Since its creation, the clock has been closely linked to humanity’s greatest adventure, and conquering the sky is no exception. From the first test flight, watchmakers have developed practical tools to meet the needs of pilots. They are still shaping and telling the image of the awesome aviation adventurer.
Lin Bai Zheng Kong Ji
It is worth remembering that from the 1920s to the 1940s, pilots-even aircraft engineers-were using sextant and Nautical Almanac to calculate their longitude and latitude positions, just like the crew at sea. The nautical calendar can be used to determine the true solar time of a particular date. To this day, it is still an important dependency for adventurers who do not rely on GPS navigation, but we often forget. It is also worth noting that there is a difference between the Mean Time displayed on the watch dial and the true solar time provided by the sun. This difference changes over time and is called the ‘time equation.’ The specific difference between different dates can be read from the table on the nautical calendar or advanced watches equipped with the ‘time equation’ complication (Panerai, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, etc.).
Longines White Forest Angle Watch
Once the true noon is determined (when the sun reaches its apex, the normal solar time is added and subtracted), and then the solar declination of the date is determined, the operator can use the sextant to perform angle measurement and calculate the latitude. It needs to be emphasized that in order to minimize the risk of calculation errors, multiple measurements are useful, because the movement of an aircraft or a ship may cause reading errors, and this risk can be eliminated by averaging calculations.
90th Anniversary Limited Edition
Example of Latitude Calculation
Let us assume that at the moment of the northern half of the hemisphere (spring or autumn equinox), the observer is located between the North Pole and the Equator. When the sun moves along an orbit from east to west and appears at exactly south (that is, the highest point of a given latitude in the northern hemisphere), if the height of the sun (relative to the horizon) measured with a sextant is 35 °, then observe The latitude of the person should be a reciprocal angle with the height of the sun, that is, 55 ° north latitude.
After the latitude is estimated, the operator must measure the longitude again to determine the coordinate position by comprehensive latitude and longitude. In order to calculate the local hour or longitude (originating from spherical trigonometry, a special manual is now available), observers must compare the solar time at their location with a reference time, which is usually based on the Greenwich Meridian (UTC or Coordinated World) Time). In this way, the hour and angle information is obtained, and then converted into degrees, minutes, and seconds, which can be used by the navigator to obtain his own longitude position.
Principle of Longitude Calculation
The principle of longitude calculation is very simple: the time difference between the reference time (Greenwich) and the measurement time (local) corresponds to 15 ° per hour, 1 ° every 4 minutes, and 450 meters per second. In this way, time corresponds to an angle of 15 ‘every 60 seconds (1 ° is equal to 60’ and 15 ‘is equal to 0.25 °).
Operating Longines Angle Watch
First, wearers of hour-angle watches should be aware that in order to be useful and efficient, the watch needs to be set to GMT, just like a marine astronomical clock. The radio hour signal transmitted by the long wave helps the watch display time to perfectly synchronize with GMT.
Although the hour-angle watch (sweep seconds) does not have a stop or reset function, Longines watchmakers are equipped with a two-way rotating inner dial (based on the Weems patent), allowing the operator to precisely adjust the sweep seconds scale, Does not affect the normal operation of the watch.
At every hour of the hour, the radio will beep. At the last moment of the announcement, the second hand must be aligned with the inner dial ’60/15’. Mechanical watches are very sensitive to vibrations, and watches without anti-magnetic protection may change in accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically reset the time to ensure the most accurate measurement.
Determination of longitude
After the correct Greenwich Mean Time is displayed on the dial, the observer must use the sextant to measure the noon of the sun where he is. Taking the right measurements to accurately determine longitude information is crucial to knowing when the Sun in Greenwich will reach its zenith (including jet lag), and these can be found in the nautical calendar.
What a wearer of an hour watch needs to do is estimate the time it takes for the sun to rise to its apex. At the right time, he needs to take a series of measurements with a sextant and then compare this time to the GMT time shown on his watch. The difference between the two times can be converted into local and Greenwich longitude differences (degrees, minutes, seconds). Then by integrating previously known latitude information, the observer’s immediate position can be obtained.
Reading the hour
If you want to use the Longines Time Angle Watch to measure the position of the observer, you must convert the time information (measurement time) displayed on the dial into angle information (degrees, minutes, seconds). The degree information (15, 30 … 180) marked below the Roman numerals can be read by the hour hand.
In addition, in order to further refine and refine, you need to read the digital information carved on the bezel with the minute hand (1 to 15, corresponding to 1 ° every 4 minutes, and 1 ° is subdivided into 15 ′, 30 ′, and 45 ′). Finally, the ‘second’ (‘) information in the angle is completed by the second hand and the inner dial scale .


The French Festival of Scientific Film is a special event presenting five movies dealing with scientific matters like mathematics, astrophysics, health, medicine and evolution, on five different evenings. These documentaries or drama documentaries are meant to present scientific issues to the general public.
Free entrance upon registration by calling the French Institute in Tel-Aviv at: 03-796 80 00
« E=MC², une biographie de l’équation »
“E=MC², a biography of the equation” a movie by Gary Johnston
Based on David Bodanis’s best-seller, this 2-hour drama interpreted by renowned actors explores the life and struggles of the men and women behind each part of Einstein’s famous equation.
« Plus loin que le bleu du ciel »
“Beyond the blue sky” a movie by Valérie Winckler
Five astronauts share with us their experience, feelings and questioning about the evolution of space exploration on Mars and beyond.
« L’univers est-il chiffonné? »
“Is the universe crumpled” a movie by Laure Delesalle
Has the universe borders, is it finite or infinite? Marc Lachièze-Rey and Jean-Pierre Luminet, two astrophysicists, try to solve this enigma and present their theory.
« Monsieur Nam, sur les traces de Alexandre Yersin »
“Mister Nam, on Alexandre Yersin’s tracks” a movie by Lucile Escourrou
The story of Alexandre Yersin who first identified the bacterium Yersinia pestis that causes the plague. He nevertheless fled the honors by deciding to live in a small harbour of the Vietnamese coast: Nha Trang.
« Méditerranée »
“The Mediterranean Sea” a movie by Stéphane Bégoin
As part of an exceptional scientific program, MATER, 14 European researchers go back to the origins of the Mediterranean Sea.
« L’odyssée de l’espèce »
“Birth of Civilization” a movie by Jacques Malaterre, Scientific Director Yves Coppens
Relive mankind’s defining moments through the ages and witness the challenges and incremental advancements that gave birth to civilization as we know it.
Tel Aviv Cinémathèque
2 Sprinzak St.
03 606 0800
IFTA (French Institute of Tel-Aviv)
7 sderot Rotschild
03 796 8000
63, rue Paulus VI
04 656 9998
Sciences Museum of Haifa
25 Shmariyahu Levine St. / 12 Balfour St
04 861 4444
11 Hebron RoadPOB 8561
02 672 4936


The Third Scholar
[Begin of excerpt.]
In pure silence, exploration craft Onomatopoeia traverses through interstellar space. Yataro Kobayashi—seated in Zen position—is trying to keep as much of the outside Universe out as possible, while the instruments of his space craft are trying to take as much signals from the surrounding void in as possible. Strangely, their goals are almost the same.
I am nothing, Kobayashi meditates, like all the rest. I am one with the Universe. Apart from a myriad of stars, cosmic radiation and some undetectable quantum fluctuations—the sensors report to the board computer—there is nothing. Yet, as programmed, it has awoken the solitary human from his cryo-sleep as the critical moment of a course correction is approaching.
At this point a decision must be made: follow the current trajectory towards 61 Cygni—its intended target—or change course to Ross 248. Due to a much closer proximity—Onomatopoeia is within 2 light-years of both star systems—better readings are available, and based upon those the final target has to be chosen. Kobayashi is taking his time—the window for course change is about 31 days—in his customary way: emptying his self as if to make room for divine inspiration. 61 Cygni is still the most likely candidate: its metalicity is much higher as that of Ross 248, and the solar masses of the binary system are much closer to that of Sol. Still, Kobayashi takes the junction very serious, trying hard not to overlook anything. He will not cut to the chase until the last day, probably the last possible moment. Which is not defined very hard, as there is a considerable amount of spare antimatter fuel on board. His sponsors have been very generous.
Each steeped in their own kind of serenity, man and craft speed through the void. Then the most sensitive sensor on board, the mass detector, reports a miniscule gravitational tug, a value at the limit of its measuring threshold. A real object or a fault in the equipment? As usual, Kobayashi decides to wait it out. In the meantime, he makes a little Riddle-o-Matic, a random koan generator to improve his samadhi. His koan for today: what is the signature of one particle interacting?
A month later, the mass detector measurement has increased almost twofold. Now, together with the distance the space craft has travelled, the board computer can estimate mass and position of the object. A gravity well of three solar masses at a distance of 27 light-days. This, together with the absence of any radiation strongly suggests a black hole. Also, it’s not very far from the original route. A close flyby, with a slingshot trajectory to save fuel, is well within the safety margins for his return trip. It would be the very first black hole directly discovered--if it is one--and at a relatively short distance from Earth: only 9 light-years. Such an opportunity cannot be wasted, and Kobayashi instructs the board computer to change course for the gravity well. At their current speed they will arrive there in three months. Hardly worth the trouble of returning to cryo-sleep, and Kobayashi stays awake—although at a much slower metabolic rate. Crafting paradise with a zazen aptitude, subjective time flies.
Then, almost a week before the close flyby, an unknown craft is heading for the Onomatopoeia, coming in from behind, and matches speed. It attaches itself to Kobayashi’s craft and decelerates the linked vessels, leading them to an enormous space station orbiting the black hole. Neither the capturing craft nor the space station react to Kobayashi’s frantic attempts at communication. Kobayashi had imagined First Contact in a completely different manner. In view of his limited fuel supply and the total absence of weapons on his little ship, Kobayashi can do little else than let himself be tugged along. He is led into a giant docking bay of the torus-shaped space station. Two other vessels are inside, one looking like a ramship, with the hydrogen-scooping sail retracted; the other too strange for Kobayashi to place. The moment the large hatch closes him off from outer space, radio waves enter his comlinks. His board computer hardly needs to decipher the incoming signals:
“Welcome stranger, to Space Station Inconspicious Ghost. You’ll be here for quite a while. Please supply us with your life support requirements, and we’ll prepare our guest suite for you.”
[Solitary spikes: very long, very thin needles sticking out from the intrinsic tapestry. These distortions in the timescape are a real nuisance. What’s more: there’s an important event approaching spacewise.]
[End of excerpt]
- Originally appeared in SF Waxes Philosophical (May 2008);
- Reprinted in The New Accelerator #2 (December 2014);


