A First Map of the Entire Milky Way Nearly a million miles from Earth, at a gravitationally stable point in space on the opposite side of our planet from the sun, is the greatest little mapmaker that ever existed. It had better be great because its job is huge: to paint a three-dimensional portrait of the entire galaxy. That, if you’re counting, is a structure measuring 100,000 light years across—which is an awful lot of real estate to keep your eye on. The mapmaker in question is the Gaia satellite, a 4,500-lb. (2,030 kg) craft launched by the European Space Agency in 2013. Gaia’s mission managers don’t pretend they can spot every object in the galaxy, which includes an estimated 300 billion stars to say nothing of planets, moons, asteroids and more. But a good 1 billion stars ought to help them take the Milky Way‘s overall measure and reveal new clues about its structure, formation and history. This image, released on Sept. 14, provides a first rough glimpse at the map to come. So far, Gaia has actually exceeded its original goal, getting a reasonably good bead on 1.142 billion stars. Much more precise positional measurements, along with the stars’ apparent motion relative to Earth, are still to come. Space is a very big place. It will be a long, long time before we map it all, but Gaia offers a good start. Source
Think Google Fiber's fast? Nokia to show off tech that's 1,000 times faster Researchers will this week demonstrate a newly-refined data-transmission technique that can deliver one terabit per second (Tbps) over an optical fiber. Nokia Bell Labs, Deutsche Telekom T-Labs, and the Technical University of Munich will be showing off how a technique called Probabilistic Constellation Shaping, or PCS, can deliver blistering 1Tbps speeds over a fiber connection... more
What is Time? Imagine time running backwards. People would grow younger instead of older and, after a long life of gradual rejuvenation – unlearning everything they know – they would end as a twinkle in their parents’ eyes. That’s time as represented in a novel by Phillip K. Dick (Counter - Clock world), but, surprisingly, time’s direction is also an issue that cosmologists are grappling with. http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-time Enjoy...
@ Michaela Joy yep I like to turn younger again (20 is good ) and stay so for ever because remember my old times of biker driver lol
Sorry for the OTT: anyone knows where to buy a large globe for kids, please? The larger the better, perhaps illuminated etc. Small ones I can find easily but... Big can also be extremely expensive, sadly...
Where do you live? You can’t go far wrong with Amazon, Did you have a look? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Globes/b?ie=UTF8&node=364262031 https://www.amazon.com/Replogle-Globe-Kids-Diam/dp/B00B1Z6ZIO For example, there’s an illuminated one 30cm (12in) in diameter and 37cm tall for GBP33.
This globe is nice. http://www.1ststoptravelstore.com/World_Globes_Replogle_Earth_square_Desktop_Globe.htm#.V95yCdTD_mg
i did consider that mj, but even a piece of paper has 6 sides and many call paper flat. it has 2 sides, but it has thickness too, so it is 6 sided.
Pluto is apparently emitting X-rays and that has us questioning everything again Sept 16, 2016 Pluto is acting a little strange and may once again be challenging our current understanding of the solar system. Scientists have noticed the tiny trans-Neptunium object emitting X-rays, which, if it is confirmed, is both a baffling and exciting discovery. Why is this such a big deal? First of all, it would challenge what scientists have previously believed to be true of Pluto’s nature. Until now, the popular description of the dwarf planet is as a tiny ball of frozen rock slowly meandering around the sun some 3.6-billion miles away. The other aspect of this discovery that could bring about major changes to the way we see the universe is how we might now explain all that background X-ray radiation scientists are always observing. Instead of background X-rays simply being a characteristic of the universe, it is possible that some of that radiation — or even all of it — is a result of similar interactions happening throughout the universe. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-t...-questioning-the-order-of-the-universe-again/
the more people bury themselves into computer games/virtual reality etc, are glued to a screen of some sort, the less they will look at the world around them and the less they will look up to the stars. if little jane and johnny ask for a new game/console, buy them a telescope. they will get outside and get some fresh air too. they may hate you at the time but later on they will thank you hopefully. sorry to go off topic
Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment Awesome NASA Documentary about the Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) that will allow NASA to send more payload and even Human to Mars and other planets. Since the publication of this documentary, NASA reduced the budget allowed to the IRVE program
And now autonomous boats: Autonomous cars are a reality and autonomous boats are next. Aptly named Roboats. Amsterdam to test autonomous boats September 20, 2016 In collaboration with MIT, the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute) has launched the world's first major research program on autonomous floating vessels in metropolitan areas, dubbed Roboat. It’s a five-year, $27.9 million project. The first Roboat prototypes are expected to land in the waters of Amsterdam next year. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/09/20/amsterdam-to-test-autonomous-boats.html