Fossil With Skin Uncovered From the Asteroid’s Earth-Shattering Strike

Above, Thescelosaurus neglectus. Image by Nobu Tamura.

A fossil with skin from a dinosaur that is well-preserved has been found. It also is further proof that a mass extinction of the dinosaurs were caused by a meteor or asteroid hitting the Gulf of Mexico.

From AnimalsAroundTheGlobe:

Scientists have just made a mind-blowing discovery: a fossil dating back to the day the asteroid caused the mass extinction hit the Earth 66 million years ago. Found in North Dakota, it includes the leg of a thescelosaurus, complete with skin still intact! This dino fossil is so well-preserved, that it looks better than I do after a full night’s sleep. It’s an incredible find that everyone in the science world is talking or doubting about.

To read more, go here. 

Fireball over Albuquerque

 

KOB Channel 4 News posted a video of a fireball meteor over Albuquerque on July 28 by Richard Spinello. The above is a screen capture of the meteor video.

The meteor looked like the fireballs in the 1953 War of the Worlds. 

What Would Happen If A Meteorite Hit New Mexico?

This sounds like fun!

Above, Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

What would a meteorite impact look like in New Mexico? Well, one can easily find out with a new simulator.

KRQE reported:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Have you ever wondered what would happen if a hurling chunk of space rock smashed into Albuquerque? Now you can find out thanks to a new simulator website.

“It’s a scientifically solid simulation,” said Geoff Skelton, a planetarium technician at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. “Most of the information is pretty ballpark of what you’d expect to actually happen.”

The simulator (linked here) lets you pick the parameters of an asteroid and drop it anywhere in the U.S. Then, it will tell you the potential damages. It was built by coder Neal Agarwal based on research by Gareth Collins and Clemens Rumpf.

“You can drop one on your ex’s house,” Skelton from the history museum said. Or, if you want to be nice, you can drop one outside city limits and see a lower death count.

To read more, go here. 

Condé Nast Names Meteor Crater A 7 Wonder of the World

Above, Meteor Crater in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

50,000 years ago, if Winslow, Arizona existed and one was "standing on a corner", they would have felt the impact of a meteor striking the earth.

The Barringer Meteor Crater near Winslow has been named number three of the "7 Wonders of the World For 2020" by Condé Nast Traveller. I visited Meteor Crater four years ago. It is an interesting place with a visitor center filled with exhibits.

About the 7 Wonders of the World For 2020, they wrote:

Wonder is nourishment for the soul. We are the only animal on earth, as far as we know, that can be moved to tears by a sunset, that marvels at the stars at night, that feels awe, and humility, at the achievements of our past. Wonder defines us as human beings. 

Of the original Seven Wonders of the World, only the Great Pyramids of Giza remain. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, the Colossus of Rhodes have all faded to dust and memory. These, instead, are seven wonders for our time. They are the Acropolis of our day, the Stonehenge of now. Which also means they can be seen firsthand. And so they should. Because the real magic of wonder is not in the thing itself, but in the fact that the more you look for wonder in the world the more the wonder of the world becomes a part of you. 

Socrates said: 'Wisdom begins in wonder.' Studies show that the awe induces deeper levels of cognitive processing; it boosts empathy and helps us connect with the world around us in meaningful ways. Art and science are borne from it. Wonder is more than just a good feeling; it is a seed from which our greatest treasures grow. 

Explore, dream and feed your spirit well.

On Meteor Crater, they wrote (in part):

The Barringer Meteor Crater is the best-preserved meteor impact site on the planet and it’s an unsettling place. Some 50,000 years ago, a 300,000 tonne rock burned through the atmosphere, striking the Earth with a force 1,000 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb at Hiroshima. The ground melted instantly, leaving a hole 550-feet deep and almost a mile in diameter that can still be seen to this day.

Above, The Beast at Meteor Crater RV Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who are out vacationing in a RV, Meteor Crater RV Park is just at the Meteor Crater exit off of Interstate 40.

To read more, go here.

An Astronaut's View of A Meteoroid Hitting Earth

Above, Meteor Crater in Arizona. This is what a king-sized meteor can do. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Ever wondered what it looks like to see a meteoroid strike earth from space?

Well, wonder no more! One of the International Space Station's astronauts caught a meteoroid hitting the atmosphere on video.

Thanks to Travel + Leisure for posting the video.

About the video, they wrote:

Sure, you may have visited more countries than your friends, experienced more cultures than most, and eaten meals with names that you can’t even pronounce. But have you ever seen a meteor crash into Earth… from space? 

European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli has, and he has the footage to prove it.

The ESA pieced together Nespoli’s footage taken while aboard the International Space Station and made it into a stunning timelapse video for all of us here on terra firma to enjoy. The minute and a half video shows the Earth from above as the Space Station flew over the southern Atlantic Ocean over to Kazakhstan.

To read more and see the video, go here. 

Perseid Meteor Shower This Weekend

Above, a chunk of the meteor that created Arizona's Meteor Crater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Budding astronomers and stargazers will be in for a big treat this weekend.