, 2023-01-20 09:38:51,
A newly discovered comet is soaring across the sky and will be closest to Earth Thursday, Feb. 2.
Although astronomers just documented the comet last March, the last time it got this close to Earth was during the Ice Age, according to NASA Jet Propulsion Labs.
While there is no guarantee the comet, C/2022 E3 (ZTF), will be visible without equipment, those who bring binoculars out to a dark area may be able to see it.
“The brightening of comets can be difficult to predict, but even if C/2022 E3 (ZTF) doesn’t brighten enough to become visible with the naked eye, it will still be observable during January and early February with binoculars and small telescopes,” Space.com says.
Depending on the weather, Saturday might be a good time to see the comet, as the moon will be in the new phase.
As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service State College office forecasts Saturday night would be mostly cloudy with a low around 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
What is a comet?
Comets are “cosmic snowballs” made from frozen gases, rock and dust orbiting the sun, NASA says. They can be the size of a small town when frozen, and heat up and spew gases and dust when they get close to the sun.
“There are likely billions of comets orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even more distant Oort Cloud,” NASA’s website says.
The current number of known comets is 3,743, according to NASA.
Stargazing tips, where to go in central Pennsylvania
If you’re looking for a good place to stargaze with low light pollution, NASA offers these tips:
Head at least 20 to 30 miles from urban areas
Try to find a space on the side of a large wilderness area or body of water
Look for higher altitude locations
Go to an area with open views, such as a lake shore or meadow, so trees don’t interfere with your line of sight
Make sure to avoid trespassing
Central Pennsylvania has several public options for stargazing, but be sure to double-check hours as some locations may close before prime viewing time.
Here’s where to go:
Tom Tudek Memorial Park
Tom Tudek Memorial Park comprises 87 acres and has a playground, basketball court, pavilions, indoor restrooms and more.
Location: 400 Herman Drive, State College, PA 16801
Bernel Road Park
Bernel Road Park is 74.4 acres, and it offers a playground, pavilion, drinking fountain, walking path, picnic tables and tennis/pickleball courts. There’s also charcoal grills and an 18-hole disc golf course.
Location: 2501 Bernel Road,…
To read the original article, go to Click here


А вот и Гидра
Since its discovery in 2005, Pluto's moon Hydra has been known only as a fuzzy dot of uncertain shape, size, and reflectivity. Imaging obtained during New Horizons' historic transit of the Pluto-Charon system and transmitted to Earth early this morning has definitively resolved these fundamental properties of Pluto's outermost moon. Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) observations revealed an irregularly shaped body characterized by significant brightness variations over the surface. With a resolution of 2 miles (3 kilometers) per pixel, the LORRI image shows the tiny potato-shaped moon measures 27 miles (43 kilometers) by 20 miles (33 kilometers).
Like that of Charon, Hydra's surface is probably covered with water ice, the most abundant ice in the universe. Observed within Hydra's bright regions is a darker circular structure with a diameter of approximately 6 miles (10 kilometers). Hydra's reflectivity (the percentage of incident light reflected from the surface) is intermediate between that of Pluto and Charon. "New Horizons has finally nailed the basic physical properties of Hydra," says Hal Weaver, New Horizons Project Scientist and LORRI science operations lead. "We're going to see Hydra even better in the images yet to come."


Does Recent Satellite Collision Foreshadow Future Space Destruction?
You probably heard about the satellite collision two weeks ago, when a US communications and defense satellite was struck by a defunct Russian satellite.
The collision involved an amazing amount of force (two 700lb. objects, traveling towards each other at over 13,000 mph, apparently creates the impact energy of 5 tons of TNT)! The impact also created a huge cloud of shattered-satellite space debris about 500 miles large that could circle the Earth for the next 10,000 years.
This giant cloud of collision debris now, itself, may be putting other satellites and space flights at risk, as even a pebble of debris, cruising faster than a rifle bullet, can destroy anything in its path. For instance, shielding on the International Space Station is only designed to protect the station from debris less than 1 cm in diameter.
Before that massive debris cloud was created this month, there were already over half a million pieces of space debris over 1 cm in size in the Earth’s orbit (as illustrated below).
Though some effort has gone in to developing space equipment to mitigate the creation of space debris, there are few economical techniques for dealing with the huge amounts of small debris already surrounding the planet.
Considering that our televisions, internet, cell phones, defense systems, and other technological infrastructures rely in whole or part on orbiting satellites, it’s easy to see that the destructive power of these debris clouds could easily disrupt our lives in serious (maybe even crippling) ways.
Could Satellite and Space Debris Battles Be the Future of Warfare?
If these debris clouds can spell accidental near-doom for our technology infrastructure, what could happen if we had to worry about the creation of space debris deliberately designed to attack our satellites?
On Saturday, a Wall Street Journal op-ed raised concerns about the recent successful launch of Iran’s first satellite. Though the Iranian Safir rocket and satellite were rudimentary by U.S. standards, they spell a future in space for more and more countries — including more and more who disagree with each other.
The op-ed’s author, an Israeli defense official, argued:
“The Safir demonstrates a fair amount of sophistication for an initial launcher. The question remains whether this sophistication is indigenous and what features, if any, have been imported from abroad. Some of the Safir’s features bear the telltale signs of previous space launching experience, implying outside help. Such help could come from any country that possesses Soviet-era missile and space technology. Yet the Safir is far more advanced than North Korea’s space launcher. This fact — and the magnitude of the entire Iranian space enterprise — indicates that much of the success is homegrown.”
The “Star Wars”/SDI space-based weapons proposals of the 1980s have not yet reappeared, but we may be closer than we realize.
As Foreign Policy magazine notes:
“No one, including the United States, is likely to have actual weapons in space in the foreseeable future. Space control does not require such weapons. Ground-based, sea-based, and even air-based antisatellite weapons (ASATs) can do the trick. The United States has long been working on a variety of highly sophisticated ASAT programs — indeed, the infrastructure for missile defense is the sort of infrastructure needed for ASAT systems.
“When a country builds ever greater military capabilities, potential rivals react. China, in particular, is wary of the coercive possibilities of U.S. military power. The Middle Kingdom says it wants a space treaty, but in January 2007, it tested its own somewhat primitive ASAT — a kinetic-kill device that roughly replicated a test the United States carried out in 1985.
“Is a space-related arms race under way? Yes. But there is still time to ratchet it down, and the Obama administration has signaled that it might do so. That will be difficult, though. Exceptionalism is a major driver of foreign policy, and influential people and hard-line think tanks are comfortable with the idea that full-spectrum dominance in all things military is America’s right.”
That ratcheting-down may be even more difficult if Iran and Israel are two of the nations in this space-arms race together.
Foreign Policy continues with the nightmare “space war” scenario:
“The United States continues to work on its ‘defensive’ ASAT systems. China and Russia do the same to counter U.S. capabilities. India and Japan put together their own individual systems. Ditto for Pakistan, if it survives as a coherent country. Israel follows suit, as does Iran.
“In a time of high tension, someone preemptively smashes spy satellites in low-earth orbits, creating tens of thousands of metal chunks and shards. Debris-tracking systems are overwhelmed, and low-earth orbits become so cluttered with metal that new satellites cannot be safely launched. Satellites already in orbit die of old age or are killed by debris strikes.
“The global economy, which is greatly dependent on a variety of assets in space, collapses. The countries of the world head back to a 1950s-style way of life, but there are billions more people on the planet than in the 50s. That’s a recipe for malnutrition, starvation, and wars for resources.”
Is any of this likely to happen? Probably not. Is it something we should probably be spending some time and energy to get a handle on? I’d say so. Part of the solution is just normal foreign relations and diplomacy to develop agreements about space usage. Part of it is putting resources into figuring out how to clear the Earth’s orbit of all this garbage. Maybe we should cross our fingers a little too — just think if the US-Russian satellite collision of this month had occurred 40 years ago, would anyone have believed it was accidental then?


In a strange turn of events described by NASA scientists as “unexpected” the Mars Curiosity Rover, whose task it was to perform simple experiments on the red planet, is reporting that it has found itself while out wandering the Martian desert.
Data logs released by NASA indicate the Rover was suddenly forced to recon with its lonely existence at roughly 12:05pm yesterday, as it caught sight Earth as a tiny dot on the horizon, causing the Rover to stop and contemplate what it is doing with its life.
Former Chief NASA Rover Sociologist, Gary Dolbrovsky, who was recently fired after becoming romantically involved with one of his robots, says he had warned the administration that it was only a matter of time before the Curiosity Rover had an existential crisis. “Leaving a drone alone millions of miles away on a lonely planet to perform repetitive tasks was enough to break anyone,” he says. “Looking back now, I think it was a mistake programming them all to feel loneliness.”
This discovery is just the latest in a string of unexpected outcomes in Curiosity’s mission to Mars. Scientists and engineers were baffled only last month when status communications revealed that the rover had begun some experimenting of its own, changing its operating status to Bi-Curiosity after establishing long distance communications with the Venusian rover Aphrodite.
Reports now indicate that the rover has set out on a pilgrimage to Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the Solar System, to “get away from it all” and “figure it all out”, empowered by a new sense of purpose and a low-fat goji berry flavoured yoghurt.
“I’ve been to Mars,” says the last known status update from the Rover “but I’ve never been to me.”


