A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientist examined 11 Mars years of image data to understand the seasonal processes that create linear gullies on the slopes of the megadune in the Russell crater on Mars. In early spring images, captured by two different cameras on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, SwRI’s Dr. Cynthia Dinwiddie noticed airborne plumes of dusty material associated with the…
Tag: dune
Images of shadows cast by jet contrails
Jet contrail shadows may appear to be cast by a low-altitude bright light shining upwards. In fact, this shadow is normally cast on clouds below the jet and its contrail. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/jet-contrail-casts-a-shadow…
Can you see Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star?
Here’s how to spot Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star in the sky as seen from Earth, on February evenings. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/few-know-the-second-brightest-star-canopus…
Gina Carano, Who Plays Cara Dune On The Mandalorian, Will No Longer Be On the Show
“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” said a Lucasfilm spokesperson. “Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” io9 reports: The news comes after a day in which the hashtag #FireGinaCarano trended on Twitter for hours. The…
Study of dune dynamics will help scientists understand the topography of Mars
Barchans are crescent-shaped sand dunes whose two horns face in the direction of the fluid flow. They appear in different environments, such as inside water pipes or on river beds, where they take the form of ten-centimeter ripples, and deserts, where they can exceed 100 meters, and the surface of Mars, where they can be a kilometer in length or more….
Warner Bros. To Debut Entire 2021 Film Slate, Including ‘Dune’ and ‘Matrix 4,’ Both on HBO Max and In Theaters
When Warner Bros. announced that “Wonder Woman 1984” would land on the streaming service HBO Max on Christmas, the same time it debuts in theaters, many expected it to be an isolated case in response to an unprecedented pandemic. From a report: Instead, the studio will deploy a similar release strategy for the next twelve months. In a surprising break from…
How are sand dunes formed and why do they even exist?
The strange, beautiful shapes that sand dunes form are a mystery. Now researchers are conducting huge desert experiments and using dune racetracks to figure it out Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24833081-000-how-are-sand-dunes-formed-and-why-do-they-even-exist/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
If Betelgeuse goes boom: How DUNE would respond to a nearby supernova
In late 2019, Betelgeuse, the star that forms the left shoulder of the constellation Orion, began to noticeably dim, prompting speculation of an imminent supernova. If it exploded, this cosmic neighbor a mere 700 light-years from Earth would be visible in the daytime for weeks. Yet 99% of the energy of the explosion would be carried not by light, but by…
Billion-year-old Martian dunes reveal planet’s history
The discovery of near-perfectly preserved billion-year-old Martian dunes is helping scientists to unravel the geologic and climatic history of the red planet. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/billion-year-old-martian-dunes-reveal-planet-history…
Scientists use AI to find tiny craters on Mars
All these years, NASA scientists have laboriously sifted through spacecraft images, to identify and classify markings on Mars. Now they’re using a new “classifier,” powered by artificial intelligence. What takes a human 40 minutes takes the AI tool an average of just 5 seconds. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/nasa-artifical-intelligence-spots-craters-on-mars…