#October2011
Titan Gets A Sexy Infrared Close-Up. Cassini, You Pimp.
Check out this super bombad picture of Titan taken by Cassini back in August. You can see surface detail of the lovely rock, and it’s all thanks to the powers of infrared.
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Uranus’ Tilt Is From A Double-Whupping Upside Its Head.
Astronomi-wizards have long been trying to figure out why Uranus is tilted over on its side. Late night partying? Existential vertigo? Or perhaps a comet-based beat down. By not one, but two rough riders.
Fear Fest: Apophis!
OCTOBER 4th, Apophis
“What happens if a big asteroid hits Earth? Judging from realistic simulations involving a sledge hammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will be pretty bad.”
-Dave Barry
Hello again, the Dude here dishing some wisdom out for free. So, stop what you’re doing, minimize that porn site you have open, you can leave the sound on, it will add ambiance, and stay a while.
Today we’re going off planet to discover a fear. Apophis. Now, if you don’t know what that is, I’m sure you will in 20 to 30 years. My goal is to get you digging your fallout shelter today. Apophis is a near-Earth asteroid that was discovered in 2004 and got as high as level 4 on the Torino Impact scale. Now, I’m not a scientician, so when I say we’re all going to die, you may want to pause and consider researching it for yourself. I can give you the numbers. Apophis is 350 meters in diameter (1,150ft). So just imagine a rock the size of the Eiffel Tower breaking us like a cue ball.
Saturn’s Rings Cast Sexy Halo Atop His Head.
(Click image to enlarge. Via.)
Check out this picture of Saturn and its rings as captured by Cassini. Man, that Cassini is legit. So many delicious pictures. Anyways, did you know you can measure the passage of time on Saturn by the shadows its rings cast? I didn’t either.
Solar Storm Ejaculates Plasma Blast Larger Than Earth. G’damn.
(Click image to enlarge.)
The Sun is one petulant sumbitch these days. There’s storms afoot and the such and so forth. Yeah, I’m rambling. Anyways, there was recently a plasma burst that was bigger than the Earth. This is both amazing and not surprising.
Gamers Discover Two New Planets Using Browser Game. Cyeah!
Gamers are fucking holding it down. When we’re not cracking crazy ass protein thingies that I don’t really understand using Foldit, apparently we’re finding planets. Earth-like ones.
Mars’ Dry Ice Pits Exposed During Its Thaw, Reveals Gold! Maybe. Sorta.
At the end of every summer, Mars gets its thaw on. When this occurs, dry ice pits are exposed, and they’re lined by…scientists arent’ really sure.
Video: Time-Lapse of the Space Station Flying Over Earth. Space-Porno.
This video is pure space porn. Time-lapse video of the International Space Station bombing over the surface of the Earth.
Hit the jump.
Asteroid ‘Vesta’ Has Itself A Lumpy Ass. Space Shame.
(Click to enlarge. Via: Vesta’s odd bottom)
Vesta is an asteroid 300 miles wide. According to Phil Plait, that means the son of a gun should be crushed into sphere. Yet, it isn’t.
Why is that?
NASA Unveils New Rocket, And It’s Mars Bound?
Maybe the space exploration situation isn’t as dire and dismal and depressing as I figured when the last shuttle rocketed in the sky this summer. Nasa has unveiled their next iteration of Things Blasting Out of the Atmosphere: the Space Launch System. It’s a big fucking rocket, and it’s taking us to Mars. Someday. Right?
