By now you’re probably used to all the spectacular night-time time lapses from the International Space Station. But this one demonstrates that the show is just as amazing during the day. Check out the moon seemingly sinking into the Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA has released a new Blue Marble image, showing the United States of America. According to them, it’s the most amazing, highest resolution image of Earth ever. Blue Marble 2012 bests the 2010 edition and the original one.
It never fails. Every month or so, the astronauts at the International Space Station capture Earth in the most amazing, astonishing, rock-your-socks-off way imaginable. Every time it’s better than the previous one. This one is the current winner by far.
So how do you study the Earth’s core and magnetic fields when it’s protected by nearly 3000km of crust? Easy — you just build your own miniature version in a laboratory, using over 12,700kg of molten sodium.
Whether peering towards the centre of the Earth or searching for Jupiter’s “warm dense matter”, our understanding of a planet’s core remains largely theoretical. Europe’s newest new laser array, however, can recreate those same intense conditions here on the surface — using diamond anvils and X-ray beams.
Do you know where you fit in chronologically with the seven billion or so human folk running around sweet Terra? BBC has a really cool tool that lets you plug in your birthday to get an approximation of which number human you were to sprout up on the planet.
NASA’s latest visualisation tracks fires across the planet and their effect on vegetation as they go. It’s frightening and yet hypnotic viewing.
