TORNADOES IN INDIA - Learning through US Experience

What Are Tornadoes?
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. The most intense of all atmospheric phenomena, tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes but are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust. Most tornadoes have wind speeds between 40 mph (64 km/h) and 110 mph (177 km/h), are approximately 250 feet (75 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers) before dissipating. The most extreme can attain wind speeds of more than 300 mph (480 km/h), stretch more than a mile (1.6 km) across, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km)

In Simple words : Tornadoes  are nature’s most violent storms. Tornadoes must always be taken seriously. Tornadoes can be very dangerous -- sometimes even deadly. They come from powerful thunderstorms and appear as rotating, funnel-shaped clouds. Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour. They cause damage when they touch down on the ground. They can damage an area one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk, but states in "Tornado Alley" have the highest risk. Tornadoes can form any time of the year, but the season runs from March to August. The ability to predict tornadoes is limited. Usually a community will have at least a few minutes warning. The most important thing to do is TAKE SHELTER when a tornado is nearby.

According to National Disaster Association (http://www.n-d-a.org):
A tornado is defined as a 'violently rotating column of air which is in contact with the ground' (NWS). The word tornado is derived from the Spanish word tornar (to turn) and the Spanish word tronada (thunderstorm).



What could be the size of Tornado ?
Most tornadoes take on the appearance of a narrow funnel, a few hundred yards (meters) across, with a small cloud of debris near the ground. Tornadoes may be obscured completely by rain or dust. These tornadoes are especially dangerous, as even experienced meteorologists might not spot them. Tornadoes can appear in many shapes and sizes.

Some Media Coverage and others  Links in India :
1. Click here to See a article covered by Telegraph.

2. Click Here article from Orrisa

3. Click Here   for Detailed info of prominent events

How do they Appear ?

Appearance

Tornadoes can have a wide range of colors, depending on the environment in which they form. Those which form in a dry environment can be nearly invisible, marked only by swirling debris at the base of the funnel. Condensation funnels which pick up little or no debris can be gray to white. While traveling over a body of water as a waterspout, they can turn very white or even blue. Funnels which move slowly, ingesting a lot of debris and dirt, are usually darker, taking on the color of debris. Tornadoes in the Great Plains can turn red because of the reddish tint of the soil, and tornadoes in mountainous areas can travel over snow-covered ground, turning white.

Photographs of the Waurika, Oklahoma tornado of May 30, 1976, taken at nearly the same time by two photographers. In the top picture, the tornado is lit with the sunlight focused from behind the camera, thus the funnel appears bluish.



In the lower image, where the camera is facing the opposite direction, the sun is behind the tornado, giving it a dark appearance.

Lighting conditions are a major factor in the appearance of a tornado. A tornado which is "back-lit" (viewed with the sun behind it) appears very dark. The same tornado, viewed with the sun at the observer's back, may appear gray or brilliant white. Tornadoes which occur near the time of sunset can be many different colors, appearing in hues of yellow, orange, and pink.





Dust kicked up by the winds of the parent thunderstorm, heavy rain and hail, and the darkness of night are all factors which can reduce the visibility of tornadoes. Tornadoes occurring in these conditions are especially dangerous, since only weather radar observations, or possibly the sound of an approaching tornado, serve as any warning to those in the storm's path.

What Causes Tornadoes? Conditions in USA ?
Why tornadoes occur is still largely unknown but in many cases 3 conditions must be satisfied for a thunderstorm to become tornadic in the US.
1. Firstly, there must be a warm, humid air stream from the Gulf of Mexico. 2. Secondly, there must be a cold, dry air stream coming in from the north (Canada) or eastwards from the Rocky Mountains which meet along the dry line.
3. Thirdly, the jet stream must be coming from the north-west at a speed of approximately 150 mph. When all of these 3 conditions are met it can start a spin in a thundercloud (Kovach and McGuire, 2003).

Tornadoes are often formed from large supercell storms which are high energy systems, if a mesocyclone occurs within, a tornado may form. Tornadoes can also be formed when hurricanes make landfall along the rainfall bands due to the different air masses involved.

Where Can Tornadoes Occur?
Tornadoes have been observed on every continent other than Antarctica but there are areas which have a higher occurrence than others. The US has the most tornadoes annually, normally between 800-1000 a year; many of these occur in 'Tornado Alley', this area includes the states of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska. These states lie between the Rocky Mountains in the West and the Appalachian mountains in the East which is significant as the location of these moutnains aids tornado formation. Great Britain has the highest occurrence of tornadoes per square mile but these are normally considerably weaker than their US counterparts. Bangladesh and Argentina also get a number of tornadoes; this could be due to the similar topography to the US.

