Uranus may be responsible for recent devastating Asian sea quakes because the mystery-shrouded "planet of calamity" is unusually close to the Earth, tabloid newspaper readers in Germany were warned on Wednesday. Under the front-page headline "Uncanny Uranus", the report in theBild newspaper cited an array of experts, ranging from Nasa scientists to TV astrologers, saying the seventh planet from the sun possesses a "quadripolar" magnetic field that acts as "a giant cosmic vacuum cleaner".This heavenly Hoover is literally sucking the Earth's tectonic plates out of their beddings, according toBild, Europe's largest daily newspaper with more than five million readers.This magnetic pull is strongest along the Earth's equator because the tropics are marginally closer to Uranus than the poles are.The magnetic forces "are strong enough at the equator to suck up electrically charged dust particles", which could, in turn, disturb the Earth's crust and spawn killer sea quakes and resulting tidal waves.The reason these natural phenomena have increased of late is that the distant planet's orbit has brought Uranus uncomfortably close to Earth.Instead of being its usual 3,14-billion kilometres from Earth, Uranus currently is a mere 2,59-billion kilometres away.And it will remain this close through the year 2012, so Bild warnsthat we could be in for more uncanny Uranian catastrophes well into the next decade until Uranus slowly retreats back into its proper place in the Outer Solar System."With its 11 rings and 18 moons, Uranus is in fact different from everything else in our Solar System," said Edward Stone, Voyager project scientist since 1972.The German paper quoted Stone at length, saying that Voyager 2 had raised almost more questions than it had solved.
Astronomers have used telescopes on Earth and in space to nail the precise position of a mysterious, dark object at the outer edge of our Galaxy. The work could be an important step in understanding so-called dark matter — mysterious material that makes up about a quarter of our Universe.Most dark matter is believed to be in the form of subatomic particles that don't interact with regular atoms. But as much as 20% could also be in more traditional things that don't emit light, such as bl...Engineers unveil China moon rover
Chinese scientists have shown off a prototype Moon rover that could lead to the country's first unmanned mission to the lunar surface in 2012. The 1.5m (5ft) high, 200kg (440lbs) rover should transmit video in real time, dig into and analyse soil, and produce 3D images of the lunar surface. Engineers have unveiled a prototype at the Shanghai institute where work on the six-wheeled vehicle is underway. Rival rovers are being developed at institutes in Beijing andelsewhere. It is not clear whe...Star dies in monstrous explosion
A massive star about 150 times the size of the Sun exploded in what could be a long-sought new type of supernova, Nasa scientists have said. Supernovae occur when huge, mature stars effectively run out of fuel and collapse in on themselves. But scientists believe this one was obliterated in an explosion which blasted all its material into space. And astronomers say a star in our own Milky Way galaxy could be about to perform the same celestial fireworks. The supernovastar, called SN 2006gy, was ...Signs of water found on extrasolar planet
Evidence of water has been detected for the first time in a planet outside our solar system, an astronomer said on Tuesday, a tantalizing find for scientists eager to know whether life exists beyond Earth. Travis Barman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said water vapor has been found in the atmosphere of a large, Jupiter-like gaseous planet located 150 light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The planet is known as HD 209458b.Other scientists reported in Fe...The "wow" mystery turns 30
Exactly 30 years ago today, astronomer Jerry Ehman was looking over a printout of radio data from Ohio State University's Big Ear Radio Observatory when he saw a string of code so remarkable that he had to circle it and scribble "Wow!" in the margin. The printout recorded an anomalous signal so strong that it had to come from an extraordinary source.Was it a burst of human-made interference? Or an alien broadcast from the stars? No one knows. The source of the "Wow" s...NASA makes Exoplanet weathermap
Researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have learned what the weather is like on two distant, exotic worlds. One team of astronomers used the infrared telescope to map temperature variations over the surface of a giant gas planet, HD 189733b, revealing it likely is whipped by roaring winds. Another team determined that the gas planet HD 149026b is the hottest yet discovered. Both findings appear May 9 in Nature. "We have mapped the temperature variations across the entire surfa...Avatars "Pandora" could be a reality
With James Cameron"s science fiction epic Avatar hitting cinemas some astronomers have pointed out that a world similar to that of "Pandora" portrayed in the movie could potentiallyexistsomewhere in the universe."As James Cameron"s animated sci-fi movie Avatar goes on general release, astronomers point out that the movie"s habitable moon called "Pandora" may exist in reality." View: Full Article | Source: Discovery News...Brussels sprouts ice-cream, anyone?
Two mothers in Doncaster are doing their bit for the festive season by releasing a recipe book dedicated to providing new ways to cook and prepare everyone"s favourite flatulence-inducing Christmas vegetable - the brussel sprout."You may detest them steamed,boiled or even panfried with pancetta. . But perhaps you"ll take to sprouts if they are frozen and served in a cone. That is the plan cooked up by two mothers who are trying...Exploring the wisps in the night sky
Two hundred seventy thousand feet above the ground, higher than 99.9 percent of the earth’s air, clouds still float around — thin, iridescent wisps of electric blue. NASA is launching a small satellite to take a closer look at these clouds at the edge of outer space and to try to understand why, in recent years, they are appearing more often over more parts of the world. They are also becoming brighter.The clouds are called noctilucent or “night shining,” because from the ground they can be seen...Christmas trees show up with live ornaments
Colored balls and tinsel might be regular adornments for Christmas trees this festive season but residents in Anchorage are being asked to keep an eye out for live frogs that have beenturning up in trees sold in the area."Forget the plastic icicles, brightlycolored balls and tinsel. . Some Christmas trees for sale in the Anchorage area are adorned with something truly different this holiday season — live Pacific Chorusfrogs." V...
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Uranus may be responsible for recent devastating Asian sea quakes because the mystery-shrouded "planet of calamity" is unusually close to the Earth, tabloid newspaper readers in Germany were warned on Wednesday. Under the front-page headline "Uncanny Uranus", the report in theBild newspaper cited an array of experts, ranging from Nasa scientists to TV astrologers, saying the seventh planet from the sun possesses a "quadripolar" magnetic field that acts as "a giant cosmic vacuum cleaner".This heavenly Hoover is literally sucking the Earth's tectonic plates out of their beddings, according toBild, Europe's largest daily newspaper with more than five million readers.This magnetic pull is strongest along the Earth's equator because the tropics are marginally closer to Uranus than the poles are.The magnetic forces "are strong enough at the equator to suck up electrically charged dust particles", which could, in turn, disturb the Earth's crust and spawn killer sea quakes and resulting tidal waves.The reason these natural phenomena have increased of late is that the distant planet's orbit has brought Uranus uncomfortably close to Earth.Instead of being its usual 3,14-billion kilometres from Earth, Uranus currently is a mere 2,59-billion kilometres away.And it will remain this close through the year 2012, so Bild warnsthat we could be in for more uncanny Uranian catastrophes well into the next decade until Uranus slowly retreats back into its proper place in the Outer Solar System."With its 11 rings and 18 moons, Uranus is in fact different from everything else in our Solar System," said Edward Stone, Voyager project scientist since 1972.The German paper quoted Stone at length, saying that Voyager 2 had raised almost more questions than it had solved.
View: Full Article | Source: Mail and Guardian . 
Space telescope spies dark matter
Engineers unveil China moon rover
Star dies in monstrous explosion
Signs of water found on extrasolar planet
The "wow" mystery turns 30
NASA makes Exoplanet weathermap
Avatars "Pandora" could be a reality
Brussels sprouts ice-cream, anyone?
Exploring the wisps in the night sky
Christmas trees show up with live ornaments
