Three Towns Forum
Members' Lounge => Science and Technology => Topic started by: Ian on September 13, 2010, 07:24:42 pm
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Twinkling in the sky is a diamond star of 10 billion trillion trillion carats, astronomers have discovered.
The cosmic diamond is a chunk of crystallised carbon, 4,000 km across, some 50 light-years from the Earth in the constellation Centaurus.
It's the compressed heart of an old star that was once bright like our Sun but has since faded and shrunk. Astronomers have decided to call the star "Lucy" after the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
"You would need a jeweller's loupe the size of the Sun to grade this diamond," says astronomer Travis Metcalfe, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who led the team of researchers that discovered it.
The diamond star completely outclasses the largest diamond on Earth, the 546-carat Golden Jubilee which was cut from a stone brought out of the Premier mine in South Africa. The huge cosmic diamond - technically known as BPM 37093 - is actually a crystallised white dwarf. A white dwarf is the hot core of a star, left over after the star uses up its nuclear fuel and dies. It is made mostly of carbon. For more than four decades, astronomers have thought that the interiors of white dwarfs crystallised, but obtaining direct evidence became possible only recently. The white dwarf is not only radiant but also rings like a gigantic gong, undergoing constant pulsations.
"By measuring those pulsations, we were able to study the hidden interior of the white dwarf, just like seismograph measurements of earthquakes allow geologists to study the interior of the Earth. We figured out that the carbon interior of this white dwarf has solidified to form the galaxy's largest diamond," says Metcalfe.
Astronomers expect our Sun will become a white dwarf when it dies 5 billion years from now. Some two billion years after that, the Sun's ember core will crystallise as well, leaving a giant diamond in the centre of the solar system.
"Our Sun will become a diamond that truly is forever," says Metcalfe.
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AT A news conference before his first experience of weightlessness in 2007, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking said that he hoped his zero-gravity flight would encourage public interest in space exploration. He argued that with an ever-increasing risk of wiping ourselves out on Earth, humans would need to colonise space.
Hawking has since argued that we must do this within two centuries or else face extinction. He was no doubt encouraged by US President Barack Obama's announcement in April this year of a new initiative to send people to Mars by 2030.
Hawking, Obama and other proponents of long-term space travel are making a grave error. Humans cannot leave Earth for the several years that it takes to travel to Mars and back, for the simple reason that our biology is intimately connected to Earth.
To function properly, we need gravity. Without it, the environment is less demanding on the human body in several ways, and this shows upon the return to Earth. Remember the sight of weakened astronauts emerging after the Apollo missions? That is as nothing compared with what would happen to astronauts returning from Mars.
One of the first things to be affected is the heart, which shrinks by as much as a quarter after just one week in orbit (The New England Journal of Medicine, vol 358, p 1370). Heart atrophy leads to decreases in blood pressure and the amount of blood pushed out by the heart. In this way heart atrophy leads to reduced exercise capacity. Astronauts returning to Earth after several months in the International Space Station experience dizziness and blackouts because blood does not reach their brains in sufficient quantities.
Six weeks in bed leads to about as much atrophy of the heart as one week in space, suggesting that the atrophy is caused by both weightlessness and the concomitant reduction in exercise.
Other muscle tissue suffers too. The effects of weightlessness on the muscles of the limbs are easy to verify experimentally. Because they bear the body's weight, the "anti-gravity" muscles of the thighs and calves degenerate significantly when they are made redundant during space flight.
Despite the best attempts to give replacement exercise to crew members on the International Space Station, after six months they had still lost 13 per cent of their calf muscle volume and 32 per cent of the maximum power that their leg muscles could deliver (Journal of Applied Physiology, vol 106, p 1159).
Various metabolic changes also occur, including a decreased capacity for fat oxidation, which can lead to the build-up of fat in atrophied muscle. Space travellers also suffer deterioration of immune function both during and after their missions (Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, vol 79, p 835).
Arguably the most fearsome effect on bodies is bone loss (The Lancet, vol 355, p 1569). Although the hardness and strength of bone, and the relative ease with which it fossilises, give it an appearance of permanence, bone is actually a living and remarkably flexible tissue. In the late 19th century, the German anatomist Julius Wolff discovered that bones adjust to the loads that they are placed under. A decrease in load leads to the loss of bone material, while an increase leads to thicker bone.
It is no surprise, then, that in the microgravity of space bones demineralise, especially those which normally bear the greatest load. Cosmonauts who spent half a year in space lost up to a quarter of the material in their shin bones, despite intensive exercise (The Lancet, vol 355, p 1607). Although experiments on chicken embryos on the International Space Station have established that bone formation does continue in microgravity, formation rates are overtaken by bone loss.
What is of greatest concern here is that, unlike muscle loss which levels off with time, bone loss seems to continue at a steady rate of 1 to 2 per cent for every month of weightlessness. During a three-year mission to Mars, space travellers could lose around 50 per cent of their bone material, which would make it extremely difficult to return to Earth and its gravitational forces. Bone loss during space travel certainly brings home the maxim "use it or lose it".
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The proposed Mars mission is being dubbed "The Mars 500" as the round trip will take 500 days. I'm sure they must have plans in place to deal with the problems you mention. Or at least I would hope so!
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In order to colonise space then, it seems that it would be necessary to accelerate evolution to a stage where humans are shapeless blobs, without bones or muscle.
In this respect I would like to put myself forward as I am truly ahead of my time in term of the necessary physique.
A couple more visits to Fat Cat or MacDonalds and I think I'm nearly ready!
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In order to colonise space then, it seems that it would be necessary to accelerate evolution to a stage where humans are shapeless blobs, without bones or muscle.
Looks like you'll come second to the Americans Fester _))*
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A couple more visits to Fat Cat or MacDonalds and I think I'm nearly ready!
All you need to do now is pump yourself full of Helium and let go this soil of your birth! )*)&
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They're going to have to come up with centripetal-system space craft; that way the gravity can be maintained for long journeys. I also think that wormholes will probably become the travel method of choice as soon as we discover one and learn how to use it.
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Is Space infinite? Views required.
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Space must be infinite as everything requires space to exist. So wherever something is there must be space. $eu
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Space must be infinite, because if it ended... then how could it end? .. a red-brick wall? .... and if so, whats behind that?
Not only is space infinite, but so is time... (backwards and forwards)...
Also, so is size. (upwards and downwards) By that I mean, once you find the smallest building blocks of matter... even they must be made of something smaller....
This topic is too much for the human mind to cope with....
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Einstein argued it wasn't. Infinite, that is. And he calculated its circumference. The analogy is a sphere; like space, it has no beginning and no end point, but it isn't infinite.
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I feel I should contribute to this discussion. But, my contribution needs readers to be HIGHLY intelegent to understand my theory. So, I'm going to the "Follow On" thread. Could someone explain to me how the hell I play that----its too complicated for me.
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Quite easy. You use the last few letters (in the order they are in) to start a new word which does not have to be connected with the previous.
So, glove - overcome - mellow - lowest - storm - orme etc etc
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Oooh, methinks that the venerable Mike know this!
I expect he had his tongue firmly planted in his cheek when he wrote that... ZXZ
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Einstein argued it wasn't. Infinite, that is. And he calculated its circumference. The analogy is a sphere; like space, it has no beginning and no end point, but it isn't infinite.
A sphere is by definition finite.... not in its circumference, but in its third dimensions.
I mean, there is an inside...(the universe?) and an outside...(where the extent of the sphere is reached) ... so, the question remains, if the universe is a sphere, then what is outside the sphere?
I always knew Einstein wasn't so bright, after all he couldn't even get a decent haircut and shave!
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See QUIZ TIME for Albert Einstein's Riddle, and see how intelligent you are. ££$
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Yes, Fester, you are correct. Must get a bigger tonge or smaller cheek.
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Einstein was in all probability the BIGEST bluffer in history
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Einstein was in all probability the BIGEST bluffer in history
Are you speaking RELATIVELY , Blongb?
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E = MC2 I suppose! ZXZ
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Yorkie and Fester I shall treat your comments with the GRAVITY they deserve
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Yorkie and Fester I shall treat your comments with the GRAVITY they deserve
Now - will that be in ft per second 2 or metres per centimetre 3? L0L
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A magnificent full moon tonight will loom larger and brighter than usual in the night sky, in a spectacle that has been called a supermoon.
At 7.10pm, the Moon will be a mere 356,577km (221,567 miles) away, the closest a full moon has been to Earth in almost 20 years, what is known as perigee. And in a rare astronomical conjunction, the peak of the full moon, when it reaches its maximum illumination, will occur just an hour earlier, at 6.11pm. As a result, the Moon will be 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent larger than it appears at its farthest point from Earth, or apogee.
