The second largest planet in our solar system, Saturn ...........Part II

Owing to its fast rotational speed of 6,200 mph (9,977.9 kmph), Saturn bulges out at the equator, and flattens out at the poles, giving it an oblate shape.

Saturn doesn’t have a solid surface. A giant gaseous planet, it is mostly composed of hydrogen and helium, with small traces of methane, ammonia, acetylene, ethane, propane and phosphine.

The planet is believed to have a small, rocky core, surrounded by thick liquid metallic hydrogen layer and then another liquid layer of helium-filled molecular hydrogen. This layer slowly transforms into gas as altitude increases.Since it is mostly made of gas, Saturn is the least dense planet in our solar system. So, if there was a swimming pool big enough to hold all the planets, Saturn would float on water. In comparison, Earth and Mercury would sink the fastest.

One of the windiest planets, the wind speed around Saturn’s equator can go up to 1,118 mph (1,800 kmph). Compare that to Earth’s mightiest winds, which can attain a maximum speed of 250 mph (400 kmph).

The planet has 53 marked moons, along with nine more which are awaiting confirmation of discovery. Its largest natural satellite is the Titan, which is larger than the planet Mercury. Only Jupiter has more moons (63) than Saturn.

While Saturn itself might not be able to support life, its Titan and Enceladus moons might be able to provide a favorable habitat for microbial life, as inferred by scientist after studying their chemical compositions.

Along with Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter, Saturn is one of the five planets which you can see with t he naked eye. However, to observe its rings, you need to use a telescope.

Cooler than most other planets, Saturn has an average temperature of -350° F (-212° C). The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth is -129° F (-89° C).

In 1610, Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei was the first to see Saturn through a telescope. Seeing the rings, he thought that they were the “ears,” or “handles” of the planet, or probably its moons

 Since Saturn spins on a tilt, it has seasons. The summers on the planet last for nearly eight Earth years.

The planet is known for its incredibly high atmospheric pressure – strong enough to squeeze gas into liquid. No human spacecraft created to date would be able to withstand such pressure.

The planet was named after the Roman god of farming, Saturn (illustrated), and is denoted by the god’s tool, a sickle.

It has 1.1 times more gravitational pull than Earth. For example, if an athlete jumps 10 ft (3 meters) in the air here, he will be able to make it to a maximum height of 9.4 ft (2.8 meters) on Saturn.

The second largest planet in our solar system, Saturn

The second largest planet in our solar system, Saturn has a radius of 36,183.68 miles (58,232 km). Just how big is that? If Earth was the size of a nickel, Saturn would be as big as a basketball in comparison. In fact, around 750 Earths could fit comfortably inside the ringed planet.

Saturn is not the only one in our solar system with celestial rings around it. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have them, however, they are considerably fainter and not visible prominently.

Saturn’s ring system, made of seven rings, comprise dust, rock and ice particles. While some particles are as small as a grain of sand, some are almost as big as tall buildings.

 The rings are big in size but really small in thickness. Some of Saturn’s main rings could cover the distance between Earth and moon, however, their thickness is less than a mile.

       Approximately every 14 years, Saturn’s rings seem to disappear when they align with the line of slight from Earth. The phenomenon is called "ring crossing."

          While a day on Saturn is just 10 hours and 39 minutes long, a Saturn year lasts for 10,759.22 days, or 29.4 Earth years.

Neurons ripple while brains rest to lock in memories

Memories resonate in the mind even when it's not aware of processing them. New research from Rice University and Michigan Medicine takes a step toward understanding why these ripples hint at the bigger picture of how brains sort and store information. Researchers led by Caleb Kemere of Riceand Kamran Diba of Michigan Medicine have developed a tool to form quantitative models of memory. Their strategy analyzes waves of firing neurons that race in an instant across the hippocampus and beyond in animals while they're active and, significantly, while they rest. The researchers' work employs hidden Markov models commonly used in machine learning to study sequential patterns. Their models demonstrated that minimal data harvested from the brain during periods of rest can be used to explore big ideas about how memories form and are retained.

