Video tour – via satellite – of the Amazon River meandering through the Amazon rainforest in South America. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/amazon-river-satellite-image…
Tag: Radar
Cool! Here’s how Venus would look as a water world
A new map created by a Reddit user – based on what we know about the highs and lows on Venus’ surface – shows what this neighboring, cloud-shrouded, blazing hot planet might look like with oceans. Wow! Source: https://earthsky.org/space/venus-map-with-oceans-on-surface-terraforming…
A breakthrough in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
The researchers called their new analytical technique “a milestone in SETI.” One researcher commented: “We now know that fewer than one in 1,600 stars closer than about 330 light years host transmitters just a few times more powerful than the strongest radar we have here on Earth.” Source: https://earthsky.org/space/analytical-breakthrough-seti-expand-search-200-times…
Astronomers issue report on the effect of ‘satellite constellations’ on astronomy
A new report concludes that large constellations of bright satellites in low-Earth orbit will fundamentally change ground-based astronomy and impact the appearance of the night sky for stargazers worldwide. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/astronomers-report-effect-of-satellite-constellations-astronomy…
Pandemic-Weary CS Students Tempted With Gap Years By Recruiting Startups
Long-time Slashdot reader theodp shared this report from Bloomberg News: To many college students, the prospect of a year of school during a pandemic — with virtual classes, restricted movements and no parties — is a huge bummer. Some Silicon Valley startups, hungry for young talent, see it as an opportunity. Over the past few months, several companies have presented an…
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…
CIA Declassifies Cold War-Era Plans for a ‘Nuclear Bird Drone’
“During the Cold War, the CIA considered building a bird-sized drone designed to spy on the communist bloc,” reports Popular Mechanics. “The drone would carry ‘black box’ spy packages into Russia and China, as well as take secret photographs — all while hiding in plain sight disguised as a bird…” The project envisioned a fleet of 12 bird-shaped drones, powered by…
Arecibo Observatory damaged by broken lashing cable
The new damage to Arecibo, caused by the heavy cable, happened while repairs from 2017’s Hurricane Maria were still ongoing. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/arecibo-observatory-damaged-by-broken-lashing-cable…
Researchers Build a Low-Power Radar on a CMOS ChIp
The international R&D hub Imec has made a millimetre-wave motion detection radar integrated in a standard 28nm CMOS chip, reports Electronics Weekly, adding that it consumes just 62 mW,”making the sensor integrable into small, battery-powered devices…” The radar operates in the frequency band around 60 GHz, a license-free ISM band that can be used for new IoT applications for industrial and…
Forecasters bump up hurricane predictions for 2020
On Wednesday, forecasters at Colorado State increased their prediction for the number of named storms in the Atlantic in 2020 to 24 named storms and 5 major hurricanes. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/colorado-state-forecasters-increase-hurricane-predictions-for-2020…