Nice News: Star Cluster

@nasa

This image shows a star cluster floating 2,900 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way, and it was the focus of a new astronomy study. Per NASA, researchers found that the cluster regulates its own size, meaning only some new stars can form before others limit their growth. The science is pretty cool, but we can’t stop looking at those swirling, colorful clouds of gas. 

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Nice News: Eating Pie

When my daughter was 7 years-old, she once interrupted a bedtime story to tell me, "In a pie-eating contest, it doesn't matter if you win or lose because you get to eat pie."  I think about that a lot.

-- NicolasG, nicenews.com

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Nice News: Pre-Heat

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Nice News: M51

This is a photo of the galaxy M51, which lies about 27 million light-years away from Earth. Per NASA, the gravity of its neighboring galaxy is thought to be part of what causes those mesmerizing swirls and ripples, but we’re frankly too busy staring at them to focus on the science. And if you think this image is something, wait until you see the full photo captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.

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Nice News: That's Just 4 Things

My 3yo said she wanted to be an astronaut, and I said she had to study hard, go to college, learn a lot of science, and take a physical fitness test, and she shrugged and said, "That's just 4 things." So she's basically a nonchalant motivational speaker.

-- jendziura, nicenews.com

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Nice News: Diamond Ring

I was at a Braves baseball game and got up to go to the restroom. Before I washed my hands, I took off my grandmother’s diamond ring she had given me. When I went back to my seat, I realized I had forgotten it, as I had put it on a shelf. So I went back to the restroom and it was not there. I was so sad. Then I proceeded to go to the lost and found and they had my ring! I couldn't believe it. The nice lady behind the counter said the couple behind me found my ring and was waiting to see if I recovered it. I turned around and gave the woman that found my ring a big hug as well as her husband. They were as happy as me that it got back on my hand.

-- Mitzi C., nicenews.com

Nice News: Turtle

I was driving on a 40-mph four-lane main street divided by a grassy median when I saw what I thought was a bag blowing across the street, but what actually was a small turtle. As I passed over it, I came to a stop and looked behind and saw it turn around and continue its slow progress. It would have been difficult for me to exit my car with my cane, but behind me a light was turning green, so I put on my flashers and waited. Two lanes of six cars stopped and sat there. A young man got out of his vehicle, walked over, picked the turtle up, and carried it across the median and the other two lanes and put it down headed into the trees on the other side. Once he got back into his vehicle, everyone proceeded on their way. A good day in my part of the metropolis!

-- Kathleen P., nicenews.com

The new silent majority: People who don't tweet

Most people you meet in everyday life — at work, in the neighborhood — are decent and normal. Even nice. But hit Twitter or watch the news, and you'd think we were all nuts and nasty. 

Why it matters: The rising power and prominence of the nation's loudest, meanest voices obscures what most of us personally experience: Most people are sane and generous — and too busy to tweet. 

Reality check: It turns out, you're right. We dug into the data and found that, in fact, most Americans are friendly, donate time or money, and would help you shovel your snow. They are busy, normal and mostly silent.

These aren't the people with big Twitter followings or cable-news contracts — and they don't try to pick fights at school board meetings.

So the people who get the clicks and the coverage distort our true reality. 

Three stats we find reassuring:

• 75% of people in the U.S. never tweet.
• On an average weeknight in January, just 1% of U.S. adults watched primetime Fox News (2.2 million). 0.5% tuned into MSNBC (1.15 million).
• Nearly three times more Americans (56%) donated to charities during the pandemic than typically give money to politicians and parties (21%).

One chart worth sharing: As polarized as America seems, Independents — who are somewhere in the middle — would be the biggest party.  Continue here....

-- Erica Pandey, Mike Allen