Close-up photo of astronaut shoes and shoe marks in lunar soil taken by Buzz Aldrin in July 1969
NASA/Johnson Space Center
We say don’t stop thinking about or talking about the moon Matthew CindelCurator of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
“In cities with lots of artificial light that tend to make it difficult to see stars, the moon is still very bright above us. We have been obscuring the stars, but where do we go? And yet, the moon is this extremely constant presence during our nighttime,” he says.
in Ring: The history of the moon in myths, maps and matterCompiled by Sindel, 19 authors tell the story of this coexistence between humanity and celestial bodies through a series of insightful essays, impressive images, and detailed maps of the geological features of the moon.
“It’s a story of how people’s views across the universe have changed, how physics works, how they see their position in the universe, what their views are about,” says Sindel.
Geological Maps – Almost 4 dozen of them – Location month Changing readers’ understanding of the reality of the moon. They are part of the lunar atlas produced by NASA and the US Geological Survey between 1962 and 1974, and are based on telescope observations, images, and samples taken by Robotlanders and astronauts.
In these maps, the moon is divided into 144 sections called Quadrangles, some of which were named in the 1600s and began sketching what cartographers saw through newly developed telescopes (hereinafter referred to as).
Three portrayals of the moon by Claude Melan (1637) are considered to be the most detailed and realistic portrayal of the moon surface. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Beyond being a scientific document, the maps revealed the culture of their time. Part of the moon was named after modern monarchs, such as the Oceanu Philip IV of Spain. The dark plains of the moon were often labeled “sea.” Because early observers imagined they were like the oceans of Earth. Even today, looking at the moon maps can make you think about sailing through the Serenity seas or taking a dip in the Rainbow Bay.
Cindel says the more powerful telescopes came into being, the deeper the moon’s imagination became. One notable example is the 1835 Great Moon Hoax in New York solar The newspaper has released a series of false reports of the discovery of moon life, accompanied by flying and other sculptures of fantastic creatures. In the same era, we see the beginning and surge in science fiction stories about visiting the moon, folding into modern writers and scientifically advanced visions of the future, with ancient people worshipping it as a god. It was linked.
Published by the Great Moon Hoax (1835) solar It depicts a human-like moon valley and a flying bat-like creature Library of Congress Prints and Photography Division Washington, DC
Sindel says that with scientific advances, many researchers have continued to cherish a very direct and personal approach to the moon. In the 1840s, it was possible to combine cameras and telescopes to photograph the moon, but due to technical challenges, many moon cartographers still have the eyes of being the best cartographer instrument. got it.
The map below shows the Petavius square, named after the 17th-century theologian Dennis Petau, and features a crater of the same name, about 200 kilometers in diameter.
America’s Fascination and Fear of Anomaly Detection: From UFOs to Drones
a While there has been widespread panic over drones and other unknown low-flying objects in New Jersey in recent days, many other parts of the country are still concerned about the very American nature of the skies, which has been resurgent in modern times. A mysterious person is happily captured by a UFO.
At the newly opened National UFO Historical Records Center – A cluster of beige buildings on the grounds of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico – Literally dozens of files detailing the unexplained flying object and the terror of those around it. It fills the cabinet.
For director David Marler, this first-of-its-kind public archive of UFO historical records is the culmination of a lifelong interest and investigation into UFOs, or UAPs, as the military now prefers to designate them, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.
It came at the perfect time. In recent years, Congressional and Senate hearings have brought the topic, which often rises and falls in public attention during times of national or political unrest, back into the spotlight.
Mahler's collection of UFO books, magazines, magazines, newspapers, microfilms, audio recordings, and case files from the past 75 years is impressive, as well as files from early U.S. Air Force research (Project Sign, Project Grudge, and Project Blue Book). Included. by the National Commission on the Study of Aeronautical Phenomena, the Institute for the Study of Aeronautical Phenomena (formerly based in Alamogordo, three and a half hours away), and the UFO Research Committee of the United States. Akron, Ohio.
A September 13, 1959 military report details an object rotating seven times, marking four military radar stations in New Mexico traveling much faster than the Convair 106, the fastest fighter plane of the time. tracked by.
“The Air Force was interested in national defense in the same way it is today, not from a quote-unquote 'alien perspective,'” Mahler says. “For practical reasons, especially because qualified military and civilian pilots report these things.”
At a Congressional hearing last monthwitnesses claimed that the government was sitting on a trove of information about the UAP dating back decades. Two former Navy pilots said they witnessed first-hand unexplained objects that regularly violate U.S. airspace.
Retired Major David Gruesch, a former member of the Pentagon's UAP Task Force, said the U.S. government has been running a secret program for years to reverse engineer inhuman material taken from crash sites.
However, the United States Old Main Anomaly Resolution Officeor AARO, founded in 2022, said there is no single explanation that addresses the majority of UAP reports, namely “anomalous detections,” and that no evidence of extraterrestrial technology has been found.
