Light from Merak on May 11, 2024
- According to Wikipedia, Merak is 79.7 ± 0.3 ly away, or approximately 953 to 960 light months away. On May 11, 2024, this means the light left Merak as late as December 1944 (953 months ago) or as early as May 1944 (960 months ago). During this period the world was at war. The USS Merak, a cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy, was making Caribbean and transatlantic voyages. In June, D-Day was launched. In August, Paris was liberated, and in December, Germany launched the Battle of the Bulge. Also of note was the Holocaust throughout this period. The war would not be ended for another year.
- Suriname (Wikipedia)
Suriname (/ˈsʊərɪnæm, -nɑːm/ SOOR-ih-NAM, -NAHM, Dutch: [syːriˈnaːmə]), officially the Republic of Suriname (Dutch: Republiek Suriname [reːpyˌblik ˌsyːriˈnaːmə]), is a country in northern South America, sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforests, the highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. It is the smallest country in South America by both population and territory, with around 612,985 inhabitants in an area of approximately 163,820 square kilometers (63,251 square miles). The capital and largest city is Paramaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.
