CaaC (John)

NASA's Hubble telescope discovered an 'evaporating' planet, study says Brett Molina USA TODAY Published 2:58 PM EST Dec 14, 2018 Astronomers using NASA's Hubble telescope found an exoplanet that's evaporating, possibly holding clues into the discovery of rocky "super-Earths." Researchers at the University of Geneva Switzerland found the exoplanet GJ 3470b, which showed signs of losing hydrogen in its atmosphere, causing it to shrink. The study is part of an exploration into "hot Neptunes," planets that are the size of Neptune, sit very close to their star, and have atmospheres as hot at 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit, says NASA. Finding a "hot Neptune" is rare because they sit so close to their star and tend to evaporate more quickly. In the case of GJ 3470b, scientists classify it as a "warmer" Neptune because it sits farther away from its star. This artist's illustration shows a giant cloud of hydrogen streaming off a Neptune-sized planet. NASA The exoplanet discovered by astronauts is losing its atmosphere at a rate 100 times faster than a previous "warmer" Neptune planet discovered a few years before, according to a study published Thursday in the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics." The planet sits 3.7 million miles from its star. For comparison, Earth is 92.9 million miles from the sun. "This is the first time that a planet has been observed to lose its atmosphere so quickly that it can impact its evolution," said lead author Vincent Bourrier, a researcher in the Astronomy Department of the Faculty of Science at the University of Geneva, in a statement. Researchers say these "hot Neptune" planets shrink in size and morph into "Super-Earths," versions of our planet that are massive and more rocky. Just last month, a Super Earth was found orbiting a nearby star. https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2018/12/14/evaporating-planet-hubble-telescope-discovers-hot-neptune/2309265002/

Astronomers discover 'evaporating' planet https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/astronomers-discover-evaporating-planet/vi-BBR0VEF

Thursday, Dec. 6, 2 p.m.: Hubble servicing mission 25th-anniversary discussion of the history of Hubble servicing missions and the future of satellite servicing. Friday, Dec. 7, 1:30 p.m.: Hubble servicing mission 25th-anniversary-panel discussion on Hubble deployment and servicing missions. Tuesday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m.: Coverage of Russian spacewalk. Spacewalk at the International Space Station is scheduled to begin at 11:03 a.m. EST and will last around 6 hours. Tuesday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m.: Live from Washington National Cathedral: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Presents “The Spirit of Apollo”—A Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 8 Mission to the Moon. Wednesday, Dec. 12, 3 p.m.: International Space Station Expedition 59-60 news conference. Tuesday, Dec. 18, 4:25 p.m.: International Space Station Expedition 57-58 change of command ceremony. Wednesday, Dec. 19, 4:45 p.m.: Expedition 57 crew farewell at International Space Station and Soyuz spacecraft hatch closure. Hatch closure is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. EST. Wednesday, Dec. 19, 7:45 p.m.: Undocking of the Soyuz spacecraft with the International Space Station Expedition 57 crew. Undocking is scheduled at 8:42 p.m. EST. Wednesday, Dec. 19, 10:45 p.m.: Coverage of Soyuz deorbit burn and landing with the Expedition 57 crew. Deorbit burn scheduled at 11:09 p.m. EST with landing scheduled at 12:03 a.m. EST, Dec. 20.

FOOTBALL GOSSIP Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admits he could lose captain Scott Brown to Australian side Western Melbourne. Western Melbourne. (Daily Record) Rodgers has sanctioned a new two-year deal to keep Brown, 33, at Celtic. (Sun) Celtic skipper Brown has earned the right to a lucrative move to Australia, says Rodgers. . (Scotsman) And Rodgers says Brown could be Celtic manager one day. ((Herald - subscription required) Rangers manager Steven Gerrard fears on-loan Liverpool midfielder Ovie Ejaria wants to cut short his stay at Ibrox. (Daily Express) And Rangers boss Gerrard will not stand in the way of Ejaria returning to Liverpool. (Daily Mail) Former Rangers player Ronald de Boer has urged the club's fans to give manager Gerrard more time to deliver success following the Ibrox side's Europa League exit. (National) Celtic made an enquiry about the availability of Everton midfielder Tom Davies, who has been told he will not be loaned out in January. (Daily Mail) Ryan Christie did not break his ankle after being taken off on a stretcher during Celtic's defeat by Salzburg on Thursday but the player faces further scans. (Sun) Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie is not in a hurry to make a decision about his future, with his contract up at the end of the season.(Daily Record) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46577772

Still waiting on this bloody snow that supposed to be coming, it's bitter cold outside and that's about it, this storm Deirdre seems to have disappeared.

