August 2010

A flash on Jupiter

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A giant meteor strikes Jupiter; footage on the net for the world to see.

The Internet brings the world to us. The whole world that is known to humans. If one should miss something., whether it is a major news event or a significant natural phenomenon, he often has an opportunity to see a recording of it later

Mr.Tachikawa, an amateur astronomer, was at his home in Kumamoto City, southern Japan, using a video telescope, when he saw and recorded a large flash, that lasted for two seconds, on the planet Jupiter. NASA has concluded that this flash was caused by a giant meteor as it plunged into the atmosphere surrounding Jupiter.

Space Animals - Real and Ficticious

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I was reading this lovely story on the Newsweek website about animals that have been in space (Animals in Orbit) and it got me thinking about all of the furry little friends that have blasted off into the great unknown - including, of course, Sigourney Weaver. I don't mean to say that she is some sort of freakish, big toothed animal, but... she is a freakish big toothed animal (for the film Alien at least... oh she wasn't the alien? Whatever, I stand by it).

Community Meteor Watching

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If one needs proof of the existence of Heaven, one only needs to look to the Internet. If the gods did not invent the net, then who did? I am talking of the web and all that comes with it: Chat and video file sharing, email and of course Twitter. Does one need specifics? Well -- last night (Aug 12th), the annual Perseid meteor shower, which as the AP video shows lit up the sky and Twitter.

"Meteor watchers logged on to tweet as the annual Perseid meteor shower reached its peak," sharing the communal experience. NASA astronomers calculated that at least 80 meteors per hour were visible during the peak display. Twitter had what? 80 zillion meteor watchers tweets?!

Will world's collide?

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Kevin Yates of Britain is watching for asteroids. Maybe for a wandering planet too? If one unfortunately comes along?

65 million years ago, earth got smacked by a large piece of an asteroid and among other things the dinosaurs were obliterated. Scientists are saying, theorizing, that every one hundred million years such a planet disrupting asteroid comes this way, and thus another isn't due for thirty five millions years. Of course, the scientists could be wrong, couldn't they? One could be due next week, huh? Or one could drop in on us unexpectedly tomorrow morning, right?

I hope not. See the video.

Earth gets feather punched by pieces of asteroids called meteors almost all the time. Mr. Yates spends his days monitoring and tracking asteroids, and predicting when one may come this way. He has counterparts in this country and I'm sure in others.

Churchill Covered Up UFOs

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Something's Really Out There Says UFO expert.

The British government has released a new batch of its once secret UFO files. Among the revelations revealed today is that Winston Churchill covered up reports of UFO sightings, so not to cause mass public panic.

So all those recent "Dr. Who" episodes with the late Sir Winston paling around with the good doctor may have been inspired by a little more than the muse of fiction.

Most of the reported UFO sightings, the Brit government files say, were misidentified objects, normal terrestrial and / or pedestrian things like aircraft lights or meteors, and yes, as always, a small proportion of the sighting could not be explained.

Solar Tsunami Is Heading Our Way

Scotty, raise the shields.

A huge solar storm is expected to strike tonight and to put on a light show in the Northern sky, visible tor those in the Northern part of the Northern Hemisphere --- "from Maine to Michigan and anywhere farther north around the globe --- may see unusual northern lights.". Too bad for me, I'm too further South, will have to settle for Internet pictures. of the event.