15 Zodiac Signs That Would Make The Best Couples.......Part I

There are certain things that help you understand someone – their favorite food, what their favorite movies are, what their childhood was like… but knowing your astrological compatibility runs much deeper than any of those things. It’s actually possible to figure out who your soulmate is just by dating someone that was born in a certain month, and ultimately can help you find that one person that you’ve been waiting for.

1. Libra and Leo
Both of these signs like to complement each other, and are good communicators. They both love social gatherings, and also adore romance and experiencing each other as lovers. They both feel free to express themselves – the Leo demands attention, and the Libra will love to constantly flatter that ego.

2. Aries and Aquarius
There’s never a dull moment with these two! This relationship is very exciting and adventures – they love each other, but also love their freedom. These two can be a highly creative couple, and are often rooted in mutual admiration.

3. Aries and Cancer

An Aries is bold and fiercely independent – sure to have a good head on their shoulders. A Cancer will be attracted to that high energy and enjoy the challenge, as well as bringing out the best in the Aries. An Aries can actually teach a Cancer how to become independent.

4. Pisces and Aries
These two can be very good for each other – they’re both romantics at heart who can share a deep and lasting love, which encourages each other to be their best. Pisces will be sensitive, and their trustworthiness will get them a long way in relationships. Aries is a leader with a lot of initiative, and they’ll pursue the Pisces without hesitation. They’ll also take on the role of protector.

 5. Taurus and Cancer

These signs have a mutual understanding for each other . The cancer is loyal and affectionate, and will show strong emotional support. Both Taurus and Cancer value home and family, stability, being nurtured and staying in more than socializing . You’re both also probably foodies! Cooking and Netflix is the key to love, after all.

6. Taurus and Capricorn
These two have love and respect for each other, with almost telepathic understanding. The Taurus will admire their partner’s work ethic, strong ambition, and hilarious nature while the Capricorn will be grateful for the other’s sensible nature. Luckily, these practical signs are on the same wave length on most things.

What makes a halo around the sun or moon?...... Part II

Halo around the sun, seen from Sweden on April 24, 2014, and captured by Fotograf Goran Strand.

Moon halo captured by Aaron Robinson in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on January 30, 2015.

            Abhinav Singhai captured this sun halo above wheat fields in November, 2014.

Jean Marie Andre Delaporte captured this image of a halo around the sun in Normandy, France, in April, 2014.

Solar halo seen May 14, 2013, in Monmouth, New Jersdy, as captured by EarthSky Facebook friend Stacey Baker-Bruno. 

Halos around the sun or moon are caused by high, thin cirrus clouds drifting high above your head. Tiny ice crystals in Earth’s atmosphere create the halos. They do it by refracting and reflecting the light. Lunar halos are signs that storms are nearby.

What makes a halo around the sun or moon?........Part I

We get many messages throughout each year from people who’ve just spotted a large ring or circle of light around the sun or moon. Scientists call them 22-degree halos. Why? Because the ring has a radius of approximately 22 degrees around the sun or moon.

People always ask, what causes these gigantic rings?

There’s an old weather saying: ring around the moon means rain soon. There’s truth to this saying, because high cirrus clouds often come before a storm. Notice in these photos that the sky looks fairly clear. After all, you can see the sun or moon. And yet halos are a sign of high, thin cirrus clouds drifting 20,000 feet or more above our heads.

Eliot Herman wrote on May 5, 2018: “This shows the change that occurred over 7 minutes as a lunar halo emerged. It then persisted for about 40 minutes and disappeared with increasing clouds. Although it appears the halo is forming from an odd shape what is actually illuminated is the edge of the clouds just before the halo formed as the clouds drifted in front of the moon. But it does have a nice illusion of an odd-shaped halo then becoming round.”