This is what we are expecting later on here in Edinburgh, snow, snow and more snow, the wife wants it to hang off just yet as we will be leaving for the cemetery to lay some flowers for the family shortly who have passed away from years gone by, but I don't really care if it snows right now as I love snow.

Scientists observe 'massive' star 40 times the size of the Sun giving birth to another star Florence Snead 12 hrs ago A young star 40 times the size of the Sun is so big that instead of creating a planet, it has given birth to a star. Leftover fragments from the formation of a new star can bind together to create planets, but on this occasion, the young star was "so massive" it made another star. Scientists made the discovery when observing "MM1A", a large young star surrounded by a rotating disc of gas and dust. Star being born They noticed a faint object, "MM1B", not far beyond which was orbiting its bigger counterpart. By measuring the radiation emitted by the dust, and subtle shifts in the frequency of light emitted by the gas, they calculated it weighed less than half the mass of our Sun. "To actually see it forming something as large as a star is really exciting." Dr. Duncan Forgan "Stars form within large clouds of gas and dust in interstellar space,” said lead researcher Dr. John Ilee, from the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leeds. "When these clouds collapse under gravity, they begin to rotate faster, forming a disc around them. In low mass stars like our Sun, it is in these discs that planets can form. "In this case, the star and disc we have observed are so massive that, rather than witnessing a planet forming in the disc, we are seeing another star being born." 'Really exciting' Dr. Duncan Forgan, a co-author from the Centre for Exoplanet Science at St Andrews University, added: "I've spent most of my career simulating this process to form giant planets around stars like our Sun. "To actually see it forming something as large as a star is really exciting." The team made their discovery in the Chilean Atacama desert with new equipment able to simulate the power of a single telescope nearly 4km across. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/scientists-observe-massive-star-40-times-the-size-of-the-sun-giving-birth-to-another-star/ar-BBQYo6r?li=AAnZ9Ug

Inter Milan want to sign Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, 33, and bring in former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte to replace Luciano Spalletti. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian)

Real Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente, 23, will request a transfer in January if he is still not playing regularly. (ESPN) River Plate and Argentina midfielder Exequiel Palacios, 20, says he is happy to stay with the Copa Libertadores champions despite interest from Real Madrid. (Marca)

Barcelona has banned Ousmane Dembele, 21, from turning off his phone after he turned up two hours late for training on Sunday. (Marca) Meanwhile, Dembele has been fined 20,725 euros (£18,618) for failing to reply to a civil suit brought by his former landlord because the France forward never returned to his house in Germany after leaving Borussia Dortmund for Barcelona.(ESPN)

Just been watching a 'Golden Oldie', The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) starring James Stewart, you can't beat some of these old films and this is one of them.

What chance has Nasa of finding life on Mars? By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent 1 hour ago It could be easier to detect the signs of ancient life on Mars than it is on Earth, say scientists connected with Nasa's next rover mission. The six-wheeled robot is due to touch down on the Red Planet in 2021 with the specific aim of trying to identify evidence of past biology. It will be searching for clues in rocks that are perhaps 3.9 billion years old. Confirming life on Earth at that age is tough enough, but Mars may have better preservation, say the researchers. It comes down to the dynamic processes on our home world that constantly churn and recycle rocks - processes that can erase life's traces but which shut down on the Red Planet early in its history. "We don't believe, for example, that Mars had plate tectonics in the way Earth has had for most of its history," said Ken Williford from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. "Most of Earth's rock record has been destroyed by subduction under the ocean crust. But even the rock left at the surface is heated and squeezed in ways it might not have been on Mars. "So, paradoxically, it may well be that the older rocks on Mars are better preserved than much younger rocks on Earth," he told BBC News. The new rover will be dropped into the near equatorial Jezero Crater, which satellite observations suggest once held a deep lake. Scientists hope that if microbes lived in or around this body of water, signatures of their presence will be retained in sediments that can be easily drilled today. A key target will be the carbonate deposits that seem to line what would have been the palaeo-lake's shoreline. "Carbonates are a type of mineral that precipitates out of the water and what's really great about that process is that when they precipitate out - they trap everything that's in the water. So, everything that's living there can be trapped inside the mineral," explained Briony Horgan from Purdue University in Indiana. The dream scenario would see the rover stumble upon formations that look like stromatolites. These are carbonate dome structures that on Earth have been built by microbial mats. The rover will choose the most enticing spot along the putative shoreline and drill samples that can be packed away in a canister and left on the ground for a later pick-up. Nasa and its European counterpart, Esa, are currently planning a joint venture to retrieve the rover's up-to-40 samples, probably in the early 2030s. Drs Williford and Horgan were discussing the future rover's prospects here at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in Washington DC - the largest annual gathering of Earth and space scientists. The vehicle will be a close copy of the one-tonne Curiosity robot that Nasa landed in Gale Crater in 2012. It will use the same "Skycrane" technology that put the previous machine down with such great precision - but with an important add-on. Engineers have developed an on-the-fly mapping system called Terrain-Relative Navigation which ought to bring even greater accuracy to the landing process. The expectation is that this system will place the rover right up against rocks that record the delta that fed the lake with water. Ken Farley, the mission's chief scientist, told the AGU meeting that the route the rover will take after landing had already been planned. The robot will be equipped with a sophisticated navigation system that will give it the autonomy to work out the best, most direct course between waypoints. This should dramatically speed up the arrival to different science targets. "In good terrain, we'll be driving more than a 100m a day," Dr. Farley told BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46563144