How Are Tornadoes Measured

Tornadoes are measured using the Fujita Scale proposed by T. Theodore Fujita in 1971. The scale has 6 levels of severity ranging from F0 to F5. The table below shows a simple explanation of the damage and the possible wind speeds associated with the damage.However you may kindly check latest updates on measurement issue - as there have been new methods suggested time to time.

Wind Rating
Category Average wind speed (km/h) Damage description
F0 < 115 Light
F1 116 - 179 Moderate
F2 180 - 251 Considerable
F3 252 - 330 Severe
F4 331 - 416 Incredible

History of Recent Tornadoes :

Sources of this post:  National Disaster Associaton, USA , Wiki, Tornado Project etc..

Huge Firball in United States - Should we Worry ?

On 14 April, 2010 a huge fireboall was seen over at least seven midwestern US states including Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois

 A fireball over Wisconsin. Image credit: 

University of Wisconsin - AOS/SSEC › Larger view

Here is the Compilation of Videos and pic for this Event on 14th April: 



What is fireball ?
A fireball is a meteor, or "shooting star," that emits a brilliant light as it enters Earth's atmosphere. 

A rooftop webcam at the University of Wisconsin-Madison captured the final seconds of a fireball's Wednesday, April 14 descent into the atmosphere.

Emergency Number Calls - Eyewitness Accounts :
News reports in the area indicated that 911 call
centers in at least six states began to light up with calls reporting the celestial visitor a little after 10 p.m. local time. Eyewitness accounts stated it was moving from west to east and broke into multiple pieces. Numerous witnesses also heard crackling sounds and a sonic boom. It is not know yet if any debris from the fireball survived the intense heat of atmospheric entry and made it to Earth's surface.

Statement of  Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. : According to said Don Yeomans  "The frequency of space debris entering our atmosphere that is large enough to generate a fireball is something on the order of once or twice a day. What is somewhat unique about this one is that it was witnessed by so many and captured on tape. Knowing the size of this small asteroid helps us determine the frequency of such occurrences. Asteroids this size are expected to enter Earth's atmosphere about once a month."

Size of the body 3.3. Feet : Data collected by scientists at NASA's Marshall's Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., indicate the parent body of the fireball was approximately 1 meter (3.3 feet) in length and was not associated with the Gamma Virginids meteor shower, which was taking place at the time the fireball entered the atmosphere.

From Asteroid Belt - 20 Tons TNT :
Instead, the small space rock more than likely originated from somewhere in the asteroid belt.
When the fireball disintegrated high in the atmosphere, it released energy equivalent to the detonation of approximately 20 tons of TNT.


NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program, commonly called "Spaceguard," discovers these objects, characterizes a subset of them, and plots their orbits to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.

What Exactly Happened to the Fireball ?
During a meteorite fall, much of the original rock, called a meteoroid, vaporizes in the atmosphere due to frictional heating as it plunges earthward between seven and 45 miles per second. Think of the weight loss as a cosmic version of The Biggest Loser. Stresses brought on by air pressures at those speeds can break the remaining object(s) into small pieces which then fall to the ground across an oval-shaped stretch of land called a strewn field. The smallest pieces drop first and are found at one end of the oval while the big ones drop last and are at the other end. To give you an idea of what a strewnfield looks like, I've included a map made by Svend Buhl of the Pultusk meteorite fall in Poland in 1868.

The size and exact shape of the oval depend upon many factors: the object's speed, angle of entry, how fragile the material is and the local wind speeds at the time of the fall. Wonderful to think we just received a visitor from the asteroid belt that's been out in space since the dawn of the solar system minding it's own business for four and half billion years. Scientists are eager to examine the meteorite to determine its composition, whether it broke off from a larger object and if so, how long it's been out there since.









Pieces of Meteor Recovered :  

Christopher and Evan Boudreaux hold the first recovered meteorite from the April 14, 2010 Wisconsin fireball. 

The first stone was recovered 22 hours after the fall. Credit: Terry Boudreax, shared by Michael Johnson from Rocks From Space

According to Astro Bob the pieces of meteorite from Wednesday night's amazing fireball appear to have fallen over the Livingston, Wisconson area between Platteville and Avoca. So people in these areas were asked to trace if they can.

