Παρασκευή 22 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Πέμπτη 21 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
NEW!!! 2014 Xhibitionist ultra luxury yacht
The Xhibitionist is a 75-meter superyacht with unmissable automotive cues, and it is said to be the inspiration for the Xhibit-G supercar.
The Xhibitionist is a multi-purpose watercraft whose inner spaces can be rearranged into a car showroom, a partitioned retail space or a luxury lounge for guests. The 'hood' at the bow opens up to release an array of solar panels that are sturdy enough to act as a platform for entertaining or as a helipad. Beneath that is a viewing deck, while out back, guests can enjoy the hot tub on the fly deck.
Motivation for the Xhibitionist comes from hybrid engines in the "powerplant gallery," but the carbon-fiber-bodied Xhibit-G supercar with its aluminum chassis gets more traditional gumption from a 630-horsepower V12. Oddly for a supercar, though, the car is limited to a top speed of 155 mph. Inside is white leather set off by black carbon fiber and chrome. The supercar is said to be for Zeus Twelve, a supercar brand working with Mansory and Lotus.
Δευτέρα 18 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Κυριακή 17 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Ένοπλος απήγαγε Έλληνα εργαζόμενο στη Νιγηρία - Σε συναγερμό οι ελληνικές αρχές
Ένοπλος απήγαγε Έλληνα εργαζόμενο στη Νιγηρία - Σε συναγερμό οι ελληνικές αρχές
Έλληνας πολίτης ο οποίος εργάζεται στην εταιρεία Setraco στη Νιγηρία απήχθη το βράδυ του Σαββάτου. Σε συναγερμό οι ελληνικές αρχές
Ένοπλοι επιτέθηκαν σε κατασκευαστική εταιρεία στη Νιγηρία και απήγαγαν επτά ξένους εργαζόμενους από την Ελλάδα, τη Βρετανία, την Ιταλία και το Λίβανο, ενώ σκότωσαν τον φρουρό ασφαλείας της εταιρείας.
Το ελληνικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών με ανακοίνωσή του επιβεβαίωσε την απαγωγή ενός Έλληνα πολίτη που εργάζεται στην εταιρεία Setraco στη Νιγηρία.
"Η πρεσβεία της Ελλάδος στη Νιγηρία βρίσκεται σε επαφή με τις αρχές της Νιγηρίας, τις άλλες ενδιαφερόμενες πρεσβείες και τους εκπροσώπους της εταιρείας για την αντιμετώπιση της κατάστασης. Το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών έχει ενημερώσει την οικογένεια του απαχθέντος" αναφέρεται στην ανακοίνωση.
Και το ιταλικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών, από την πλευρά του, επιβεβαίωσε ότι ένας ιταλός πολίτης απήχθη κατά την επιδρομή, αλλά αρνήθηκε να κάνει γνωστό το όνομά του ή την ηλικία του.
Στη Βηρυτό, αξιωματούχος της λιβανέζικης κυβέρνησης που ζήτησε να μην κατονομαστεί δήλωσε ότι έχουν απαχθεί δύο Λιβανέζοι που εργάζονταν στη Setraco.
"Έγινε μια επίθεση το βράδυ του Σαββάτου στο χώρο της κατασκευαστικής εταιρείας Setraco στον τομέα της πόλης της Τζάμα (200 χλμ. από την πόλη Μπαουτσί) από άγνωστους ένοπλους", δήλωσε ο αρχηγός της αστυνομίας της Πολιτείας του Μπαουτσί, Μοχάμεντ Λάνταν.
"Επτά εργαζόμενοι της εταιρείας απήχθησαν. Σκότωσαν τον φρουρό ασφαλείας του χώρου" δήλωσε ακόμη, προσθέτοντας πως η αστυνομία διεξάγει έρευνες.
Οι δράστες είχαν προηγουμένως επιτεθεί στη φυλακή και σε ένα αστυνομικό τμήμα στην ίδια πόλη, αλλά απωθήθηκαν, δήλωσε ακόμη ο Λάνταν.
Σάββατο 16 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Plasma Rockets & Solar Storms
Join a small team of rocket designers as they open a window into the future of space travel. Stirring music from Digital Republic.
