Comet Pan-STARRS Is Closest to Sun Today: See It at Sunset

March 10, 2013 By

Comet Pan-STARRS Is Closest to Sun TodayA comet sailing through the inner solar system make its closest approach to the sun and will be at its brightest at sunset tonight, but the glare of twilight may make it tricky to see, NASA says.

The Comet Pan-STARRS will be 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) from the surface of the sun when it swings around the star today, and should be bright enough to see without the aid of telescopes or binoculars, weather permitting. But the comet is also appearing low on the western horizon at sunset so some planning is needed to spot the celestial wanderer with the naked eye tonight.

“Look too early and the sky will be too bright,” said Rachel Stevenson, a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Look too late, the comet will be too low and obstructed by the horizon. This comet has a relatively small window.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Science, Solar System

North Korean Nuclear Test, War Threats ‘Unacceptable’: Ban Ki-moon

March 9, 2013 By

North Korean Nuclear Test, War Threats ‘UnacceptableNorth Korea’s third nuclear test and threats of military action are “completely unacceptable”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in remarks published on Saturday, urging Pyongyang to feed its people and seek peace with South Korea.

North Korea threatened the United States on Thursday with a pre-emptive nuclear strike and has scrapped the armistice with Washington that ended hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War.

That followed its third nuclear test on Feb. 12, in defiance of UN resolutions, drawing further UN Security Council sanctions against the reclusive East Asian state. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, People

Ancient Lost Continent Discovered in Indian Ocean

February 26, 2013 By

Ancient Lost Continent Discovered in Indian OceanEvidence of a drowned “microcontinent” has been found in sand grains from the beaches of a small Indian Ocean island, scientists say.

A well-known tourist destination, Mauritius (map) is located about 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) off the coast of Africa, east of Madagascar. Scientists think the tiny island formed some nine million years ago from cooling lava spewed by undersea volcanoes.

But recently, researchers have found sand grains on Mauritius that contain fragments of the mineral zircon that are far older than the island, between 660 million and about 2 billion years old. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Discoveries, Nature

Probably Kicked The Hornet’s Nest With China Hacking Report: Mandiant CEO

February 21, 2013 By

Probably Kicked The Hornet’s Nest With China Hacking ReportWhen Kevin Mandia, a retired military cybercrime investigator, decided to expose China as a primary threat to US computer networks, he didn’t have to consult with American diplomats in Beijing or declassify tactics to safely reveal government secrets.

He pulled together a 76-page report based on seven years of his company’s work and produced the most detailed public account yet of how, he says, the Chinese government has been rummaging through the networks of major US companies.

It wasn’t news to Mandia’s commercial competitors, or the federal government, that systematic attacks could be traced back to a nondescript office building outside Shanghai that he believes was run by the Chinese army. What was remarkable was that the extraordinary details — code names of hackers, one’s affection for Harry Potter and how they stole sensitive trade secrets and passwords — came from a private security company without the official backing of the US military or intelligence agencies that are responsible for protecting the nation from a cyberattack. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Computers & Internet, Cyberspace, Technologies

Message From The Heavens Is A Rallying Cry

February 19, 2013 By

Message From The Heavens Is A Rallying CryTwo staggering events have just occurred. The largest meteor to survive entry through the Earth’s atmosphere in over a century made impact. The exploding streak of light and resulting sonic boom occurred over a population centre in Russia and was captured on film from multiple angles. The surviving parts of the meteor that did not burn up on entry hit just outside of Chelyabinsk, a small industrial city almost the size of Adelaide.

Thousands were injured — mostly by flying glass from windows shattered by the impact. More than 500 sought medical attention, with more than 100 hospitalised. The good news is no fatalities were reported because the impact was outside the city. If the meteorite was larger or the impact zone was in the centre of the city, the results would have been far more grave. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Discoveries, Humanities, Nature

Inside the Conclave: Finding a New Pope

February 17, 2013 By

Finding a New PopeA conclave, the event in which cardinals of the Catholic Church elect a pope, is the world’s oldest democratic institution. Centuries ago, when kings and emperors were determined by dynastic succession, the Church was using that quintessential democratic instrument: the secret ballot.

To be sure, however, it can’t help but seem a strange version of democracy in the 21st century. For one thing, a conclave entrusts the choice of leadership for an institution with 1.2 billion members to just over 100 electors. For another, cardinals are all male, they come mostly from Europe and North America, and their average age is just over 72. Yet today, the majority of Catholics are women, two-thirds live in the developing world, and the Church’s greatest growth is in areas where membership is strikingly young. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Humanities, People, Politics

Up to 400 Injured After Meteor Streaks Over Russia

February 15, 2013 By

Up to 400 Injured After Meteor Streaks Over RussiaUP to 400 people were hurt when a METEOR streaked through the sky in Russia and caused a series of explosions.

The super-fast space rock smashed windows, set off car alarms, and even disrupted phone signals when it fell over the Ural mountains.

Amazing footage of the incident – which shows a bright light zooming through the sky – was captured by a driver with a camera fitted to his car.

Experts are trying to work out whether there were several rocks in a meteor shower – or whether the phenomenon was caused by one huge meteorite. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Discoveries, Solar System