Alpha Centauri 2

Community => Recreation Commons => Destination: Alpha Centauri => Topic started by: Buster's Uncle on February 27, 2015, 10:08:24 pm

Title: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Buster's Uncle on February 27, 2015, 10:08:24 pm

Whaa? Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
The latest images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft reveal a second mysterious bright spot on the surface of Ceres. Perhaps it's a giant Ceresian welcome sign?
CNET
by  Eric Mack @ericcmack /February 27, 2015 10:08 AM PST


(http://cnet2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2015/02/27/b70b6c50-b5d8-4e38-8600-8a290a253314/resize/770x578/1b2c0306c76383c1ea77010363cbf0f9/pia19185-cr.jpg)
Night lights on a dwarf planet? NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA



Could dwarf planet Ceres be watching us watching it? As NASA's Dawn spacecraft approaches the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, it seems to be lighting up. Not long after images of Ceres revealed a strange reflective spot, another dimmer one came into view in the latest NASA images, giving the appearance of a spooky pair of eyes peering back at Dawn.

So what's going on here? Metallic mineral deposits? The local ice skating rink on an improbably shiny frozen lake in the bottom of a huge crater? A giant Ceresian mirror or solar farm?

The answer is...we have no idea.

"Ceres' bright spot can now be seen to have a companion of lesser brightness, but apparently in the same basin. This may be pointing to a volcano-like origin of the spots, but we will have to wait for better resolution before we can make such geologic interpretations," said UCLA's Chris Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission, in a statement Wednesday.

As Dawn gets closer, the images sent back of Ceres become more clear and, frankly, more weird. The above image with the two bright spots was taken from about 29,000 miles from the surface of the dwarf planet. Dawn will continue its approach until March 6, when it will enter orbit around Ceres to get better views for a period of 16 months.

In the coming months, those strange bright spots should come more into focus, as should the underlying nature of Ceres, which many believe may be hiding more freshwater than we have here on Earth.

Stay tuned, space geeks...


http://www.cnet.com/news/whaa-now-theres-a-second-bright-light-on-dwarf-planet-ceres/#ftag=YHF65cbda0 (http://www.cnet.com/news/whaa-now-theres-a-second-bright-light-on-dwarf-planet-ceres/#ftag=YHF65cbda0)

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Unorthodox on February 28, 2015, 11:46:18 am

Talia says them is aliens.

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Geo on February 28, 2015, 01:15:41 pm

Quote from: Unorthodox on February 28, 2015, 11:46:18 am

Talia says them is aliens.

Let her look up "Yoko Tsuno the light of Ixo". ;)
There's even 2 comics of this character translated to Chinese.

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: gwillybj on February 28, 2015, 02:24:59 pm

They're powering up the lasers.

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Geo on February 28, 2015, 03:12:14 pm

Quote from: gwillybj on February 28, 2015, 02:24:59 pm

They're powering up the lasers!

Corrected that for ya. ;)

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Unorthodox on February 28, 2015, 09:07:59 pm

Quote from: Geo on February 28, 2015, 01:15:41 pm

Let her look up "Yoko Tsuno the light of Ixo". ;)
There's even 2 comics of this character translated to Chinese.

Dude, you the man!

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Geo on February 28, 2015, 09:37:36 pm

Don't tell me you could find these comics in Chinese all the way in your local comic store? :o

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Unorthodox on February 28, 2015, 11:19:55 pm

was hoping to find em online, but can't seem to find the Chinese.  Would be nifty to get her hooked on something in Chinese

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Geo on March 01, 2015, 08:46:07 am

At a glance it looks they can be downloaded in Dutch through an .nzb format. Bit like BitTorrent from the quick description I read.

Title: Re: Now there's a second bright light on dwarf planet Ceres
Post by: Unorthodox on March 01, 2015, 04:13:22 pm

oh, i'll happily but them in Chinese if I can find them for sale.