A Dog finds  Meteorite   ?
The number of meteorites found in last week's fall over southern Wisconsin continues to rise but one find in particular stands out as exceptional. Brix, a dog owned by Nevada-based meteorite hunter Sonny Clary, found his first meteorite earlier this week.

How does a dog find a meteorite?
 Training of course. Brix is the first trained meteorite hunting dog in the world. Clary worked with Brix in the deserts of Nevada familiarizing him with the "scent" of meteorites and his hard work finally paid off.










Source : NASA / Universe today/Astro Bob and others

Asteroid 2010 GA6 To Miss Earth on 9th Apr 4.36 IST

Special Note for Readers of Sakshi : if you typed www.ourplanets.com to visit Planetary Society, India (kindly click here or visit www.ournewplanets.com) to know more. This is in reference to N.Sri Raghunandan Kumar  ఎన్. శ్రీ రఘునందన్ కుమార్, ఖగోళ పరిశోధకులు, ప్లానె టరీ సొసైటీ ఆఫ్ ఇండియా వ్యవస్థాపక కార్యదర్శి Article in Sakshi Newspaper titled "చుక్కల్లో చిల్డ్రన్" published on 12th January 2011 .  To read online click here. You can also find Astronomy Club india hyderabad andhra pradesh  information. Importantly find info  of Planetarium, Hyderabad under guidance of Dr.B.G.Siddarth, Birla Science Center (famously known as Birla Planetarium Hyderabad) who has been making efforts to serve people  of Andhra pradesh and inspiring many students like Mr.Raghunandan since over three decades.

A newly discovered asteroid, 2010 GA6, will fly by Earth this Thursday at 23:06 U.T.C. i.e. Friday, 9 April 2010, 04:36:00 a.m. IST.

Here is the simulation of the Asteroid:


This Asteroid would 2010 GA6 will miss us by about 359,000 kilometers (223,000 miles) which is about 9/10ths the distance to the moon. The size of the asteroid is reported to be approximately 22 meters (71 feet) wide. This object was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey, Tucson, Az.

When was this object Discovered ?
This object was first observed on 5th April, 2010.

How many days does this asteroid take to revolve around Sun?
it takes 1269.85 Days or 3.48 Years for this object to go around for once.

Does it Mean that this object was there since long time and we discovered it now ?
Yes. As you may see in the simulation created.

At What Speed is this Asteroid moving ?
Its reported to be moving at 12.14 km/sec.

How do you compare this Asteroid with Asteroid Which missed us in Jan 2010 and November 2009 ?

This Asteroid however, is a bit bigger compared to other recent asteroid alerts written on this blog and issued by NASA's Near Earth Observation program . In November 2009, a 7-meter asteroid called 2009 VA came within 14,000 km (8,700 miles) of Earth and in January, 2010 AL30 was about 10-15 meters long and came within only 128,000 km (about 80,000 miles).

According to Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Fly bys of near-Earth objects within the moon's orbit occur every few weeks,"

How are Asteroids Detected and Tracked ?
NASA detects and tracks asteroids and comets passing close to Earth using both ground and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program, commonly called "Spaceguard," discovers these objects, characterizes a subset of them and plots their orbits to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.

JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY - 22nd April - Adopted and Proclaimed by United Nations in year 2009

Today across the world in many countries Earth Day is Celebrated. The concept of Earth day has it origin in USA from where is first started. Taking note of the same in year 2009 United Nations has adopted and proclaimed it has "International Mother Earth Day" officially. Hence calling 22nd April just Earth Day or World Earth Day is not in true spirit of the highest international status granted by UN to this Day.

What is International Mother Earth Day?
It is an initiative proposed by the government of Bolivia at the United Nations. If approved, International Mother Earth Day would be celebrated each April 22nd. Its purpose is to promote the right of all humans to live a healthy life in harmony with nature (established in the UN’s 1992 Rio Declaration). It also offers an opportunity to reflect on the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species, and the planet that is our home and that sustains us.


How is this different from Earth Day?
The UN does not celebrate Earth Day, although it established a World Environment Day in 1972 to encourage the protection of natural resources. Rather than attempting to replace this and other initiatives related to the environment, Mother Earth Day proposes to reinforce and reinterpret them based on contemporary realities. Mother Earth Day goes beyond the goals of previous initiatives by honoring the earth as a whole and our place within it.