These clouds contain millions of tiny ice crystals. The halos you see are caused by both refraction, or splitting of light, and also by reflection, or glints of light from these ice crystals. The crystals have to be oriented and positioned just so with respect to your eye, in order for the halo to appear.

That’s why, like rainbows, halos around the sun – or moon – are personal. Everyone sees their own particular halo, made by their own particular ice crystals, which are different from the ice crystals making the halo of the person standing next to you.

If you see a halo, notice this! Because moonlight isn’t very bright, lunar halos are mostly colorless, but you might notice more red on the inside and more blue on the outside of the halo. These colors are more noticeable in halos around the sun. If you do see a halo around the moon or sun, notice that the inner edge is sharp, while the outer edge is more diffuse. Also, notice that the sky surrounding the halo is darker than the rest of the sky.

A moon halo in Mandan, North Dakota, by Marshall Lipp. February, 2015.

Sun halo and sundogs. Captured 37,000 feet up, over Bhopal, India, on October 3, 2015.

Doug Waters in New Bern, North Carolina, caught this photo on February 4, 2015. He wrote: “High cirrus clouds from an approaching weather system presented the perfect opportunity for a halo to form around the sun, which appeared to be pierced by the contrail of a passing airliner.”

Jupiter and full moon witin lunar halo on February 3, 2015. Seen from Estonia by EarthSky Facebook friend Jüri Voit.

9 Most Memorable Priyanka Chopra Red Carpet Looks.

People are used to seeing Bollywood actresses in traditional dresses and saris, but Priyanka Chopra is happy to break that stereotype. Of course she has nothing against showing up to an event or a premier in a beautiful sari, but she’s also very much into fashion and is always happy to experiment with different dresses and try on various styles. Today we thought we’d take a look at some of the most memorable red carpet looks that Priyanka Chopra has graced us with.

1. Golden Globes 2017 
Priyanka wore this gorgeous sparkly dress to the Golden Globes, and it was a perfect look for the occasion. It felt like her dress was a literal representation of the event.

2. Emmys 2017
This white dress Priyanka wore to the 2017 Emmys with a feathery mermaid tail it really made her stand out on the red carpet. She looked absolutely stunning in it.

3. Emmys 2016
The year before, however, she wore a red dress. Many would think that it would blend in with the red carpet, but Priyanka did anything but blend in. She stood out like the star that she is and the adorable photos of her swishing and swirling in that dress were all over the internet for months.

4. Met Gala 2017
Met Gala is just the right even to make bold fashion choices and Priyanka did not disappoint. This trench coat dress was a big hit at the Met last year.

5. Oscars 2016
The lacy white dress Priyanka wore to the Oscars in 2016 gave us some serious Beyonce vibes, and she looked absolutely incredible in it.

6. Oscars 2017
It seems like Priyanka has a theme for Oscars, because in 2017 she also wore a white form fitting dress, except this time it was more structured and futuristic looking.

7. Sony Guild Film Awards 2015

Is that a black leather dress or does it just look like it? We’re not sure. The only thing we know is that Priyanka looked incredibly hot in a very cool vampy way at the Sony Guild Film Awards in 2015.

8. Stardust Awards 2016
This semi traditional outfit Priyanka wore to the Stardust Awards was a public favourite. It’s just the right combination of traditional clothing with a modern twist. No wonder she left the event with the Global Icon of the Year Award.

Ireland’s electricity should be 70 per cent renewables by 2030

IWEA conference hears wind energy could provide renewable energy for heat and transport as well as clean power for the electricity sector

The Government should set an ambitious target for Ireland of producing 70 per cent renewable electricity by 2030, which would help transform the energy sector and benefit consumers, according to the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA).

The call by the IWEA, which represents the wind industry – including the majority of windfarm operators in Ireland – is based on the findings of a study it commissioned which shows such a target was technically possible and, if achieved, would be cost neutral for consumers.

The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment should set this 70 per cent challenge for the renewable energy industry, said newly-appointed IWEA chief executive Dr David Connolly.

