Daily Archives: March 9, 2021

"This type of photography is an incredible challenge."Sun Stunner

Anew homemade photo of the Sun looks absolutely mind-blowing.

A Redditor going by the moniker TheVastReachesposted the photo to the Space subreddit showcasing their highly-detailed and processed photograph of the Sun.

Perhaps more surprisingly, the photo wasnt taken from a high-tech observatory but from the users backyard.

This photo was shot on my backyard solar telescope, they wrote on the post.

According to the TheVastReaches, the photo shows the turbulent nature of the solar chromosphere or the second of three main layers of the Suns atmosphere.

This type of photography is an incredible challenge due to the overwhelming light of the photosphere below, the user wrote. Solar images are always software-processed to reveal contrast. I took those methods as far as I could, and then some!

Along with the stunning detail of the layer, the user points out that you can also see a massive sunspot near the edge thats big enough to swallow the Earth whole!

Though TheVastReaches was able to snap the photo from their backyard, they had some powerful (and pricey) equipment to help them out.

They listed the equipment as follows: Explore Scientific AR152, Daystar Quark Chromosphere, ASI174MM-Cool, and a Celestron AVX. At the time of publishing, the hardware would cost you a hefty sub-total of nearly $4,000.

But honestly, that might be worth it for such a cool hobby and equally cool photos to show for it.After all, its still less than NASAs $10 billion James Webb space telescope.

READ MORE: I developed a unique method for processing images of the Sun for extreme detail and clarity. This photo was shot on my backyard solar telescope. [Reddit]

More on the sun: The Sharpest-Ever Image of a Sunspot Looks Like a Portal to Hell

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This Photo of the Sun Is Unlike Anything You've Ever Seen - Futurism

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today that Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can gather in small numbers indoors, The New York Times reports.

Other precautions, including social distancing and masking, are still in effect in public spaces.

Fully vaccinated means that at least two weeks have elapsed since a given person has received their second Pfizer or Moderna shot, or a single dose of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In effect, as the Times points out, fully vaccinated grandparents are now able to visit their unvaccinated families without having to mask up or socially distance.

There are some activities that fully vaccinated people can begin to resume now in the privacy of their own homes, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal. Everyone even those who are vaccinated should continue with all mitigation strategies when in public settings.

The recommendation did come flush with caveats and asterisks. For instance, the CDC noted that we still dont know for sure if those who are fully vaccinated are no longer at risk of spreading the virus unknowingly and without showing any symptoms. New discoveries in that area could change the guidelines.

We know that people want to get vaccinated so they can get back to doing the things they enjoy with the people they love, Walensky said.

To date, almost 60 million Americans have received at least one dose, while roughly half of those have been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

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CDC: People Who Are Fully Vaccinated Can Gather Indoors - Futurism

A Starship explosion has never looked this good.Big Boom

SpaceXs Starship SN10 prototype experienced a bit of an oopsie after managing to land.

The tower of stainless steel decided to give up the ghost several minutes after touchdown on Wednesday, going up in a massive plume of flames just like its two predecessors SN8 and SN9.

RIP SN10, honorable discharge, Musk tweeted after the event.

Courtesy of space launch photography YouTube account Cosmic Perspective, we can relive the event in incredible slow motion, including the sounds of a cheering crowd near the launch pad.

The rocket can be seen popping like an over-carbonated soda can, erupting into a gigantic fireball. Moments later, pieces of whats left of the rocket can be seen careening back to the surface below, landing with a satisfying thud.

The footage is detailed enough to show individual pieces of steel being flung in every direction.

It wont be long until we see the next full-scale Starship prototype fly. The next prototype, called SN11, is ready to roll out to the pad in the very near future, said John Insprucker, who was hosting Wednesdays live stream, as quoted by SpaceNews.

READ MORE: SpaceX Starship SN10 landing and explosion slowmotion [YouTube]

More on Starship: Theres a Robodog Walking Around the Site of the SpaceX Starship Explosion

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The Starship Landing Looks Absolutely Incredible in Slow Motion - Futurism

Apple's rumoured VR headset may be closer than we think after Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo gave a release window in a research note with TF International Securities (via MacRumors).

Kuo predicts Apple's mixed reality headset will be released by mid-2022, along with the Apple AR glasses by 2025. There's even word of futuristic AR contact lenses by 2030, which gives us a decade to get used to putting in contact lenses for those of us who get squeamish at the thought.

"We predict that Apple's MR/AR product roadmap includes three phases: helmet type by 2022, glasses type by 2025, and contact lens type by 20302040," stated Kuo. "We foresee that the helmet product will provide AR and VR experiences, while glasses and contact lens types of products are more likely to focus on AR applications."

The analyst also believes the headset will be lighter than other VR headsets with a weight of around 100g-200 grams and will have an emphasis on portability with its own chip and storage, much like the popular Oculus Quest 2. He also expects it to be priced at $1,000 in the U.S.

A previous rumour about the Apple VR headset from The Information stated it would have a $3,000 price tag, with 8K displays and advanced technology for eye-tracking. It also said the VR headset would release in 2022. This could mean various headset models will be coming out, including a premium edition and budget option.

The 2025 Apple AR glasses are also expected to feature micro OLED displays, and according to Kuo, will offer a see-through AR experience. We can imagine it beaming maps and messages into the user's field of vision, with the glasses being controlled through an iPhone.

As for the smart contact lenses? Apparently, Kuo says it will usher in the era of "invisible computing." Not much more was said, but Minority Report definitely comes to mind.