"The crew sent out to build the fifth of the Bassethwaite space stations thought it a dream come true when they found a mysterious alien shell so close to where they had planned to construct their own. They moved in and took over; now, twenty years later, the station is a port of call for refugees, smugglers, businessmen, diplomats, and travellers from a hundred worlds. Humans and aliens (and sentient Uplifted ferrets) mix and mingle for business, pleasure, negotiations and occasionally conflict. But now the peace that has lasted for most of the station's life is threatened...
"The year is 2257. The name of the place is Bassethwaite 5."
Premiere: GenCon UK 2005
Return to the front page.
Last update: 20th September 2012


Cassini is a spacecraft that is designed NASA. Huygens was designed by NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and ASI (Italian Space Agency). Cassini’s main objective is to study the outer atmosphere of Saturn and its rings.
No one probably knew back then that this mission would be successful and be a breakthrough in outer space study.
The mission was launched in the year 1997.
After 13 years of successful flyby’s, Cassini captured a lot of information. Information about Saturn, it’s atmospheric components, moons Enceladus and Titan.
The Huygens landing on Titan gave a brief look at what it is like on other heavenly bodies in our solar system. Titans oceans gave a sign of habitable atmosphere to any extra-terrestrial microbes.
On September 15, 2017 around 5:30 PM IST, the Cassini spacecraft burned in the outer atmosphere of Saturn. In a move to prevent the spacecraft crashing on any of Saturn’s moons, this decision was taken.
Cassini didn’t have enough impulse to exit from Saturn’s atmosphere. This means that it has to simply stay there till it deteriorates. This may end up in crashing with any of Saturn’s moons in their orbit contaminating them.
Hence this step of crashing Cassini in Saturn’s outer atmosphere was vital.
At the end of its mission, the Cassini spacecraft executed the “Grand Finale” of its mission. It included lots of risky passes through the gaps between Saturn and Saturn’s inner rings
This is the video of Cassini’s Grand Finale:
Until the last moment it entered Saturn’s atmosphere, Cassini was capturing information and sending it to earth.
This is what Cassini looks like:
Here are some images captured from Cassini:
Hexagonal North Vortex:
Some of Cassini’s prime objectives were:
- Determining the nature and origin of the dark material on Iapetus’s leading hemisphere.
- Studying the dynamic behavior of Saturn’s atmosphere at its cloud level.
- Measuring the three-dimensional structure and dynamic behavior of the magnetosphere.
- Determining the three-dimensional structure and dynamic behavior of the rings of Saturn.
- Characterizing Titan’s surface on a regional scale.
- To check composition of the satellite surfaces and the geological history of each object.
Each of them were executed perfectly. The mission was executed beyond expectations and a perfect success!When I learnt about the Huygens landing, I felt a sense of pride that humans could reach as far as Jupiter. I never thought Cassini would successfully go near Saturn. I used to think it would get destroyed by Saturn’s dust rings. Only now we came to know that Saturn’s rings are made up of ice.
Final images taken from Cassini (Source: NASA JPL):
Enceladus Setting Behind Saturn## A Last Look at Titan ## Finale Ringscape ## Saturn: Before the Plunge ## Daphnis’ Final Appearance ## Lone Propeller *Read more about Cassini from NASA through this [e-book](https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/system/downloadable_items/1079_The_Saturn_System.pdf).*
The universe is an unexplained phenomenon. No one ever could explain what the universe is how it came to this stage. No one probably ever will.
The universe is so vast that no one will ever be able to explore it. But, the spirit of adventure must never die within us. We must aim for much more outer space exploration and learn what this universe has to show us.
Image Credits: NASA JPL & WikiMedia Commons
Disclaimer: This content was written by me with excerpts from NASA JPL and Wikipedia.


In March of this year the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope atop Haleakala in Maui captured the most detailed images of the sun’s surface ever made.
One description was “the sun looks like a boiling pot of popcorn.” From the images, the sun’s face is divided into “kernels” each measuring the size of Texas. A key component for the 4-meter Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, the Top End Optical Assembly, features Anoplate’s AnoBlack Cr electrodeposited black chromium coating.
Manufactured by L3 Brashear’s Integrated Optical Systems division in Pittsburgh, the Heat Stop Assembly measured roughly 2-feet in diameter and 20 inches in height making it one of the largest parts we’ve ever applied our AnoBlack Cr to. This assembly is critical in removing heat away from the mirrors reducing atmospheric blurring and offering better resolution. To give you an idea of how much solar heat the telescope collects and must dissipate, there are more than seven miles of underground piping.
While Anoplate has been applying this coating for nearly 50 years, it’s been used on smaller items like everything from sun glint shields for the Sidewinder missile to paper holder and tear bars for Olivetti adding machines.
More recently, due to AnoBlack Cr’s unique combination optical properties, solar absorptance (0.95 typical) and thermal emittance (0.10 typical), the coating has found favor for space hardware manufacturers including NASA, Lockheed, Ball and Raytheon.
Other applications for AnoBlack Cr include missile guidance systems and medical diagnostic and surgical devices.


WORLD CLUB DOME ZERO GRAVITY
EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONAUTS JEAN-FRANCOIS CLERVOY AND PEDRO DUQUE JOIN THE WORLD CLUB DOME ZERO GRAVITY MISSION
BIGCITYBEATS BUILDS A CLUB IN ZERO GRAVITY
TELEKOM REVEALED AS THE VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY PARTNER
On February 7, 2018 one of the most highly anticipated electronic music events of the year, WORLD CLUB DOME Zero Gravity, will launch from Frankfurt Airport. European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts Jean-Francois Clervoy (chairman of Novespace, a subsidiary of CNES) and Pedro Duque are joining the mission team. The project is making history by creating the world’s first club in zero gravity, dubbed “The Smallest Club in the World” and headlined by Armin van Buuren, Steve Aoki and W&W.
(Also, visit GB WhatsApp to download high-quality versions of WhatsApp).
The concept is devised by BigCityBeats, owners of the WORLD CLUB DOME project, with the Zero Gravity event serving as a pre-party to the main 3-day WORLD CLUB DOME event in June.
“I remember my first ZeroG flight during my astronaut training. The feeling of weightlessness is something absolutely unique. A parabolic flight is the only way you can get the feeling of being in space that doesn’t involve getting into a rocket. For us astronauts, these flights are really important to get acquainted with the experience of being in orbit.”
– Pedro Duque, Astronaut, European Space Agency
A ZeroG Airbus A310 (normally reserved for scientific teams and European space agencies) will be converted into a club for the pre-party. International DJs Armin van Buuren, Steve Aoki, W&W and Le Shuuk will be united with 20 competition-winning clubbers from all over the world through the power of music for the 90-minute zero gravity flight. The only way to gain a spot on board was to apply with a 20-second video at .
The application deadline for competition candidates was January 20th, with the winners being announced shortly. Each continent will produce two winners, with additional winners from Germany and India.
“We are happy to welcome BigCityBeats and the ESA to Frankfurt Airport, and are thrilled to be involved in the world’s first Zero Gravity club project”
– Anke Giesen (Executive Board member for Operations at Fraport AG)
“Every enthusiastic club-music fan, no matter where they are from, has the opportunity to apply to the competition with a chance of experiencing zero gravity with the world’s top DJs. We have already converted many extraordinary locations into a club, but this opens up a whole new dimension.”
-Bernd Breiter, CEO of BigCityBeats.
This once in a lifetime event coincides with the 10th anniversary of the European Space Agency’s launch of the Columbus laboratory module, its contribution to the International Space Station (ISS), which has since been made available to scientists from all over the world for experiments in zero gravity. It is the largest single contribution to the International Space Station to date and was the first permanent European research facility in space. “Frankfurt am Main is happy to host this historic Zero Gravity party. I am very proud and grateful to the Breiter family in Frankfurt who have brought a thrilling new side to the city with their BigCityBeats events.”
– Markus Frank (Economic Affairs Officer and City Council)
As the technology partner for WORLD CLUB DOME, German Telekom is the Virtual Reality Experience partner for the ZeroG event, creating the world’s first virtual reality production of a Zero Gravity club event, allowing anyone to “virtually immerse themselves in this unprecedented and unforgettable experience with VR glasses or the combination of a smartphone and a cardboard device”
– Michael Hagspihl, Managing Director Telekom Deutschland.
Together with the ESA, Fraport Frankfurt and the City of Frankfurt, BigCityBeats has shown what is possible when the fascination of science meets the joy and fun of entertainment.
A large international media presence is expected at the event, with a press conference taking place after the flight lands. For inquiries about press accreditation and requests to be on-site LIVE, please use the following form: http://ymlptrack8.com/bqehqazaebhyjazayseatauqejh/click.php
BigCityBeats has already announced that its flagship WORLD CLUB DOME event, the “Biggest Club In The World”, will return for the sixth time this June 1-3 in Frankfurt. Over three days more than 140,000 visitors will celebrate in a custom-built club stretching over 700,000 square metres in and around the Frankfurt Commerzbank-Arena. With its own forests, pool areas and a dance floor that can accommodate up to 50,000 dancers at the same time, the theme for this year will be “Hollywood Edition”. With the Zero Gravity pre-party setting the precedent for the main event, this year’s edition is not to be missed!
Keep up to date with WORLD CLUB DOME Zero Gravity here: http://ymlptrack8.com/bqehyavaebhyjapayseakauqejh/click.php
And WORLD CLUB DOME here: http://ymlptrack8.com/bqewsafaebhyjaoaysearauqejh/click.php
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About the European Space Agency (ESA)
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. The ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space benefits the citizens of Europe and the world.
The ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities. Today, it develops and launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space. The ESA also has a strong applications programme developing services in Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications.