Modern science has linked polar light shows, called auroras, to vast waves of electrified gas hurled in our direction by the sun. Today, researchers from a whole new generation see this dynamic substance, plasma, as an energy source that may one day fuel humanity's expansion into space. What can we learn, and how far can we go, by tapping into the strange and elusive fourth state of matter?
Since the dawn of rocketry, we've relied on the same basic technology to get us off the ground. Fill a cylinder with volatile chemicals, then ignite them in a controlled explosion. The force of the blast is what pushes the rocket up. Nowadays, chemical rockets are the only ones with enough thrust to overcome Earth's gravity and carry a payload into orbit. But they are not very efficient.
The heavier the payload, the more fuel a rocket needs to lift it into space. But the more fuel a rocket carries, the more fuel it needs. For long-range missions, most spacecraft rely on their initial launch speed to essentially coast to their destination. Flight planners often design routes that give the craft a gravity assist by sending it around the moon or another planet. One small cadre of scientists believes it has a quicker and more efficient way to get around in space.
Dr. Ben Longmier and his team from the University of Michigan have traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska to play a small part in a much larger push to revolutionize space travel and exploration.
The team plans to use helium balloons to send components of a new type of rocket engine to an altitude of over 30 kilometers, above 99% of Earth's atmosphere. The purpose is to test these components within the harsh environment of space. While astronauts train to live and work in zero gravity, or to move around in bulky space suits, these would-be space explorers are preparing to negotiate some of Earth's harshest environments.
Once they launch their payload, they have to retrieve it wherever it comes down in Alaska's vast snowy wilderness. The idea they are pursuing is nothing short of revolutionary. It's a type of rocket that promises far greater gas mileage than other rockets, and enough power to reach distant targets. It runs on the same fuel that nature uses, literally, to power the universe: plasma.
Modern science has linked polar light shows, called auroras, to vast waves of electrified gas hurled in our direction by the sun. Today, researchers from a whole new generation see this dynamic substance, plasma, as an energy source that may one day fuel humanity's expansion into space. What can we learn, and how far can we go, by tapping into the strange and elusive fourth state of matter?
Since the dawn of rocketry, we've relied on the same basic technology to get us off the ground. Fill a cylinder with volatile chemicals, then ignite them in a controlled explosion. The force of the blast is what pushes the rocket up. Nowadays, chemical rockets are the only ones with enough thrust to overcome Earth's gravity and carry a payload into orbit. But they are not very efficient.
The heavier the payload, the more fuel a rocket needs to lift it into space. But the more fuel a rocket carries, the more fuel it needs. For long-range missions, most spacecraft rely on their initial launch speed to essentially coast to their destination. Flight planners often design routes that give the craft a gravity assist by sending it around the moon or another planet. One small cadre of scientists believes it has a quicker and more efficient way to get around in space.
Dr. Ben Longmier and his team from the University of Michigan have traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska to play a small part in a much larger push to revolutionize space travel and exploration.
The team plans to use helium balloons to send components of a new type of rocket engine to an altitude of over 30 kilometers, above 99% of Earth's atmosphere. The purpose is to test these components within the harsh environment of space. While astronauts train to live and work in zero gravity, or to move around in bulky space suits, these would-be space explorers are preparing to negotiate some of Earth's harshest environments.
Once they launch their payload, they have to retrieve it wherever it comes down in Alaska's vast snowy wilderness. The idea they are pursuing is nothing short of revolutionary. It's a type of rocket that promises far greater gas mileage than other rockets, and enough power to reach distant targets. It runs on the same fuel that nature uses, literally, to power the universe: plasma.
Παρασκευή 15 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
HD STARS
This is the third installment of Chile Chill, a type of video designed to offer a calm experience of the Chilean night sky and ESO's observing sites, undisturbed by facts or narration. In this episode we are treated to stunning views of the Atacama Desert, including the conical volcano Licancabur and slow moonrises over the Andes.
Peter Frampton - Can't Take That Away (Live In Detroit) ~ 1080p HD
Filmed in high definition on 17 July 1999 at Pine Knob Amphitheatre in Detroit, Michigan, "Live In Detroit" captures a classic Peter Frampton performance that has become well established as a fan's favourite. The show features tracks from across Frampton's extensive and highly successful career.
