Έλληνες επιστήμονες αποκάλυψαν την «ταφική πλάκα του Ιησού» (ΒΙΝΤΕΟ)

Έλληνες επιστήμονες αποκάλυψαν την «ταφική πλάκα του Ιησού» (ΒΙΝΤΕΟ)

Για πρώτη φορά εδώ και αιώνες, επιστήμονες αποκάλυψαν την επιφάνεια όπου είναι ο τάφος του Ιησού Χριστού.

Χτισμένος στον Ναό της Αναστάσεως του Κυρίου ή Ναό του Παναγίου Τάφου στη χριστιανική συνοικία της παλαιάς πόλης της Ιερουσαλήμ, ο τάφος ήταν καλυμμένος από μάρμαρο μέχρι τουλάχιστον το 1555 μ. Χ. και πιθανότατα και πολλούς αιώνες νωρίτερα.

"Το μάρμαρο που καλύπτει τον τάφο τραβήχτηκε στην άκρη και μείναμε έκπληκτοι με τον όγκο του υλικoύ από κάτω" λέει ο Fredrik Hiebert, αρχαιολόγος που συμμετέχει στις εργασίες αποκατάστασης.

"Θα είναι μια μακρά επιστημονική ανάλυση, ωστόσο θα μπορέσουμε τελικά να δούμε την πρώτη πέτρινη επιφάνεια πάνω στην οποία, σύμφωνα με την παράδοση, τοποθετήθηκε το σώμα του Ιησού".

Σύμφωνα με την χριστιανική παράδοση, το σώμα του Ιησού Χριστού τοποθετήθηκε πάνω σε μια πλάκα ή "ταφικό κρεβάτι" από ασβεστόλιθο δίπλα σε μια σπηλιά, μετά την σταύρωσή του από τους Ρωμαίους.

Η ταφική πλάκα βρίσκεται στο Κουβούκλιο, μια δομή είχε χτιστεί γύρω από τον τάφο, η οποία αναστηλώθηκε τελευταία φορά το διάστημα 1808-1810, καθώς είχε καταστραφεί σε πυρκαγιά.

Στο Κουβούκλιο και τον εσωτερικό τάφο πραγματοποιούν εργασίες αποκατάστασης τα μέλη μιας ομάδας επιστημόνων από το Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο της Αθήνας, υπό την καθοδήγηση της καθηγήτριας Αντωνίας Μοροπούλου.

Η έκθεση του ταφικού κρεβατιού δίνει στους ερευνητές για πρώτη φορά στα χρονικά την δυνατότητα να μελετήσουν την αρχική επιφάνεια του τάφου και μια ανάλυση του αρχικού βράχου μπορεί να τους κάνει να κατανοήσουν καλύτερα όχι μόνο την αρχική μορφή του ταφικού θαλάμου αλλά επίσης και το πώς εξελίχθηκε σε έναν από τους πιο ιερούς τόπους της Χριστιανοσύνης.

"Είμαστε σε κρίσιμη στιγμή για την αποκατάσταση του Κουβουκλίου. Οι τεχνικές που χρησιμοποιούμε για να καταγράψουμε αυτό το μοναδικό μνημείο θα επιτρέψουν στον κόσμο να μελετήσουν τα ευρήματά μας σαν να ήταν οι ίδιοι μέσα στον τάφο του Χριστού" λέει η κα Αντωνία Μοροπούλου στο National Geographic που δημοσιεύει τα εντυπωσιακά ευρήματα από την Ιερουσαλήμ.

Η στιγμή της αποκάλυψης

Οι πόρτες της Εκκλησίας είχαν κλείσει από νωρίς- ώρες πριν το καθιερωμένο πρόγραμμα, προκαλώντας σύγχυση σε ένα τεράστιο πλήθος πιστών και τουριστών που στέκονταν μπροστά στις τεράστιες ξύλινες πύλες.