Ireland had the required expertise built up over the past two decades “across academia, system operators, regulators, and the entire renewable industry to meet the target”, he told the IWEA spring conference in Dublin.

Following a study by Baringa, UK consultants in energy and utilities, IWEA has published its “Energy Vision” for 2030. It highlights the risk of “a return to reliance on fossil fuels towards 2030 after the 40 per cent renewables target [for electricity] set for 2020 is met”.

World leader

The study concludes Ireland can continue to be a world leader in renewable electricity, particularly wind, but:

– wind power, “the least costly technology”, will need to more than double between 2020 and 2030;

– 2,500 megawatts (MW) of solar power capacity will be needed by 2030;

– Construction of storage capacity in the form of 1,700 MW of new batteries by 2030 will be required;

– Power plants need to become more flexible to adjust to fluctuations in wind and solar power, though an additional 1,450 MW will be delivered from interconnectors with Britain and France.

The group’s modelling confirms the possibility of not only providing clean power for the electricity sector, but renewable energy for heat and transport. It says “426,000 electric cars could be used instead of petrol/diesel, while 279,000 heat pumps could replace existing oil boilers in Irish homes by 2030”.

Dr Connolly said a bright green future for Ireland was possible “if we have the ambition and the backing to grasp it . . . not only could our 2030 landscape be driven by clean, home grown renewables, but it will not cost more than using fossil fuels”.

Up until now the EU target of 40 per cent renewable electricity by 2020 was the key driver for the Irish wind energy sector. The EU is currently evaluating what this target should be for 2030, which is expected to be finalised next year though the Government has yet to commit to a new target.

Onshore wind farms

IWEA has also outlined new proposals for community engagement and responsible development of onshore wind farms. The guidelines reflect “an increasing partnership approach, an acknowledgment of better standards in the future and greater co-operation with regional assemblies and local authorities”, he added.

IWEA chairman Peter Harte said: “We haven’t always got it right in the past but this new community engagement approach heralds a step change in how we intend to approach neighbouring communities.”

Poor engagement practices with communities in developing some projects was having a negative effect on support for further development, he added. “Responsible development and genuine community engagement are pre-conditions if the wind industry is going to continue to flourish and Ireland [is to] achieve its low carbon economy transition.”

The guidelines, due to be finalised this year by the IWEA, include proposals to create project websites at early stages of developments with information about milestones and timelines, and the appointment of community liaison officers for each project to provide contact details for the local community and to prepare annual reports for submission to local authorities.

They also require developers to commit to supporting the best-practice policy recommendations on providing community benefits and to minimising disturbance for neighbours during construction.

“We want to be good neighbours with good, responsible developments. We can do this together, and we are determined to do that. We have opened the conversation here today, we are listening and we want to grow together,” Mr Harte added.

Planning guidelines

New draft planning guidelines are due to be published by the Government within weeks, notably relating to “set-back” from nearby housing and noise limits.

Dr John Reilly, head of Bord na Móna PowerGen, said onshore wind generation in Ireland had moved to a better place in recent years; so much that most people would now say “wind is good” including those living near windfarms. “That is what we find,” he added.

Because of fear of the unknown, communities needed to be properly informed about developments. On completion, invariably “most of the problems go away”, Dr Reilly said.

Harnessing nature’s solar cells

Photovoltaic panels made from plant material could become a cheap, easy alternative to traditional solar cells. Within a few years, people in remote villages in the developing world may be able to make their own solar panels, at low cost, using otherwise worthless agricultural waste as their raw material.

In his original work, Zhang was able to enlist a complex of molecules known as photosystem-I (PS-I), the tiny structures within plant cells that carry out photosynthesis. Zhang and colleagues derived the PS-I from plants, stabilized it chemically and formed a layer on a glass substrate that could — like a conventional photovoltaic cell — produce an electric current when exposed to light.

Now Mershin says the process has been simplified to the point that virtually any lab could replicate it — including college or even high school science labs — allowing researchers around the world to start exploring the process and making further improvements. The new system’s efficiency is 10,000 times greater than in the previous version — although in converting just 0.1 percent of sunlight’s energy to electricity, it still needs to improve another tenfold or so to become useful, he says.

“You can use anything green, even grass clippings” as the raw material, he says — in some cases, waste that people would otherwise pay to have hauled away. While centrifuges were used to concentrate the PS-I molecules, the team has proposed a way to achieve this concentration by using inexpensive membranes for filtration. No special laboratory conditions are needed, Mershin says: “It can be very dirty and it still works, because of the way nature has designed it. Nature works in dirty environments — it’s the result of billions of experiments over billions of years.”

Article Link: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/biosolar-0203.html

When did dal become India’s favoured food ?

In India the word daal is commonly used for lentils, a generic term used for an enormous number of lentils which range in colour from ivory white and yellow – both deep and pale – to pale red, olive green, brown, maroon and black. Lentils to India are as the meat loaf is to Europe and the United States. Ranging from yellow and red to deep black, these tiny disc-shaped members of the legume family are eaten in some form at least twice a day in ‘any self-respecting Indian household,’ according to Kavita Mehta, founder of the web-based Indian Foods Co. In fact, India is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of lentils, which are known here as daal. Cultivated from the earliest days of civilisation, lentils are somewhat indispensable to the Indian diet. Daal with rice either as a separate dish or combined and cooked as in the khichri (kedgeree), can be termed the national dish of India. It is a popular food of the rich as well as the poor, ruling the kitchen in all corners of the country, though different regions prefer different tastes, spices and combinations. The phrase, ‘sharing daal-roti’ has passed into our lexicon as a metaphor for bonding.

On Vinayaka Chaturthi in South India, salted preparation of whole soaked chickpea called sundal was necessary for the festival. In 2000 BC at several feasts only vadas were eaten and on purnamashi day and on deepavali sweets stuffed paratha (poli) were eaten. At the Tirupati temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, after offering to the deity, pilgrims were given a prasad of urad laddus.

Achaya’s book describes how in the temple kitchen 30 cooks remained busy making approximately 70,000 laddus every day, for which 3 tonnes of urad daal, 6 tonnes of sugar and 2.5 tonnes of ghee, besides good amounts of raisins, cashew nuts and cardamom, were used.

Classical literature of India has interesting accounts on the use of lentils. King Someshwar of Kalyana in Madhya Pradesh, in his Manasollasawritten about 1130 AD, mentions dishes in which pulses are the base while some were made using pulses with cereals. Vidalapaka was made from a mix of five pulse flours (chana, rajma, masoor, moong and parched tuvar), seasoned with rock salt, turmeric and asafoetida and cooked on slow heat. Similarly parika appears to have resembled the bonda of today, being described as cakes of besan, spiced with salt, pepper, asafoetida and sugar and finally fried in oil. Pulses were blended with vegetables or meat to prepare flavourful curries and this practice was much in vogue. Thus moong daal was seasoned with pieces of lotus-stem and chironji seeds, asafoetida and green ginger, fried in oil and boiled to a curry to which might have been added fried brinjal pieces, mutton pieces or even marrow, the dish being finished with black pepper and dry ginger. Dhosaka (dosa) and idarika (idli) were made only with pulses.

A 16th century work lists foods of the Gangetic plains as sattu (the flour of roasted pulses), and pulse preparations like bara (vada), pakauri (pakoda), identified as a boiled pakoda and the rolled up khandavi pancake, now identified with Gujarat. In Bihar several dishes were made using daal such as, bara – a patty of fried pulses, phulaura, which is like the present day dahivada, thilauri – balls of urad – or moong daal with sesame seeds, dried in the sun, and deep-fried. Kachauris were wheat cakes filled with spiced lentil.

In the east, however, masoor daal is a favoured food for the ill and recuperating and Bengal favours chholar daal (chana daal) for its various preparations during special social occasions and festivities.