The weather forecast is encouraging for much of the UK, with plenty of clear skies, although a front approaching from the Atlantic could bring cloud to western regions.
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I assume that's why we have the very low and high tides at the moment?
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Aye, Aye matey! The Moon has got a lot of "pull" in our Universe! L0L
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looks the bloody same as it looked last night ??? :laugh:
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Not quite the normal moon!
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Wow $cool$ when I looked out it was cloudy :rage: L0L
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cloudy here too, :(
I've just downloaded Google Skymap to my phone, amazing.
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Railroad Tracks, fascinating !
The US. standard railroad gauge is 4 Ft. 8-5 inches. An exceedingly odd No.
Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built US. railroads.
Why, did the English build them that way ? Because the first rail tracks were built by the same people who laid the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Why did 'They' use that gauge? Because the people who built the Tramways used the same Jigs and Gauges used for building Wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Why did Wagons have that odd spacing ? Well if they used any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on the highways of Britain, because of the spacing of the wheel ruts in the roads.
So who built those old rutted roads ? Imperial Rome, for their Legions to traverse the Country, and have used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads ? Roman Chariots formed the initial ruts, so wagon makers had to match those ruts for fear of damaging their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Romans, they were all alike in wheel spacings Therefore the US. standard Gauge derives from the specification of a Roman Chariot
So the next time you are given a Specification/Procedure/Process and wonder 'What Horses A*** came up with it.'? you may be exactly right as chariots were made to the width of two horses arses. Now the twist to the story.
When you see a Space Shuttle on the launch pad, there are two Booster Rockets attached. These are made by Thiokol in Utah. They wanted to make them larger, but they have to be transported by rail, but the railroad goes through a Tunnel, which is slightly wider than the railtrack, which you know is as wide as two horses arses. So, a major Space Shuttle design of the Worlds most sophisticated transport, was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horses A***. And you thought that being a Horse's A*** wasn't important.?
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It's a fun story but not actually true (http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/r/railwidth.htm):
From truth or fiction:
"Where did the four-foot, eight-and-a-half-inch standard originate? Gabriel (http://www.railway.org/)says it was from a Englishman named George Stephenson. Carts on rails had been used in mines in England for years, but the width of the rails varied from mine to mine since they didn't share tracks. Stephenson was the one who started experimenting with putting a steam engine on the carts so there would be propulsion to pull them along. He had worked with several mines with differing gauges and simply chose to make the rails for his project 4-foot, eight inches wide. He later decided that adding another six inches made things easier. He was later consulted for constructing some rails along a roadway and by the time broader plans for railroads in Great Britain were proposed, there were already 1200 miles of his rails so the "Stephenson gauge" became the standard."
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The annual Perseid meteor showers are putting on a spectacular sky show this weekend, thanks to clear skies in many parts of the UK.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/uk-wales-19232028 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/uk-wales-19232028)
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Some superb photos
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/photos/astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-1348136534-slideshow/m51-whirlpool-martin-pugh-royal-observatory-photo-1348135500.html (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/photos/astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-1348136534-slideshow/m51-whirlpool-martin-pugh-royal-observatory-photo-1348135500.html)
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Something clobbered the moon in March:
ScienceCasts: Bright Explosion on the Moon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYloGuUZCFM#ws)
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There was a large full moon on the last couple of nights.
This article explains why it looked larger than usual and has some great photos.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/supermoon-pictures-rare-sight-larger-1983440 (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/supermoon-pictures-rare-sight-larger-1983440)
Here are a few photos that I took of it.
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We tried to see it but no luck! I even went outside late at about 11.30pm, still saw nothing! What time did you see it Hollins?
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I think it was about 11pm.
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We went to the seafront to see it, very nice too! By the time we got home we could see it there too!
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NASA have released photographs of the Earth and Moon taken from Saturn.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23419543 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23419543)
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The full live feed of the Chinese Lunar expedition:
Complete Launching Footage: Chang'e -3 'Jade Rabbit' Lunar Landing mission (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMgpKwfbZGE#)
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From New Scientist:
"The crew of the final Apollo mission lifted off from the moon's Sea of Serenity on 14 December 1972. After that, three robotic Soviet spacecraft made it to the surface, the final one in 1976. For the next few decades, the moon's only visitors were a dozen or so orbiters and deliberate crashes.