Μέσα, ένα μεγάλο πλήθος από συντηρητές, πιστούς του Τάγματος των Φραγκισκανών, Ελληνορθόδοξους ιερείς και Κόπτες είχαν περικυκλώσει το Κουβούκλιο.

Μέσα στον τάφο, που συνήθως φωτίζεται μόνο από κεριά, υπήρχαν ηλεκτρικά φώτα μεγάλης έντασης, που έριχναν φως στο μικρό κελί, αποκαλύπτοντας μικρές λεπτομέρειες που συνήθως παραβλέπονται.

Η μαρμάρινη πλάκα που καλύπτει την Αγία έδρα είχε τραβηχτεί μακριά. Από κάτω υπήρχε μια γκρι-μπεζ πέτρινη επιφάνεια.

Γνωστή επίσης ως η Εκκλησία της Αναστάσεως, η διαχείρισή της μοιράζεται μεταξύ έξι Εκκλησιών, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της Ελληνικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας, της Ρωμαιοκαθολικής Εκκλησίας και της Αρμενικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας, οι οποίοι κάλεσαν το ΕΜΠ για να αναλάβει την αποκατάσταση.

Έξω από το Κουβούκλιο, ο Πατριάρχης Θεόφιλος Γ' Ιεροσολύμων, στεκόταν παρακολουθώντας τις εργασίες.

"Χαίρομαι που το κλίμα είναι τόσο ξεχωριστό, υπάρχει μια κρυφή ευδαιμονία. Εδώ έχουμε Φραγκισκανούς, Αρμένιους, Έλληνες, Μουσουλμάνους φρουρούς και Εβραίους αστυνομικούς. Ελπίζουμε και προσευχόμαστε πως αυτό θα αποτελέσει ένα αληθινό μήνυμα πως το αδύνατον μπορεί να γίνει δυνατό. Χρειαζόμαστε όλοι ειρήνη και αλληλοσεβασμό" λέει.

Video: Suicide Blast Reportedly Kills 58 Turkish Troops

A Kurdish rebel suicide blast in Turkey has killed 58 Turkish troops, or at least that’s the count according to the pro-Kurdish separatist Civil Defence Units’ twitter feed. That number was denied by the Turkish government, saying 10 troops were killed and another eight wounded. However, there were at least two Kobra armored trucks and what looks like a BTR-80 armored personnel carrier present. One could assume that their crews were present at the target at the time of the blast. Plus there were multiple other support type vehicles operating in close proximity as well. Yet, without knowing the purpose of those buildings, and if they were occupied barracks, it’s impossible to rule the figure out.

The HPG insurgent took a page out of the jihadist handbook and used a lone driver to infiltrate the Turkish military perimeter with a regularly-used work truck that wouldn’t seem out of place or suspicious. The tactic, although without honor, was effective in reducing the entire checkpoint and surrounding buildings to rubble.

The most complete ice age mastodon skeleton found in Michigan

October 18, 2016 by Jim Erickson

Skull of mastodon recovered Oct. 15 by a University of Michigan-led paleontological team near the town of Mayville, in Michigan’s Thumb region. Credit: Levi Stroud

The most complete ice age mastodon skeleton found in Michigan since the 1940s was recovered this month from the state's Thumb region by a University of Michigan-led team that included Tuscola County teachers who volunteered for the dig.

More than 75 complete or nearly complete bones, accounting for 60-70 percent of the extinct mammal's skeletal mass, were recovered during the four-day dig at the Fowler Center for Outdoor Learning near Mayville, in Michigan's Thumb region. The dig ended Sunday.

Most of the animal's long limb bones, both shoulder blades, the entire pelvis, the skull, many vertebrae and most of the ribs were recovered. The tusks, the lower jaw and most of the foot bones were not found.

Mastodons are extinct relatives of the elephant. Over the decades, pieces from roughly 300 mastodons have been found in Michigan. But fewer than 10 of those specimens are as complete as the one recovered in Mayville, said Daniel Fisher, director of the U-M Museum of Paleontology and leader of the dig.