ΜΕΤΕΩΡΙΤΗΣ ΠΕΦΤΕΙ ΣΕ ΡΩΣΙΑ
ΑΥΤΟ ΗΤΑΝ ΜΙΑ ΜΙΚΡΗ ΠΕΤΡΟΥΛΑ ΕΝ ΣΥΓΚΡΙΣΗ ΜΕ ΤΟΝ ΑΛΛΟΝ ΠΟΥ ΠΕΡΑΣΕ ΚΑΙ ΕΦΥΓΕ ΕΧΤΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΗΤΑΝ ΓΥΡΩ ΣΤΑ 45 ΜΕΤΡΑ.
ΑΥΤΟΣ ΠΡΟΛΑΒΕ ΝΑ ΔΙΑΛΥΘΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΤΜΟΣΦΑΙΡΑ ΒΙΝΤΕΟ
ΦΑΝΤΑΣΤΗΤΕ ΟΤΙ ΜΠΟΡΕΙ ΙΣΩΣ ΝΑ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΡΕΨΗ 100.000 ΤΕΤΡΑΓΩΝΙΚΑ ΧΙΛΙΟΜΕΤΡΑ ΔΗΛΑΔΗ ΜΙΑ ΧΩΡΑ ΟΣΟ Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ
ΑΥΤΟΣ ΠΡΟΛΑΒΕ ΝΑ ΔΙΑΛΥΘΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΤΜΟΣΦΑΙΡΑ ΒΙΝΤΕΟ
ΦΑΝΤΑΣΤΗΤΕ ΟΤΙ ΜΠΟΡΕΙ ΙΣΩΣ ΝΑ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΡΕΨΗ 100.000 ΤΕΤΡΑΓΩΝΙΚΑ ΧΙΛΙΟΜΕΤΡΑ ΔΗΛΑΔΗ ΜΙΑ ΧΩΡΑ ΟΣΟ Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ
Τα ουράνια σώματα, η πτώση των οποίων παρατηρήθηκε την Τετάρτη στα Ουράλια, στη ρωσική περιοχή του Βόλγα, καθώς και στο Καζαχστάν, ήταν θραύσματα μετεωρίτη που εξερράγη στον ουρανό. Σύμφωνα με τις εκτιμήσεις της Ρωσικής Ακαδημίας Επιστημών, ο μετεωρίτης είχε διάμετρο μερικά μέτρα, ζύγιζε περίπου 10 τόνους και έτρεχε προς τη Γη με ταχύτητα 15-20 χλμ. το δευτερόλεπτο.
Στα πυκνά στρώματα της ατμόσφαιρας το ουράνιο σώμα διασπάστηκε σε μικρά κομμάτια. Χάρη σ΄ αυτό δεν υπήρξαν νεκροί και σοβαρές καταστροφές, πιστεύουν οι επιστήμονες.
Σύμφωνα με αυτόπτες μάρτυρες, στην αρχή ο ουρανός φωτίστηκε από μια έντονη λάμψη φωτός, μετά ακούστηκε έκρηξη και στον ουρανό εμφανίστηκε μια φωτισμένη σφαίρα, που άφησε πίσω της ένα πλατύ άσπρο ίχνος. Από το κύμα του αέρα από την έκρηξη έσπασαν οι τζαμαρίες πολλών κτηρίων. Τα θραύσματα του μετεωρίτη εν μέρει κατάστρεψαν τον τοίχο και τη σκεπή ενός εργοστασίου της πόλης Τσελιάμπινσκ. Ζημιές υπέστησαν και οι ηλεκτροφόρες γραμμές. Πάνω από 500 άνθρωποι ζήτησαν ιατρική περίθαλψη, βασικά με κοψίματα και μώλωπες.
