MUSIQUE CLASSIQUE - Massenet - La vierge

"La vierge"

ASTRONOMY - Falcon Heavy Boostback Burn

 2024 January 20

Falcon Heavy Boostback Burn
Image Credit & Copyright: Dennis Huff

Explanation: The December 28 night launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida marked the fifth launch for the rocket's reusable side boosters. About 2 minutes 20 seconds into the flight, the two side boosters separated from the rocket's core stage. Starting just after booster separation, this three minute long exposure captures the pair's remarkable boostback burns, maneuvers executed prior to their return to landing zones on planet Earth. While no attempt was made to recover the Falcon Heavy's core stage, both side boosters landed successfully and can be flown again. The four previous flights for these side boosters included last October's launch of NASA's asteroid-bound Psyche mission.

O FUTURO NO PRESENTE - O carro voador - Pal-V Liberty Pioneer Edition

Esta formação ajudará os novos donos a obterem as suas licenças de piloto particular. Este compromisso que a empresa tem com a segurança e a capacitação revela-se uma parte fundamental da divisão da empresa de tornar a mobilidade aérea acessível a todos os interessados.

Este veículo permite que se façam grandes deslocações a uma boa velocidade. Além de conseguir atingir os 160 km/h (velocidade máxima) em deslocações por terra, ele tem alcance de voo de 480 km, com alcance terrestre de 1200 km. O carro pode voar a uma altitude de 11 mil pés (3.350 metros).

Portanto, é possível percorrer uma quantia significativa de território. Para se compreender ainda mais o seu alcance, importa dizer que basta uma única paragem para reabastecimento. Isso é suficiente para dobrar o potencial de exploração.

A sua circulação em vias públicas foi autorizada. No entanto, atualmente, a empresa encontra-se a aguardar a certificação de aviação. Segundo Robert Dingemanse, que é CEO e fundador da startup holandesa: “Os carros voadores não são mais um sonho distante, eles estão aqui, são reais e estão prontos para revolucionar a forma como viajamos”.

Ncultura

BIOMIMETISME - Innovations inspirées par la Nature - La cape d'invisibilité des seiches inspire les roboticiens

La cape d'invisibilité d'Harry Potter semble bien pratique. Peut-être que l'auteure, J.K Rowling, s'est inspirée des seiches pour l'inventer. Si les seiches ne disparaissent pas, elles sont capables de se fondre dans leur environnement, tout comme les pieuvres, pour devenir pratiquement invisibles. Cela est possible grâce à leur peau qui est constituée comme un feuillet de trois couches de cellules pigmentaires : les leucophores qui prennent une teinte blanche, les iridophores qui réfléchissent la lumière et prennent un aspect iridescent, et enfin, une dernière couche de chromatophores qui peuvent changer de couleur rapidement.

Cette peau de « caméléon » a inspiré les scientifiques du milieu de la robotique : en 2017, une équipe a conçu une cape d'invisibilité en s'inspirant de la peau des seiches. La peau synthétique en silicone peut être programmée pour réaliser des formes et des motifs complexes.

© Hans Hillewaert, Wikimedia Commons, CC by-sa 4.0

FuturaSciences

ASTRONOMY - Jupiter over 2 Hours and 30 Minutes

 2024 January 19

Jupiter over 2 Hours and 30 Minutes
Image Credit & License: Aurélien Genin

Explanation: Jupiter, our Solar System's ruling gas giant, is also the fastest spinning planet, rotating once in less than 10 hours. The gas giant doesn't rotate like a solid body though. A day on Jupiter is about 9 hours and 56 minutes long at the poles, decreasing to 9 hours and 50 minutes near the equator. The giant planet's fast rotation creates strong jet streams, separating its clouds into planet girdling bands of dark belts and bright zones. You can easily follow Jupiter's rapid rotation in this sharp sequence of images from the night of January 15, all taken with a camera and small telescope outside of Paris, France. Located just south of the equator, the giant planet's giant storm system, also known as the Great Red Spot, can be seen moving left to right with the planet's rotation. From lower left to upper right, the sequence spans about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