VR headsets have already hit mainstream thanks to the Oculus Quest 2, giving us next-gen experiences from VR exercising to VR dating. Apple is clearly looking to jump on that bandwagon and wants to get its foot in the door for AR contact lenses if what Kuo states is true.

Today's best Oculus Quest 2 deals

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Apple AR/VR headset to arrive in 2022 followed by futuristic smart contact lenses (report) - Laptop Mag

Ironic.Welcome Home

Back in 1960, France conducted nuclear tests in the Sahara Desert. Referred to by the codename Gerboise Bleue, the tests included the detonation of four nuclear bombs in Algeria over the course of 14 months.

Now, fallout from those explosions is coming back home, according to Euronews, as strong seasonal winds carry radioactive Saharan dust all the way back to France. Thankfully, experts believe the dust to be harmless but it serves as a poignant reminder of the longlasting impact that nuclear fallout can have on an area.

Powerful winds carried the Saharan dust and particles to Frances Jura region in February, briefly turning the snow orange. When it settled, scientists from Frances Associationfor Control of Radioactivity in the West (ACRO) took samples, where they detected cesium-137, a nuclear fission byproduct given off by the Gerboise Bleue explosions.

This radioactive contamination, which comes from far away, 60 years after the nuclear explosions, reminds us of the perennial radioactive contamination in the Sahara, for which France is responsible, reads an ACRO report.

Experts studying the traveling radiation say that it doesnt pose any extraordinary threat to people in the area.

What actually exposes us the most to radioactivity is the natural radon that emanates naturally from the soil itself, Pedro Salazar Carballo, a chemist at the University of La Laguna, told Euronews.

So instead, the radioactive dust will merely serve as a reminder of the toll that nuclear blasts take on the planet.

READ MORE: Irony as Saharan dust returns radiation from French nuclear tests in the 1960s [Euronews]

More on radioactivity: Japan Battles Wild Monkeys At Site of Nuclear Meltdown

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France Tested Nuclear Weapons in Africa. Now Radioactive Dust Is Drifting Back Into France. - Futurism

The Justice Ministry is to spend 2.5 million on a new futuristic compound in al Far to securely store assets recovered from crime, minister Edward ZammitLewis has said.

Plans of the new building housing the Asset Recovery Bureau were unveiled during a news conference on Tuesday.

The four-storey building will preserve recovered from criminal activities, including jewellery, works of art, boats, trailers and cars.

According to designers EMDP, the concept for the building is derived from traditional Maltese architecture such as porticos, forts and muxrabija to highlight the compound's function as a "secure heaven" and a "discrete sentinel".

Speaking at a press conference, Zammit Lewis explained that in terms of the law the bureau can confiscate assets from people suspected of having acquired them from the proceeds of crime. Such assets can be seized at the start of legal proceedings.

The Asset Recovery Bureau was set up by legislation in 2015 but its operations were stunted, with some regulations not having been brought into force for a couple of years, parliament heard last week

Asked in Parliament at the end of 2018 how much the ARB had recovered since 2017, then Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said the bureau confiscated 1,500 in August 2018 and 1,260 in October 2018.

In 2019, Times of Malta had reported thatthe bureau was left in the lurch after both the Police Commissioner and Inland Revenue Commissioner said they were short of staff to assign full-time officers to work there.

It was also announced in 2019 thatthe bureau had entered into a project with Wilsons Auctions, to provide technical assistance in the management, disposal and valuation services for crime-related assets.

The bureau ended up in hot water last year when it sold off a Ferrari owned by a suspected drug dealer, despite him never being convicted of a crime in Malta. The court had ordered the attorney general to pay the car's original owner 70,000 in compensation.

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Futuristic 2.5 million compound to house the Asset Recovery Bureau - Times of Malta

The France Pavilion at the Dubai World Expo is delighted to showcase FLYING WHALES as part of its permanent exhibition. With its unique solution for providing sustainable cargo transport to landlocked and isolated regions around the world, FLYING WHALES is fully in tune with the challenges of building the world of tomorrow a world the France Pavilion will be bringing to light over the next six months.

The Dubai World Expo will be the biggest gathering of 2021. Expo 2020 Dubai is the first world expo to be held in the MEASA region (Middle East, Africa, and South Asia), and is centred around the theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. Expo 2020 Dubai brings together more than 200 participants representing various entities countries, organisations, companies, and academic establishments and is expected to receive some 25 million visitors.

World Expos of this kind have always ranked among the most eagerly anticipated international events, alongside the Olympic Games and the World Cup. They carry on a proud and longstanding history, beginning with the first ever Great Exhibition held in London in 1851.

The ambitions set by these expos have evolved over the decades, and today lean towards international cooperation and the search for solutions to the challenges humanity faces. Over six months, every country in the world will come together to discuss, propose and implement practical solutions for the benefit of all humankind.

In Dubai, the France Pavilions role is to place France at the centre of the international stage by promoting her innovations, talents and assets, serving as an unforgettable showcase for French excellence and expertise.

France is also setting out to position itself as an international driving force for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the UN, and for rebuilding the post-health crisis world. As part of this approach, the Pavilion will shine a spotlight on initiatives and innovations with the power to address the challenges of economic, social, ecological and cultural transformation in our society. By developing the LCA60T, a modern and safe airship unprecedented in its applications, FLYING WHALES showcases a unique and ecological solution for opening up access to isolated or landlocked regions around the world.

With its imposing presence at what is set to be the most important international gathering of 2021, the France Pavilion will also be playing a role in stimulating French economic growth. Indeed, this international gathering is a unique chance for companies to rebound economically, by creating new development opportunities and facilitating access to new markets.

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Here's how France is reinventing futuristic mobility solutions for remote and landlocked areas - Construction Business News