Lol, you beat me again, just spotted this when I logged into my MSN to check my emails and thought I would post it before you did...WRONG

Fixed

Nice read this 'I celebrate like every football fan!' - blind Liverpool supporter on becoming viral hit By Alex Bysouth BBC Sport 2 hours ago | Liverpool Mike Kearney has been registered blind since he was seven years old There was no doubt in Mike Kearney's mind that Liverpool had taken the lead when Anfield erupted on Tuesday night, he just wasn't sure who the scorer was. The lifelong Liverpool fan was born with sight problems and has been registered blind since he was seven years old. But while it was Mo Salah who slotted the ball past Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina to ultimately seal Liverpool's passage to the Champions League knockout stages with a 1-0 win, it is Mike's phone that hasn't stopped since. Nearly three million people have watched a clip on Twitter of his cousin Stephen leaning over to tell him who netted for the Reds, sending the pair's touching exchange viral. "I'm like every other football fan - it doesn't matter if I can't see clearly, I still celebrate," he told BBC Sport. "It was just relief that we scored." The 26-year-old, a regular at Anfield, has a degenerative eye condition which has got worse as he has got older. "I wish I could see more but that doesn't mean I can't form an opinion of my own," he said. "It's difficult for people that can see to understand, but I think of it as normal to me and I have been like that all my life. It's just the way I watch the game." Mike admits he has been surprised at the level of interest following the clip being posted, with Salah's involvement meaning even media outlets in Egypt have got in touch. But it would have been easier for the Liverpudlian to distinguish the scorer had Salah's strike not come at the Anfield Road end of the ground. "It was very blurry," he added. "Up close at the Kop End I am OK, but further away the ball gets harder to see. It wasn't hard to work out what happened with noise." Mike used to use the club's live commentary service for blind and partially sighted spectators, but now prefers to immerse himself in the atmosphere. "It's there if I really want it," he said. "I like just being involved in the atmosphere and hearing what my cousin thinks - and anyone else, whether it's five rows back and a pleasant comment or not. "If it's not my cousin Stephen with me then it's other friends, it's just normal for us. I find it weird the reaction. It's nice, but a little bit strange!" https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46549613

Another form of a grease monkey California man rescued after spending two days trapped in a Chinese restaurant grease vent Sean Morrison 13 hrs ago A man has been rescued after spending two days trapped inside a grease vent at a vacant Chinese restaurant in California. He was freed from the vent after emergency services responded to reports of someone crying for help, police said. Officers arrived to find the man stuck inside the metal roof-top vent. He was taken to hospital for checks. It took firefighters just under an hour to free the man, who officials said was physically exhausted and suffering from dehydration. When first responders arrived on the scene, they could hear the voice and quickly determined it was coming from a roof vent atop the restaurant (Alameda County Sheriff's Office) Police said the man, who has not been identified, may have been trespassing and trying to burglarize the empty restaurant. An investigation was under way into whether he had planned to vandalize or steal from the property. The man may not have survived another day in the vent “given the circumstances”, Alameda County Sheriff Department said. He is expected to make a full recovery. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/california-man-rescued-after-spending-two-days-trapped-in-chinese-restaurant-grease-vent/ar-BBQSXvs?ocid=chromentp

