juice wrote: I shouldn't have read the comments.
Never read the comments.
amazing science/nature images
wow!!
Some 110 million years ago, this armored plant-eater lumbered through what is now western Canada, until a flooded river swept it into open sea. The dinosaur’s undersea burial preserved its armor in exquisite detail. Its skull still bears tile-like plates and a gray patina of fossilized skins.
"TOS ain’t havin no horserace round here. “Policies” is the coin of the realm." -- iDaemon
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ukimalefu
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A ROBOT SMELLS FARTS ON MARS!
is it from martians? maybe, maybe not
https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/7/17434 ... robes-life
Does this thread really require images? oh, it's in the title, ok, here:
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11494537/PIA20316_orig.jpg)
sorry, no pics of the farting martian microbes (dibs on that band name)
is it from martians? maybe, maybe not
NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected background levels of methane in the atmosphere of Mars, and these concentrations seem to go up in the summer and down in the winter, according to new research. Where the methane is coming from is still a mystery, but scientists have some ideas, including that microbes may be the source of the gas.
This seasonal cycle repeated through time and could come from an underground reservoir of methane, the study says. Whether that reservoir is a sign that there is or was life on Mars, however, is impossible to say for now.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/7/17434 ... robes-life
Does this thread really require images? oh, it's in the title, ok, here:
sorry, no pics of the farting martian microbes (dibs on that band name)
Meteor impact on Mars creates "slope streak" about a kilometer long:
The crater made by that meteor is about 5 meters wide (so too small to be seen in the above). The debris surrounding the impact sites were probably due to the meteors--it looks like at least 8 smaller fragments calved off the main meteor--exploding upon impact. A much older and larger slope streak can be seen running roughly parallel to the left of the new one. The best guess is that the new one was made sometime within a decade before the image date of February 7, 2018.
The color portion is a combination of an RGB image with infra-red data in red and blue.
The crater made by that meteor is about 5 meters wide (so too small to be seen in the above). The debris surrounding the impact sites were probably due to the meteors--it looks like at least 8 smaller fragments calved off the main meteor--exploding upon impact. A much older and larger slope streak can be seen running roughly parallel to the left of the new one. The best guess is that the new one was made sometime within a decade before the image date of February 7, 2018.
The color portion is a combination of an RGB image with infra-red data in red and blue.
Simulation of what Opportunity on Mars is "seeing" during current Martian dust storm:
Latest report was that Opportunity did NOT reply to an attempt to communicate with it yesterday evening. The 15-year-old rover is set to go into a minimal power mode when its batteries go below 24 volts. This state basically only runs the clock so that periodically Opportunity can be woken to check power levels.
Latest report was that Opportunity did NOT reply to an attempt to communicate with it yesterday evening. The 15-year-old rover is set to go into a minimal power mode when its batteries go below 24 volts. This state basically only runs the clock so that periodically Opportunity can be woken to check power levels.
I didn't realize that storm was covering a quarter of the Martian surface. Kind of makes you wonder if it's like Pitch Black in a way...
NASA posted this animation of the progress of the dust storm on Mars:
Currently (and fortunately for Opportunity) Mars is heading into its northern spring when the planet's general temperature will get to its highest possible (in part due to Mars getting to its closest point to the Sun. Do note that Mars' orbit is much more eccentric than that of Earth such that the shape of Mars' orbit does significantly affect weather). Being close to the Martian Equator means that Opportunity had escaped most of the Martian temperature extremities BUT there is the possibility that a very long dust storm could reduce Opportunity's power to so low that it cannot recover.
Currently (and fortunately for Opportunity) Mars is heading into its northern spring when the planet's general temperature will get to its highest possible (in part due to Mars getting to its closest point to the Sun. Do note that Mars' orbit is much more eccentric than that of Earth such that the shape of Mars' orbit does significantly affect weather). Being close to the Martian Equator means that Opportunity had escaped most of the Martian temperature extremities BUT there is the possibility that a very long dust storm could reduce Opportunity's power to so low that it cannot recover.
The Bad Astronomer on "Andromeda’s Parachute":
This is an image of a quasar (estimated to be 11 B light years away) having had its light on its way to Earth being bent by a gravitational lens created by a intervening galaxy (marked by the X and "G" in the left) 4 times.
He also notes that the differences in those images is in part due to each image taking its own path towards the Earth which can considerably differ in length, so in effect each is a snapshot showing the quasar evolving over time.
This is an image of a quasar (estimated to be 11 B light years away) having had its light on its way to Earth being bent by a gravitational lens created by a intervening galaxy (marked by the X and "G" in the left) 4 times.
He also notes that the differences in those images is in part due to each image taking its own path towards the Earth which can considerably differ in length, so in effect each is a snapshot showing the quasar evolving over time.
Astronomy Picture of the Day posted this June 10th image from Curiosity:
showing how the Martian dust storm has spread to that rover almost on the other side of the planet from Opportunity.
It should be pointed out that Curiosity has a radioisotope thermoelectric generator and thus is not in danger of getting too low of electrical power.
showing how the Martian dust storm has spread to that rover almost on the other side of the planet from Opportunity.