Αν ο μετεωρίτης ήταν πιό στερεός και μεγαλύτερος, τα θύματα και οι καταστροφές θα ήταν πολύ μεγαλύτερες. Απλώς φανήκαμε τυχεροί, θεωρεί ο εμπειρογνώμονας του Ρωσικού Ινστιτούτου Αστρονομίας Ντμίτρι Βίμπε:
Το ηλιακό σύστημα είναι γεμάτο από ύλη. Εκτός των πλανητών σ΄ αυτό υπάρχουν και πολύ μικρότερα σώματα, οι διαστάσεις των οποίων μπορούν να ανέρχονται σε εκατοντάδες χλμ., ενώ άλλα μπορεί να έχουν διάμετρο κυριολεκτικά μερικών μέτρων. Φυσικά, αυτά τα σώματα κατά περιόδους συγκρούονται και μεταξύ τους, και με πλανήτες, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της Γης. Όταν ένα τέτοιο σώμα εισέρχεται στην ατμόσφαιρα της Γης, η ταχύτητά του είναι πολύ μεγάλη και ανέρχεται σε δεκάδες χλμ. το δευτερόλεπτο. Κατά την τροχοπέδησή του στη γήινη ατμόσφαιρα θερμαίνεται πάρα πολύ, αρχίζει να εξατμίζεται και εκλύεται πολύ μεγάλη ενέργεια. Αν το σώμα έχει μικρό μέγεθος, μπορεί να διαλυθεί πλήρως και αυτή η διάλυση μπορεί να φαίνεται από τη Γη σαν έκρηξη. Και τα τεμάχια, τα οποία δεν διαλύθηκαν ολοσχερώς μετά τη διέλευση μέσα από την ατμόσφαιρα, πέφτουν και ακριβώς εκείνη τη στιγμή αρχίζουν να ονομάζονται μετεωρίτες.
Πέμπτη 14 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
ΣΥΡΙΑ ΩΡΑ ΜΗΔΕΝ
Η ΣΥΡΙΑ ΠΛΕΟΝ ΕΧΕΙ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΡΑΦΗ ΣΧΕΔΟΝ ΟΛΗ. ΘΥΜΙΖΗ ΤΗΝ ΓΕΡΜΑΝΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΥ ΠΑΓΚΟΣΜΙΟΥ ΠΟΛΕΜΟΥ. ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΟΤΕΡΟ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΟΤΙ ΤΑ ΜΕΣΑ ΜΑΖΙΚΗΣ ΕΝΗΜΕΡΩΣΗΣ ΔΕΝ ΠΡΟΒΑΛΟΥΝ ΤΑ ΓΕΓΟΝΟΤΑ.
Τετάρτη 13 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Κυριακή 10 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Σάββατο 9 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Accused Witch Burned Alive in Papua New Guinea
Accused Witch Burned Alive in Papua New Guinea
A mob stripped, tortured and bound a woman accused of witchcraft, then burned her alive in front of hundreds of horrified witnesses in a Papua New Guinea town, police said. It was the latest sorcery-related killing in this South Pacific island nation.
Bystanders, including many children, watched and some took photographs of Wednesday's brutal slaying. Grisly pictures were published on the front pages of the country's two largest newspapers, The National and the Post-Courier, while the prime minister, police and diplomats condemned the killing.
In rural Papua New Guinea, witchcraft is often blamed for unexplained misfortunes. Sorcery has traditionally been countered by sorcery, but responses to allegations of witchcraft have become increasingly violent in recent years.
Kepari Leniata, a 20-year-old mother, had been accused of sorcery by relatives of a 6-year-old boy who died in a hospital on Tuesday.
She was tortured with a hot iron rod, bound, doused in gasoline, and then set alight on a pile of car tires and trash in the Western Highlands provincial capital of Mount Hagen, national police spokesman Dominic Kakas said.
Deputy Police Commissioner Simon Kauba on Friday blasted Mount Hagen investigators by phone for failing to make a single arrest, Kakas said.
The public were apparently not cooperating with police, and police carrying out the investigation were not working hard enough, Kakas said.
"He was very, very disappointed that there's been no arrest made as yet," Kakas said.
"The incident happened in broad daylight in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses and yet we haven't picked up any suspects yet," he added.
Kakas described the victim's husband as the "prime suspect" and said the man had fled the province. Kakas said he did not know if there was a relationship between the husband and the dead boy's family.
He said more than 50 people are suspected to have "laid a hand on the victim" and committed crimes in the mob attack. While many children had witnessed the killing, there were no child suspects, he said.
Kakas said onlookers were shocked by the brutality but were powerless to stop the mob. Police officers were also present but were outnumbered and could not save the woman, he said. There is an internal investigation under way into what action police at the scene took.
Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga described the slaying as "shocking and devilish."
"We are in the 21st century and this is totally unacceptable," Kulunga said in a statement.
He suggested courts be established to deal with sorcery allegations, as an alternative to villagers dispensing justice.
Prime Minister Pete O'Neill said he had instructed police to use all available manpower to bring the killers to justice.