ASTRONOMY - Northern Lights from the Stratosphere

 2024 January 18

Northern Lights from the Stratosphere
Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner

Explanation: Northern lights shine in this night skyview from planet Earth's stratosphere, captured on January 15. The single, 5 second exposure was made with a hand-held camera on board an aircraft above Winnipeg, Canada. During the exposure, terrestrial lights below leave colorful trails along the direction of motion of the speeding aircraft. Above the more distant horizon, energetic particles accelerated along Earth's magnetic field at the planet's polar regions excite atomic oxygen to create the shimmering display of Aurora Borealis. The aurora's characteristic greenish hue is generated at altitudes of 100-300 kilometers and red at even higher altitudes and lower atmospheric densities. The luminous glow of faint stars along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy arcs through the night, while the Andromeda galaxy extends this northern skyview to extragalactic space. A diffuse hint of Andromeda, the closest large spiral to the Milky Way, can just be seen to the upper left.

MUSIQUE CLASSIQUE - Hans Zimmer - Time

"Time"

LE JARDIN MERVEILLEUX DES EPICES - Le carvi - l'épice efficace pour la digestion

Les graines de carvi ressemblent à s'y méprendre à des graines de cumin. C'est d'ailleurs pour cela qu'on appelle aussi le carvi, le cumin des prés. C'est une épice très ancienne. Son existence est attestée depuis la préhistoire. Son goût, en revanche, subtilement amer et anisé, ne rappelle en rien celui du cumin. Et il est particulièrement exploité par les cuisines allemandes et d'Europe du nord ou de l'est.

Parmi les propriétés notoires du carvi, citons ses vertus carminatives. Il aide en effet à lutter contre les ballonnements en favorisant l'expulsion des gaz intestinaux. Le carvi serait aussi vermifuge et antispasmodique ainsi que diurétique. Bref, une épice excellente pour la digestion.

© 12019, Pixabay, CC0 Creative Commone ; Robert Flogaus-Faust, Wikimedia Commons, CC by 4.0

FuturaSciences

ASTRONOMY - America and the Sea of Serenity

2024 January 17

America and the Sea of Serenity
Image Credit & Copyright: Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, NASA; Anaglyph by Patrick Vantuyne

Explanation: Get out your red/blue glasses and check out this stereo view of another world. The scene was recorded by Apollo 17 mission commander Eugene Cernan on December 11, 1972, one orbit before descending to land on the Moon. The stereo anaglyph was assembled from two photographs (AS17-147-22465, AS17-147-22466) captured from his vantage point on board the Lunar Module Challenger as he and Dr. Harrison Schmitt flew over Apollo 17's landing site in the Taurus-Littrow Valley. The broad, sunlit face of the mountain dubbed South Massif rises near the center of the frame, above the dark floor of Taurus-Littrow to its left. Piloted by Ron Evans, the Command Module America is visible in orbit in the foreground against the South Massif's peak. Beyond the mountains, toward the lunar limb, lies the Moon's Mare Serenitatis. Four astronauts will venture around the Moon and back again on the Artemis II mission, scheduled for launch no earlier than September 2025. 

O FUTURO NO PRESENTE - O carro voador - Pal-V Liberty Pioneer Edition

O Pal-V Liberty Pioneer Edition consiste num veículo pessoal, aéreo e terrestre. O carro voador é movido com recurso a combustíveis eletrónicos. Este carro encontra-se equipado com tecnologias de combustível híbrido. O carro voador permite o transporte de duas pessoas.

O Pal-V Liberty não é apenas um veículo. Revela-se simultaneamente uma experiência. Para assegurar que os proprietários aproveitem esta inovação ao máximo, a Pal-V oferece uma “escola de pilotagem” de 5 dias.

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