Is International Mother Earth Day for everyone?
Yes! Inclusiveness is at the heart of International Mother Earth Day. It seeks to share with all people the values associated with holistic views of the planet that regard humans and nature as part of a single system.
Because this concept promotes the idea of living a balanced existence that is in harmony with nature, it can help us find solutions to today’s pressing environmental problems. This is something that benefits us all. Regardless of origin or culture, people all around the world can join in honoring the earth and ensuring that our relationship with nature is one that allows life to continue.

Following the information the reasons for which we should celebrate this Day as "International Mother Earth Day"

Proclamation on  22^nd April, 2009 : United Nations General Assembly in its resolution  no. A/63/L.69 proclaimed 22^nd April as  International Mother Earth Day.

The UN adopted and  Proclaimed 22^nd April as  International Mother Earth Day because

i. it acknowledged  that the Earth and its ecosystems are our home, and convinced that in order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social, and environmental needs of present and future generations, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth

ii. Recognized  that Mother Earth is a common expression for the planet earth in

a number of countries and regions, which reflects the interdependence that exists

among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit,

iii. it noted that Earth Day is observed each year in many countries,

 

Hence the Assembly invites all Member States, the entire United Nations system, regional and subregional bodies and non-governmental organizations “to observe and raise awareness of International Mother Earth day, as appropriate”.

Origin of Resolution:

Resolution Spearheaded by Bolivian Govt – Was Supported by 50 Member States :

The resolution was spearheaded by the Bolivian Government and supported by over 50 Member States which noted that Earth Day is observed each year on 22 April in many countries. 

BOLIVIA  represented by its  President Evo Morales Ayma  took the  lead in bringing the resolution to the Assembly  for getting 22^nd April a status of  International Day.

Breif of Initial Statements of Assembly President  d’Escoto Brockmann and  Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma  :

Assembly President  d’Escoto Brockmann In Breif :

In true spirit of Earth Summit :  In his statement Assembly President  d’Escoto Brockmann said  “Member States recognized their responsibility, as called for in the Rio Declaration, adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the “Earth Summit”, to promote harmony with nature and the planet to achieve a just balance among economic, social and environmental needs of the present and future generations of humanity.

Importantly he thanked BOLIVIA for taking the lead.

Harmony with Nature :

He said By the text, the Assembly acknowledged that “the Earth and its ecosystems are our home”, and expressed its conviction that, in order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations, “it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth”.

               Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann Former President of   United Nations General Assembly 

Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma in Breif :

Mother Earth-  having her Rights  recognized : Immediately following the Assembly’s unanimous adoption of a resolution designating 22 April each year as International Mother Earth Day (A/63/L.69). Bolivian Preseident Morales said  “Sixty years after adopting the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights], Mother Earth is now, finally, having her rights recognized,”

                                                               EVO MORALES AYMA
                                                                 President of  BOLIVIA

He applauded the Members of the world body who had “taken a historic stand for Mother Earth” by acknowledging humanity’s common interest in the protection of the planet and its environment.

M ESSAGE  OF  BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT EVO MORALES AYMA IN DETAIL  :  

Appeal:  In his address, President Morales appealed to all Members of the United Nations to live up to their responsibility to ensure life on the planet by working for unity, equality, dignity and, above all, humanity, which inherently involved protecting –- and restoring –- Mother Earth.

Action to that end had never been more vital, as the toll of years of environmental degradation and callous exploitation of the planet’s natural resources and ecosystems could no longer be ignored, he said.  The incremental yet increasingly obvious impacts of manmade climate change were putting Mother Earth at even more peril, as in his region alone the snow capped peaks of the Andean mountain range were receding every day; islands were buffeted by ever-more violent storms; and arid areas were becoming even drier. 

Seductive Notion of Capitalism – We Don’t Own, We belong to it : “We are strangling the planet -– strangling ourselves,” President Morales declared, stressing that, for too many years, the world had been held captive by the seductive notion of capitalism.  However, it was now clear that “we don’t own the planet, we belong to it,” he said, calling for the twenty-first century to be dedicated to protecting and supporting Mother Earth and her ecosystems. 

Mother Earth has her Rights Recognized : Some 60 years after activists had fought so hard to win acknowledgement of human rights worldwide, including social, economic, political and cultural rights, Mother Earth was now having her rights recognized, he continued.  Indeed, animals and plants -- all living creatures and beings -- had rights that deserved to be respected and protected. 

