Springboard Catalyst

spaceplasma: In Two Weeks This 50-Meter Asteroid Will Buzz Our...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:29:31 -0500

In Two Weeks This 50-Meter Asteroid Will Buzz Our Planet

On February 15 a chunk of rock about 50 meters wide will whiz by Earth at nearly 8 km/s, coming within 27,680 km of our planet’s surface — closer than many weather and communications satellites.

For those of you more comfortable with imperial units, that’s 165 feet wide traveling 17,800 mph coming within 17,200 miles. But regardless whether you prefer meters or miles, in astronomy that’s what’s called a close call.

Scientists stress that there’s no danger of an impact by this incoming asteroid, designated 2012-DA14, but it’s yet another reminder that in our neck of the Solar System we are definitely not alone.

“2012-DA14 will definitely not hit Earth,” says JPL’s near-Earth object specialist Don Yeomans. “The orbit of the asteroid is known well enough to rule out an impact.”

But with 2012-DA14′s upcoming February flyby Yeomans notes, “this is a record-setting close approach.”

The rocky asteroid will come within about 4 Earth radii, which is well within the orbits of geosynchronous satellites. During its closest approach at 19:26 UTC it should be visible in the sky to amateur telescopes (but not the naked eye), becoming as bright as an 7th- or 8th-magnitude star.

Radar observatories will be watching 2012-DA14 during the days leading up to and following its approach in an attempt to better determine its size, shape and trajectory. NASA’s Goldstone facility will have an eye — er, dish — on DA14, but it won’t be visible to Arecibo. Stay tuned for more info!

Read more about 2012-DA14 on the JPL Near-Earth Object Program page here.

Click here to watch the video

Credit: NASA/JPL, Jason Major/Universe Today

medicalschool: Human Y and X Chromosomes

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:08:59 -0500

medicalschool:

Human Y and X Chromosomes

mothernaturenetwork: Better food labeling could stem obesity...

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:02:58 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

Better food labeling could stem obesity

The FDA is in the process of updating the 20-year-old nutrition facts label that appears on all food and beverage products in the U.S.

mothernaturenetwork: Girl who doesn’t grow baffles doctors...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:01:16 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

Girl who doesn’t grow baffles doctors

The nature of girl’s condition has led some researchers to believe her unique genetic code could provide insights into the aging process.

Alexander Staudal | ph. Brent Chua

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:59:37 -0500

Alexander Staudal | ph. Brent Chua

Photo

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:54:25 -0500

fordmodels: Adrian Bosch and Sebastian Brice for Belstaff...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:53:37 -0500

fordmodels:

Adrian Bosch and Sebastian Brice for Belstaff Menswear F/W 2013

mothernaturenetwork: Smartphone apps for skin cancer: How...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:52:45 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

Smartphone apps for skin cancer: How accurate are they?

The classification rate was highly variable, ranging from 30 percent incorrect to 96 percent incorrect.

barackobama: And then this happened.

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:38:12 -0500

barackobama:

And then this happened.

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Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:34:29 -0500

somegoodthings: Rudi Dollmayer

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:32:08 -0500

somegoodthings:

Rudi Dollmayer

Photo

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:32:02 -0500

mothernaturenetwork: The global warming hot list for...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:53:58 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

The global warming hot list for 2013

It’s possible to spot some trends that may influence climate change coverage and politics in the year ahead.

rhamphotheca: Giant squid filmed in Pacific depths, Japan...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:48:52 -0500

rhamphotheca:

Giant squid filmed in Pacific depths, Japan scientists report

by Shingo Ito

Scientists and broadcasters said Monday they have captured footage of an elusive giant squid roaming the depths of the Pacific Ocean, showing it in its natural habitat for the first time ever.

Japan’s National Science Museum succeeded in filming the deep-sea creature at a depth of more than half a kilometre (a third of a mile) after teaming up with Japanese public broadcaster NHK and the US Discovery Channel.

The massive invertebrate is the stuff of legend, with sightings of a huge ocean-dwelling beast reported by sailors for centuries. The creature is thought to be the genesis of the Nordic legend of Kraken, a sea monster believed to have attacked ships in waters off Scandinavia over the last millennium.

Modern-day scientists on their own Moby Dick-style search used a submersible to descend to the dark and cold depths of the northern Pacific Ocean, where at around 630 m (2,066 ft) they managed to film a three-metre specimen. After around 100 missions, during which they spent 400 hours in the cramped submarine, the three-man crew tracked the creature from a spot some 15 km (9 mi) east of Chichi island in the north Pacific.

Museum researcher Tsunemi Kubodera said they followed the enormous mollusc to a depth of 900 m as it swam into the ocean abyss…

(read more: PhysOrg) (image: NHK/Discovery Channel)

mothernaturenetwork: NASA finds 461 alien planet candidates,...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:38:34 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

NASA finds 461 alien planet candidates, some possibly habitable

The new finds represent the latest update to the catalog of the $600 million Kepler mission, which launched in March 2009.

did-you-kno: Source

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:37:05 -0500

did-you-kno:

Source

mothernaturenetwork: With new bylaw, Concord opens the...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:30:59 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

With new bylaw, Concord opens the floodgates for bottled water bans

Concord, Mass., a town that’s no stranger to progressive, eco-minded thinking, officially becomes one of the first municipalities in the U.S. to outlaw the sale of standard-sized, single-use bottled water.

mothernaturenetwork: Monster black hole burp surprises...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:17:43 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

Monster black hole burp surprises scientists

Scientists had been studying the far-flung galaxy for years, and found that it went from ‘being placid and quiescent’ to having a ‘hugely energetic outburst at the end.’

mothernaturenetwork: Photos of the day: Zoo animals frolic in...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:15:08 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

Photos of the day: Zoo animals frolic in the snow

See more pictures.

did-you-kno: Source

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:12:38 -0500

did-you-kno:

Source