Whether it is Gujarat in western India or U.P. in northern India, Bengal in eastern India or Tamil Nadu in southern India, a meal is not complete without a dish of daal made in different ways.

It was winter. The ponds were all frozen. At the court, Akbar asked Birbal, “Tell me Birbal! Will a man do anything for money?” Birbal replied, “Yes”. The emperor ordered him to prove it. The next day Birbal came to the court along with a poor Brahmin who merely had a penny left with him. His family was starving. Birbal told the king that the Brahmin was ready to do anything for the sake of money. The king ordered the Brahmin to be inside the frozen pond all through the night without clothes if he needed the money. The poor Brahmin had no choice. The whole night he was inside the pond, shivering. He returned to the durbar the next day to receive his reward. The king asked, “Tell me Brahmin! How could you withstand the freezing cold temperature all through the night?” The innocent Brahmin replied, “I could see a faintly glowing light a kilometre away and I withstood with that ray of light.” Akbar refused to pay the Brahmin his reward saying that he had got warmth from the light and withstood the cold and that was cheating. The poor Brahmin could not argue with him and so returned disappointed and empty-handed. Birbal tried to explain to the king but the king was in no mood to listen to him. Thereafter, Birbal stopped coming to the durbar and sent a messenger to the king saying that he would come to the court only after cooking his khichri. As Birbal did not turn up even after five days, the king himself went to Birbal’s house to see what he was doing. Birbal had lit the fire and kept the pot of uncooked khichri one metre away from it. Akbar questioned him “How will the khichri get cooked with the fire one metre away? What is wrong with you Birbal?”

Birbal who was busy ‘cooking’ the khichri, replied, “Oh my great King of Hindustan! When it was possible for a person to receive warmth from a light that was a kilometre away, then it is possible for this khichri, which is just a metre away from the source of heat, to get cooked.” Akbar realised his mistake and rewarded the poor Brahmin.

There are many such stories related to lentils like the one that I shall now recount. However, I am not sure of its authenticity. The story goes that when Aurangzeb imprisoned Shah Jahan he was asked to choose one grain, which can be served to him. Upon the advice of his daughter Jahan Ara he chose Bengal gram. A wise reply, befitting a king. Bengal gram or chana daal can be prepared in different ways and in different garbs without making its eater bored; the preparations range from savouries to curries to dry dishes to breads and finally to sweets.

Curfew imposed in Shillong after social media-triggered communal tension

A journalist and four civilians were injured in the clash.

Rumours generated via social media about the death of a tribal man led to communal tension in Shillong on Thursday evening, forcing the authorities to clamp curfew in parts of the city.

Superintendent of Police (City) Steve Rynjah said a clash broke out between drivers of State transport buses and residents of Them Iew Mawlong locality, also known as Sweeper’s Lane, on Thursday afternoon.

An incident of eve-teasing allegedly involving a conductor of one of the buses and a girl of the locality was said to be the trigger of the clash between tribal people and Dalits. Some claimed the fight started after women of the locality objected to the parking of a bus that blocked the way to a water collection point.

In that scuffle, a tribal boy in the bus got injured.

“But a rumour that a local person had died during the incident went viral on social media, following which scores of people marched to Sweeper’s Lane. We had to use tear gas to disperse the angry crowd and bring the situation under control,” Mr. Rynjah said.

Locals said despite the presence of police, tension prevailed till 2 am on Friday as waves of people tried to force their way to the locality.

The authorities of East Khasi Hills district, under which Shillong falls, later imposed curfew in 14 localities around Sweeper’s Lane. These include Iewduh or Bara Bazaar, the commercial hub of the city.

“Information is received that there is a serious breakdown of law and order in Shillong city... there is every likelihood of serious breach of peace which may lead to acts of arson, targeting vehicles and causing loss of life and property,” East Khasi Hills District Magistrate P.S. Dkhar said in an order promulgating curfew indefinitely from 4 am.