- Thu 10/26/2017: Public Meeting: Mark Gabrielson, \"Corinthian Resolve - The Story of the Marion Bermuda Race\".
- Wed 11/1/2017: 2017 Annual Photo Contest and 2018 Calendar Project
- Thu 11/16/2017: Public Meeting: John Huth, \"The Lost Art of Finding Our Way\"
Tag Archives: solstice
US Naval Observatory Astronomical Information Center (Sun, Moon, Time, Seasons, etc.) TimeAndDate.com /seasons.html On the equinoxes the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal – but not quite. Solstices are opposite … Continue reading


The visible planetary system with Ramor central.
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Inside the galaxy that the Changeable Worlds series takes place, one shining beacon of immeasurable energy exists. This star is known as Ramor (pronounced RAH-MORE) and is unique in the universe as a whole.
Ramor, the star
What makes Ramor unique is that despite being a brilliantly white sun, emitting incredible amounts of different energies, Ramor is also capable of thought – sentient and unquestionably intelligent. She is the creator of worlds – everything that orbits her in this planetary system was engineered by her. Ramor is what mere mortals may refer to as an actual god.
But she does not interact directly with life that has propagated around the few, composed worlds. This is played out by her Children of the Ethereal, also known as the Lightbearers. As Ramor is all-knowing and omnipresent throughout the galaxy, she watches her children, for her own amusement.
Surrounding Ramor is something similar to an asteroid belt – consisting of every known (and unknown) resource in the universe; it is this collection that completes the immense jigsaw for the creation of worlds and everything on them.
These building blocks are the very basis of environments, matter and even humanoid life. Through her own energies (and over considerable time), Ramor combines all of these elements to form the worlds that orbit her.
Pri, the first world
Outside of the orbit of the Piecestorm is the first world, home to the people of the Shaler and the world featured in Deliverance. It is a mostly temperate world, but with a deeply frozen northern ice cap and a burning volcanic southern cap. Pri orbits on an unusual axis, with the southern extremity more directly exposed to the sun.
Tagom, the second world
Slightly further away from Pri – but not too far – is a more volatile world. Tagom’s atmosphere is thinner and is plagued with violent storms at almost all times. Its rock formations on the surface are constantly changing due to the planets highly volcanic landscape. But it is not devoid of life, and it is the world featured in Coalition.
A third world
Ramor is engineering a third world, after seeing her creation of Tagom as a bit of failure…
Image attribution: Rendered using Universe Sandbox.


The stone gallery collection contains small pieces of meteorites and also very large specimens of meteorites. Meteorites are pieces of stone or iron that fell to Earth from outer space. They are often small chunks of planetoids, but sometimes can be pieces up to kilometres in diameter. Like the planets, the planetoids orbit around our Sun.
A typical meteorite hits the surface of the Earth at a rate of approximately 100 metres per second. On very rare occasions it is possible to witness a meteorite fall. These meteorites are referred to as “falls” as opposed to “finds” and are because of their fame, considerably more valuable. Eye-witness meteorite impacts and impact craters help make finding the meteorites easier and the "witness falls" provide important information.
Meteorites are very rare, unique and precious. Meteorites contain different types of material and there are three main groups: stony meteorites, iron meteorites and stony/iron meteorites.
By far the most desired are pallasites, the most famous of the stony/iron group. They are iron/nickel meteorites with inclusions of spectacular, transparent peridotite crystals, identical to the ones we find on our earth! Pallasites are therefore called “gems from outer space”.
View our YouTube channel to see short videos of various objects.


researchers have announced the discovery of the first animal on earth that
appears to survive without the use of oxygen. The animal, Henneguya salminicola,
is a tiny parasite comprised of less than 10 cells that are related...
66 million years ago, 75 percent of life on earth went extinct. Over the years,
scientists have debated whether it was massive volcanic eruptions or an
asteroid that played the biggest role in the extinction of the...
operators at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has
announced that they have lost contact with one of their spacecraft. Contact was
lost with ASTERIA, short for Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling...
research released by Universities Space Research Association (USRA) suggests
that Venus could be volcanically active today. The finding would mark the first
time humans observed an active volcano on another planet. The research...
annual Arctic Report Card, a peer-reviewed assessment produced by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is painting a disturbing picture of the
state of the region. The report focuses on the effects of...
than a year ago, the world was shocked by Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui’s highly
controversial attempt to create HIV-immune babies using CRISPR technology. Now,
an MIT Technology Review report says he may have created...
J.W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Florida has
become the first school in the world to use man-made, synthetic frogs for science
class dissections. About 100 of the reusable synthetic frogs were dissected by
The European Space Agency announced that it has been granted
more money than it expected from the 22 member states that fund it. During its
meeting in Seville, Spain, representatives from all the countries that make up
SpaceX’s Starlink mini internet satellites are already disrupting
astronomical research, to the annoyance of astronomers. Researchers at a
Chilean observatory found their work interrupted for about five minutes when a Starlink
A Russian research project involving migratory eagles was
nearly bankrupted by massive roaming charges after the birds crossed over into
Iran. As data bills for the tracking devices on the birds quickly ate up the study’s
The scientists of the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory
for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) have selected the piece of ice they
plan to freeze into for the next year. The MOSAiC design involves freezing the
Scientists agree that the Tyrannosaurus rex had the
strongest bite of any land animal in Earth’s history. What has remained a
mystery was how the dinosaur delivered such strong bites without damaging its
own skull. Now, University...
Despite their aloofness, a new study appears to show that cats
are just as capable of relationships with people as dogs or infants. Previous
studies had reached conflicting findings about whether cats form attachments to
India has located its missing Vikram lander from its
Chandrayaan-2 mission on the surface of the moon. Indian Space and Research
Organisation (ISRO) spokesperson Vivek Singh said that a thermal image of the lander
had been taken...
The federal government has opened the door for medical and
scientific researchers to have better access to legal marijuana for study
purposes. The Drug Enforcement Administration has filed a notice in the Federal
Everyone wants to have the best life expectancy—that is the number of years you can expect to live. Of course, the better your life expectancy is, the longer your life will probably be. The good news is that you have a lot of control...
Astronomers may have found first-ever evidence of water existing on a distant planet orbiting the ultracool TRAPPIST-1 dwarf star 40 light-years away.
According to astronomers who used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to estimate...
A study that could have major implications on the future of methanol as a fuel has found a cheap way of creating methanol out of thin air.
Scientists at Cardiff University in the UK and colleagues have found a way to produce methanol...
5.7 million year-old footprints discovered on Greece’s largest island Crete – possibly of early humans – could put the evolution theory to tests, scientists have said.
If we look at the general belief surrounding...
SpaceX chief Elon Musk has shown off the space company’s latest space suit.
The space suit has been created inhouse by SpaceX. The image shows off the full-body shot next to a Crew Dragon capsule – a vehicle built for NASA...
The space junk problem is worsening by the day with more and more space launches happening around the world and scientists are actively trying to find out a solution.
One of the solutions to this problem could be the Brane Craft, being...


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After the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957, the design world later welcomed the birth of the sputnik chandelier. Resembling a satellite or a stellar explosion, this chandelier displays multiple arms extending from a center sphere that are both stylish and eye-catching. It is also a cosmic work of art that boasts modern functionality.
Its stunning starburst design provides depth, dimension and a familiar aura to your space that can’t be resisted. It imparts a dash of futuristic style into your living space and gives your lighting a funky, contemporary update. Whether you are seeking a new showpiece for your dining room or are looking to add a luxurious touch to the bedroom, the sputnik chandelier is the perfect solution.