"This is the most complete Michigan mastodon skeleton in many decades," said Fisher, who is also a professor in the U-M Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

"I think the last time a mastodon this complete was found in Michigan was in the 1940s. That was the Owosso mastodon, the mature female skeleton mounted at the U-M Museum of Natural History. As I recall, she was about 80 percent complete."

The excavation was a joint project between U-M and the Fowler Center. The dig team included 10 Tuscola County teachers, as well U-M undergraduate and graduate students and staff members from the school's Museum of Paleontology and its Museum of Natural History.

The bones have been donated to the Museum of Paleontology for further study. The specimen will be known as the Fowler Center Mastodon.

This individual was a male believed to be about 30 years old at the time of death, based on the stage of its molar development and wear. It probably lived 11,000 to 13,000 years ago; a radiocarbon age analysis will be conducted to pin down the date to within a century or less, Fisher said.
U-M-led team excavates the mastodon’s skull Oct. 15 at the site in Michigan’s Thumb region. Credit: Levi Stroud

The Fowler Center bones were discovered two years ago eroding from a stream bank. Preliminary studies of the initial bones suggested that the mastodon's carcass may have been processed by early human hunters or scavengers, Fisher said. The work conducted this month supports that idea, he said.


"I would say it is roughly 80 percent likely that humans were involved and responsible for major portions of what we see at this site," Fisher said. "The preponderance of evidence favors this interpretation."

Some of the recovered bones were fully articulated when found, meaning they remained in the same positions, relative to each other, as when the animal was alive. Some fully articulated sections were separated from other parts of the carcass, as if placed in separate piles.

Such a pattern is unlikely to develop when a large animal dies of natural causes and its carcass is exposed to the elements, Fisher said. In that case, scavengers typically pick apart the carcass and scatter the bones.

At the Fowler site, it looks like early human hunters or scavengers may have stored mastodon meat at the bottom of a pond that no longer exists, Fisher said. The bones were preserved in fine-grained pond sediments believed to have been deposited at the close of the last ice age.

The cold, low-oxygen environment of the pond bottom would have helped preserve the mastodon meat. Fisher said he has previously investigated more than a dozen of these prehistoric pond-storage sites in the Great Lakes region.

In Ann Arbor, members of Fisher's team will wash the bones and examine them for cut marks and other evidence of human butchery, or any other kind of postmortem modifications. In addition to the radiocarbon analysis, roots of one of the animal's wisdom teeth will be examined using microCT and growth-increment analyses to determine season of death.

U-M researchers and Fowler Center staff members decided to invite local teachers to be part of this month's dig as a way to share the discovery with the surrounding community. In addition, many locals gathered at the dig site this month to watch the excavation's progress.

"A big part of the Fowler Center's mission is to enhance personal growth through outdoor adventures that provide an opportunity for learning by doing. And that's exactly what this partnership with local teachers and U-M researchers is all about," said Kyle Middleton, executive director of the Fowler Center.

First dinosaur bones found in Denali National Park

An extremely well-preserved footprint in Denali National Park reveals a meat-eating dinosaur’s claws, fleshy toe pads and pebbly skin texture.
Credit: Pat Druckenmiller

Paleontologists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Park Service found the first dinosaur bones in Denali National Park during an expedition in July. They also discovered several new dinosaur trackways, which are fossilized impressions left by ancient animals walking through mud that eventually became rock.

Pat Druckenmiller, curator of Earth sciences at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, is leading a collaborative project with Denali National Park over the next several years to explore additional areas and make new discoveries.

“This marks the beginning of a multi-year project to locate, document and study dinosaur fossils in Denali National Park,” Druckenmiller said. “This is a world-class site for tracks of dinosaurs and other animals that lived in Alaska during the Cretaceous Period. Now that we have found bones, we have another way to understand the dinosaurs that lived here 70 million years ago.”