It should be pointed out that Curiosity has a radioisotope thermoelectric generator and thus is not in danger of getting too low of electrical power.
Pictures from 1960's Lunar Orbiters were deliberately downgraded for public release to obscure how good spy satellites were:
The top was what was published in newspapers in 1966-7; the bottom was a reconstruction from a project that started in 2007 to pluck data off of the original 40-year-old tapes.
The actual pics created then used by NASA were blown up to 62 x 16 inch (1.58 x 0.40 m) images to help determine landing sites for Apollo:
One set was a complete mosaic of the full Moon as seen from Earth which was 40 x 45 feet (12.20 x 13.72 m).
The top was what was published in newspapers in 1966-7; the bottom was a reconstruction from a project that started in 2007 to pluck data off of the original 40-year-old tapes.
The actual pics created then used by NASA were blown up to 62 x 16 inch (1.58 x 0.40 m) images to help determine landing sites for Apollo:
One set was a complete mosaic of the full Moon as seen from Earth which was 40 x 45 feet (12.20 x 13.72 m).
ukimalefu wrote: A ROBOT SMELLS FARTS ON MARS!
it dealt it
Aw, he's no fun, he fell right over.
Science is Truth for Life. In FORTRAN tongue the Answer.
...so I'm supposed to find the Shadow King from inside a daiquiri?
Science is Truth for Life. In FORTRAN tongue the Answer.
...so I'm supposed to find the Shadow King from inside a daiquiri?
Video tweet of Fernandina Island (in the Galapagos) of an eruption taking place there.
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ukimalefu
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DEyncourt wrote: Video tweet of Fernandina Island (in the Galapagos) of an eruption taking place there.
twitter video doesn't work for me
it does sometimes when embedded in other websites, but never on twitter
(my old version of chrome could be to blame, but every other online video works)
ukimalefu wrote:DEyncourt wrote: Video tweet of Fernandina Island (in the Galapagos) of an eruption taking place there.
twitter video doesn't work for me
it does sometimes when embedded in other websites, but never on twitter
(my old version of chrome could be to blame, but every other online video works)
Still works for me.
But are you saying that the video isn't playing, or that you cannot even get that link to work? Because even the frame that is shown as a preview of the video is pretty awesome.
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ukimalefu
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DEyncourt wrote:ukimalefu wrote:DEyncourt wrote: Video tweet of Fernandina Island (in the Galapagos) of an eruption taking place there.
twitter video doesn't work for me
it does sometimes when embedded in other websites, but never on twitter
(my old version of chrome could be to blame, but every other online video works)
Still works for me.
But are you saying that the video isn't playing, or that you cannot even get that link to work? Because even the frame that is shown as a preview of the video is pretty awesome.
Everything loads but the video just won't play.
Yeah, that first frame is impressive, most impressive, very... Mustafar [/starwarsgeek]
That is stick fiddling incredible. Thank you for posting it.
I'm sorry Dave...
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ukimalefu
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A self-portrait by NASA’s Curiosity rover taken on Sol 2082 (June 15, 2018). A Martian dust storm has reduced sunlight and visibility at the rover’s location in Gale Crater. A drill hole can be seen in the rock to the left of the rover at a target site called “Duluth.”
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
A dust storm hit just as Curiosity was drilling into that rock? what was inside? what are the martians trying to cover up with that "dust storm"?
Last edited by ukimalefu on Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Séamas
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Doesn't the windspeed have to be crazy high in the thin atmosphere to pick up dust?
And Proteus brought the upright beast into the garden and chained him to a tree and the children did make sport of him.
ukimalefu wrote:Séamas wrote: Doesn't the windspeed have to be crazy high in the thin atmosphere to pick up dust?
uhm... the low gravity makes it easy maybe?
Yeah, and those particles of "dust" are super-fine grit too. The lack of any significant atmospheric moisture makes clumping into larger particles that we expect on Earth impossible.
ukimalefu wrote:A self-portrait by NASA’s Curiosity rover taken on Sol 2082 (June 15, 2018). A Martian dust storm has reduced sunlight and visibility at the rover’s location in Gale Crater. A drill hole can be seen in the rock to the left of the rover at a target site called “Duluth.”
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
A dust storm hit just as Curiosity was drilling into that rock? what was inside? what are the martians trying to cover up with that "dust storm"?
don't even joke ... there are endless conspiracy theories about nasa allegedly hiding massive signs of intelligent life on mars, the moon and beyond
pyramids, subways, monoliths, you name it
"TOS ain’t havin no horserace round here. “Policies” is the coin of the realm." -- iDaemon
Ribtor wrote: It'll knock Matt Damon down.
Andy Weir did explain that he thought about using a more realistic though convoluted reason for aborting the Ares 3 mission (like a communications failure), but decided to stay with the Martian dust storm as a better complement to the overall theme of man vs. the Martian environment.
Good grief, that is breathtaking - even in photograph. I would really like to visit there at least once in my lifetime.