Launched on 2 December, the Chang'e-3 mission was scheduled to touch down in a 235-kilometre-wide crater known as the Bay of Rainbows. The spacecraft has already slipped into an orbit that takes it within 15 kilometres of the surface. To make the soft landing, it needed to fire retrorockets to adjust its position, cut off its engine and ultimately drop from a height of 4 metres.
"Hopefully the lander doesn't tilt," says Bernard Foing, director of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group, a forum sponsored by multiple space agencies. Once on the surface, the lander should set free a rover named Yutu – which translates as "Jade Rabbit" – after the mythological pet of lunar goddess Chang'e.
India and South Korea are also in the running to send missions to the moon that would involve combinations of landers and rovers. India could launch its Chandrayaan-2 mission by 2017, while the newly proposed Korean mission won't be lifting off before 2020."
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Live TV feed from the ISS:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/iss_ustream.html#.U0AuisfZ4_w (http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/iss_ustream.html#.U0AuisfZ4_w)
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Weekend away on Mars, anyone?
http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2014/08/04/nasa_tests_impossible_microwave_drive_that_could_get_us_to_mars_in_weeks/ (http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2014/08/04/nasa_tests_impossible_microwave_drive_that_could_get_us_to_mars_in_weeks/)
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Llanbedr airfield spaceport consultation closes
A four-month consultation which could help decide the location of the UK's first spaceport ends on Monday with one site in Gwynedd being considered.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-29503567 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-29503567)
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STARS: Llandrillo astronomy buff Brian Woosnam's guide to the October night sky
This month he gives us a detailed look at the constellations throughout the month, as we enter the "best time of year" for observing the night sky.
http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/138574/stars-llandrillo-astronomy-buff-brian-woosnam-s-guide-to-the-october-night-sky.aspx (http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/138574/stars-llandrillo-astronomy-buff-brian-woosnam-s-guide-to-the-october-night-sky.aspx) Z**
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UFO sightings across North Wales revealed
A report of “bright lights dancing in the sky, on the way to Llandudno” was among 31 UFO sightings in North Wales in the last decade.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/ufo-sightings-across-north-wales-7905348 (http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/ufo-sightings-across-north-wales-7905348)
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All too often it's simply satellite flare (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_flare). Any civilisation sufficiently advanced to conduct routine interstellar travel wouldn't be daft enough to be seen, especially by UFO nuts...
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I don't know, I sometimes drive to Rhyl and I'm sure that some of the locals see me! :laugh:
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I don't know, I sometimes drive to Rhyl and I'm sure that some of the locals see me! :laugh:
_))* Phone home M.E. phone home......
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Powys is a county covering a quarter of Wales, but it is home to just 133,000 people, making it the least densely populated area of Britain south of the North Yorkshire moors.
Limited population means few buildings and roads and therefore lights – with their annoying visual pollution. It's therefore a perfect place from which to watch space from a telescope and look for potentially planet-killing asteroids.
Here there's a privately run observatory dedicated to tracking Near Earth Objects (NEOs): it is known on local signs as Canolfan Gwylio’r Gofod – The Spaceguard Centre.
Arguably the best, last hope of Britain and the world, Spaceguard is the inspiration of a single man: an ex-army officer specialising in surface-to-air missiles called Jonathan Tate.
Full story: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/06/geeks_guide_spaceguard_center/ (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/06/geeks_guide_spaceguard_center/)
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To add to the story above, it's worth noting that between 1994 and 2014 more than 550 smallish asteroids hit the Earth. They strike us roughly twice a month and fortunately mostly burn up because of the speed with which they hit the atmosphere - about 50,000 mph. NASA's helpfully provided a map of those it knows have hit during that period:
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High resolution picture of Pluto is causing some concern...
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BLUE MOON: A certain catchy tune will be hard to avoid on Friday night as the full moon sets the nation humming. Not just any full moon, a "blue moon" - the first to occur since 2012 and the last until 2018.
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Perseids: Meteor light show set to dazzle tonight........
Skywatchers around the world are in for a dazzling display as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on Wednesday night.
Viewing is weather-dependent, however, and cloud cover may spoil the party in many parts of the UK.
Above the clouds, conditions are unusually favourable because the shower will coincide with a new moon.
The Perseids are pieces of Comet Swift-Tuttle; each August, the Earth passes through a cloud of the comet's debris.
Swift-Tuttle shed this material long ago, and it is now distributed as a tenuous "river of rubble" along the comet's orbit around the Sun.
These particles of ice and dust (which range from the size of a grain of sand to around as big as a pea) hit the Earth's atmosphere at about 60km/s (37 miles/s).
As they do so, they heat the air around them, causing the characteristic streak of light.
The meteor shower is visible across the Northern hemisphere and from as far as subtropical latitudes south of the Equator. Prime viewing hours, wherever you are, stretch from about 23:00 local time on 12 August until the morning of 13 August.
More...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33850710 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33850710)
AND MORE...http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/who-what-where-see-perseid-9843530 (http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/who-what-where-see-perseid-9843530)
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Trust everyone will be out at 0300 tomorrow morning to see the Supermoon?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34352504 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34352504)
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Don't think I will be up at 3am but it doesn't look too bad now.
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Trust everyone will be out at 0300 tomorrow morning to see the Supermoon?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34352504 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34352504)
I will be setting the alarm to see it!
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just been looking out of the window and it,s gone out, hope someone turns it on again before three
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Trust everyone will be out at 0300 tomorrow morning to see the Supermoon?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34352504 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34352504)
I will be setting the alarm to see it!
I set the alarm.... it went off, I ignored it..... and went back to sleep.
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Trust everyone will be out at 0300 tomorrow morning to see the Supermoon?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34352504 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34352504)
I will be setting the alarm to see it!
I set the alarm.... it went off, I ignored it..... and went back to sleep.
I got home from work just after three so I got to see it more by accident than design!
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Watch meteor as captured from North Wales
This stunning video captures the moment a huge meteor blazes a trail across the sky above North Wales.
Chris Cameron-Wilson took the incredible footage from his home in Llanarmon-yn-Ial in Denbighshire .
The 32-second clip was only taken at 3am early yesterday and uploaded to YouTube but it has already had more than 500 views.
It shows the view from a camera facing south south east at 3.16am.
Suddenly, the meteor streaks into view, crossing the sky from right to left.
Its fireball is so bright it flashes with searing intensity and illuminates the ground before disappearing from sight.
Chris then shows a repeat of its trajectory in slow motion.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/watch-meteor-captured-north-wales-11059525 (http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/watch-meteor-captured-north-wales-11059525)
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Strawberry Moon over North Wales: What you need to know.
Today is the longest day of the year and the Strawberry Moon will be visible in the sky over North Wales tonight.
For the first time since 1967 the Strawberry Moon falls at the same time as the summer solstice.
The summer solstice takes place between June 20th- 22nd and means the day with the longest amount of sunshine?
Longest day of the year started when the sun rose at 4.45am this morning with the sun due to set at 10.34pm tonight.
The term 'Strawberry Moon' comes from Native Americans who coined the phrase to mark the beginning of the strawberry season.
Despite the name, the moon will not appear red or pink, it will be a bright full moon that creates a warm glow.
For the Strawberry Moon and the summer solstice to fall on the same day is a once in a life time occurrence, the rare event will not be happening again until 2062. ref DP
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When to see the Perseid meteor shower in North Wales.
There's a chance you'll be able to see the Perseid meteor shower over the skies of North Wales tonight.
The meteor shower is not expected to peak till later this week, but because of clear conditions in the sky there's a chance stargazers will see the event tonight.
The annual meteor shower started in July but will peak between Thursday and Saturday, August 11 and 13
The Perseid is considered to be one of the best of the annual meteor displays and under perfect conditions you could be treated to up to a whopping 200 meteors every hour.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/see-perseid-meteor-shower-north-11721169 (http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/see-perseid-meteor-shower-north-11721169)
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A rare Black Moon will appear in the skies over the region this weekend.
The spectacular occurrence will turn the sky across North Wales pitch black and refers to the second new moon in a calendar month .
The event will take place in the early hours of Saturday morning at 1:11am. $good$
Unfortunately you won't be able to see because it will be so dark.! ! :( :( :(
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Spooky moon.