The research team found four different fragments, including one ossified tendon. The largest is a few inches long. They are clearly parts of bigger bones from a large animal. This rules out other animals with a backbone known from this geological period, including mammals, birds and even flying reptiles. Because they are parts of much bigger bones, Druckenmiller expects more complete remains may be found in the park.

“Finding these bones opens a new chapter in the story of Denali dinosaurs,” he said. “That story is still being written as we find new sites, new kinds of dinosaurs and evidence of their behavior.”

Before 2005, there was no known dinosaur record in Denali. That year, UAF students discovered the first track in the Cantwell Formation near Igloo Creek. Since then paleontologists have catalogued thousands of tracks. Still, this is the first time scientists have found identifiable bones left by animals that populated the area during the Late Cretaceous Period.

Park geologist Denny Capps said Denali National Park was created to protect the present intact ecosystem 99 years ago.

“We now know that it protects an ancient ecosystem, as well,” Capps said. “Visitors could discover a fresh bear track next to a 70-million-year-old dinosaur track or potentially even a bone. Thankfully, these resources are protected within the Denali wilderness for all to enjoy.”

Heather MacFarlane, a UA Museum of the North research assistant, discovered the first bone. She and other researchers recognized the fragments as bones rather than sedimentary material based on the surface and internal structure. These fossils closely resemble other plant-eating dinosaur bones found in Alaska.

Paleontologist Cassi Knight, physical science technician for Denali National Park, was with MacFarlane when the discovery was made.

“It is significant because it answers a question that has been standing for the past 11 years; ‘Are there dinosaur bones preserved in the Cantwell Formation?'” Knight said. “We have a great record of dinosaurs inhabiting this area, and now we finally know that their bones are preserved, too.”

Gregory Erickson, a Florida State University researcher who specializes in the use of bone and tooth histology to interpret the paleobiology of dinosaurs, was also part of the discovery team. He is preparing thin sections of some of the fossils. Scientists can examine these delicate slices under high-powered microscopes to determine the type of animal that left the bones behind. Annual growth lines and other patterns can also reveal the animal’s age.

Based on the shape and structure of the fossilized tendon discovered by the team, Erickson and Druckenmiller determined that it is from a large ornithopod dinosaur, probably a hadrosaur. These duck-billed, herbivorous dinosaurs were probably the most abundant large animals in Alaska. They were also the primary track-makers in the park during this time period.

Another larger fragment is composed of spongy bone originating from the end of a large animal’s limb. This microstructure shows the bone didn’t come from a crocodile or other slow-growing, cold-blooded animal. It is clearly from a medium-sized to large dinosaur, they said.

Druckenmiller and Erickson previously published documentation suggesting that during this time period, a distinct, polar fauna existed in what is now Alaska. Then, a polar forest covered the Arctic because the climate was much warmer. The dinosaurs had to contend with months of winter darkness and cooler temperatures than environments typically associated with dinosaurs.

NASA Watching Supertyphoon Haima Close in on Philippines

Supertyphoon Haima continues to move toward the Philippines and NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible image of the storm that revealed a clear eye.

On Oct. 18 at 12:10 a.m. EDT (0410 UTC) NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP captured this visible image of Super Typhoon Haima approaching the Philippines.

Credits: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response/NOAA

On Oct. 18 at 12:10 a.m. EDT (0410 UTC) the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible-light image of Super Typhoon Haima approaching the Philippines. The image showed a clear eye surrounded by powerful bands of thunderstorms. Feeder bands of thunderstorms wrapped into the low level center of circulation from the west and east.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA has posted many warnings. The Public storm warning signal #1 is in effect in the Luzon provinces of Ilocos Norte, Apayao, Cagayan including Calayan group of Islands, Batanes group of Islands, Isabela, Kalinga, Abra, Ilocos Sur, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, La Union, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Catanduanes and Polillo Islands.

On Oct. 18 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) Supertyphoon Haima had maximum sustained winds near 161 mph (140 knots/259 kph). That makes Haima a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the strongest category on the scale. Typhoon-force winds extend up to 55 nautical miles from the center, while tropical storm-force winds extend up to 180 nautical miles from the center.

