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posted by on Wednesday May 17 2017, @04:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the or-unicorn-poop dept.

Science Alert reports on the discovery, in images from NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, of flashes of light from the Earth:

[...] NASA detected 866 bursts of light between June 2015 and August 2016, and they were all coming from the land.

A similar phenomenon had been seen before:

Back in 1993, astronomer Carl Sagan noticed strange flashes of light showing up in images of Earth taken by the Galileo spacecraft.

[...]

In Galileo's images, they found large glints of light, reflecting like mirrors - but he could only find them in regions of the planet covered in water.

Previously, specular reflections from water had been offered as the explanation. Now, the phenomenon is thought to be reflections from horizontal ice crystals.

Further information:
video with sound

Related stories:
Video: "One Year on Earth" from NASA's DISCOVR
NASA Releases Photos of Illuminated Dark Side of the Moon
Something Different - Space Photos of the Week from Wired
SpaceX DSCOVR Launch Postponed To Monday (18:07 ET)


Original Submission

Related Stories

SpaceX DSCOVR Launch Postponed To Monday (18:07 ET) 6 comments

According to Alex Knapp at Forbes, SpaceX DSCOVR Launch Postponed To Monday. From the article:

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch scheduled for this evening has been postponed. The reason stated for halting the launch is “due to loss of the Air Force’s Eastern Range radar, which is required for launch,” said a company spokesperson.

The Falcon 9 was set to deliver NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite. When launched, this spacecraft will stay between the Earth and the Sun and it’s mission is to provide early warning of potential dangerous solar winds, which can affect infrastructure like communications systems. It will also be used for scientific investigations of the Sun.

[...] The next opportunity for the SpaceX launch is Monday, February 9 at 6:07pm ET.

It also mentions an another attempt at landing the booster on a sea-based platform, but it is expected to be much more difficult due to additional force and heat.

[Update: This should be the SpaceX Webcast of Falcon 9 DSCOVR Launch.]

Something Different - Space Photos of the Week from Wired 7 comments

[Ed: I realise that we have a good number amongst us who are particularly interested in space and the heavens. This 'story' is simply a long list of the best photographs seen this week, in the opinion of Wired, on matters related to the 'final frontier'. It will not be to everyone's taste - but I hope that at least some of us will find it interesting. If it is not for you, please hang on for the next story which will be along shortly.]

After a brief hiatus, WIRED is pleased to once again show you the very best the universe has to offer (and a GIF for good measure). We’ve heard your pleas: space photos are back.


Original Submission

NASA Releases Photos of Illuminated Dark Side of the Moon 13 comments

We can't see the far side of the moon from Earth because the two bodies are tidally locked. NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory has captured a series of pictures as the moon passed in front of the sunlit side of Earth and will keep doing so about twice a year:

The images, taken on 16 July, show the moon moving across the Pacific Ocean towards North America. Its far side is shown in detail owing to sunlight hitting it, revealing a crater and a large plain called the Mare Moscoviense.

[...] Associate Professor Michael Brown, an astronomer at Monash University, said the images of the far side of the moon were "captivating".

"It's unusual because you need a spacecraft that has gone beyond the moon to get a picture of the moon like this," he said. "This was taken around one million miles from Earth. We don't normally get that perspective."


Original Submission

Video: "One Year on Earth" from NASA's DISCOVR 13 comments

Tech Crunch reports that NASA has produced a video from images made by its Deep Space Climate Observatory. The spacecraft is in a Lissajous orbit around the Sun–Earth L1 Lagrange point, from which the sunlit side of the Earth can always be seen. The 167-second video (warning: has narration) was made from images collected over the course of a year.

additional links:
press release
Youtube


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by lx on Wednesday May 17 2017, @10:21AM (1 child)

    by lx (1915) on Wednesday May 17 2017, @10:21AM (#510988)

    I use a small mirror to flag passing spacecraft.
    Bastards keep flying by without stopping. I'll be stuck forever on this damned rock if my luck continues like this.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 17 2017, @04:33PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 17 2017, @04:33PM (#511197)

      Sorry to hear that Ford, but don't worry, the Vogons will be in this neighborhood shortly.

  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday May 17 2017, @06:04PM (1 child)

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday May 17 2017, @06:04PM (#511263) Journal

    Don't worry, Trump will put an end to this dangerous alien beacon.

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday May 17 2017, @07:34PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday May 17 2017, @07:34PM (#511323)

      Melt all the ice, darken the skies with soot, and shove into a closet anything over 10 years old and still using glitter.

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