"It is reprehensible that women, the old and the weak in our society should be targeted for alleged sorcery or wrongs that they actually have nothing to do with," O'Neill said.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland condemned Leniata's killing as a "brutal murder."
"There is no possible justification for this sort of horrific violence. We urge that sufficient resources are devoted to identifying, prosecuting and bringing to justice those responsible," Nuland said. She added that the U.S. would continue to work with the Papua New Guinean government and civil society to address gender-based violence.
The United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the killing "adds to the growing pattern of vigilante attacks and killings of persons accused of sorcery" in Papua New Guinea.
In other recent sorcery-related killings, police arrested 29 people in July last year accused of being part of a cannibal cult in Papua New Guinea's jungle interior and charged them with the murders of seven suspected witch doctors.
AP
In this Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 photo,... View Full Caption
Kakas could not immediately say what had become of the 29 since their first court appearances last year in the north coast province of Madang.
Police alleged the cult members ate their victims' brains raw and made soup from their penises.
The killers allegedly believed that their victims practiced sorcery and that they had been extorting money as well as demanding sex from poor villagers for their supernatural services.
By eating witch doctors' organs, the cult members believed they would attain supernatural powers.
Murder in punishable by death in Papua New Guinea, a poor tribal nation of 7 million people who are mostly subsistence farmers. But no one has been hanged since independence.
Παρασκευή 8 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Πέμπτη 7 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
NASA - NASA News Audio Live Streaming
NASA - NASA News Audio Live Streaming
ΑΚΟΥΣΤΕ ΖΩΝΤΑΝΑ ΕΔΩ ΣΕ ΛΙΓΟ ΤΗΝ ΣΥΖΗΤΗΣΗ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΑΣΤΕΡΟΕΙΔΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΙ ΠΙΘΑΝΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΠΡΟΣΚΡΟΥΣΗΣ ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΓΗ ΥΠΑΡΧΟΥΝ.
ΑΚΟΥΣΤΕ ΖΩΝΤΑΝΑ ΕΔΩ ΣΕ ΛΙΓΟ ΤΗΝ ΣΥΖΗΤΗΣΗ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΑΣΤΕΡΟΕΙΔΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΙ ΠΙΘΑΝΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΠΡΟΣΚΡΟΥΣΗΣ ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΓΗ ΥΠΑΡΧΟΥΝ.
Τρίτη 5 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
13 Ιανουαρίου 2013.
Δύο μικρά νησιά είχαν μεγάλο αντίκτυπο στις ουρανό πάνω από τον Ειρηνικό Ωκεανό, τον Ιανουάριο του 2013, η δημιουργία του Paisley σχέδια που εκτείνεται 280 χιλιόμετρα (175 μίλια). Το ψήφισμα Μέτρια απεικόνισης Φασματοραδιόμετρο (MODIS) της NASA για Terra δορυφόρου συνέλαβε αυτή την εικόνα φυσικών χρωμάτων στις 13 Ιανουαρίου 2013.
Τα Juan Fernandez νησιά βρίσκονται περίπου 800 χιλιόμετρα (500 μίλια) από την ακτή της Χιλής. Το μεγαλύτερο από αυτά-Isla Alejandro (Αλέξανδρος) και Selkirk Isla Robinson Crusoe-Τα ηφαιστειακά νησιά που βρίσκονται κατά μήκος ενός Ανατολής-Δύσης τείνοντας-υποβρύχιο κορυφογραμμή. Κάθε νησί διαθέτει ένα ψηλό σύνοδο κορυφής. Με έκταση 52 τετραγωνικά χιλιόμετρα (20 τετραγωνικά μίλια), Isla Alejandro Selkirk φτάνει σε υψόμετρο από 1.650 μέτρα (5.413 πόδια) πάνω από την επιφάνεια της θάλασσας. Ελαφρώς μικρότερη, Isla Robinson Crusoe έχει μια συνολική έκταση 48 τετραγωνικά χιλιόμετρα (19 τετραγωνικά μίλια), και φτάνει σε υψόμετρο από 922 μέτρα (3025 πόδια).
