Suicidal planet seems on death spiral into star

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

Astronomers have found what appears to be a gigantic suicidal planet.The odd, fiery planet is so close to its star and so large that it is triggering tremendous plasma tides on the star. Those powerful tides are in turn warping the planet’s zippy less-than-a-day orbit around its star.The result: an ever-closer tango of death, with the planet eventually spiraling into the star.

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Trifid Nebula: A Massive Star Factory

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

A new image of the Trifid Nebula, shows just why it is a firm favorite of astronomers, amateur and professional alike. This massive star factory is so named for the dark dust bands that trisect its glowing heart, and is a rare combination of three nebula types, revealing the fury of freshly formed stars and presaging more star birth.

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Atrazine in US Drinking Water Found Widespread

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

A widely used pesticide known to impact wildlife development and, potentially, human health has contaminated watersheds and drinking water throughout much of the United States, according to a new report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Banned by the European Union, atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide in U.S. waters and is a known endocrine disruptor, which means that it affects human and animal hormones. It has been tied to poor sperm quality in humans and hermaphroditic amphibians.

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Scientists look skyward to locate weeds

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

Queensland scientists are using satellite technology to pinpoint the locations of some of the most invasive weeds, including prickly acacia, cactus and rubber vine. Biosecurity Queensland and the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) are working together to map some of the state’s worst weeds to further improve control efforts.The QuickBird satellite image with its high resolution used in the project can detect objects on the ground as small as individual trees. The technology gives accurate coordinates of likely weed infestations which allows the project team to find the weeds using GPS. The joint project is funded under Biosecurity Queensland’s Reclaim the Bush: A Pest Offensive, a program under Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries’ (QPIF) Blueprint for the Bush initiative. The groups involved in the project include DERM, QPIF, the University of Queensland; and the Southern Gulf, Desert Channels and Burnett Mary regions’ natural resource management groups.

source: http://www.gisdevelopment.net

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Posted in BIODIVERSITY, Remote Sensing 101, Satellites | 1 Comment