Century of Rights of Mother Earth :  

Those that had supported the text in the Assembly would be heralded for their historic action, he said, expressing the hope that, as the twentieth century had been called “the century of human rights”, this new era would be known as the “century of the rights of Mother Earth”.

Need of Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth :  

Continuing, President Morales said that, by proclaiming the International Day, United Nations Member States now had the opportunity to begin laying out a Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth.

  Such a Charter must enshrine the right to life for all living things; right to regeneration of the planet’s biocapacity; right to a clean life -- for Mother Earth to live free of contamination and pollution; and the right to harmony and balance among and between all things.

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT D’ESCOTO –  MESSAGE IN DETAIL 

Special Message – times of “tipping point” : Assembly President d’Escoto said the world body was sending a special message of hope with Mother Earth Day.  

Even as scientists and biologists sounded the alarm that the world may already be at the “tipping point”, at which the damage wrought on the environment might be irreversible, the United Nations had moved “to put people and the well-being of the planet at the centre of our attention and recognize good stewardship of the planet and our dwindling resources as a shared responsibility”.

“It is only right that we, as sisters and brothers, take care of Mother Earth […] as Mother Earth, after all sustains […] our very humanity,” Mr. d’Escoto said. 

Listen to Voices : He urged listening to the voices of indigenous people, who, despite all odds, had sustained their profound links with nature.  

Support for Small Farmers: He urged support for the world’s small farmers and food producers, who, with sustainable farming methods, could provide us with healthy food, while not being driven into poverty by unfair trade policies and the actions of rapacious agro-industries.

 “Our decision today marks one more symbolic step in changing the dominant mindset that has brought us so close to self-destruction,” he said.

Source : 1. UNITED NATIONS
              2.www.boliviaun.org

Five Planets Visible in the Night Sky upto 10 Apr - Four among them to Enthrall Us for months to come

Since time immemorial night skies caused greater curiosity to Humankind, the efforts to understand them laid one of the foundations of modern science. Among various twinkling objects in the sky the moving objects (which were known to ancients as wanderers) among stars surprised the observers

Watch the Five Planets - As our Ancestors Did - Without Telescope :

Four Planets (Venus, Mercury, Mars, Saturn) are visible in the evening sky for many days to come and One Planet (Jupiter) is visible in the morning sky. Whereas importantly Planet Mercury which is always hidden in sun’s glare would be visible for two days.

How and Where to Locate the Planets?


1. Venus: Planet Number two also known as twin sister of Planet Earth is very unique. The Ancient not have perfect understanding of it motion mistook it to be two different objects. That is morning star or evening star. It is a fact that Venus is the object which can be spotted in the evening in certain part of year or as morning object in certain part of year.

Presently Venus can be seen till 2nd Week of October, 2010 in the evening skies. After that becoming close to sun it will disappear from evening skies and begin visible in the morning skies from 2nd week of November, 2010.

How to Locate : Immediately after Sunset one can easily locate planet Venus in the Western Sky as very bright object.


2. Mercury for Next Two Days (3-4 Apr) Closest Approach to Venus – At Elongation on 8th Apr – Can be spotted easily until 10th April 2010: Planet Mercury being very close to sun is always hidden in the glare of sun’s bright light. On 8th April it will reach at Greatest Eastern Elongation (reaching the farthest point it can get from sun) because of which it can be observed even after a hour of sunset.

How to Locate : Planet mercury can be spotted toward Right side of Venus. Due to Greatest Eastern Elongation as of now Mercury is away from sun hence is visible in the sky even after Sunset. Thus giving us opportunity to spot it. Whereas it can be easily spotted using Venus until 10th April, 2010.

3. Planet Mars: On 30 March Planet Mars was at Opposition to Sun. Ever since then it started appearing in the evening sky every day. Planet mars can be spotted up till first week of November, 2010.

How to Locate: Facing East if one looks above his head near to zenith one can spot bright non twinkling reddish object which is planet Mars. Whereas in the morning it can be found in Western Sky.

4. Saturn: on 22nd March, 2010 Saturn was at Opposition. Because of which as sunset in the west in Saturn rose in the east, whereas Sun rose Saturn set in west. As of now its closest, brightest, biggest it can get. It can be spotted in evening skies till 2nd Week of September, 2010.