Τα νησιά είναι αρκετά ψηλός για να διαταράξει τη ροή του αέρα πάνω από τον ωκεανό. Όταν ένα αντικείμενο, όπως ένα νησί παρεμβαίνει με την κυκλοφορία του αέρα, von Karman δίνες σχηματίζουν στον αέρα για το κατάντη (ή υπήνεμη) πλευρά του νησιού. Επίσης γνωστό ως δίνη δρόμους, που είναι διπλές σειρές των δινών σπείρα που γίνονται ορατά από τα σύννεφα.
Day 7: Child held hostage in bunker
Jimmy Lee Dykes is the suspect accused of taking a 5-year-old boy off of a school bus and holding him hostage in an underground bunker. Today will mark the seventh day the two have been underground.Over the past few days, we've gotten a better idea of what this bunker looks like where the suspect is holding his young hostage. We know the bunker is several feet underground behind a camper and a large shed. It's about 15 feet by 15 feet, with stairs leading up to the doors. For more informaton please visit
Δευτέρα 4 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΙΚΟΙ ΙΕΡΕΙΣ
Ο π. Μιχαήλ είναι ο ιερέας της 45ης Αερομεταφερόμενης Ταξιαρχίας Καταδρομέων (VDV) του ρωσικού στρατού. Είναι και ο ίδιος αλεξιπτωτιστής όπως και οι άλλοι επτά στρατιωτικοί ιερείς που υπηρετούν στις ειδικές δυνάμεις. Το 2012 έκανε 38 άλματα με αλεξίπτωτο. Στα σακίδια αυτών των ιερέων υπάρχουν όλα τα απαραίτητα για μια λειτουργία κάτω από αντίξοες συνθήκες. Οι στρατιωτικοί ιερείς που υπηρετούν στις ειδικές δυνάμεις έχουν στην διάθεση τους και ένα φορτηγό KAMAZ διαμορφωμένο σε εκκλησία το οποίο μπορεί και να μεταφερθεί με μεταγωγικό αεροσκάφος. Ο Επίσκοπος Σάββας που είναι προϊστάμενος της θρησκευτικής υπηρεσίας του ρωσικού στρατού έχει στο ενεργητικό του περισσότερα από 450 άλματα με αλεξίπτωτο.
Οι στρατιωτικοί ιερείς που υπηρετούν στις ειδικές δυνάμεις είναι αλεξιπτωτιστές με μέσο όρο τα 250 άλματα. Στα σακίδια αυτών των ιερέων υπάρχουν όλα τα απαραίτητα για μια λειτουργία κάτω από αντίξοες συνθήκες. Οι στρατιωτικοί ιερείς που υπηρετούν στις ειδικές δυνάμεις έχουν στην διάθεση τους και ένα φορτηγό KAMAZ διαμορφωμένο σε εκκλησία το οποίο μπορεί και να μεταφερθεί με μεταγωγικό αεροσκάφος. Ο Επίσκοπος Σάββας που είναι προϊστάμενος της θρησκευτικής υπηρεσίας του ρωσικού στρατού έχει στο ενεργητικό του περισσότερα από 450 άλματα με αλεξίπτωτο.
Κυριακή 3 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Σάββατο 2 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
Asteroid, Planets and Comet, Oh My - Feb. 2013 Skywatching Video
Asteroid 2012 DA14 to sweep close on February 15, 2013
Asteroid 2012 DA14 on February 15, 2012
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A near-Earth asteroid – called 2012 DA14 by astronomers – will pass very close to Earth on February 15, 2013. Astronomers estimate that, when it’s closest to us, it’ll be within the orbit of the moon (which is about 240,000 miles away), and within the orbits of geosynchronous satellites (about 26,000 miles up). 2012 DA14 will be about 21,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) away. It will not strike Earth in 2013. Astronomers’ calculations of asteroid orbits can be trusted. After all, even decades ago, they knew enough about calculating orbits to send people to the moon and bring them safely back, and today we are able place our space vehicles in orbit around objects as small as asteroids.
So, no, 2012 DA14 won’t strike us in 2013. There was a remote possibility it might strike us in 2020, but that possibility has been ruled out also.
Asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass closest on February 15, 2013. As the image above shows, it will pass much closer than the orbit of the moon - closer even that orbiting geosynchronous satellites (22,000 miles). View larger. Image Credit: NASA
What will happen when Asteroid 2012 DA14 passes closely in 2013?