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I couldn't see it at all last night because of the thick cloud cover but it did look spooky tonight as it came out from behind the clouds. I saw it tonight when I let the dog out a short while ago
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Snow moon, a comet and lunar eclipse will all be visible tonight
Sky watchers are in for a treat with the three celestial events coinciding.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/snow-moon-comet-lunar-eclipse-12585490 (http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/snow-moon-comet-lunar-eclipse-12585490)
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It appears as though the recent hole in the ISS was done deliberately by an astronaut...
[smg id=4096]
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For those of us who are die-hard SciFi enthusiasts, nothing beats the live video feed of the perfect touchdown of the Dragon’s stage 1 on the “Of Course I Still Love You” barge in choppy seas. Congratulations to Space X on another successful first.
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The live NASA feed of the Dragon capsule approaching and docking with the ISS was certainly the best TV I've seen in a while.
[smg id=4105]
This shot was from the feed as the capsule was approaching.
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Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the day the human race first set foot on the Moon. I suspect it won't be too long before we see either the Chinese or the Indians returning there, if not Musk or even Bezos.
In the late '60s if did seem as though progress was so rapid we'd have been enjoying holidays on Mars by now but sadly politics once again got in the way.
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The International Space Station: When, what time and how to track the ISS in the sky this week
Check out the ISS tracker in the article so you can follow its movements
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/ (https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/)
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Eyes to the skies, the first full moon of 2020 will be visible on Friday night across the UK - weather permitting.
Should we have clear skies, you will be able to see January's wolf moon in all its glory from around 7.21pm on Friday.
And we're also being graced with a penumbral lunar eclipse.
This is where the Earth's main shadow does not cover the moon, according to timeanddate.com
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Lots in the skies this month according to Tellytubby
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Strong geometric storm will hit the Earth tonight and promises quite a show
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/strong-geometric-storm-hit-earth-19427856 (https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/strong-geometric-storm-hit-earth-19427856)
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PLANS to enable UK spaceflights to “flourish” while remaining “safe” will be published on Friday, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.
The Government will release its response to a consultation on regulatory changes required to allow the country’s first space launch to take place within the next few years.
Traditional rockets launched vertically into space, high-altitude balloons and spaceplanes could all set off from UK soil once the measures are introduced, according to the DfT.
https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/19138058.snowdonia-among-sites-considered-uk-spaceflights/ (https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/19138058.snowdonia-among-sites-considered-uk-spaceflights/)
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For orbital insertion rockets would normally have to be launched from the East coast. That way they gain speed from planetary rotation and, if anything goes badly wrong, the North Sea is better than the land for dropping bits on. But I'll be very surprised if anything comes of it. We're too far from the equator for starters.
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UK businessman Sir Richard Branson is about to realise a lifetime's ambition by flying to the edge of space.
He'll ride his Virgin Galactic rocket plane on Sunday to an altitude where the sky turns black and the Earth's horizon curves away into the distance.
The entrepreneur says he wants to evaluate the experience before allowing paying customers aboard next year.
The vehicle will set off for the 1.5-hour mission above New Mexico at about 08:30 local US time (15:30 BST).
BBC report https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57790040 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57790040)
Virgingalatic link http://www.virgingalactic.com/ (http://www.virgingalactic.com/)
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Space flights from Snowdonia move a step closer as new regulations arrive
Flights to space are poised to take place from Llanbedr Airfield in Gwynedd in future
cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/space-flights-snowdonia-move-step-21174122 (https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/space-flights-snowdonia-move-step-21174122)
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Dark skies: Venus, Jupiter and the Moon pictured across Wales
Stargazers across Wales were able to witness Venus, Jupiter and the Moon aligned in the night sky on Thursday.
The brightest planets in the night sky were visible during a spectacular celestial event known as a conjunction.
According to the UK Space Agency, the two planets reach their apparent closest point at the start of March when they'll appear to form one point.
Take a look at a selection of the best images as people across Wales looked to the skies...........
Photos https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64756972
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Solar eclipse 2024: When and where to see it in Wales
Half the country will witness a partial eclipse, weather permitting
On Monday, April 8, the moon will temporarily obscure the sun and cast a dark shadow across Earth
As the sun sinks below the horizon, the partial eclipse will first become visible in North Wales on the coast at Talacre and Rhyl at 42 seconds after 7.55pm. A second later, the eclipse will start on the north Anglesey coast. A further two seconds and it will begin at Llandudno, with the Great Orme likely to be a prime viewing spot.
full article https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/solar-eclipse-2024-see-wales-28937233