° of the south celestial pole. Pulsating between magnitude 3.26 and 3.33, Gamma Hydri is a variable red giant some 60 times the diameter of our Sun. Near it is VW Hydri, one of the brightest dwarf novae in the heavens. Four star systems have been found to have exoplanets to date, including HD 10180, which might bear up to nine planetary companions. (Full article...) Recently featured: George Mason Fantastic Adventures Exsudoporus frostii Did you know... Shah Mosque ... that in 1951, Prime Minister of Iran Haj Ali Razmara was shot dead by a member of Fada'iyan-e Islam while attending a memorial service at Tehran's Shah Mosque (pictured)? ... that retired Kingdom of Hawaii Attorney General Antone Rosa and former Interior Minister John F. Colburn were detained for driving a carriage into a fish market? ... that Solange Knowles performed a live cover of Nivea's song "Laundromat" in an actual laundromat? ... that Michael Lane, who served as Chief Engineer of the Great Western Railway, started out as a bricklayer but became one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's most trusted assistants? ... that when its cheek pouches are full, the lesser spot-nosed monkey's throat resembles a snowball? ... that Dave Somers, the current executive of Snohomish County, Washington, was educated as a fisheries biologist? ... that there was no marker for the grave of theologian Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen at Elm Ridge Cemetery for more than a century after his burial? ... that Steve Cooke and Beth Webster are the newest Eggheads?

In the news Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral An explosion at Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (pictured) in Cairo, Egypt, kills at least 25 people and injures many others. A church collapses in Uyo, Nigeria, killing at least 100 people. Two explosions outside a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, kill 38 people and injure 166 others. A freight train derails, explodes and catches fire at Hitrino, Bulgaria, killing 7 people and injuring 29 others. Pakistan International Airlines Flight 661 crashes near Havelian, Pakistan, killing all 47 people on board. Ongoing: UK football sexual abuse scandal Aleppo offensive Battle of Mosul Recent deaths: A. A. Gill Peter van Straaten John Glenn Warren Allmand On this day... December 12: Yule Lads begin arrival in Iceland Scene of the Clapham Junction rail crash 1531 – According to traditional Catholic accounts, the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary miraculously appeared imprinted on Juan Diego's tilma. 1866 – England's worst mining disaster occurred when a series of explosions caused by flammable gases ripped through the Oaks Colliery. 1941 – At a Nazi Party meeting in the Reich Chancellery, Adolf Hitler declared the imminent destruction of the Jewish race. 1956 – The Irish Republican Army began its Border Campaign, a guerrilla campaign to overthrow British rule in Northern Ireland. 1988 – Three trains collided (scene pictured) near Clapham Junction railway station in London, killing 35 people and injuring 484 others. More anniversaries: December 11 December 12 December 13

From today's featured list Rajinikanth Rajinikanth's film career includes over 150 films. He made his screen debut with a small role in the Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal (1975). After playing antagonistic roles for the most part in his early career, he graduated to a lead actor. His performance in Mullum Malarum (1978) earned him a Special Mention at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. In the 1980s, he starred in a series of commercially successful films in Tamil cinema. During this time, he also had a brief stint in Bollywood, where he mostly played supporting roles; however, in the 1990s he had continued success as a lead actor in Tamil cinema with films like Annamalai (1992), Uzhaippali (1993), Baashha (1995) and Muthu (1995). The last one was a commercial success in Japan and was instrumental in creating a large fan base for him in the country. Rajinikanth was paid ₹260 million for Sivaji; it made him the second-highest paid actor in Asia. He played dual roles – as a scientist and an android – in the 2010 science fiction film Enthiran, which is among the highest grossing Indian films of all time. (Full list...) Recently featured: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the Waffen-SS Destroyers of India Works by Leslie Charteris

Today's featured picture Lars Kruse (1828–1894) was a fisherman from Skagen in the far north of Jutland, Denmark, who was credited with saving over 200 lives. In one case, on 27 December 1862, he rescued much of the crew of the Swedish brig Daphne when it was stranded during a storm. Kruse also gained fame through his portraits, painted by Michael Ancher, and an account of his mistreatment written by Holger Drachmann in a mixture of poems and prose. Painting: Michael Ancher Recently featured: Mass grave Pulteney Bridge Grace Hopper

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