Haima was located near 15.7 degrees north latitude and 129.1 degrees east longitude, about 474 nautical miles east of Manila, Philippines. It was moving to the west at 17.2 mph (15 knots/22.2 kph). 

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said that Haima is forecast to move to the west-northwest then northwest. It is forecast to clip the extreme north of Luzon Island and then head toward mainland China  

NASA Analyzes Typhoon Haima in Visible and Infrared Light 

NASA satellite data provided a look at Super Typhoon Haima in visible and infrared light to show the extent and strength of the storm.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite provided an infrared image of Haima on Oct. 18 and a visible image on Oct. 19.

This infrared image of Super Typhoon Haima was taken on Oct. 18 at 12:40 p.m. EDT (1640 UTC) and showed that the coldest temperature around the eyewall was around 220 Kelvin (-63F/-53C) indicating very powerful thunderstorms with the capability to generate very heavy rainfall.

Credits: UW-Madison/SSEC, William Straka III

An infrared image of Super Typhoon Haima was taken on Oct. 18 at 12:40 p.m. EDT (1640 UTC) and showed that the coldest temperature around the eyewall was around 220 Kelvin (minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit / minus 53 degrees Celsius) indicating very powerful thunderstorms with the capability to generate very heavy rainfall.

A visible image of Haima was taken on Oct. 19 at 1:35 a.m. EDT (05:35 UTC). The VIIRS image showed that the Super Typhoon's cloud-filled eye was clearly visible. The eye was surrounded by thick bands of powerful thunderstorms.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted "Microwave imagery continues to show concentric eyewalls and an apparent eyewall replacement cycle. The eyewall replacement as well as interaction with land has contributed to the recent weakening trend."

This visible image of Haima was taken on Oct. 19 at 1:35 a.m. EDT (05:35 UTC) from the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite. The Super Typhoon's cloud-filled eye was clearly visible and surrounded by thick bands of powerful thunderstorms.

Credits: NOAA/NASA's MODIS Rapid Response Team

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) Haima had weakened to typhoon status as maximum sustained winds were near 138 mph (120 knots/222 kph) making it a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. Typhoon-force winds extended 60 miles from the center, while tropical storm force winds extended out 205 miles from the eye.

It was located about 206 nautical miles northeast of Manila, Philippines near 17.3 degrees north latitude and 123.2 degrees east longitude. Haima was moving to the west-northwest at 18.4 mph (16 knots/29.6 kph).

On Oct. 19 there are many warnings in the Philippines. They include: Public storm warning signal #5 in the Luzon provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga, Apayao, Northern Abra and Ilocos Norte; Public storm warning signal #4 in the Luzon provinces of Rest of Abra, Ilocos Sur, Mt. Province, Ifugao and Calayan Group of Islands; Public storm warning signal #3 in the Luzon provinces of La Union, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Northern Aurora; Public storm warning signal #2 in the Luzon provinces of Batanes group of islands, Pangasinan, rest of Aurora, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Northern Zambales,  and Northern Quezon including Polillo Islands; and  Public storm warning signal #1 in the Luzon provinces of rest of Zambales, Bulacan, Bataan, Pampanga, Rizal, rest of Quezon, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay and Metro Manila.

Haima is weakening on approach to Luzon. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast expects Haima to move across the northern part of Luzon and emerge into the South China Sea where it is expected to make a second landfall in mainland China, east of Hong Kong. 

The Russian armada is getting ready to depart for the Mediterranean!

"Адмирал Кузнецов" отправится в Средиземноморье в середине октября

Москва. 27 сентября. INTERFAX.RU - Тяжелый авианесущий крейсер "Адмирал Кузнецов" Северного флота (СФ), как ожидается, отправится в дальний поход к берегам Сирии в середине октября, сообщил во вторник "Интерфаксу" источник, знакомый с ситуацией.

"Выход авианосной ударной группы в дальний поход состоится в период с 15 по 20 октября", - уточнил собеседник агентства.