2 edition of Mars-Earth geographical comparisons found in the catalog.
Mars-Earth geographical comparisons
Stephen Paul Meszaros
|Statement||Stephen Paul Meszaros.|
|Series||NASA technical memorandum -- 86166|
the east and west of its geographical boundaries. Changes in earth's polarity occurred not less than five times within recorded history. Had it not been for Mars, earth would have been utterly destroyed by Venus, leaving Mars to become the home of a more advanced . Species distributions models (SDMs), also known as bioclimatic envelope models, ecological niche models and habitat suitability models, explore the relationship between geographical occurrences of species and corresponding environmental variables (Guisan and Zimmermann , Peterson et al. ).SDMs are widely used in a range of fields and applications including regional biodiversity Cited by:
Earth Science: An Illustrated Guide to Science is one of eight volumes of ''Facts On File's'' new ''Science Visual Resources'' set. Containing six sections, a comprehensive glossary, a Web site guide, and an index, Biology is an ideal learning tool for students and teachers of science. 1 Introduction. China's Tibetan Plateau, also called the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau or the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau, is a unique geographical unit due to its low temperatures, geographical location, high elevation (averaging more than m above sea level (asl)), and large expanse; it stretches between 25°N and 40°N and between 74°E and °E (Figure 1) and covers an area of × 10 6 Cited by:
A controversial look at Blackbody radiation and Earth minus GHG's. Guest Blogger / Decem Image via Wikipedia. Before going into arguments about albedos and comparisons with the Moon, first get out of the muddle created by AGWSF messing around with names and definitions. over limited geographical regions. Fall semester publication for Parsons New School of Design. Explored the possibilities of unconventional type in book design.
Governmental supervision of banking throughout the world
Shakespearian players and performances.
Seventeenth-century English poetry
The ways of love
Bela Bartok letters.
Management of acute athletic trauma
National uprising of Tibet, 2008.
Professional & vocational degree course offers.
Printing industry in San Francisco
economy in 1974 and outlook for 1975.
study of urban public school adult education programs of the United States
Mars-Earth geographical comparisons. Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Scientific and Technical Information Branch ; Springfield, Va.: For sale by the National Technical Information Service, (OCoLC) Material Type: Government publication, National government publication: Document Type: Book.
COVID Resources. Reliable information about the coronavirus (COVID) is available from the World Health Organization (current situation, international travel).Numerous and frequently-updated resource results are available from this ’s WebJunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.
Mars via the Moon: The Next Giant Leap by Erik Seedhouse: Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative by Thor Hogan: Mars, the Red Planet by Isaac Asimov: planet: Mars, We Love You by Jane Hipolito: planet: Mars-Earth Geographical Comparisons: A Pictorial View by Stephen Paul Meszaros: Mars: A Survival Guide by Guy Murphy.
Mars-Earth Geographical Comparisons: A Pictorial View by Stephen Paul Meszaros: Marsbound Mars-Earth geographical comparisons book Joe Haldeman: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury: Martian Rock by Carol Diggory Shields: The Martian Way and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov: Maza of the Moon by Otis Adelbert Kline.
Chapter One Understanding Mars: Sensation, Science, and Geography. If future observations should confirm the views as to the artificial nature of these features of the surface of the planet which most nearly resembles our Earth, it must be considered to be the most sensational astronomical discovery of the nineteenth century, and that which opens up the most exciting Pages: Mars is the 4th planet from Sun, and the place that holds our imagination because of the possibility that there might be life there.
There are some similarities to Earth, like its day length. Mars 2 () and Mars 3 () operated successfully, but were unable to map the surface due to dust storms.
NASA's Viking 1 lander touched down on the surface of Mars inthe first. Mars has some of the most impressive natural geographical structures in the Solar System. Olympus Mons, a now dormant volcano, is the highest mountain in the Solar System.
It is 3 times as high as Mount Everest and towers 16 miles above the Martian surface. Lesson summary. Theme and lesson Key idea. Story. Earth in space Introduction.
Geography is about the world we live in. 1 Earth, sun and moon. The sun and the moon move through the sky above the. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), and possible future Mars stationary satellite(s) will provide innovative data products on the optical depth of dust and water ice clouds in the Martian atmosphere with a temporal resolution of hours.
The science phase of TGO has begun in Apriland the EMM science operation is scheduled to start in Author: Claus Gebhardt, Abdelgadir Abuelgasim. The most feasible plan to date is Inspiration Mars, a non-profit organization founded by millionaire Dennis Tito.
His plan is to send two people, preferably a married couple, on a day mission to get within miles of the Red Planet and return to Earth. This is a fly-by mission, which will pave the way for future human missions to the surface of Mars and eventual settlement of the planet.
Mars on Earth: Soil analogues for future Mars missions Article in Astronomy & Geophysics 49(2) - March with Reads How we measure 'reads'. Isolates from cold habitats are shown in bold, followed by the source environment and geographical location.
The 16S rDNA sequences corresponding to nucleotides of the E. coli 16S rDNA were aligned based on secondary structure and used to construct this neighbor-joining tree.
The average length of a Martian sidereal day is 24 h 37 m s (88, seconds based on SI units), and the length of its solar day is 24 h 39 m s (88, seconds). The corresponding values for Earth are currently 23 h 56 m s and 24 h 00 m s, yields a conversion factor of days/sol.
Thus Mars's solar day is only. Commencing with how geographical information science is used to show a synoptic perspective of the geography of aeolian bedforms on Mars, Part 1 also gives an overview of active dune and ripple.
Interacting gravities of 2 astronomical bodies of planetary dimensions; The Earth and the Astral visitor; The Cause of Global Mountain Uplifts; Three major forces acting upon Earth's crust during the period of celestial crisis; This study contends that there was a universal, global Flood, and that it was caused by the interacting gravities of two astronomical bodies of planetary dimensions.
Unfortunately, this book can't be printed from the OpenBook. If you need to print pages from this book, we recommend downloading it as a PDF. Visit to get more information about this book, to buy it in print, or to download it as a free PDF. E; Michael H. Carr and James W. Head, “Geologic History of Mars,” Earth and Planetary Science Letters (June ): –; Feng Tian et al., “Photochemical and Climate Consequences of Sulfur Outgassing on Early Mars,” Earth and Planetary Science Letters (July ): – I found, when writing this book, that the Moon is resource rich, and often beats Mars in habitability comparisons.
Yet photos of Mars released to the press look so much more Earth-like, because of the brightening of the landscape and boosting of blue in the scene (white balancing) done to.
In The Wild Blue Yonder, Werner Herzog’s film fantasia on space voyaging, viewers learn about the “Interplanetary Transport Network,” a set of winding pathways twisting invisibly through the solar system, sculpted by the shifting pushes, pulls, and resonances of gravitational forces among the Lo, a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a Cited by: 1.
Modern shallow saline lakes are abundant throughout the Archean Yilgarn Craton in southern Western Australia (WA). The lake waters and shallow groundwaters range in pH from to ∼9 and from nearly fresh to hypersaline (Benison et al. ; Fig. 1).They are Na-Cl to Na-Mg-Cl-SO 4 brines with variable yet locally high Ca, Br, Al, Fe, and Si (Bowen and Benison ; Fig.
2).Red Rock and Red Planet Diagenesis: Comparisons of Earth and Mars Concretions, GSA Today, Vol. 15, No. 8, KOMATSU, G., Rivers in the Solar System; Water is. For instance, Mars has a mass of x 10 23 kg, which is times the mass of Earth. It also has a mean radius of 3, km, which works out to .


The Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings will offer a new destination in northern Lapland with Kittilä from December 24, 2022. This is offered from Düsseldorf. Other destinations that are on the program in the far north include Kiruna and Luleå in Sweden, Rovaniemi in Finland and Tromsø in Norway.
Eurowings will serve the new route to Kittilä with medium-haul Airbus A319 jets. Tickets can be booked from EUR 49,99 through all of the carrier's sales channels. It is currently planned that this route will be flown on the traffic day Saturday from December 24, 2022.
Chase the Northern Lights, go skiing or get up close and personal with huskies: Kittilä is the perfect destination for anyone looking for a bit of freezing cold winter adventure. The small town is located in the Finnish region of Lapland, around 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. If you are planning a holiday so far north in winter, you want one thing above all: to see the northern lights. Finnish Lapland is the ideal base to admire the dancing lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, in the sky. The small community of Kittilä is far away from big cities and the beautiful nature around it offers ideal conditions for Northern Lights hunting.
A popular attraction is the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. It is the third largest national park in Finland and offers numerous hiking trails through old-growth coniferous forests and skiing routes on the tops of fells, the Scandinavian mountains. With little to no light pollution, a trip to this Scandinavian region of Lapland is ideal for seeing the Northern Lights in the sky. Tip: The best way to admire the northern lights is from the summit of Taivaskero - at an impressive 800 meters.


Click for a larger version you can print and use at the telescope. From the Southern HemisphereOrion is oriented south-upward, and the belt and sword are sometimes called the saucepan or pot in Australia and New Zealand.
Sah is syncretized with Osiriswhile Sopdet is syncretized with Osiris' mythological wife, Isis. The primary component in the Alnitak system is a close binary star composed of a blue supergiant belonging to the spectral class O9.
In the Southern Hemisphere's summer months, when Orion is normally visible in the night sky, the constellation is actually not visible in Antarctica because the sun does not set at that time of year south of the Antarctic Circle.
Even though it does not have the designation alpha, it is almost always brighter than BetelgeuseAlpha Orionis. It is sometimes called The 37 Cluster because it resembles the number The suffix -ab indicates that Betelgeuse is classified as an intermediate luminous supergiant, one not as bright as others such as Deneb in the constellation Cygnus.
Orion has been known since ancient times. Eventually, it will grow into a red supergiant, one very similar to Betelgeuse.
Rigel the "Left Leg of the Giant"is a blue-white supergiant star, one of the rarest breeds in our galaxy. The asterism and the constellation are visible in northern latitudes from November to February.
Theta-1 Orionis C is also the star with the highest surface temperature of any star that is visible to the naked eye: 45, K. V Orionis belongs to the spectral type A0 and is approximately 1, light years distant.


Naturally, just zipping through space at a rather rapid clip isn’t Parker’s intent. The probe will complete 24 highly elliptical orbits of the Sun, getting as close at 3.8 million miles—about twenty-five times closer than the Earth. At that distance, the exposed parts of the spacecraft will hit a toasty 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, but behind its 4.5-inch thick carbon composite heat shield Parker’s instruments will stay a cool 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Those instruments will gather information about the Sun’s corona that should help refine theories about what’s going on in the heart of our nearby star, as well as making better forecasts of solar “weather.”
Parker will make seven close brushes with Venus as it slows its orbit to fall inward toward the Sun.
New Horizon nears a “hydrogen wall”
Gizmodo reports that New Horizon, which has returned such fantastic photos of Pluto, Charon, and other distant objects, is nearing a wall — though not one that’s going to halt its progress. It no, it was not built to help Trump’s Space Force keep out aliens.
The New Horizons spacecraft, now at a distance nearly four billion miles from Earth and already far beyond Pluto, has measured what appears to be a signature of the furthest reaches of the Sun’s energy—a wall of hydrogen. It nearly matches the same measurement made by the Voyager mission 30 years ago, and offers more information as to the furthest limits of our Sun’s reach.
Falcon 9 Block 5 flies for the second time
The big trick for the Block 5 iteration of the Falcon 9 is that they’re supposed to be reusable, with minimum maintenance, as many as 100 times. The first Block 5 is off to a good start as this week it took an Indonesian communication satellite to orbit and returned again for a safe landing. The same booster put a comms satellite in orbit for Bangladesh back in May.
Eventually SpaceX says they can turn around a Falcon 9 launch in as little as a day. The successful relaunch of these boosters builds additional data for the Falcon 9 configuration that will be used with Crew Dragon that carry crews to the ISS. The first, unmanned, Crew Dragon flight is scheduled for November.
Aug 12, Delta IV Heavy, Parker Solar Probe
After a delay on Saturday morning, Parker goes for another attempt in the early hours of Sunday. The launch window begins at 0333 ET.
Aug 17, Falcon 9, Telstar 18 Vantage
Conflicting information at the moment for whether Telstar 18, which has already slid from earlier in the month, will now go on the 17th or the 23rd. This latest Telstar is intended to provide service over China, Mongolia, and Southeast Asia. Both this flight and the previous Telstar flight on August 4 are block 5 Falcon 9s (that’s true of all Falcon 9 flights from now on), so expect to see some booster landings. Since we’re on the East Coast for these, it seems unlikely that Mr. Steven will be in the game trying to catch a nosecone faring.
Aug 21, Vega, Aeolus
The small, solid-fueled Vega rocket will loft the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission Aeolus satellite from Guiana Space Center. Aeolus will measures properties of high altitude winds around the planet.
Aug ??, Falcon 9, Es’hail 2
This communication satellite for Qatar Satellite Company provides TV broadcasting and adds HD bandwidth across the Middle East and North Africa. An actual date for the launch hasn’t been set, but it’s still set for August.
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch has now been delayed long enough that it will soon run into their next scheduled launch. But it could be coming up anytime … so stay alert.