How to Locate: If one looks at East Direction in the evening one would see Non twinkling star like object Which is nothing but planet Saturn. At 12 Midnight one can find Saturn above ones head near to zenith and at 5.00 a.m. it can be found on in western direction.

5. Jupiter: Planet Jupiter was visible all through year 2009. However becoming close to sun it was not visible for brief time in beginning of year 2010. However these days it can be spotted in the morning sky. It can be spotted in sky till 1ST Week of March 2011.

How to Locate: As of now it is visible in the morning skies before sunrise. Around 5.15 a.m. one has to look towards Eastern Sky to spot.

Request For Observation through Telescopes: Commemorating above events and with a view to create awareness among people while providing people an opportunity to observe through astronomical telescopes. Society likes to organize series of “Public Sky Observations” in various districts with the help of District Coordinators of APCOST. For this we invite schools/organizations across the state to write to planetarysociety.india@gmail.com or or at Planetary Society India P.O.Box.No.1361, Hyderabad -28. Importantly now invites individual join the society and supplement its efforts.

We will upload the School kit/Images in Hour or Two.

Large Hadron Collider - Historic Attempt Today

Dear Freinds there as been tremendous talk all of sudden this morning about LHC. This even took me for surprise as i was focusing only on

“The LHC is not a turnkey machine,” said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer.“The machine is working well, but we’re still very much in a commissioning phase and we have to recognize that the first attempt to collide is precisely that. It may take hours or even days to get collisions.” which gave impression that actual collision will happen at later date.

Following is the Press Release of Cern. Down you can find link to webcast.


CERN sets date for first attempt at 7 TeV collisions in the LHC

Geneva, 23 March 2010. With beams routinely circulating in the Large Hadron Collider at 3.5 TeV, the highest energy yet achieved in a particle accelerator, CERN has set the date for the start of the LHC research programme. The first attempt for collisions at 7 TeV (3.5 TeV per beam) is scheduled for 30 March.

“With two beams at 3.5 TeV, we’re on the verge of launching the LHC physics programme,” explained CERN’s Director for Accelerators and Technology, Steve Myers. “But we’ve still got a lot of work to do before collisions. Just lining the beams up is a challenge in itself: it’s a bit like firing needles across the Atlantic and getting them to collide half way.”

Between now and 30 March, the LHC team will be working with 3.5 TeV beams to commission the beam control systems and the systems that protect the particle detectors from stray particles. All these systems must be fully commissioned before collisions can begin.

“The LHC is not a turnkey machine,” said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer.“The machine is working well, but we’re still very much in a commissioning phase and we have to recognize that the first attempt to collide is precisely that. It may take hours or even days to get collisions.”

The last time CERN switched on a major new research machine, the Large Electron Positron collider, LEP, in 1989 it took three days from the first attempt to collide to the first recorded collisions.

The current LHC run began on 20 November 2009, with the first circulating beam at 0.45 TeV. Milestones were quick to follow, with twin circulating beams established by 23 November and a world record beam energy of 1.18 TeV being set on 30 November. By the time the LHC switched off for 2009 on 16 December, another record had been set with collisions recorded at 2.36 TeV and significant quantities of data recorded. Over the 2009 part of the run, each of the LHC’s four major experiments, ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb recorded over a million particle collisions, which were distributed smoothly for analysis around the world on the LHC computing grid. The first physics papers were soon to follow. After a short technical stop, beams were again circulating on 28 February 2010, and the first acceleration to 3.5 TeV was on 19 March.

Once 7 TeV collisions have been established, the plan is to run continuously for a period of 18-24 months, with a short technical stop at the end of 2010. This will bring enough data across all the potential discovery areas to firmly establish the LHC as the world’s foremost facility for high-energy particle physics.

A webcast will be available on the day of the first attempt to collide protons at 7TeV. More details will be available at: http://press.web.cern.ch/press/lhc-first-physics/

SPOT PLANET SATURN ON 29th MARCH USING MOON - SATURN OPPOSITON 2010

On 22nd March, 2010 Saturn was at opposition. Because of this phenomena Saturn will be as brightest, biggest and closest it can get to Earth in this entire Year. Because of opposition one can notice that as sun sets in west Saturn rises in the east and visible all through the night (as it climbs highest in the sky at midnight) whereas by the time it is morning Saturn would set in the western sky when sun is rising in the east.

