Heavens | Page 77 | Science Codex

Hubble discovers moon orbiting the dwarf planet Makemake

Peering to the outskirts of our solar system, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a small, dark moon orbiting Makemake, the second brightest icy dwarf planet -- after Pluto -- in the Kuiper Belt.

The moon -- provisionally designated S/2015 (136472) 1 and nicknamed MK 2 -- is more than 1,300 times fainter than Makemake. MK 2 was seen approximately 13,000 miles from the dwarf planet, and its diameter is estimated to be 100 miles across. Makemake is 870 miles wide. The dwarf planet, discovered in 2005, is named for a creation deity of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.

Nearby massive star explosion 30 million years ago equaled detonation of 100 million suns

A giant star that exploded 30 million years ago in a galaxy near Earth had a radius prior to going supernova that was 200 times larger than our sun, according to astrophysicists at Southern Methodist University, Dallas.

The sudden blast hurled material outward from the star at a speed of 10,000 kilometers a second. That's equivalent to 36 million kilometers an hour or 22.4 million miles an hour, said SMU physicist Govinda Dhungana, lead author on the new analysis.

Light echoes give clues to planet nursery around star

Imagine you want to measure the size of a room, but it's completely dark. If you shout, you can tell if the space you're in is relatively big or small, depending on how long it takes to hear the echo after it bounces off the wall.

Astronomers use this principle to study objects so distant that they can't be seen as more than points. In particular, researchers are interested in calculating how far young stars are from the inner edge of their surrounding protoplanetary disks. These disks of gas and dust are sites where planets form over the course of millions of years.

Reducing waste while improving snack nutrition

PULLMAN, Wash. - Your favorite puffed snack food may soon contain more fiber and nutrition, thanks to research from Washington State University food scientists.

Girish Ganjyal and some of his graduate students have discovered how to add carrot pomace -- the pulpy leftover from juicing the veggies -- to cornstarch, increasing the "puffiness" of snack foods.

Scientist explains sulfur behavior in Venus atmosphere

The beautiful dark stripes on ultraviolet images of Venus's disc are in no way connected with the crystalline sulfur particles in its atmosphere - the ultraviolet is absorbed by another substance. This has been proven by data obtained from the first ever model of the distribution of sulfur in Venus's gaseous envelope which has been developed by the head of MIPT's Laboratory of High Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of Planetary Atmospheres, Prof. Vladimir Krasnopolsky.

The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal Icarus.

Could off-grid electricity systems accelerate energy access?

Small-scale electricity systems provide uneven benefits and limited service options, according to a new study published today from researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Mars' surface revealed in unprecedented detail

The surface of Mars -- including the location of Beagle-2 -- has been shown in unprecedented detail by UCL scientists using a revolutionary image stacking and matching technique.

Exciting pictures of the Beagle-2 lander, the ancient lakebeds discovered by NASA's Curiosity rover, NASA's MER-A rover tracks and Home Plate's rocks have been released by the UCL researchers who stacked and matched images taken from orbit, to reveal objects at a resolution up to five times greater than previously achieved.

Internet video portals do not control views well

Video portals have counters that register the number of views, thus reflecting the success of the piece. This data can have economic implications, since with some online advertising campaigns that use videos, the portals can charge based on the number of registered views. And one of the problems with the fraud that exists in this area is that of "bots", computer programs that replicate the behavior of an Internet user, and which can therefore artificially increase the number of views.

NASA sees wind shear end Tropical Cyclone Amos

On Sunday, April 24, 2016 Tropical Cyclone Amos ran into increasing wind shear that tore the storm apart. A composite satellite image from two satellites showed waning precipitation and lack of thunderstorm development from wind shear.

Iowa State engineers develop micro-sized, liquid-metal particles for heat-free soldering

AMES, Iowa - Martin Thuo likes to look for new, affordable and clean ways to put science and technology to work in the world.

His lab is dedicated to an idea called frugal innovation: "How do you do very high-level science or engineering with very little?" said Thuo, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Iowa State University and an associate of the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory. "How can you solve a problem with the least amount of resources?"

If your favorite brand is sincere, is innovation what you expect?

EUGENE, Ore. -- April 25, 2016 -- Open the box of that new smartphone. Oops, it feels differently from expectations based on what you'd seen. Embrace it or be disappointed? Your reaction is likely tied to your perception of the brand, says Aparna Sundar of the University of Oregon.

A brand viewed as exciting has wiggle room to introduce innovations that don't match consumers' expectations, said Sundar, a professor of marketing in the Lundquist College of Business. Not so for a brand seen as sincere, she said.

Measuring river surface flow with image analysis

Fujita Ichiro, a Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering in Kobe University, has developed a piece of software that can measure the flow rate of rivers using image analysis. The software is called KU-STIV (Kobe University Space-Time Image Velocimetry). This technology makes it easier to obtain accurate data about river flow rates that can be used in strategies for flood risk management.

NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Amos threatening American Samoa

As the seven islands of American Samoa were bracing for Tropical Cyclone Amos, NASA's Aqua satellite saw the storm affecting the Southwestern Pacific Islands of Wallis and Futuna. Warnings were already in effect for American Samoa on April 22 as the storm continued moving east toward the islands.

ACS-Military Health System partnership prioritizes surgeon readiness and trauma systems

CHICAGO (April 22, 2016): At the beginning of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, less than half of the surgeons deployed for the first time had received any type of trauma-specific training beforehand. Most surgeons were within a year or two of completing their surgical residency training, and many had not yet been certified by the American Board of Surgery.

NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Fantala slowing

On April 21, Fantala's maximum sustained wind speeds started to decrease since making a "U-turn" and moving southeastward to a position northeast of Madagascar and the storm maintained strength on April 22. NASA's RapidScat instrument measured winds around the system while NASA-JAXA's Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM core satellite analyzed rainfall rates with the hurricane.