Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines
When is the Perseid Meteor shower and how can I see it?
The Perseids meteor shower is an annual event that peaks around mid-August,with this year's peak expected between 11 and 13 August. It's regarded as one of the brightest and most visible meteor showers. Here's everything you need to know about the spectacle, including dates and where to see it. #perseids are coming!! pic.twitter.com/F19pqGL3nO— GaryFildes (@TheGaryFildes) July 9, 2017 A post shared by Anders Nilsson (@fotoandersnilsson) on Aug 9, 2017 at 1:33am PDT Lucky snap! I caught this early bird #perseids #meteor just before packing up. It may look like daytime in this image, but it's only the effect of a bright and just off frame #Moon. The #perseid #meteorshower will peak the night of August 12th so grab a blanket, buds, and some #darksky. #nightsky #astronomy #landscapeastro #nightscape #sonyalpha #sonya7s @weownthenight_az @instagramaz @earthskyscience @visitsedona #sedona #cathedralrock #redrocks #az #arizonasky @joanwood01 @_tzr_ A post shared by jarredpd (@jarredpd) on Aug 7, 2017 at 11:27am PDT What is a meteor shower? Ameteor shower occurs when Earth passes through the debris stream occupying the orbit of a comet, in this case comet Swift-Tuttle. Perspective makes meteor showers appear to emanate from a single point in the sky known as the shower radiant. A typical meteor results from a particle the size of a grain of sand vaporising in Earth’s atmosphere when it enters at 134,000mph. Something larger than a grape will produce a fireball and this is often accompanied by a persistent afterglow known as a meteor train. This is a column of ionised gas slowly fading from view as it loses energy. The Perseids appear to originate from within the star constellation Perseus, hence the shower's name. A shooting star, top left, is seen during the Perseid meteor shower in Poland in 2016. Credit: EPA/LUKASZ OGRODOWCZYK When can I see the Perseid meteor shower? The window for this year's meteor shower is from July 17 to August 24. Stargazers stand a chance of seeing the shower at any point in this window, however the peak will occur around August 11, 12 and 13. The best time to take a look at the sky will be from about 1am BST in the Northern Hemisphere until the onset of dawn twilight. Space.com says the moon, which will be three-quarters full at the time of the peak, will rise around 11pm meaning the spectacle will be trickier to see this year. However, sky-watchers should still be able to see the shower, despite the moon's glare. Peak rates of 150-200 meteors per hour were recorded in 2016, but typical rates are about 80 meteors an hour streaking across the night sky, each leaving a trail. Complete list of every full moon in 2017 The worlds best stargazing locations How can I see it? Choose a dark location away from stray lights and give yourself at least 20 minutes in total darkness to properly dark adapt. Look at a height approximately two-thirds up the sky in any direction. If you want a recommendation, east through south offers some great background constellations in the early hours during August. Look for the shower's "radiant" from the north-east corner of Perseus. Here are a few great places to view the shower. Galloway Forest Park: Galloway is a couple of hours from Glasgow and an hour from Carlisle. The park's most popular spot for stargazing is Loch Trool. Exmoor and around: Exmoor was granted International Dark-Sky Reserve status by the International Dark-Sky Association in 2011. Light pollution is managed to make the area more appealing to amateur astronomers. Romney Marsh: Night once provided cover for smugglers known as Owlers, but today Romney Marsh offers celestial bounty, arching over a landscape adorned with the spires of ancient churches. Kielder: Kielder Forest is officially the darkest place in England – 250 square miles of wooded beauty where Northumberland brushes against Scotland. It has its own fabulous, modern, wood-clad observatory on the slopes of Black Fell above Kielder Water. North York Moors: As well as stunning night skies, the North York Moors boast historic market towns such as Helmsley and Pickering, plus appealing coastal spots, including Scarborough and Whitby. Reader sends in beautiful Perseid timelapse 00:15 Tell me more about Comet Swift-Tuttle The wonderfully named Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parents of the Persied meteor shower, is the largest object known to repeatedly pass Earth (it's 16 miles wide). It orbits the sun ever 133 years and each time it passes through the inner solar system, it warms up releasing fresh comet material into its orbital stream, according to earthsky.org. The last time it was closest to the sun was in December 1992. It will be back again in July 2126. Total solar eclipse 2017: explainer
Drone enthusiast 'amazed' as he lands device on deck of £3bn HMS Queen Elizabeth without being detected
It is a £3bn state-of-the-art investment, commissioned to reassert Britain’s supremacy on the high seas. But this week the Royal Navy was left blushing after it emerged that an amateur enthusiast managed to land a £300 drone on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth - without anyone raising the alarm. According to local media reports in Scotland, the drone user managed to fly the drone past armed patrol boats before landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier. The pilot, who is yet to be named, told reporters this week that he had been “amazed” how easy it had been to carry out the stunt. “I was amazed that I was able to land on the aircraft carrier for two reasons, the first being that there was no one about to prevent it from landing although were security police around in small boats who were waving at the drone,” he said. “The second reason was more technical. I received a high wind warning as I was videoing up and down the flight deck and my control system advised me to land.” The rules on | Operating a drone He added that when attempted to discuss his concerns about security with crew members, he returned to find a “ghost ship”. “There was absolutely no-one around when I landed, it was like a ghost ship,” he continued. “After I posted the picture taken from the flight deck I got some flak from other drone users who were saying ‘You are going to make a lot of people unhappy’. I thought the only law I had broken was that I flew over a vessel I didn’t have control over. “I was a bit concerned so I drove round to Invergordon and spoke to the port security and explained that I wanted to speak to someone from the ship such as the duty watch or the captain about what I had done. “I was only able to speak to some heavily armed police, I think from the MoD, and they said there was no-one available on the carrier as they were at dinner ashore.” “No-one seemed too concerned, but the officer I spoke to said he would pass it up the chain of command. I was fascinated by the Queen Elizabeth and wanted to have a crack at filming her. I wasn’t out to get anyone in trouble. What’s done is done, and I can’t undo the images I shot. “I think if the MoD were in any way bothered by this then these videos and stills would not have been allowed to see the light of day.” Fallon: Russia will look at HMS Queen Elizabeth with envy 01:16 Whilst the anonymous drone pilot appeared relaxed about his exploits, the disclosure has prompted concern among military and security experts. Speaking to The Daily Mail, Lord West, a former First Sea Lord, said it was worrying because terrorist groups such as Islamic State had already used drones in the Middle East to launch bombs. He said: “Daesh [Islamic State] are already using drones to deliver bombs in Syria, so I think it is something we need to take very seriously. “The fact drones can reach it is a worry. The Queen Elizabeth is doing some work with helicopters and if a drone hits a helicopter that could be very dangerous. “We need to have harsher punishments if you fly a drone into a carrier's air space. There's a real risk from drones and [it's] something we need to take very seriously.” Commenting, an MoD spokesperson said: “We take the security of HMS Queen Elizabeth very seriously. This incident has been reported to Police Scotland, an investigation is underway and we stepped up our security measures in light of it."
Divided Muslim family yearns to reunite, 70 years after India, Pakistan split
By Shahab Shahabuddin and Sunil Kataria KARACHI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - As India and Pakistan prepare to celebrate 70 years of independence from Britain next week, thousands of families in the nuclear-armed neighbors remain divided by a border that strained diplomatic ties make harder to cross. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since 1947, and relations remain tense, particularly when it comes to the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim in full. "The people who have migrated are not able to come to India, nor can we go there freely," said Asif Fehmi, a resident of a New Delhi neighborhood where thousands of Muslim families divided by Partition have blood ties over the border.
No comments:
Post a Comment