BRING ON THE SNOW Brrrace yourself: Heavy snow and blizzards to hit the UK this weekend 4 hrs ago © Other The warnings are in place from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning There are warnings of heavy snow and blizzards this weekend with a risk of freezing rain causing travel chaos, the Met Office says. Yellow weather warnings are in place for Scotland and northern England on Saturday and Sunday, and some rural communities are at risk of being cut off. The Met Office also says there is a chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces, and bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled, with some road closures and longer journey times possible. It also warned about untreated pavements and cycle paths being hazardous because of black ice. The yellow warnings are in place between 12 pm on Saturday and 10 am on Sunday. © Other Snow could be heavy at times, especially over hills. Pic: Met Office There is a risk of snow developing with strong southeasterly winds affecting northern parts of the UK on Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning. The Met Office says the snow could be heavy at times, especially over hills. Across northern England and southern Scotland, snow may turn to freezing rain above 200m to 300m, leading to widespread ice developing on Saturday night. It is also likely that 2cm to 5cm of snow will fall at lower levels, while higher ground could see 10cm to 20cm. Sky News weather producer Chris England said: "It's turning colder, with an easterly wind bringing air in from northern Europe. "Things look set to change at the weekend, with rain spreading across the UK and Ireland from the Atlantic. "That will bring a spell of snow as the rain moves into the colder air later on Saturday and into Sunday." https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/brrrace-yourself-heavy-snow-and-blizzards-to-hit-the-uk-this-weekend/ar-BBQTW9V?li=AAnZ9Ug

Nasa's Jupiter mission Juno reveals giant polar storms By Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News, Washington DC 2 hours ago Nasa's Juno mission to the gas giant Jupiter has reached its halfway mark and has revealed new views of cyclones at the poles. As it orbits the planet every 53 days - Juno performs a science-gathering dive, speeding from pole to pole. Its sensors take measurements of the composition of the planet, in an effort to decipher how the largest world in our Solar System formed. Mapping the magnetic and gravity fields should also expose Jupiter's structure. But images from JunoCam - a camera that was intended to capture images that could be shared with the public - has already given us some surprising insights. Dr. Candice Hansen, from the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, is leading the JunoCam project, which she described as "our little outreach camera". She presented some of the remarkable images from the camera - raw images downloaded and processed by members of the public - at the American Geophysical Union meeting here in Washington DC. "When we made our first pass over the poles, we knew we were seeing a territory on Jupiter we had never seen before," said Prof Hansen. "What we did not expect was that we would see these orderly polygons of cyclones; huge storms - twice the size of Texas. "We thought, wow - that's spectacular." And 16 passes later, she added, those orderly arrangements of giant storms are still there. These "pretty pictures" are starting to teach scientists about how the largest planet in the Solar System formed and evolved. "The objective for the Juno mission is to study the interior structure of Jupiter and how that structure expresses itself out on the cloud tops. That's the kind of connection we're trying to make. But we're not there yet." Jack Connerney, Juno deputy principal investigator from the Space Research Corporation in Annapolis, Maryland, said that the second half of the mission would provide an even more detailed view of "what makes the whole of Jupiter tick". You can find more of these amazing images of Jupiter on the JunoCam site. More images in the link below vv https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46547904

La Mejor de las suertes @Blue

Keep your eye out for the end of the video, the mirror.

Parker Solar Probe: Sun-skimming mission starts calling home By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent 12 December 2018 Just weeks after making the closest-ever flyby of the Sun, Nasa's Parker Solar Probe is sending back its data. Included in the observations is this remarkable image of the energetic gas, or plasma, flowing out from the star. The bright dot is actually far-distant Jupiter. The black dots are repeats that occur simply because of the way the picture is constructed. Parker's WISPR instrument acquired the vista just 27.2 million km from the surface of the Sun on 8 November. The imager was looking out sideways from behind the probe's thick heat shield. The Nasa mission was launched back in August to study the mysteries of the Sun's outer atmosphere or corona. This region is strangely hotter than the star's "surface", or photosphere. While this can be 6,000 degrees, the outer atmosphere may reach temperatures of a few million degrees. The mechanisms that produce this super-heating are not fully understood. Parker aims to solve the puzzle by passing through the outer atmosphere and directly sampling its particle, magnetic and electric fields. "We need to go into this region to be able to sample the new plasma, the newly formed material, to be able to see what processes, what physics, is taking place in there," explained Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division at Nasa HQ in Washington DC. "We want to understand why there is this temperature inversion, as in - you walk away from a hot star and the atmosphere gets hotter, not colder as you would expect." Not only is Parker breaking records for proximity to the Sun, but it is also setting new speed records for a spacecraft. On the recent flyby, it achieved 375,000km/h. The fastest any previous probe managed was about 250,000km/h. Parker will go quicker still on future close passes of the Sun. The latest science from the mission is being featured here at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting - the largest annual gathering of Earth and space scientists. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46547588