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In 1529, Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara commissioned a work from Michelangelo; the artist painted the famous Leda but the picture was sent to France, not Ferrara. Why did Michelangelo make the painting – when he claimed to be no painter – and why did the patron never receive his picture? These vexing questions lead us to consider the intrigue and conflicting loyalties that characterized Florentine-Ferrarese political relations. The author examines the extensive diplomatic correspondence between Ferrara and Florence, and argues that the Leda was a diplomatic gift and a painting of calculated dynastic flattery intended to elicit Alfonsols desperately needed support during Florence's Last Republic (1527–30).

We present here new spectroscopic observations of Mrk 1040 and LEDA 212995 (Mrk 1040 companion) obtained with the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). The intensity ratios and widths for the narrow emission lines found in LEDA 212995 are typical of H II regions. The red-shift (0.0169$\pm$0.00015) of the object derived from these emission lines is very close to the red-shift of Mrk 1040 (z=0.01665). The weak narrow and broad absorption lines were detected in the H$\alpha$ wavelength band of LEDA 212995 spectra. These absorptions indicate that the companion might be at least partly obscured by Mrk 1040. Using this and previous observations we discuss the possible physical relationship between these two galaxies., Comment: Astronomische Nachrichten, accepted

The aircraft structure is designed and certified for an allowable number of flight hours in a specific usage environment. Deviation from the certified usage spectrum has effects on the allowable number of flights. This is owing to the fatigue behavior of the metallic structure, which is highly sensitive to variations in load spectra. Such variations are particularly common in the use of military aircraft, because of frequent changes in configurations and role. Structural health monitoring (SHM) allows the monitoring of structural degradation. This is not only for flight safety but with an increasing tendency for reasons of material conservation, e.g., the planning of structural inspections and modifications. This article starts with a more general differentiation of load and condition-acquisition systems. Furthermore, as an example of load-acquisition systems, the tracking concept for the German Tornado aircraft is explained; this is built on flight parameter recording followed by the evaluation of the gathered data. The results generated in this way are interpreted, on one hand, for reasons of material conservation like nonperiodic inspection planning and modification planning and, on the other hand, for the fleet management. Furthermore, the associated tasks, analytical condition monitoring, and fleet leader inspections, are explained. Finally, the considerable saving in cost, which can be achieved by the use of SHM, is illustrated using an appropriate example. Keywords: SHM; LEDA; usage management; aircraft tracking; fleet management; modification planning; FCA

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