Solar Steam Turbine with Parabolic Solar Dish Collector

Solar Steam Turbine Producing Steam from Sunlight using a Parabolic Solar Dish Collector. LINK: Youtube

Dr Mason on New Horizon Spacecraft and New Solar System Discovered

New Horizons' voyage through the Jupiter system in 2007 provided a bird's-eye view of a dynamic planet that has changed since the last close-up looks by NASA spacecraft. A combination of trajectory, timing and technology allowed it to explore details no probe had seen before, such as lightning near Jupiter's poles, the life cycle of fresh ammonia clouds, boulder-size clumps speeding through the planet's faint rings, the structure inside volcanic eruptions on its moon Io, and the path of charged particles traversing the previously unexplored length of the planet's long magnetic tail.

New Horizons passed our solar system's largest planet on its way to Pluto, which it should reach in 2015. I was right!!!

European Southern Observatory In Chile Discovers New Solar System.

The team used an instrument known as the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) to locate the system.

Geneva University Observatory's Chiristophe Lovis led the team that made the discovery. He noted that it was possibly "the system with the most planets yet discovered."

The solar system is known to harbor five exoplanets (those outside of our solar system) circling a sun-like star HD 10180, and is suspected to contain two additional planets.

"It's a very interesting discovery," said Dante Minniti, an expert on exoplanets at Universidad Católica. "They have discovered a system of five planets, and if the other two are confirmed, this system would be the most similar to our own." LINK: Youtube

Time-Lapse Video of Asteroid Discoveries for the Past 30 Years

(Video Link)
This time-lapse video by YouTube user szyzyg shows asteroids in our solar system as they have been discovered since 1980:

Notice now the pattern of discovery follows the Earth around its orbit, most discoveries are made in the region directly opposite the Sun. You’ll also notice some clusters of discoveries on the line between Earth and Jupiter, these are the result of surveys looking for Jovian moons. Similar clusters of discoveries can be tied to the other outer planets, but those are not visible in this video.

As the video moves into the mid 1990’s we see much higher discovery rates as automated sky scanning systems come online. Most of the surveys are imaging the sky directly opposite the sun and you’ll see a region of high discovery rates aligned in this manner.

At the beginning of 2010 a new discovery pattern becomes evident, with discovery zones in a line perpendicular to the Sun-Earth vector. These new observations are the result of the WISE (Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer) which is a space mission that’s tasked with imaging the entire sky in infrared wavelengths.

Astronomers have so far found about half a million minor planets in our solar system.

Via: Popular Science, Via: Neatorama

Solar Pendulum

Mat Mets of Make: Online says:

On my recent post about building an electromagnetically assisted pendulum, commenter Accomplished chimed in to share their excellent solar pendulum build. Accomplished used the BEAM Magbot Pendulum circuit from the book Junkbots, Bugbots, and Bots on Wheels.
I like the sound it makes as it's starting up.

Solar pendulum build. LINK, Via: Youtube

Crystal Clear Video of Sonic Boom at Recent Atlas V Launch

Solar Dynamics Observatory Launch, Feb 11, 2010 HD VERSION A sun dog is a prismatic bright spot in the sky caused by sun shining through ice crystals. The Atlas V rocket exceeded the speed of sound in this layer of ice crystals, making the shock wave visible from the ground. The announcer can be heard in the video saying, "The vehicle is now supersonic." LINK, Via: Youtube

My Solar System

This application will give you a lesson in how difficult it is to control the universe. Select how many planets you want and adjust their orbits and other parameters. Then set it in motion and watch your planets crash into each other or fly off into deep space. With some practice, you might get a real system going. Link -Via: J-Walk Blog, Via: Neatorama

A Humbling Perspective

Awesome!

Stars and Planets Scale Comparison

Link - Via: news-world, Via: Neatorama

Solar Aircraft Flies

The first successful flight of an aircraft powered by the sun was completed in Switzerland yesterday as the Solar Impulse HB-SIA took off and landed safely. Solar Impulse founder Bertrand Piccard had dreamed of the day his plane would take flight for a decade.

With a good weather window on Thursday, test pilot Markus Scherdel was given the go ahead to take the spindly aircraft to up to take-off speed shortly after one o’clock local time. With the airplane lined up on the runway, Scherdel powered up the four motors using the on-board batteries and HB-SIA gained speed until he was able to lift off the pavement.

In a flight very reminiscent of the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903, Scherdel flew 350 meters down the runway at an altitude of only one meter in a flight lasting 28 seconds.

The team hopes to achieve a 36-hour flight by next summer. Link to story. Link to website. -Via: the Presurfer Via: Neatorama

Teacher creates Solar-Electric Blimp

We’ve covered the rebirth of the airship before here and here. Now we’ve come across a homemade, solar-powered blimp constructed by Daniel Geery, an elementary school teacher, for less than $1000. While we don’t expect anyone to be crossing the Atlantic on this any time soon, Geery does see it as an indication of what could be done if we put our minds to it: LINK: Via: Youtube