What will happen when it passes us? The short answer is … nothing. On the day it passes, most of us won’t see it or be aware of its passage, in any way. The asteroid won’t alter the tides. It won’t cause volcanoes. It’ll just sweep closely past us – as millions of asteroids have done throughout Earth’s four-and-a-half-billion-year history – some in your own lifetime.
The asteroid will be within range for small telescopes and solidly mounted binoculars, used by experienced observers who have access to appropriate stars charts. Here’s what NASA says about its visibility:
On [February 15, 2013], the asteroid will travel rapidly from the southern evening sky into the northern morning sky with its closest Earth approach occurring about 19:26 UTC when it will achieve a magnitude of less than seven, which is somewhat fainter than naked eye visibility. About 4 minutes after its Earth close approach, there is a good chance it will pass into the Earth’s shadow for about 18 minutes or so before reappearing from the eclipse. When traveling rapidly into the northern morning sky, 2012 DA14 will quickly fade in brightness.
What do we know about asteroid 2012 DA14?
Asteroid 2012 DA14 is a little guy, compared to some asteroids, although its size has not been pinned down precisely. It is thought to be about 45 meters across (nearly 150 feet across), with an estimated mass of about 130,000 metric tons.
If a space object 150 feet wide were to strike our planet, it wouldn’t be Earth-destroying. But it has been estimated that it would produce the equivalent of 2.4 megatons of TNT. How does that compare with other known impact events on Earth? In 1908, in a remote part of Russia, an explosion killed reindeer and flattened trees. But no crater was ever found. Scientists now believe a small comet struck Earth. That event has been estimated at 3 to 20 megatons. So 2012 DA14 is in the same approximate realm as the Tunguska comet (which, actually, might have been an asteroid instead). It would not destroy Earth, but it could flatten a city.
Of course, about 70% of our world is covered by oceans. That means the most likely landing spot of any incoming asteroid is in the water – not on a city or other populated area.
Astronomers at the Observatorio Astronómico de La Sagra in Spain discovered 2012 DA14 in early 2012. We know 2012 DA14′s orbit is similar to that of Earth. That is one reason the asteroid eluded astronomers until recently. You can be sure that many astronomers are carefully tracking 2012 DA14 now.
The orbit of 2012 DA14 is an inclined ellipse. In other words, it’s tilted sightly with respect to Earth’s orbit around the sun, and, like Earth’s orbit, it’s not circular but elliptical – like a circle that someone sat down on.According to Bad Astronomer Phil Plait, who appears to have used a computer program to look at its orbit:
The asteroid spends most of its time well away from our planet. However, the path of the rock does bring it somewhat close to the Earth twice per orbit, or about every six months. The last time it passed us was on February 16 [2012], when it was about 2.5 million km (1.5 million miles) away, equal to about 6 times the distance to the moon. That’s usually about the scale of these encounters — it misses us by quite a margin.
If we know it will miss us in 2013 and in 2020, why are astronomers still watching? In fact, the orbit of 2012 DA14 is not entirely pinned down, although it is known well enough to say for sure: it will not hit us next year, or in 2020.
But it will come close on February 15, 2013! It should be close enough to catch the attention of virtually everyone on Earth in February 2013, on what’s sure to be a media field day.
Will 2012 DA14 strike Earth in 2020?
No. In March 2012, when a collision between 2012 DA14 and Earth in 2020 was still remotely possible, I asked astronomer Donald Yeomans to clarify the risk. Yeomans is, among other things, manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In March 2012, he told EarthSky that a 2020 collision between Earth and asteroid 2012 DA14 was …
… approximately one chance in 83,000, with additional remote possibilities beyond 2020. However, by far the most likely scenario is that additional observations, especially in 2013, will allow a dramatic reduction in the orbit uncertainties and the complete elimination of the 2020 impact possibility.
It turned out they didn’t have to wait until 2013. By May, 2012, astronomers had ruled out even the remote possibility of a 2020 collision.
Still, 2012 DA14 and asteroids like it are sobering.
Bottom line: The near Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 will have a very close pass near Earth on February 15, 2013. It will sweep approximately 21,000 miles from us – much closer than the moon’s orbit and closer than geosynchronous satellites. It will not strike Earth. Its orbit around the sun can bring it no closer to the Earth’s surface on February 15, 2013 than 3.2 Earth radii.
Παρασκευή 1 Φεβρουαρίου 2013
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