On Saturn, Do We Have Blizzards

Blizzards that's right, on Saturn. And these storms are so huge they can be seen from Earth by amateur astronomers! Data received from the orbiting Cassini spacecraft showed a large, turbulent storm, covering an area at least five times larger than the biggest blizzard that hit Earth so far this year.

Amateur astronomers are particularly useful to NASA because of the nature of the Cassini probe, it must be aligned to take readings months in advance, where as with amateurs they can reposition their equipment in minutes and take highly sophisticated pictures and data readings.

Amateurs from such diverse locals as Australia and the Philippines have been sending in pictures that give NASA a clue as to just how violent these storms are. Cassini showed that ultra-violent storms were taking place about 250 miles deep in Saturn's massive atmosphere.
lightning has been observed in the clouds tops which are comprised mostly of water and ammonia.

Read complete Yahoo News article here

Thanks again to Tim Sayell

Baloon Launched Observatory Destroyed

In a spectaular crash, today in Alice Springs, a territory of in northern Australia, over 2 million dollars in a painstakingly built telescope. The Nuclear Compton Telescope (NCT), a gamma-ray telescope was to be carried aloft by a huge helium balloon.

The research balloon was built by NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas was expected to haul its two-telescope payload up to an altitude of about 120,000 feet, but failed to lift the payload more than a few feet at which time the payload crashed back to earth and was dragged several hundred of feet.

View the raw film of the crash here
Original Space.com article here Lots of images

Thanks to Tim Sayell for the link

Earth's H2O Most Likely Came From Asteroids

Tim Sayell sends in an article from Yahoo News that pretty much confirms something that we suspected - that Earth's water came from water bearing asteroids.

From the article:

• Astronomers have for the first time detected ice and organic compounds on an asteroid

This goes a long way towards supporting that ice comets and asteroids crashing to Earth during early planetary formation some 4 billion years ago, seeded the planet with water and carbon-based molecules. Though it has long been theorized, this is the first time that scientists have published hard data supporting the theories.

It may be that asteroids were responsible for 20 to 30% of the total amount of terrestrial water.

Read the complete article HERE

Review: Up on Blu-ray

UP
Awarded with two Academy Awards for best Animated Feature and best Original score plus Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Directed By Pete Docter Co-Director: Bob Peterson

Starring Edward Asner Christopher Plummer Jordan Nagai Bob Peterson

I know, what am I talking about Up for on a sci-fi / science blog. Well I have made no bones about how much I enjoy good animation. I know many of the animated films I have reviewed have had a strong SF theme, but to be honest the reason for the rental was indeed the animation. And without another word the animation is sumptuous! In the theaters it was originally presented in 3D but not having seen it as such I was most pleased with the blu-ray version I watched.

For those that haven't seen the movie, the first thing that can be said is that the plot is very much a “let's put this part here, that part there and so on”. By that I mean, all the ideas and plot devices are off the shelf in a very “Disney” kinda way. No real stretching going on here. That being said though the movie is out and out whimsy. I don't believe at this point I am giving anything away when I say that, in an attempt to keep a promise to his wife of many years Carl escapes almost certain forced retirement by escaping in one of the most unusual methods imaginable but makes complete sense in the world we see Carl grow old in. At the start of his voyage he finds himself stuck with a young boy named Russell who drags Carl into his world and by misadventures bring Carl into a completely over the top adventure all his own. Oh and I am using the word adventure this many times on purpose. The whole movie revolves around it, from very tearful (Disney, who would have thunk it) end of one to the inadvertent completion of another. Did I say tearful? Yeah I know Disney you're thinking of Bambi but it's much deeper and fuller than I have ever seen a Disney movies go. So they gave Docter and Perterson quite a bit of leeway.

The rest of Up is just over the top. Everyone put a great deal of work in detail and it shows. The extras will show you just how much of the movie was drawn from real observations of very real places in South America. And the EXTRAS! The director's comment tract is one of the best I have seen. Lots of effort went into the information that is offered along with the director's commentary. Included in the extras is a great making of and a couple of scene expansions which are wonderful. Even the closing credits are fun! If you like animation you won't be disappointed with this offering. Even the score of the film is great, as shown by the awards for it.

The movie is fun and the extras are a movie buff treat I would give the movie an 8 just because many of the plot devices are like off the shelf Disney kind of thing but just for extras the blu-ray gets a 10 for just SO much material. So that's what...a 9? yeah, that works for me.

If you like animation and whimsey go for it. If not, rent it for the kids, they will love it, but sit in the opening sequences may be upsetting or confusing to young viewers.

WTF Doctors complete Successful Face Transplant?

I mean how weird is this? I caught the semi sci-fi movie on cable called faceoff. You know that load of trash with Nick Cage and Vin uhh John Travolta, and what do I see in my news reader? Yep an article about a successful face transplant.... From the Gizmodo...now would they lie? nooooo waaaaaaaay!

• The operation took 22 hours and 30 doctors... in Barcelona, a man who'd lost his much of his face in a shooting accident received an entire face—skin, muscles, .... cheekbones, nose, lips and teeth

Of course the article ended from a donor....uhhhhhh duh! If it wasn't a donor there is some seriously pissed of person out there. Of course it was from a donor! and I am going to let you check out the "graphics" What a twist! huh?