По его данным, авианосец в понедельник покинул акваторию 35-го судоремонтного завода (СРЗ - филиал Центра судоремонта "Звездочка", входит в Объединенную судостроительную корпорацию), вышел в Баренцево море и находится близ острова Кильдин.

"К настоящему времени он принял полный боезапас, в том числе для авиакрыла", - отметил он.

Предполагается, что в ближайшие несколько дней он вернется в Североморск для пополнения запасов, на что ему потребуется как минимум 10 дней.

Авианосец находился на 35-м СРЗ с 12 августа, где в течение более чем месяца проходил второй этап сервисного обслуживания и восстановления технической готовности.

21 сентября министр обороны России генерал армии Сергей Шойгу сообщил о планах оборонного ведомства отправить авианосец к берегам Сирии.

В предыдущие годы "Адмирал Кузнецов" несколько раз решал задачи в Восточном Средиземноморье.

По имеющимся данным, в походе, который продлится 4 - 5 месяцев, авианосец будут сопровождать большой противолодочный корабль, большой морской танкер и спасательный буксир.

В настоящее время нет полной ясности относительно того, сколько самолетов МиГ-29КР/КУБР 100-го ОКИАП примет авианосец перед дальним походом и сколько летчиков прошли полный цикл подготовки к полетам с авианосца, поскольку, по имеющимся данным, большая часть самолетов этого полка находится в Ейске (Краснодарский край), где построен новый комплекс НИТКА.

"Admiral Kuznetsov" & Friends to Deploy Soon

SU-33 Flanker and MIG-29K Fulcrum on board "Admiral Kuznetsov" -- August 2016

It now appears certain that the Russian Navy's sole aircraft carrier, "Admiral Kuznetsov", along with the nuclear-powered cruiser "Petr Velikiy" and destroyer "Severomorsk", are preparing to deploy within the next week.

"Petr Velikiy" -- May 2016

According to social media, "Petr Velikiy" was scheduled to transfer to a mooring position near Severomorsk today and depart from there on October 15 for a six- to eight-month deployment.

"Admiral Kuznetsov" performing final preparations -- October 8, 2016

"Admiral Kuznetsov" will arrive at a similar mooring position near Severomorsk on October 11. Interfax, citing an anonymous source, earlier reported the aircraft carrier would depart on October 15-20.

"Severomorsk" at 35th Shipyard -- July 8, 2016

"Severomorsk" is also scheduled to depart on October 15, based on social media.

Auxiliary support for the deployment will likely include salvage tug "Nikolay Chiker" and oiler "Sergey Osipov". "Nikolay Chiker" is currently moored near Severomorsk Naval Base. "Sergey Osipov" was noted underway near Severomorsk Naval Base on October 8.

KA-52 Hokum on board "Admiral Kuznetsov" -- August 29, 2016

The aircraft carrier is expected to deploy with a mixed inventory of KA-27/KA-29 Helix and KA-52 Hokum helicopters, as well as SU-33 Flanker and MIG-29K Fulcrum fighters.

Repairs of "Admiral Kuznetsov" began last spring, and it appeared they would continue until the end of this year; however, the repairs were completed earlier than scheduled. Following a number of underway combat drills and carrier flight operations, "Admiral Kuznetsov" returned to Rosta for final preparations before it transfers to its Severomorsk mooring position this week.

Only in Iceland! Party in a 700 ft deep volcanic crater

Iceland’s ‘Inside the Volcano’ open for a few more days in 2016

Photo: Iceland Monitor/Einar Falur Ingólfsson

There are four days left this year for visitors to enjoy the stunning experience of exploring the inside of the Þríhnúkagígur volcanic crater.

3H Travel, the tour operator handling trips to Þríhnúkagígur has received a two-week extension for its operations this year – to 15 October.

“In recent years, we have been running tours until the end of September,” says CEO of 3H Travel Björn Ólafsson. “We wanted to see how things might go if we extended the period.