Travel + Leisure reported:

Save all your wishes for this weekend. Shooting stars could happen every minute.

From Aug.11–13, the Perseid meteor shower will send between 60 and 70 meteors shooting across the sky every hour. The meteor shower's peak is expected to occur the night of Sunday, Aug. 12 into the wee hours of Monday morning. 

This weekend’s show is expected to be particularly spectacular. The Perseids happen every year, but this year’s crescent moon will make the sky darker, allowing the meteors to shine. 

If you’re planning on watching the Perseid meteor shower, bear in mind that it will take at least 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. The longer you’re outside in the dark, the better your vision of the meteors will be. The best time to be outside to catch the peak is between midnight and dawn. Stargazers won’t need to look at any particular point in the sky to catch a glimpse of a shooting meteor. They should be everywhere.

To read more, go here.

Too Cold For Meteor-Watching, Etc.

Above, the mesas at dusk. I should have gone out earlier. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Well, I woke up at 3:00 thanks to Sierra hogging the bed. But I was planning on getting up early to see the Lyrid meteor shower anyway.

Above, the sun already got below the horizon when I went outside. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I went outside in 36­­° temperatures. The night sky was clear and full of stars. But I saw no meteors. Then again, I only spent ten minutes outside before the cold drove me back into the house (not that I've never seen meteors before).

Above, the new jade plant and pot I bought yesterday. The bear planter stand I
gave my mom about a year or two before she passed away. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The temperature continued to drop and is now at 32° (freezing). So I went out again to switch on the The Beast's holding tank heaters. I lingered a bit and still saw no meteors.

This wasn't the only dud during the past 12 hours. I was planning to shoot the mesas across the valley at sunset last night, but I got outside too late as the sun was just dipping below the horizon. I was planning to send the photos to Asya to look over for the painting. If it is clear outside this coming evening, I will try again (and get outside earlier).

I did take a few shots outside last evening anyway and they accompany this post.

Meteors Tonight!

"That's a meteor! King-sized!" - Perry White in "Panic In The Sky."

Meteors!

USA Today reported:

If you're up late Saturday night — or up early Sunday morning — be sure to take a peek up at the night sky for the Lyrid meteor shower. The shower has been know to bombard the sky with up to nearly 100 meteors per hour. The best viewing conditions are expected across much of the northeastern and southwestern U.S. The worst conditions will be across the central Plains and Deep South, where clouds and showers are forecast.

Look towards the northeastern portion of the night sky.

To read more, go here. 

Fireball Over Japan

A big fireball was seen over Japan Tuesday night and it was caught from several vantage points with video cameras.

NHK World reported:

Skies over Japan were lit up Tuesday night by what appears to have been a meteor. It was seen in Odawara, west of Tokyo, and other areas. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan said it was probably a fragment of an asteroid that burned up in the Earth's atmosphere.

Maybe it's a Toho publicity stunt announcing that King Ghidorah is arriving in Japan?

Videos of the fireball can be seen here.

Today's "Panic In The Sky"

Above, the meteor over Russia.

Astronomical news is making a big "splash" in the media today.

First, the story of a 150-foot asteroid passing within 17,000 from Earth this morning.  This is closer than some satellites.  Thankfully, the big rock won't strike out planet.

NBC News Cosmic Log has some streaming video.  To view it, go here.

Above, the asteroid from the 1953 "Adventures of Superman" episode, "Panic In The Sky."

Next, even more spectacularly, is the explosion of a 10-ton meteor over Russia's Ural Mountains.  About 1,000 people in Russia were injured when a meteor exploded with the power of an atomic bomb.  The explosion's shock waves (sonic boom) sent glass shards and debris flying, causing injuries to people who ran to their windows to see what the bright flash the meteor gave off was.

Fox News has a full report with photos and videos here.

Massive Fireball Video

King Ghidorah has arrived?

A massive fireball lit up the mid-west's night sky last night:

Panic In The Sky: Meteor Lights Up Canada

The Associated Press is reporting that a large meteor lit up the Canadian sky last Friday night:

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (AP) - Scientists say they're searching for remnants of a meteor that brilliantly lit up the sky before seemingly falling to earth in western Canada.

University of Calgary planetary scientist Alan Hildebrand called it one of the largest meteors visible in the country in the last decade.

Widely broadcast video images showed what appeared to be a speeding fireball Thursday night over Saskatoon that became larger and brighter before disappearing as it neared the ground.

Hildebrand said Friday that he received about 300 email reports from witnesses.

"It would be something like a billion-watt light bulb," said Hildebrand, who also co-ordinates meteor sightings with the Canadian Space Agency.

Tammy Evans was wakened by her 10-year-old daughter who ran into the bedroom.

"She said there was a flash of light, the house shook twice and it sounded like dinosaurs were walking," Evans said.

Hildebrand suspects it broke up into pieces and he plans to investigate around Macklin, Saskatchewan near the Alberta border.

These photos were taken by a police car's dash camera:







My, that's a big one!