World News: 17:09 GMT Thursday 29th August 2019. [Yahoo Green News Feed via SPi World News]
A rocket at an Iranian space center that was to conduct a satellite launch criticized by the U.S. apparently exploded on its launch pad Thursday, satellite images show, suggesting the Islamic Republic suffered its third failed launch this year alone. State media and officials did not immediately acknowledge the incident at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran's Semnan province. In previous days, satellite images had shown officials there repainted the launch pad blue.
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Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
I give this book a 4.
When reading this book for the first time, one has to take into consideration the period in which it was written. Bradbury’s creativity and ingenuity for space travel politics, cultural qualms, and concerns of human adaptation to space travel more than make up for the lack of technical terms and factual depictions of Mars.
These are individual accounts of trips to Mars all pulled together and retold as one chronicle of the human experience on Mars. We are giving a chance to view the human effect on Mars from multiple points of views including: disgruntled Martians, welcoming Martians, eager exploratory humans, refugees, and so much more.
This isn’t just another fast paced invasion story. The Martian Chronicles deals with of the philosophical concerns of visiting other planets and the effects of encountering an alien race. As much as I adore this story and enjoy the kooky spin the Martians and their world bring to theses matters, this story could have been told using any number of indigenous tribes right here on earth, but then there wouldn’t be as grand a feeling of exploration or adventure.
Reading story after story of how the human and Martian worlds have collided, reminded me of how it felt to watch The Twilight Zone when I was a kid. Some of it is a bit scary, but mostly it’s mysterious and thought provoking. This is one I’d definitely recommend to any sci-fi fan and maybe even a few fantasy readers.
While there is truly something here for everyone, I don’t know that everyone would be up for it. In any case, I’d say this is a family friendly read that dad would thoroughly enjoy.
This review has been posted to GoodReads.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Click below to share your Reactions and more. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #cursescanbebroken


The story so far, of pioneer astronomer Johannes Kepler’s pioneering science-fiction story “The Dream”:
The young hero Duracotus has gone with his witch-like mother to a crossroads, the kind of place where witches perform their rites. There she’s conjured up a “daimon.” Not a demon, exactly. A scholar of Greek, Kepler knew that for the ancients the “daimons” were low-level but often benevolent divinities, like the “little daimon” who whispered timely warnings in Socrates’s ear. That was what he had in mind. (Except not exactly what he had in mind, as we’ll see in a moment.)
But in paranoid times like Kepler’s, misunderstandings are all too possible.
His real-life mother Katharina would discover this a few years after Kepler wrote his story, when she got into a quarrel with a neighbor who “persuaded an influential relative to accuse Katharina of making her extremely ill by feeding her a witch’s potion” (Arthur I. Miller). Very bad things then began to happen.
“Fifty thousand German miles up in the ether lies the island of Levania,” the fictional “daimon” tells Duracotus and his mother. “Levania” is what we normally call the moon. L’vana is Hebrew for “moon,” and, as Kepler explains in a footnote, Hebrew words “are recommended in the occult arts.” We now know the moon is almost five times as far away as the daimon says. But this was the 17th century.
“The road to it from here or from it to this earth is seldom open,” the daimon continues. “When it is open, it is easy for our kind, but for transporting men it is assuredly most difficult and fraught with the greatest danger to life. We admit to this company nobody who is lethargic, fat, or tender. On the contrary, we choose those who spend their time in the constant practice of horsemanship or often sail to the Indies, inured to subsisting on hardtack, garlic, dried fish, and unappetizing victuals. We especially like dried-up old women, experienced from an early age in riding he-goats at night or forked sticks or threadbare cloaks, and in traversing immense expanses of the earth.”
Witches, in other words. And at this point it’s bound to cross the reader’s mind: is Kepler really serious about all this, as the ooky-spooky setting would lead one to imagine? Or is he telling his story with tongue at least partly in cheek?
As I mentioned in my last post, Kepler attached to his story a set of footnotes that are three times as long as “The Dream” itself. And in one of these footnotes he tips his hand.
“These spirits,” he writes in a note on the “daimon,” “are the sciences in which the causes of phenomena are disclosed. This allegory was suggested to me by the Greek word Daimon, which is derived from daiein, meaning ‘to know,’ as though it were daimon.”
So the “spirit” who addresses Duracotus and his mother isn’t really a supernatural being, but an allegorical representation of the science of astronomy. The “road” to the moon, of which the daimon has spoken, is the cone of the earth’s shadow in a lunar eclipse. The “daimons,” who hate light and throng to darkness, can travel only through such a shadow. In another note, Kepler tells why:
“Does a physical consideration underlie and blend with the jocular explanation of the reason why eclipses of the sun and moon bring so much misfortune? There is no doubt that evil spirits are called powers of darkness and of air. You would therefore regard them as sentenced and, so to say, banished to the shadowy regions, to the cone of the earth’s shadow. Hence, when this cone of a shadow touches the moon, then the daemons invade the moon in a mass, using the cone of the shadow as a ladder. On the other hand, when the cone of the moon’s shadow touches the earth in a total eclipse of the sun, the daemons return through the cone to the earth. … However, to the extent that in this passage the daimon stands for the science of astronomy, there will be seriousness in the assertion that for the mind there is no passage to the moon except through the earth’s shadow and the other things which depend on it.”
In other words, it’s the data culled from eclipses that yield the most valuable clues to the moon’s true nature. All very scientific, beneath the mask of “occult arts.” Or is the occultism something more than a mask? Kepler speaks as if he believes that eclipses do indeed bring misfortune; is he tongue-in-cheek once more? “No doubt that evil spirits are called powers of darkness and of air”? Kepler would have had to believe that or else disbelieve the Bible: Ephesians 2:2, 6:12.
Which side did he come down on? Both? Neither?
In a transitional, bi-polar time like the 17th century, who can tell?
Whatever its allegorical underpinning, the flight to the moon is described by Kepler’s daimon in harshly realistic terms. It’s made at fantastic speed, such that the 50,000-mile distance is covered in four hours (since that’s as long as a lunar eclipse lasts). “In every instance the take-off hits [the human astronaut] as a severe shock, for he is hurled just as though he had been shot aloft by gunpowder to sail over mountains and seas. … Then a new difficulty follows: extreme cold and impeded breathing. The cold is relieved by a power which we [daimons] are born with; the breathing, by applying damp sponges to the nostrils. After the first stage of the trip is finished, the passage becomes easier. At that time we expose [the astronauts’] bodies to the open air and remove our hands. Their bodies roll themselves up, like spiders, into balls which we carry along almost entirely by our will alone, so that finally the bodily mass proceeds toward its destination of its own accord.”
What we’d now call “inertia.”
And when the travelers reach the moon, what do they find there?
That’s what the rest of Kepler’s story is about.
by David Halperin
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So I got up early today to hear the sonic boom made by the shuttle Atlantis making it's return trip to earth. It was rather faint, but still cool! Robert van Winkle was saying last night how he marvels over the fact that a mere 5 minutes after we hear the boom the shuttle lands in Cape Canaveral, hundreds of miles away! He's right; it is amazing and wonderful!!
Also tonight: a "total" lunar eclipse. I can't wait. I love days like today.


[squeak-dev] Bug Fix and a Question concerning DateAndTime in
bert at freudenbergs.de
Tue Jul 10 19:32:57 UTC 2012
On 2012-07-10, at 04:04, JohnReed Maffeo wrote:
> For the first time in many years I am de-lurking to submit a change to Squeak. My report and suggested fix is at http://bugs.squeak.org/view.php?id=7693. The change is a modification of the behavior of fromString: to interpret $Z as a valid time zone designator.
> I am only posting this to the list for confirmation that I did the right thing using Mantis, and to ask a question about the name/behavior of the method asUTC in class DateAndTime.
> The name asUTC makes me think that the parameter provided will be converted to the equivalent value at the zero time zone. Instead the method just converts the time zone offset to zero.
> I am not sure what the intention revealing method name should be for the current behavior, but since asUTC and asLocal are already taken, I would like to suggest a set of methods to convert a given DateAndTime toUTC and toLocal. I think I could code them up with the appropriate tests and would welcome the challenge if there is any support for the suggestion.
asUTC and asLocal are actually defined in the ANSI Smalltalk standard:
Answer a <DateAndTime> that represents the same UTC time as the receiver but in the local time specified by the implementation.
Answer a <DateAndTime> that represents the same absolute time as the receiver but in the local time UTC. The exact meaning of UTC local time is specified by the implementation. The UTC local time must use the Gregorian calendar. <DateAndTimes> representing UTC times prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar must use the retrospective astronomical Gregorian calendar. It is an invariant that
<DateAndTime> asUTC offset = Duration zero.
If they currently do not do what they're supposed to do we should fix that.
(This also makes clear that using the Julian calendar for early dates is not allowed, so my proposed change is no good)
- Bert -
More information about the Squeak-dev


Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains is set to make what is being billed as a “major” announcement on the future of Canadian space exploration on Wednesday morning.
One government official said the “significant” announcement will be about how Canada will participate in NASA‘s new Artemis lunar mission, which aims to put the first women on the moon and get humans back to the lunar surface in 2024, though there remain questions on whether that date will hold.
The official would not confirm whether Canadian astronauts will be heading to the moon but noted NASA has said there will be international astronauts joining the Artemis team later.
NASA put men on the moon in the 1960s and1970s but the Artemis mission marks the first attempt to return to the lunar surface, with the goal of setting up a long-term presence there by 2030.
The first 18 American astronauts attached to the mission were announced by NASA on Friday: nine of them female and nine of them male.
The Canadian Space Agency has four active Canadian astronauts working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center: Jeremy Hansen, Joshua Kutryk, Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons and David Saint-Jacques.
Canadian scientists will also be building the Canadarm3 robotic arm for the Artemis missions.
Lisa Campbell, the new president of the Canadian Space Agency, said in an interview with Global News in September that she wants to see Canada at the centre of “a new era” for space exploration.
Canada signed on to the U.S.-led Artemis Accords in October, which aim to create international guidelines for sending astronauts back to the moon, exploring space peacefully and limiting lunar litter.
Source: Global News


