Tag: Wisconsin

NASA issues a Venus rover design challenge

NASA has issued a public challenge where you can help design a critical sensor that would be needed for a future rover on Venus. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/venus-aree-rover-sensor-public-challenge…

This Could Be Microsoft’s Most Important Product in 2020. If it Works

Alfred Ng, writing for CNET: Building 83 doesn’t stand out on Microsoft’s massive Redmond, Washington, headquarters. But last week, the nameless structure hosted what might be the software giant’s most important product of 2020. Tucked away in the corner of a meeting room, a sign reading “ElectionGuard” identifies a touchscreen that asks people to cast their votes. An Xbox adaptive controller…

Pier 1 Files For Bankruptcy, Warns of Dangers In Handful of Online Vendors Dominating Retail Sales

Pier 1 Imports filed for bankruptcy Monday (Warning: source paywalled; alternative source), “a victim of changing consumer tastes and an unforgiving retail environment,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Unlike many other retailers that have sought bankruptcy in recent years, the publicly traded Pier 1 — with assets of $426.6 million and listed total debt of $258.3 million — isn’t weighed down…

It’s time to watch for the zodiacal light

The zodiacal light is an eerie light extending up from the horizon. This is a good time of year to see it in the evening, from the Northern Hemisphere. Southern Hemisphere, look before dawn! Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-zodiacal-light-or-false-dusk…

Zodiacal light is a glowing pyramid after dark

From the Northern Hemisphere, look after true darkness falls for the elusive zodiacal light. It appears as a hazy pyramid of light extending up from the sunset point. Southern Hemisphere? Look before dawn! Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/zodiacal-light-is-glowing-pyramid-in-west-after-dark…

Semi-Transparent Solar Cells Could Make Greenhouses Self-Sufficient

An anonymous reader quotes a report from New Atlas: Organic solar cells (OSCs) have a few advantages over other designs. They still collect energy from sunlight, but can be made more flexible, transparent (or at least semi-transparent) and can be tuned to only absorb certain wavelengths of light. That potentially makes them perfect for greenhouse roofing — they can let most…

Will Punxsutawney Phil get it right in 2020?

Every February 2nd, a weather-prognosticating groundhog in Pennsylvania tells us if we should expect six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Should we believe him? Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/groundhog-day-punxsutawney-phil-accuracy…

Latest sunrises (north) and sunsets (south) in early January

Shortest and longest days at the solstices, but latest sunrises (Northern Hemisphere) and sunsets (Southern Hemisphere) in early January. Nature is subtle on a tilted Earth, pursuing an elliptical orbit around the sun. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/latest-sunrises-for-midnorthern-latitudes-in-early-january…