Landing on the Far Side
Nearly a month after launching from Earth, China’s Chang’e-4 mission is set to make a historic lunar landing, according to news reports. The spacecraft's exact landing time has not yet been specified. But, if all goes according to plan, the craft will be the first in history to land on the far side of the moon either today or tomorrow (January 3).
The spacecraft is currently orbiting about 9 miles (15 km) above the lunar surface. The ...read more
Though we call the last several decades of computational invention the Information Age, we might better look thousands of years in the past to see its true beginnings. That's when writing, a system that has served as the basis for our collective store of information ever since, began.
This revolutionary idea likely emerged four times in human history: in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and Mesoamerica. In each case, it seems that people with no prior exposure to writing invented symboli ...read more
As the Earth heats up thanks to climate change, people are cranking up the air conditioning. Pumping in that cooled air also increases electricity use, and especially so in countries where people are just beginning to make heavy use of the electrical grid. Case in point: China, where researchers find that climate change will significantly escalate electricity consumption.
“China is now the largest economy in the world, and their electricity sector is probably the largest single place wher ...read more
NASA's New Horizons' team released the first close-up images from Ultima Thule on Wednesday afternoon. Even at the speed of light, signals from the outer solar system take a long time to reach Earth. But the pictures were well worth waiting for. They reveal Ultima Thule is actually two objects stuck together. That's prompted scientists to dub the big one "Ultima" and the small one "Thule."
And while the first images may still be a bit disappointing, the best pictures will be arriving ...read more
With the holiday season over, millions of people are taking down their Christmas trees. Only a few days ago, the iconic symbols brought visions of the sugar plum fairy and the magic of Santa. Yet, the trees will get tossed out with the rest of the week’s trash by week’s end to decompose in landfills. But now, researchers from Britain say they've found a way to bring second life to Christmas trees.
“A potential solution is to convert these used Christmas trees ... into useful m ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine