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On Saturday morning, April 4th, sky watchers in the USA can see a brief but beautiful total eclipse of the Moon. The event will also be visible from Mexico, western Canada, across the entire Pacific Ocean, Australia, Indonesia, and elsewhere. View an animated eclipse map from ShadowAndSubstance.com.
www.spaceweather.com
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Texas Tech University : 13 Nov 2014
According to Poirier's theory, quantum reality is not wave-like at all, but is comprised of multiple, classical-like worlds. In each of these worlds, every object has very definite physical attributes, such as position and momentum. Within a given world, objects interact with each other classically. All quantum effects, on the other hand, manifest as interactions between "nearby" parallel worlds.
The idea of many worlds is not new. In 1957, Hugh Everett III published what is now called the "Many Worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics. "But in Everett's theory, the worlds are not well defined," according to Poirier, "because the underlying mathematics is that of the standard wave-based quantum theory." In contrast, in Poirier's "Many Interacting Worlds" theory, the worlds are built into the mathematics right from the start. Does this prove anything definitive about the nature of reality? "Not yet," says Poirier. "Experimental observations are the ultimate test of any theory. So far, Many Interacting Worlds makes the same predictions as standard quantum theory, so all we can say for sure at present is that it might be correct." The rest of this article can be found at : Source
RT : 28 Mar 2015
Two engineering students from George Mason University are using the unique power of sound to put out flames - and they're hoping the technology will become powerful enough to help extinguish forest fires. The sound-based fire extinguisher they recently demoed uses low-frequency sound waves to take out flames. In a video posted on YouTube, students Viet Tran and Seth Robertson demonstrated their booming new device.
"I see this device being applied to a lot of things. First off, I think in the kitchen, it could be on top a stove top," said Tran, who also imagines far bigger uses for the technology. "Eventually, I'd like to see this applied to swarm robotics, where it'd be attached to a drone, and that would be applied to forest fires or even building fires where you wouldn't want to sacrifice human life."
Pump Up the Bass to Douse a Blaze: Mason Students' Invention Fights Fires
George Mason University
Published on 5 Feb 2015
The fire extinguisher uses low-frequency sound waves to douse a blaze. Engineering seniors Viet Tran and Seth Robertson now hold a preliminary patent application for their potentially revolutionizing device. www.gmu.edu
Tran and Robertson began with the idea that sound waves can cause a physical impact on objects, reported science news website Tech Xplore. If sound waves could be used to come between whatever's burning and oxygen - which fuels the fire - the students believed the flames themselves would go out. Initial experiments with high-frequency sound waves didn't yield many results, but low-frequency waves (30-60 Hertz) actually worked. Still, it's unclear just how effective the concept could be when it comes to putting out large fires. As noted by Tech Xplore, the current design does not feature a coolant, so it's possible that once the sound waves halt, a still-hot object could reignite.
With a preliminary patent in hand, though, the two are determined to explore the possibilities. "Engineering is all about finding a way to make the impossible possible," said Robertson, "so that's what we do." Source  © http://pontifex.livejournal.com Russian designers have presented a visual concept of a state-of-the-art house which they claim will be capable of flying. A visual concept of a sophisticated new home which will be capable of floating through the air has been showcased by Russian designers, who claim that the house can also be used as a summer cottage and a small airship, media reports said. The Freedom house, which has first and foremost been designed for so-called citizens of the world, can be installed almost anywhere on our planet — in the woods, at sea, on the coast, in the mountains, and in an urban area, according to Dmitry Ulitin and Anstasiya Taratuta of the design studio Artzona.ru. The owner of this house will be able to make him or herself at home while soaring through the clouds, a dream that now may finally come true. However, 'Freedom' comes at a price: the prospective home, which will take at least four years to perfect, will cost at least six million euros. Freedom is touted as a house that is not tied to any particular place or time. It provides a unique opportunity for its owners to live in any city without spending money on rent. On the other hand, it will help put an owner in a cheerful frame of mind each time he (or she) feels upset. The house's aerostatic air power is provided with a container of phlegmatized hydrogen, as well as a thermal volume and vertical-horizontal propeller power. The propellers' engines can run both on hydrogen and petrol, and in the parking mode are used as wind generators. The vehicle is run in automatic or manual mode.
Flying on board the Freedom house is absolutely safe because during an emergency loss of hydrogen it can glide at a speed of 3 meters per second.
Source When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look up. The Moon and Jupiter are side by side, only about 5o apart in the constellation Cancer. Try to catch them before the evening sky fades to black. The conjunction framed by twilight blue is a beautiful sight. [photo gallery] www.spaceweather.com
Published on 23 Mar 2015
Timelapse movie of the moon shadow seen from the stratosphere, in a plane flying along the umbral path of the sun eclipse of 20th March 2015. CHASING MOON SHADOWS: Total eclipses of the sun are achingly brief. The Moon's shadow races across the landscape at thousands of kilometers per hour, enveloping sky watchers for a matter of minutes at most. On March 20th, when the Moon passed in front of the sun over the Arctic Ocean, a few observers extended the experience--in an airplane. "Flying at 14,000 m was an incredible way to watch the eclipse," reports Sylvain Chapeland. "Our velocity of 950 km/h allowed an extra minute of totality." She recorded this must-see video over a stretch of ocean between Iceland and the Faroe Islands:
"I have never seen anything like the shadow of the Moon rushing upon us during totality, overtaking us and continuing its path at 3000 km/h," says Chapeland. "This was a dramatic perspective. Our view of the sun's corona with Venus shining on the east side were incredible."
qz.com : 23 Mar 2015  I© Reuters/Amit Dave : Water scarcity has begun early in India. In 1985, a 28-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh quit his government job, left his family and arrived in the dead of the night at a small village in Rajasthan's Alwar district. Rajendra Singh, along with four companions from the Tarun Bharat Sangh, a non-profit that traces its origins to the University of Rajasthan, wanted to work in the hinterland. The initial idea was to establish clinics.  "Maybe it was some social chromosomes that fired my imagination to do something useful," Singh said in an interview. "I was a government servant in Jaipur, fed up with just sending statistics to officials." It look him a few months before finding his life's mission—and it took an ancient innovation, a fast disappearing traditional technology, to help him transform the lives of thousands of villagers in one of India's most arid regions. © Tarun Bharat Sangh Singh has brought water back to some 1,000 villages. On March 20, Singh was awarded the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize, sometimes described as the Nobel prize for water. "Rajendra Singh did not insist with the clinics," the Stockholm International Water Institute, which awards the prize, said in a statement. "Instead, and with the help of the villagers, he set out to build johads, or traditional earthen dams. Two decades after Rajendra Singh arrived in Rajasthan, 8,600 johads and other structures to collect water had been built," it observed. "Water had been brought back to a 1,000 villages across the state." This article can be read in its entirety at : http://www.sott.net/article/294253-An-ancient-technology-is-helping-Indias-water-man-save-thousands-of-parched-villages
Using data from orbiting observatories, including NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and ground-based facilities, an international team of astronomers has discovered an outburst from a star thought to be in the earliest phase of its development. The eruption, scientists say, reveals a sudden accumulation of gas and dust by an exceptionally young protostar known as HOPS 383. Stars form within collapsing fragments of cold gas clouds. As the cloud contracts under its own gravity, its central region becomes denser and hotter. By the end of this process, the collapsing fragment has transformed into a hot central protostar surrounded by a dusty disk roughly equal in mass, embedded in a dense envelope of gas and dust. Astronomers call this a "Class 0" protostar. "HOPS 383 is the first outburst we've ever seen from a Class 0 object, and it appears to be the youngest protostellar eruption ever recorded," said William Fischer, a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 
Infrared images from instruments at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO, left) and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope document the outburst of HOPS 383, a young protostar in the Orion star-formation complex. Background: A wide view of the region taken from a Spitzer four-color infrared mosaic. Image Credit: E. Safron et al.; Background: NASA/JPL/T. Megeath (U-Toledo) The Class 0 phase is short-lived, lasting roughly 150,000 years, and is considered the earliest developmental stage for stars like the sun. A protostar has not yet developed the energy-generating capabilities of a sun-like star, which fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. Instead, a protostar shines from the heat energy released by its contraction and by the accumulation of material from the disk of gas and dust surrounding it. The disk may one day develop asteroids, comets and planets. Because these infant suns are thickly swaddled in gas and dust, their visible light cannot escape. But the light warms dust around the protostar, which reradiates the energy in the form of heat detectable by infrared-sensitive instruments on ground-based telescopes and orbiting satellites. HOPS 383 is located near NGC 1977, a nebula in the constellation Orion and a part of its sprawling star-formation complex. Located about 1,400 light-years away, the region constitutes the most active nearby "star factory" and hosts a treasure trove of young stellar objects still embedded in their natal clouds. A team led by Thomas Megeath at the University of Toledo in Ohio used Spitzer to identify more than 300 protostars in the Orion complex. A follow-on project using the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, called the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey (HOPS), studied many of these objects in greater detail. This article can be read in its entirety at : http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-satellites-catch-growth-spurt-from-newborn-protostar/#.VREU_xZ1tV4
The Healist : Natural Blaze : 21 Mar 2015 Anyone who has walked in a forest knows by common sense the beauty of it. It's why some people choose to live in forests, or next to them, and why other people travel thousands of miles to stand in Redwood forests, or the rain forests of Costa Rica or Ecuador. But researchers in Japan, where the tradition called shinri-yoku, or "forest bathing", is still strong, have discovered some biochemical reasons why. Researchers found that forest bathing optimizes natural immunity, which is important to prevent cancer as well as other chronic illnesses. How does that happen? Real Fountain Of Youth | Forest Bathing When researchers sampled people before and after a 2-hour forest walk, they found all but one forest walker had a 50% higher killer T-cell count. They also had lower blood pressure, and felt calm and clear headed. Researchers explained the phenomenon: the forest trees and plants infused the environment with "antimicrobial allelochemic volatile organic plant-derived compounds called phytoncides that exterminate fungi and bacteria". Translation please? Fungi and bacteria can spell trouble for our immune system. Turns out trees don't like them either. Forests trees are often hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. The trees, and other plants, have evolved a protection, a compound they can produce, that kills fungi and bacteria. When you walk in the forest, you breathe and are infused with these compounds. The effect lasts for about 2 months.
Let's say, when you walk in a forest, you bathe in the forest's natural immunity. You're immersed in the forest's phytochemical immune system. Professor Qing Li, of the Department of Hygiene and Public Health at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, gave this story to American Scientist writer Anna Lena Phillips. There's more specific info in the article about effects on specific hormones as well, including noradrenaline and DHEA that affect stress response, and adiponectin, lower levels of which is associated with Type 2 Diabetes and obesity. The study appeared in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. EXPLORE THE WOODS STUDY. Andrew Griffin : The Independent, UK : 16 Mar 2015 
© Independent As the eclipse plunges the UK and other places into darkness this Friday, two other rare, if less spectacular, celestial events will be taking place too: a Supermoon and the Spring equinox.
A Supermoon, or perigee moon, happens when the full or new moon does its closest fly-by of the Earth, making it look bigger than it normally does. And the spring equinox refers to the time of the year when the day and night are of equal duration, mid-way between the longest and shortest days. The solar eclipse refers to a phenomenon where the sun and moon line up, so that the latter obscures the former. And while it won't be affected by the two other events, it is rare that the three events happen even individually. Supermoon Most of the time, there are between three and six Supermoons a year. There is set to be six in 2015, two of which have already happened. The next will take place on March 20, the day of the eclipse, and the others will come in August, September and October. Eclipses can only happen at new moon, when the moon appears almost entirely in shadow. And the spectacular Supermoon images that are often spotted can only happen when the moon is full, since it can only be seen then. As a result, only the last three Supermoons of this year will be visible — because the moon is new rather than full on March 20, it won't be seen. But it will be gliding past us closer than ever, and its shadow will be visible as it blocks out the sun on Friday morning. Spring equinox The equinox will also happen on March 20. While it won't have any discernable, direct impact on how the solar eclipse looks, it will contribute to a rare collision of three unusual celestial events. On March 20, the Earth's axis will be perpendicular to the sun's rays — which only happens twice a year, at the two equinoxes. After that, it will start tipping over, making the days longer in the northern hemisphere. As such, the equinox has long been celebrated as a time of beginning and renewal, by a number of historic cultures, and is linked to Easter and Passover. The equinox will happen at the same time as a solar eclipse in 2053 and 2072, though it doesn't always appear as close together as that. Source Severe Level 4 Magnetic Storm - March 17, 2015 Rapid Geomagnetic Reversal Possibility: Confirmed Before watching the above videos by Suspicious0bservers, please read the following information: Alignment is a primary theme of 2015. Obviously the energies coming onto the planet for the Equinox – Blood Moon Gateway are of a MUCH Higher frequency. It is vital to stay peaceful, relaxed, and aligned with your Higher Levels as this New Light does its work throughout the next few weeks. This is a remarkable passage for the Light Tribe; please stay focused as the light steps up in intensity. We are holding a massive field of Light for the Shift and Ascension right now. Know this, feel this, honor it with integrity. Accessing the multidimensional Self takes on a whole new meaning as we merge consciousness. Take care to surrender to the Now of it as the Light levels increase. Sandra Walter - Wayshower, Ascension Guide and Gatekeeper in Service to the New Light. http://www.sandrawalter.com/home/ (Also see Sandra's articles in the HUMANITY : Ascension/Evolution section of this website.) This powerful higher vibrational light/energy is coming to us via the sun; the weakening of the earth's magnetic field more easily enables the energy to reach earth to aid in the Awakening and Ascension of Humanity. The earth's magnetic fields have reversed many times throughout history. The earth is not 'flipping', only the magnetic fields of the earth are reversing. Compasses will reflect this change, but Humanity will not be harmed. This is all part of the 'Grand Plan' and is nothing to worry about, though it may cause temporary problems such as power outages etc. All is as it is meant to be. Messenger Spirit by Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist | March 16, 2015 