AARO Director John Koslosky at Senate hearing said “Reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena, especially near national security locations, must be treated seriously by the U.S. government and investigated with scientific rigor.”
Marler, who has been following the issue relentlessly since he went looking for UFOs with his father when sightings were on the rise in Missouri, says he is neutral on the phenomenon.
“One has to be skeptical, look at the evidence objectively, and suspend conclusions and beliefs,” he says. “What I believe doesn't really matter unless there's data to support it.”
Earlier this year, the New York software company released Enigma, an app that collects sightings by uploading videos and photos with descriptions…
Source: www.theguardian.com
Brits’ fascination with weather apps: “I find it quite enchanting” | UK Weather
vinegarFrancesca Simon, author of the children’s book “Horrid Henry,” pulls out her phone and checks the weather multiple times a day — not just where she is, but where her friends and family live, where she went on holiday, and where she grew up.
“I love weather apps. I think they’re magical,” she says. She has about 10 locations logged, and her friends tease her about her “weather porn” habits. “If I don’t like what I see on one app, I check another one.”
This week, Simon She shared her weather app obsession with Queen Camilla As the two discuss a miserable summer day at a charity event.[Camilla] “She said everyone was making fun of her … so we were laughing at each other’s obsession,” Simon said.
It’s an obsession shared by millions: If you’re going on vacation, planning a summer barbecue, worrying about your yard, or suffering from hay fever, you probably check the app at least daily to see the latest weather forecast.
The app provides much more localized and detailed information in graphical form than traditional weather forecasts, including wind speeds and chance of precipitation.
This is a lucrative business. Most basic weather apps are free to use, but they make money from advertising, paid upgrades, and data monetization. According to Statista in 2022, global revenue for the weather market is Projected to reach $1.58 billionThe majority of its revenue comes from advertising.
be Last year’s YouGov pollIn 2015, apps were the primary source of weather information for Americans, used by 53% of people. One in five people said they check the app multiple times a day, and the older people they are, the more frequently they check it.
For people with specific weather needs, bespoke apps may be available. For example: the wind is strong Wind speed and direction are tracked and the Met Office has introduced UK-specific Coastal Forecasts (in partnership with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution) and Mountain Forecasts.
Most apps provide wind speed and direction, sunrise and sunset times, UV forecasts, pollen counts, air pollution index, etc. Some apps even provide users with extreme weather alerts.
The Met Office launched its weather forecast app in 2010 and released a major update in 2016. By 2023, it expects to have around 6.2 million users, most of them in the UK. Usage spikes during severe weather events, such as named storms or heatwaves.
Met Office spokesman Graham Mudge said the app was in “continuous development” and had become more refined since its launch.
The center offers “detailed information for the next 24 hours,” but the further out a user looks, the more general the forecast becomes. “We’re recognized as one of the best centers in the world for our accuracy,” Mudge says. “We’re very proud of that.”
As a government agency, the Met Office provides data to other forecasters, but three years after the BBC released its weather app in 2013, it switched to a private weather company, Meteor Group, now known as DTN.
DTN “pulls data from multiple sources, including satellite imagery, global ocean and continental datasets, and real-time observations from a network of more than 20,000 sensors,” said Renee Vandewege, the company’s general manager of weather and climate information. The data is “processed in a high-performance cloud environment using AI and machine learning.”
“DTN believes our forecasts are among the most reliable in the industry and globally leading,” Vandewege added.
The BBC acknowledged earlier this year that the symbols that summarise the day’s weather on its app (which has been downloaded more than 28 million times) could paint an overly gloomy outlook: “The symbol of the day reflects the weather conditions that are likely to have the greatest impact on people’s lives,” it said. A BBC spokesman told The Sunday Times:.
“This may focus on short periods of weather on a particular day and is designed to be read in the context of the bigger picture and hourly details that change depending on the latest data.”
The company works with the National Center for Atmospheric Science to monitor and evaluate the accuracy of its forecasts across all platforms, including its app.
UK weather has always been changeable, but meteorologists say the global climate crisis is making it even less predictable and more prone to extreme weather – which could lead to increased reliance – or, as Simon puts it, obsession – with weather apps.
In the UK, “weather patterns rarely stay in one place for more than a few days at a time compared to other parts of the world such as California, which makes forecasting even more difficult”, Mudge said.
“Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the European continent, with the tropics to the south and the Arctic Circle to the north, the UK has an almost unique relationship with the weather globally.”
Vandewege said: “Checking the weather app is a global phenomenon. The weather affects every aspect of our lives – from what we wear, what we do and, in many cases, what we eat, to the more severe weather impacts, such as risks to safety and business operations.”
As weather data becomes more accessible, it’s not just the next local downpour that drives app usage: “Users are increasingly interested in knowing what the weather is like in multiple locations, not just their own local area.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
