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TIL gas clouds in the universe are detected by not only their emission but also their absorption of starlight. The absorbed wavelengths depend on the elements and compounds in the cloud, as explained by quantum mechanics, allowing us to determine their composition through absorption lines.

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wywM TIL Canada has specifically banned members of the Westboro Baptist Church from entering the country.
Zpl4a Today I learned that the FTC is investigating oil company collusion that caused much of the inflation seen in the US and much of the rest of the world since 2021.
XEMZP TIL the Battle of the Eclipse, the last battle in a 6 year war between the Medes and the Lydians in 6th century BC, came to a sudden halt when a solar eclipse turned day into night. Both armies halted fighting and reached a peace agreement.
yM4X TIL that Dr. Jack Kevorkian proposed that inmates condemned to death be allowed to choose “medical experimentation under complete anaesthesia (at the time appointed for administering the penalty) as a form of execution in lieu of conventional methods prescribed by law.”
LkOlZ TIL in 1971, Texas lawmaker Tom Moore tried pranking the Texas legislature by introducing a resolution to commend the Boston Strangler for population control. The resolution passed unanimously. Some use this as a criticism that legislators don't read what they vote on.