This week, the moon will completely cover the disk of the sun, creating a solar eclipse that only a small part of the world can see. The March 20 total solar eclipse event will be the first since Nov. 3, 2013. The dark umbral shadow cone of the moon will trace a curved path primarily over the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, beginning off the southern tip of Greenland and then winding its way counterclockwise to the northeast, passing between Iceland and the United Kingdom. The shadow will then pass over the Danish-owned Faroe Islands, the sparsely inhabited Norwegian island group of Svalbard and then it will hook counterclockwise toward the northwest, where it leaves the Earth’s surface just short of the North Pole. [Solar Eclipses: An Observer's Guide (Infographic)] The March 20 total solar eclipse event will be the first since Nov. 3, 2013. The dark umbral shadow cone of the moon will trace a curved path primarily over the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, beginning off the southern tip of Greenland and then winding its way counterclockwise to the northeast, passing between Iceland and the United Kingdom. The shadow will then pass over the Danish-owned Faroe Islands, the sparsely inhabited Norwegian island group of Svalbard and then it will hook counterclockwise toward the northwest, where it leaves the Earth’s surface just short of the North Pole. [Solar Eclipses: An Observer's Guide (Infographic)] If you don't have the chance to see the solar eclipse in person, you can catch it live online as well. The online Slooh Community Observatory will broadcast live views of the solar eclipse through its website Slooh.com, beginning at 4:30 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT). You can also watch the total solar eclipse webcast on Space.com on March 20, courtesy of Slooh.The Virtual Telescope Project will also air live views of the eclipse through the project's website beginning at 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT), and it will also be carried on Space.com if possible. 
You can read more information, including timings for specific locations, at :
http://www.space.com/28820-total-solar-eclipse-march-2015.html Jack Crone : Daily Mail : 15 Mar 2015
The rest of the article, with more photographs, can be found here : source
Chuck Bednar : RedOrbit : Fri, 13 Mar 2015
Like a soda can with magnets
The new bionic heart would only have one moving part and would transport blood through the body using magnets instead of pumping it, they explained. A prototype that has been used in large animals allows them to live for a month and even exercise on a treadmill for one month before they are culled to examine its impact on their brain and other organs. "The device has performed in many respects better than any artificial heart anybody has come up with in the last 50 years," Cohn told ABC News, noting that he and his colleagues consider it the "first legitimate shot... for a permanent mechanical replacement for the failing human heart." He added that "kidney function, lung function, everything works beautifully throughout." While the device, which is approximately half the size of a soda can, is implanted in a patient's chest, it has a battery-operated controller that remains outside his or her body, a recent Lubbock Online blog said. It features a spinning disk with fins suspended by a pair of magnetic fields that prevent it from touching anything, and rotates an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 times a minute. Leave it to the Aussies According to the Houston Chronicle, the bionic heart was first designed by Australian engineer Daniel Timms and was further developed by Dr. Cohn. Its disk remains flat by undergoing 20,000 micro-adjustments per second, and since the left and right sides of the heart work harder under different circumstances, it adjusts the balance 20 times per second. As Dr. Cohn, who is also a heart surgeon at the Institute, told the newspaper, "People bring in suitcases all the time with these devices, and by and large it's a lot of crap. When Daniel came in I realized almost immediately this was the mostly highly evolved and brilliant device I've ever seen. I immediately told him he should move to Houston." Go check out their Kickhearter Earlier this month, the team developing the beatless heart told The Courier-Journal that they hope to have the device fully operational and ready for use in human patients by 2020, but that the device first needed to pass rigorous and expensive tests to prove it worked and was safe. To help cover the costs of those tests, the Brisbane's Prince Charles Hospital Foundation has launched a campaign to raise $5 million to help prepare the heart for human trials by 2018, the Australian newspaper added. The potential cost of the final device is not yet known. "We are taking-on evolution, we have never had anyone alive without a pulse and a lot of people thought that could never be done," cardiac expert John Fraser said during a recent fundraising event, The Courier-Journal said. "Evolution developed us with a pulse but we don't need one." "The pump... has got no pulse, it has a spinning disk levitated by magnets, very much like the Japanese trains levitated by magnets... there is no wear (and tear). There have been devices before that support one side of the heart... where you don't have a pulse, but this is something that can entirely replace the heart," he added, noting that the device could last two decades. Source 
All week long, sunspot AR2297 has been crackling with solar flares. Yesterday it produced a really big one. On March 11th at 16:22 UT (09:22 PDT), Earth orbiting-satellites detected an X2-class flare. The blast zone was larger than Earth tself:
Later today, March 12th, NASA will launch a fleet of spacecraft to investigate the mystery of magnetic reconnection: On the sun, magnetic field lines cross, cancel, reconnect and—bang! A solar flare explodes. How does the simple act of crisscrossing magnetic fields trigger such a ferocious blast? The Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission aims to find out. Get the full story from Science@NASA. www.spaceweather.com |
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