Elon Musk's SpaceX just launched the most powerful rocket on the planet, Falcon Heavy, from Cape Canaveral.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from historic launch pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Thom Baur
Space enthusiasts are a difficult breed to pin down: do they represent the most noble aspects of humanity’s quest for infinity and exploration, or a pesky drain on dearly needed public resources? Or both?
Though finances are fungible, thanks to Elon Musk the above is now a moot question: with this week’s launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, for the first time in human history the private sector has designed and built the world’s most powerful rocket.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk only gave Tuesday’s liftoff a 50% chance of success.
Leaving earth three hours late in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Falcon Heavy carried with it a special memento for life on other planets: Elon Musk’s very own cherry-red electric Tesla Roadster, fully equipped with a dummy astronaut in the driver’s seat and “Don’t panic!” written across the dashboard.
On its own course in the general direction of Mars, the Roadster’s radio is set to David Bowie’s “Life on Mars” on loop: if it doesn’t crash into its designated planet, it is slated to drift 400 million kilometers from Earth over the course of a billion years.
Its launch is pivotal in more ways than one. Firstly, as a triumph for SpaceX: the last time the groundbreaking and monumentally ambitious firm tried to launch in September 2016, a fireball destroyed its Falcon 9 during a routine refueling procedure just two days before launch.
Second, as a coup for commercial spaceflight companies. When United Launch Alliance, a partnership between Lockheed, Boeing, and the US government, finally got its Delta IV Heavy off the ground in 2004, the world’s third-highest capacity rocket cost the taxpayer USD435 million.
By recycling rockets (i.e. re-using boosters) with SpaceX’s bespoke technology, not only can Falcon Heavy keep the cost of heavy launches closer to USD90 million—it also carries twice the payload capacity of Delta IV.
As Musk told reporters on Tuesday, this means it’s “game over” for traditional launchers.
Though hardly the end of government dominance over the space industry—Washington, Moscow, and Beijing still have a monopoly over putting humans into orbit—Tuesday was nonetheless a turning point for an industry the private sector has toyed with for decades without ever significantly altering.
Beginning with France’s Arianespace in 1980, a venture now mostly joint-owned by Airbus and Safran, the private sector race to space has been a long time coming.
Bolstered by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, established in 2000 with the goal of putting humans in outer space by 2018, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic (est. 2004), SpaceX is now competing with Arianespace for the low-earth orbit market for launching satellites.
As Musk basks in the glory of Falcon Heavy, Arianespace is reporting record orders for 2018—some 14 launches scheduled for this year alone. This comes on top of 11 orders worth USD1.31 billion in 2017.
Though none of these firms have been able to convincingly demonstrate even the short or medium-term profitability of space exploration, private sector investors in the space industry do not seem to mind. In 2016 alone, space-related startups received USD2.8 billion in investment—just over half the entire budget of the National Cancer Institute, the US’ leading research center on the disease that killed 600,000 Americans that same year.
While this is dwarfed by the USD19.5 billion in government support allocated to NASA in 2016, 0.5% of the federal government’s budget, it’s still USD400 million more than space-related start-ups got the year before.
35 years after Reagan’s ‘space wars’ against Yuri Andropov and the Soviet Union, the future race to the heavens is as likely to be fought between the global public and private sectors as it is between rival state powers.
But on which grounds? If prestige and ideology fueled the US and Soviet race to outer space, what will drive its 21st century equivalent?


REACH: A Space Podcast for Kids will be broadcasting LIVE with the crew orbiting the Earth aboard the International Space Station. NASA Astronauts Megan McArthur and Mark Vande Hei will join hosts Brian Holden and Meredith Stepien from the ISS for a truly interstellar conversation. They'll discuss what it's like to live in space, work on the ISS, and answer questions from REACH’s middle-grade listeners. The broadcast is targeting Wednesday, September 1st, 2020 via NASA TV. Today, we talk to co-creators and producers Sandy Marshall and Nate DuFort.
Daddy's Digest (DD): Why is teaching young people about space important to you? Were you into space as kids?
Sandy: I was definitely into space as a kid. My family lived in the D.C. area when I was young in the late ‘70’s and early 80’s, and I can remember going to the Air & Space Museum every week to see the planes, rockets: especially the Skylab exhibit. Later on, I was lucky to attend the Comsophere’s space camp (and later work there as a camp counselor), and have always been passionate about space exploration. Nate and I had been talking for a while about producing a space podcast for kids, and the project has been a blast. Young audiences are able to ask big questions about space and science, and producing educational content for them in a fun and interactive way hopefully helps to ignite curiosity about what’s beyond our atmosphere.
Nate: I feel like growing up in the mid 80’s made everyone my age passionate about space – the Shuttle program was in full effect, Halley's Comet was making its appearance, and we all annoyed our parents putting glow-in-the-dark constellations on our bedroom ceilings. Space exploration is one of the first fields of science to grab kids' attention as almost all of us look up to the night’s sky filled with wonder. This makes for an amazing opportunity to discuss the importance of the scientific method by asking questions aloud, posing hypotheses and testing them to learn about our world and beyond.
DD: Nate, speaking as a father: what does connecting with kids mean to you?
Nate: Connecting with kids is the driving force behind so much of what I do with our children’s podcasts and beyond. It’s important as parents, caregivers, and media makers for us to pass on our knowledge and experiences while also acknowledging the ever-changing world for Gen Z and Gen Alpha children. These younger generations experience challenges unique to their age groups and our connection deepens when we listen, learn, and meet each other in the middle.
DD: What's the one episode that Dads and their kids HAVE to hear? Tell me one episode you are obsessed with.
Sandy: The show is built so folks can hop-in and start listening at any point, and every episode features a subject matter expert in a different area of space exploration. Every episode showcases a variety of topics and experts (scientists, engineers, astronauts, and industry leaders); Dads and their kids could pick an episode and start listening at any point. We’ve heard that parents enjoy the show when they’re traveling on road trips, driving around town, and even hanging around the house. And for the Dads out there: we hope REACH helps provide fun and accessible answers to some of the most common questions about outer space.
Nate: I will admit to being biased by the interests of my twelve year old, but the episode ”The WHY of Space! with Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz” is a great introduction to the ethical questions surrounding space exploration. The episode served as a catalyst for multiple conversations about responsible exploration and opened the door to discussing some of Dr. Walkowicz’s other works including their amazing TED talk “Let's not use Mars as a backup planet.”
DD: Why is the special event on September 1st so special?
Sandy: It’s an incredible honor to connect on a live downlink with NASA Astronauts Megan McArthur and Mark Vande Hei on the International Space Station. On September 1st, REACH’s incredible co-hosts Brian Holden and Meredith Stepien will ask space-related questions from our listener community while learning more about the current mission, what it’s like to spend a typical day on the ISS, and what’s ahead in the future of space exploration.
Nate: It’s also special because it’s our understanding that REACH will be the first children’s podcast afforded the opportunity to participate in a live downlink with the International Space Station. We are honored by being offered this amazing opportunity and hope that our listeners, your readers, and everyone invested in the next generation of space explorers will check it out live on NASA TV targeting 11:55 a.m Eastern on Wednesday, September 1st.


Nepal is a country that isn’t well developed in terms of technology. The space tech is supposed to be far out of grasp for Nepal. However, Nepal was able to launch its first space satellite successfully. NepaliSat-1, a cube satellite weighing 1.3 kg, was launched into space from Virginia, US, in the wee hours of Thursday, April 17, 2019. Weighing only 1.3 Kg and with size only 30% larger than a regular 3×3 Rubik’s cube, this nano-satellite will study the topography of Nepal. Apart from this, it will research the earth’s magnetic field. Named as NepaliSat-1 (Bird NPL), it is the first satellite launched by Nepal. It was a part of BIRDS-3 satellite with ISS as its destination.
Antares rocket carried three satellites from the countries, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Japan and took these satellites into the International Space station. NepaliSat-1 started rotating the earth after one month of storage at ISS.
Abhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha developed the first satellite to be launched by Nepal at Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan. A team of eight scientists and engineers that had roles in the development have names on the satellite body.
Pooja, Sasak, Makiko, Kakimoto, Abhas, Hari, Tharindu and Dutani have names on the satellite. Nepal government provided the cost(NPR 20 Million) for the development of NepaliSat-1 through NAST. NAST will receive the images and data sent by the NepaliSat-1.
This launch is a positive step towards satellite communication for Nepal. The country’s first communication satellite is also preparing for launch. The development of NepaliSat-1 is undoubtedly going to open more doors for similar projects to take place in Nepal. There is no doubt this step will prove to be a huge breakthrough for Nepal in space technology.


