Menu
What's new
Troll Kingdom

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Gems from Science

Why the Midwest Is Getting Hit With Some Janky-Shaped Hail | WIRED

Hail forms in the clouds under sub-zero conditions, from 0 to -40 degrees Celsius. A tiny seed of ice begins to collect droplets that almost instantly freeze on contact. The more time hailstones spend in the clouds, the more likely they are to collect more droplets and grow. Supercells are special because they exhibit stronger updrafts than normal storms, keeping hail in the air longer and allowing stones to grow bulkier before they fall out of the air.

You’ll notice some of the ice in the hailstones pictured above look clear, while others have a very thick, opaque white color. Ziegler explains that hailstones can form in two different phases that sometimes go back and forth—a dry phase and a wet phase.

The dry phase happens at colder temperatures: When droplets freeze faster on the surface of a stone, they also freeze more compactly, resulting in denser, more opaque ice. As temperatures increase, however, hailstones release heat that’s pushed to the surface, meaning droplets don’t freeze as fast. Air can get captured in between the stone’s surface and the droplet, creating ice that’s more transparent and less dense.

But what’s with the weird shapes of some of these falling balls of ice? Some stones form are shaped like lumps of dirt clumped together, others have icy tentacles stretching out, and others resemble jellyfish heads sent down from the sky like some biblical tale of punishment.
Click to expand...

You can see pictures of the hail at the link (also there's a little bit more in the article). I LIKE HAIL.
 
Philae Lander ‏@Philae2014 2h2 hours ago

Hello Earth! Can you hear me? #WakeUpPhilae

Philae comet lander wakes up - BBC News

The European Space Agency (Esa) says its comet lander, Philae, has woken up and contacted Earth.

Philae, the first spacecraft to land on a comet, was dropped on to the surface of Comet 67P by its mothership, Rosetta, last November.

It worked for 60 hours before its solar-powered battery ran flat.

The comet has since moved nearer to the sun and Philae has enough power to work again, says the BBC's science correspondent Jonathan Amos.

An account linked to the probe tweeted the message, "Hello Earth! Can you hear me?"

On its blog, Esa said Philae had contacted Earth, via Rosetta, for 85 seconds in the first contact since going into hibernation in November.

"Philae is doing very well. It has an operating temperature of -35C and has 24 watts available," said Philae project manager Stephan Ulamec.

Scientists say they now waiting for the next contact.
Click to expand...
 
Of course what's really happened is that it encountered an alien intelligence which restored it to life and it will return to Earth to kill us all soon.
 
Brian Cox ‏@ProfBrianCox 9m9 minutes ago

Pluto is red! It's so wonderful to be able to witness the exploration of a new world. @NASANewHorizons

12632.imgcache.png



IT'S PLUTO DAY!
 
Tomorrow they'll hopefully release an image that's 10x in resolution. I'm curious how much they'll find out from the single pass.
 
Perseid Meteor Shower Gets a Boost from Dark Moon, Jupiter

The Perseid meteor shower is the most widely observed and dependable annual meteor display of the year, and its peak this week has all the earmarks of being an excellent example of celestial fireworks, weather permitting.

This year, the Perseids will peak in the overnight hours of Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 12 and 13) just one day before the new moon. Unlike last year, when a brilliant and nearly full moon washed out all but the brightest meteors, 2015 should be a very opportune year for observing "shooting stars" with your own eyes or cameras. Today, NASA released a video on how to see the 2015 Perseid meteor shower.

Another reason that the Perseids could put on a better-than-average show this year is an assist from the planet Jupiter.
Click to expand...

NASA video thingy Great Perseid Meteors Expected August 12-13 (Dark Moon) | NASA Video
 
It means I'd have to stay awake past midnight, and also go out into the MOSQUITOES. The mosquitoes are super vicious this year :rwmad:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top