Scientists are using new satellite sensor data, combined with info from the terrestrial U.S. National Lightning Detection Network, to help identify the most dangerous lightning strikes. They found that “hot lightning” is the most dangerous as it can ignite wildfires, damage electrical equipment, and even kill people. Slashdot reader Wave723 shares a report from IEEE Spectrum: With new tools, researchers can…
Tag: equipment
Hawaii Extends Thirty Meter Telescope Permit Amid Protesters
In a move intended to de-escalate a standoff between scientists and native Hawaiians blocking the construction of a massive telescope on a mountaintop they believe to be sacred land, Gov. David Ige on Tuesday night rescinded an emergency proclamation that was issued to help remove demonstrators. NPR reports: Ige made the announcement at a press conference saying there are no immediate…
Space junk: A recycling station could be cleaning up in Earth orbit by 2050
There are about 22,000 large objects orbiting the Earth, including working and broken satellites and bits of old rocket from past space expeditions. If you include all the equipment dropped by astronauts while floating in space and the debris from colliding satellites down to around 1cm in size, there are about one million bits of space junk in Earth’s orbit. Source:…
Astronomy educators to rendezvous in Chile
Members of the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program are heading to Chile for a tour of its great observatories, July 27 to August 5, 2019. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/astronomy-educators-to-rendezvous-in-chile…
Perseid meteors 2019: All you need to know
The Perseid meteor shower has already begun its slow and steady rise to its peak. In 2019, the peak mornings – around August 11, 12 and 13 – will be troubled by moonlight. Plan to watch for Perseid meteors in early August this year, then be prepared for moonlight at the peak. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower…
Siemens Contractor Pleads Guilty To Planting Logic Bomb In Company Spreadsheets
Former Siemens contractor David Tinley faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, for planting logic bombs inside spreadsheets he created for the company. The logic bomb would crash spreadsheets after a certain date, resulting in Siemens hiring the contractor to fix the latest bugs. ZDNet reports: According to court documents, Tinley provided software services for…
Planting a flag on the moon
With virtually no atmosphere on the moon – and, therefore, no wind – flags that fly freely on Earth would hang like limp cloth in the lunar environment. So Apollo 11 engineers had to rethink flagpole design entirely. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/planting-flag-on-moon-apollo11…
Miniature gravitational-wave detector to be built at Northwestern
A team of physicists and astronomers from Northwestern University is poised to lead gravitational-wave astronomy into its next evolution. The W. M. Keck Foundation has awarded $1 million, which will be used to develop a prototype for a new kind of gravitational-wave detector that is small enough to fit on a tabletop and powerful enough to detect cosmic events that existing…
What Caused the 2019 New York Blackout? Infrastructure.
On Saturday night in New York City a power outage struck Midtown Manhattan, hitting Hell’s Kitchen north to Lincoln Center and from Fifth Avenue west to the Hudson River. The blackout darkened the huge, electric billboards of Times Square, forced Broadway shows to cancel performances, and even disabled some subway lines. But what caused it? From a report: According to reports,…
How America’s Tech Giants Are Helping Build China’s Surveillance State
“An American organization founded by tech giants Google and IBM is working with a company that is helping China’s authoritarian government conduct mass surveillance against its citizens,” the Intercept reports. The OpenPower Foundation — a nonprofit led by Google and IBM executives with the aim of trying to “drive innovation” — has set up a collaboration between IBM, Chinese company Semptian,…