Higher ratings are the ‘lifeblood’ of the smartphone app world but what if they are inflated? From a report: Rating an iPhone app takes just a second, maybe two. “Enjoying Skype?” a prompt will ask, and you click on a 1-5 star rating. Millions of people respond to these requests, giving little thought to their fleeting whim. Behind the scenes, though,…
Tag: instruments
Bronze Age Brits turned bones into instruments
During the Bronze Age, our ancestors would sometimes turn the bones of their relatives into musical instruments. While in the modern age it is not unu… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/339198/bronze-age-brits-turned-bones-into-instruments…
What are cloud streets?
Cloud streets are a manifestation of Earth’s atmosphere in motion. They’re mostly seen by satellites looking down on Earth, but people sometimes catch them from the ground, too. Check out these cool images! Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/what-are-cloud-streets…
95 new cool brown dwarfs in the sun’s neighborhood
A group of citizen scientists working with a NASA citizen science project called Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 has discovered 95 new brown dwarfs in the sun’s nearby neighborhood. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/brown-dwarfs-cosmic-neighborhood-backyard-worlds-citizen-scientists…
Amazing photos in Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter celebration
NASA has posted a sampling of some of the most awe-inspiring photos of Mars, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the launch of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. They are proof that Mars is a very photogenic world. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-photos-mars-reconnaissance-orbiter-15th-anniversary…
A method to perform canonical phase measurements using quantum feedback
Light is known to have a number of fundamental properties, including color, brightness, and direction, most of which are immediately apparent and can be observed with the naked eye. There are now several instruments to detect and measure these properties, such as photon counters, detectors often used in research that measure brightness by counting individual light quanta. Crucially, some existing devices…
Researchers track slowly splitting ‘dent’ in Earth’s magnetic field
A small but evolving dent in Earth’s magnetic field can cause big headaches for satellites. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/researchers-track-dent-in-earths-magnetic-field…
Exoplanet-hunter TESS completes its primary mission
NASA’s 2nd planet-hunter, TESS, has spent 2 years surveying the sky for exoplanets orbiting distant stars. It has found over 2,000 exoplanets so far. TESS now moves into its extended mission phase. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/exoplanet-hunter-tess-completes-primary-mission…
Images show Martian night sky pulsing with ultraviolet light
Vast areas of Mars’ nightside atmosphere glow and pulsate with ultraviolet light, according to images from NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-night-sky-ultraviolet-light-images…
LIDAR over Antarctica
A laser shoots into the sky to study the atmosphere at Concordia research station in Antarctica. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/lidar-antarctica-aug202-image…