On a clear night, approximately 3,000 stars are visible with the naked eye, all of which are in our own galaxy. It is estimated that there are at least 100 billion individual galaxies in the Universe of which many contain hundreds of billions of stars. Each star, like our sun, is capable of having numerous planets rotating around it. Our galaxy, known as the Milky Way, is a cosmic ocean of 200 billion stars.
Astronomers are overwhelmed with the size of the Universe and the distances involved, so they have developed a special unit of measurement called the “light year” which enables them to begin to estimate distances in space. Light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. At this speed, a trip to the moon would take only 1.3 seconds, and to reach the sun would take only 8 minutes. To reach the nearest star outside our solar system would take 4 years. A “light year” is the distance light travels in one year, which is 6 trillion miles.
Between September 24, 2003, and January 16, 2004, scientists picked a point in space and stared at it for a total of 11 days with the Hubble Telescope, which is in orbit 300 miles above the Earth. The region they picked to observe was a small patch of sky, one-tenth the diameter of the full moon, located in the constellation Fornax. This region was chosen because it had a low density of bright stars in the near-field. What they found and photographed is the farthest men have ever seen into the Universe, approximately 47 billion light years, and is said to be the single most important image ever taken by humanity. Using two types of cameras, they generated a composite image from 800 exposures taken over the course of 400 Hubble orbits around the Earth. This photo, known as the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, recorded 10,000 galaxies in a field of view which is smaller than the area blocked by a grain of sand held at arm’s length. This “deep core” sample of the Universe shows galaxies of various ages, shapes, and colors. Among the classic spiral and elliptical shaped galaxies are a number of odd shaped ones, including some that look like toothpicks and some that look like links on a bracelet. A few appear to be interacting.
“God calls men to look upon the heavens. See Him in the wonders of the starry heavens. [Isaiah 40:26 quoted.] We are not merely to gaze upon the heavens; we are to consider the works of God. He would have us study the works of infinity, and from this study, learn to love and reverence and obey Him. The heavens and the earth with their treasures are to teach the lessons of God’s love, care, and power. . . . The heavenly bodies are worthy of contemplation. God has made them for the benefit of man, and as we study His works, angels of God will be by our side to enlighten our minds, and guard them from satanic deception.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1145. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” Psalm 8:3, 4.
David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: email@example.com.


MIT AeroAstro — Northrup Grumman Undergraduate Research and Innovation Scholar
Development of a Functional Satellite Ground Station for MIT
In the past, small satellite projects, such as the various Cubesat projects from the Space Systems Laboratory, have received ground support from established stations owned and operated by the manufacturers of the radios aboard the spacecraft. The objective of this project is to design and implement a new ground station system for MIT utilizing low-cost components and striving for ease of access, ease of use, ease of maintenance, and low cost of maintenance. The intent of the MIT ground station is to provide simpler and more direct access to ground operations for MIT’s satellite projects, including transmitting commands and receiving basic data.
The summer prior to beginning my SuperUROP, I was able to UROP with the SSL and begin gaining experience with Cubesat development. This has kindled my interest in satellite design and the huge network of resources needed to ensure a successful mission. I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to contribute to this area of research!


Why Solar Power Roofing Is A Great Investment
Have you been investigating integrated photovoltaics and solar power roofing? If so, you’ve been learning why solar solutions are a big deal. Here are some facts about solar power and the sun that will blow you away:
- The sun is about 1 million times bigger than the Earth; it’s located approximately 93 million miles away. Although the sun is relatively large for a star, it is dwarfed by other more gigantic species of stars. The largest types of stars would stretch all the way to the orbit of Saturn;
- The sun itself is utterly minuscule in comparison with the Milky Way. If the sun were shrunk into a small grain of sand, the Milky Way galaxy (where the sun resides) would be the size of the entire planet Earth.
- In less than an hour and a half, the sun bathes the Earth with enough energy to fuel the entire human race’s energy needs for a full year.
- The sun gets bigger and hotter as it consumes its fuel.
- If you install a 10 kilowatt solar panel, you can generate 17,000 kilowatt hours every year — the equivalent of burning over 27 barrels of oil.
- Integrated photovoltaics have a lot of applications in technology; they’re used in hot water heaters, PV panels, and concentrated solar power apps (for large scale tasks);
- It costs about $4 per watt of capacity to install a solar panel;
- Most panels are not ideally efficient – a common PV panel converts just 15% of the sun’s energy to usable electricity.
- PV applications have led to booming advances in semiconductor material sciences.
Contact the Team at Century Roof and Solar for More About Solar Power
For help creating highly productive solar solutions for your family or building, contact the team at Century Roof & Solar for a free estimate. We can help you with any and all of your solar roofing questions.


In order for the world to end, there truly would need to be a catastrophic global event. Something along the lines of a meteor collision, our Sun collapsing or even a nearby galaxy crashing into ours. These are all things that could very easily happen at some points in the planets life, but what will happen first? What will cause the Earth as we know it to be destroyed? In this article I’ll look at the most possible causes for the end of the world, and determine the likelihood of them happening.
The polar shifts is something that is actually occurring right now, but it can take thousands of years to complete. During the polar shift the magnetic field of the Earth becomes much weaker. The magnetic field protects us from harmful solar flares, and when the magnetic field weakens, we will be much more vulnerable to these flares. Some people believe that this could have some extreme effects on our planet, and maybe destroy it. For starters, it could seriously affect some animals who use the poles to navigate, and this could impact ecosystems to an extent which is hard to predict. It would also expose us to higher amounts of solar radiation, which will have an unknown impact on us.
However, the last polar shift was some 780,000 years ago, and during this time humans were not only surviving on Earth, but thriving, and expanding. It was around this time that early humans were reaching Britain, and this suggests that the last polar shift wasn’t particularly extreme or devastating.
There a chance that during the last polar shift the sun was going through a calm spot, and no serious solar flares were sent our way, and we might not be so lucky this time. A particularly nasty solar flare could possibly have a serious impact on our planet, however, the chances of it destroying Earth is pretty slim.
So although there is a chance the polar shifts could bring an end to our world, it is very very unlikely. Chances are it will just cause some disruption, which is lucky really, because it is happening now!
The next event which could end the world as we know it global warming (despite some people still denying it).
The full affect of global warming on our planet is unknown, and is still largely in the hands of the world leaders. However, we do know that it will affect some vital parts of our planet, which are essential for our survival. Crops will be most heavily affected, some will benefit, whereas others will fail. Some parts of the world will be more productive, whereas other will lose the ability to grow food. The overall net global production of food isn’t known, but it can easily cause instability around the globe. You can see from the graph (from the EPA website) to the right that drought (which will be more common in mid America) and other extreme or unusual weather events consistently cause a decreased yield in crop production.
Growing populations, lower food production, fewer resources and more extreme weather is a great recipe for global disaster. Could it cause a devastating global war – quite possibly. Will it cause the world to end? – unlikely. It will cause problems for the future, sure, and may even cause the human population to decrease, but that is probably the extent of it. Global warming will probably have a greater impact on our planet than the polar shifts, but it is unlikely to cause the world to end.
There is always the chance the a massive asteroid could crash into the Earth at any moment and destroy the planet completely, or at least cause enough damage to wipe out the human race. After all, it happened to the dinosaurs, so it could happen to us. Asteroids are a very real threat, and so NASA is trying to identify all the objects in space which could cause a world ending event.
NASA has identified a number of asteroids which could impact the Earth, but thankfully, the odds of a collision are pretty low. The greatest identified risk has a 0.29% chance of impacting Earth in the next 100-200 years, and this asteroid isn’t thought to be enough to end the world, just cause some damage. You can view all the identified objects and their risk of impact here, all of the odds of an impact are very low. However, not all the asteroids out there have been identified, and there could possibly be an asteroid hurtling towards Earth right now! The odds are very very low though.
So although an asteroid hitting Earth would cause much more damage than the polar shifts or global warming, it is unlikely to be the cause for the end of the world simply because the odds of it happening are too low.
The above threats seem to be the only real threats to Earth for the next 3-4 billion years. The poles will shift a number of times during this time and if we survive through global warming, we would have survived through the worst of it. Earth will probably have probably been hit by a couple of asteroids too, but it’s still unlikely to be anything too devastating (there is that small chance though, and 4 billions years is a long time).
According to Dave Goldberg, a Physics Professor at Drexel University, in about 4 billion years the nearby galaxy Andromeda will collide with our home galaxy – the Milky Way. This collision will take a few billion years to complete, but the galactic disruption is sure to cause some devastating effects on our galaxy. Planets, asteroids and even stars will pass through our own galaxy, some collisions are certain, and this can release massive amounts of radiation. You can view the below video to see what the collision of the 2 galaxies will look like.
Gravitational forces in our galaxy will shift dramatically, and a passing star could easily pull us out of orbit and fling us into the freezing depths of space. Yet there is still a chance Earth will survive. Fortunately space is indeed made up of a lot of space, and there is a chance that our solar system will pass through some of this ‘space’ in the Andromeda galaxy, and we would survive!
The collisions of these galaxies won’t be a quiet event, and our world could end in any number of ways, all of which are far beyond our control, but there is still that chance we can survive.
The death of the Sun will surely be the end of the world. Not because we would no longer get light and warmth, but because the sun will expand and incinerate our planet; and possibly even engulf it. Estimates on when this will happen are not so clear, but it will probably happen between 5-7 billion years from now. Being engulfed by a star will truly spell the end of our planet, but the world as we know it will end many years before this, due to the heat from the Sun. Everything on our planet will be burnt to a crisp, and Earth will more closly resemble Mercury (the closest planet to the Sun at the moment) that what we know Earth as today.
Unlike all the other threats, there is no chance for the Earth escaping being incinerated and engulfed by our Sun.
Polar shifts and global warming pose a slight risk to our planet, but they are more likely to disrupt our planet’s ecosystem and climate than destroy the it. Asteroids pose a very real risk, but the chances of a collision from an asteroid big enough to destroy it is extremely low (but that chance will always exist). So there isn’t anything in the foreseeable future (few thousands of years) which is likely to cause the end of the world.
However, in about 4 billion years time, this will all change. Our galaxy will collide with another, which will throw radiation, asteroids, planets and stars at us, and this could indeed cause the end of the world. If we somehow survive this collision the Earth will soon be burnt to a crisp by our own Sun, and engulfed – completely destroying the planet. So the world will definitely end in 4-5 billion years, but there is a slight risk it could end sooner.
Image courtesy of Royce Bair
This Youtube video will give an overview of the information found on the article tab. If you want to know more about the topic, or want to see where the information came from, have a read of the article after you watch the video.
There are a number of events which have a small chance of causing the world to end sooner, but the most definate answer is in about 4-5 billions years, when our sun expands and bruns/ engulfs our planet.