Þríhnúkagígur: A literal journey into the centre of the earth

Þríhnjúkagigur volcano is safely dormant and hasn't erupted in over 4000 years. Mbl.is/ Golli

Tourists to visit Þríhnjúkagigur, a dormant 700 foot deep volcanic crater not far from Reykjavik have now amounted to over ten thousand people. 

This past summer was the fourth consecutive summer in which trips to the depths of the crater have been offered and the trips are increasingly popular. 

According to managing director of the Þríhnjúkagigur project, Björn Ólafsson, positive media coverage internationally has helped to promote the crater. 

"Visitors have to walk from the Bláfjöll mountains to and from the crater, which is around three kilometers each way. This in itself is quite an experience," explains Ólafsson. "The Bláfjöll mountains are at 500 metres above sealevels and weather conditions are very changeable, which means that our trips really depend on the weather. We've been offering trips from mid-May until September and as we get closer into autumn we've sometimes had to cancel trips because of the weather." 

People of all ages have visited the crater and the oldest visitor was a British gentlemen aged 89 years old. "He'd seen it featured in a British paper and didn't want to miss this experience. He was wearing a Barbour jacket and he walked all the way to the crater without any problems. I told him how impressed I was and he answered that walking was no problem, if he was going to die, this was probably a great way to do it," says Ólafsson. 

Once people arrive at the crater, visitors are lowered down through the crater's opening (roughly 4×4 m/12×12 ft wide). The system employed is a system normally used to carry window cleaners up and down skyscrapers. 

The 120 m/400 ft journey takes about 6 minutes to complete, providing the opportunity to enjoy the incredible scenery along the way. 

Inside the crater. Golli / Kjartan Þorbjörnsson

Mountaineer and entrepreneur Björn Ólafsson, managing director of Þríhnjúkagigur. Golli / Kjartan Þorbjörnsson

People are lowered through the narrow opening of the crater. Golli / Kjartan Þorbjörnsson

New Tropical Storm Nicole's Center

NASA's Terra Satellite Shows Strength Around Tropical Storm Nicole's Center

Strong thunderstorms were evident around Tropical Storm Nicole's center of circulation in imagery from NASA's Terra satellite. Bermuda is now under a watch and a warning as Nicole is forecast to head that way in the next couple of days.

On Oct. 10 at 10:55 a.m. EDT NASA's Terra satellite saw a concentration of powerful thunderstorms circling Nicole's center that appeared a brighter white than those storms surrounding the center.

Credits: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

On Oct. 10 at 10:55 a.m. EDT when Terra passed over the Atlantic Ocean, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument provided a visible picture of the storm. The image showed a concentration of powerful thunderstorms circling Nicole's center that appeared a brighter white than those storms surrounding the center. There was also a powerful band of thunderstorms northeast of the center, indicating that wind shear was still affecting the storm.

Twenty-four hours later, that vertical wind shear finally weakened, which is expected to enable Nicole to strengthen to hurricane force as it heads toward Bermuda.

On Oct. 11 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) the National Hurricane Center (NHC) discussion noted: "Nicole's cloud pattern has improved this morning, with several bands of convection wrapping around the center. Recent microwave imagery has revealed a well-defined low-level eye feature and there are hints of a ragged banding eye forming in last few visible satellite pictures."

On Tuesday, Oct. 11 a Hurricane Watch and a Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for Bermuda.

At that time, Nicole's center was near 27.3 degrees north latitude and 65.9 degrees west longitude. That's about 350 miles (565 km) south of Bermuda. The National Hurricane Center said Nicole was moving toward the north-northwest near 5 mph (7 kph) and a turn toward the north and an increase in forward speed is expected tonight, followed by a northeast turn on Wednesday, Oct. 12.  On the forecast track, the center of Nicole is expected to approach Bermuda Wednesday night and pass near Bermuda Thursday morning.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 65 mph (100 kph) with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Nicole is forecast to become a hurricane late in the day on Oct. 11.