Moon Conjunction with Saturn on 29th Mar 10 (Spot Saturn with Naked Eye Using Moon On 29th Mar 10) : On 29th March Moon is in conjunction with Planet Saturn ie. Saturn can be spotted just 7.937 degrees north of Moon. i.e. both moon and Saturn appear to be near to each other as seen from earth.

Where to see /time: At 7.30 p.m. if one looks at East Direction one would see Bright moon and a Non twinkling star like object just above left side. Which is nothing but planet Saturn. At 12 Midnight one can find Saturn above ones head near to zenith and at 5.00 a.m. it can be found on the right side of moon in western direction. Saturn would appear as star like object for naked eye. Telescopes are not needed to spot planets however to appreciate its finest features along with magnificent rings one would need it. How to identify other planets in sky and how to differentiate a star from planet look brief notes.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE ENLARGED VIEW
29th March :
Sky as seen at 7.30pm


30th March :
Sky as seen at 5.00 a.m.


30th March Evening :
Sky as seen at 7.30pm


31th March Morning :
Sky as seen at 5.00 a.m.


Observation Astronomical Telescopes: Further society is happy to announce SATURN OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN INDIA 10 (21st March to 2nd Sept) and likes to conduct Observations at various places in the state with the help of its Astronomical telescopes. Society invites interested schools and other organizations to write with request to planetarysocietyindia@gmail.com.

ISRO Annual Report 2009-10 - Communication Satellites

The Annual Report provides a basic picture of the current updates related to the next spacecraft to be launched by India the GSAT-4.

Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation. Photo of the GSAT-4 entering the CATVAC

The 2200 kg GSAT-4 is a technology demonstrator carrying a communication payload, a regenerative transponder and navigation system. In addition the satellite will test:

• 4 Stationary Plasma Thrusters
• Bus Management Unit
• Miniaturised Dynamically Tuned Gyros
• 36 Ah Lithium ion battery
• 70 V bus
• on-board structural dynamic vibration beam accelerometer

Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation. One of the plasma thrusters mounted onto the frame of GSAT-4

The satellite had earlier also envisaged carrying the Israeli TAUVEX experiment but this has been postponed since the mass became higher.

The report says that the IST and thermovacuum tests have been completed successfully and is currently under going Spacecraft Dynamics and CATF tests. It is almost ready for shipment to Sriharikota for launch.

Later this year, HYLAS, GSAT-5P, GSAT-5 and GSAT-6 are planned for launch. The most interesting of the bunch is the 2200 kg unfurlable antenna of the GSAT-6, shown below:

Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation. Picture of the unfurlable antenna before being unfurled.

And then LO AND BEHOLD

Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation. The unfurled antenna. You can see the man standing at the side giving you an idea of how huge the satellite is!

GSAT-6 has a lift off mass of 2200 kg! The satellite will serve multimedia broadcasting and multimedia mobile phones!

ISRO Annual Report 2009-10

The Indian Space Research Organisation has released its Annual Report for the year 2009-10. The Mission Profile is the first thing to see in this document. Shows in one pic, the various satellites slated for launch.

Cassini Scientist for A Day - Ceremony India Download

Kindly look towards right tool bar for downloading general invitation to all.

Brief about NASA Cassini Scientist for a Day Activity : organized by NASA in more than 35 countries (with help of point of contacts/organizing committees) this is an opportunity for students in grades 5 - 12 to learn about Saturn and the Cassini - Huygens mission and participate through essay as student mission scientist.

Brief About NASA Cassini Mission: Cassini–Huygens is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI robotic spacecraft mission currently studying the planet Saturn and its moons. It was launched on October 15, 1997 and entered into orbit around Saturn on July 1, 2004. It is the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn and the fourth to visit Saturn.


On 25th Feb 2010 9.30 a.m. to 1.30 noon school students (who participated in 2009 Eigth Edition of activity organised by us conducted by NASA in 40 countries) would be designated as "Scientist For a Day" on NASA'S Cassini Mission.

Please kindly find enclosed following files for your kind perusal.
1. Invitation
2. New Space Science Club started by Society
3. Membership Form
4. Nomination of teacher of your school to attend year long activities.
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Here are the links which were published in various print and electronic media - regarding this activity:

1. Be a ‘Cassini Scientist for a Day’, says NASA : HINDU Nov 4 2009 : http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/04/stories/2009110450710200.htm

2.Awareness session of Planetary Society NOV 13 HINDU TIRUPATHI: http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/13/stories/2009111351000200.htm

3. ZEE 24 GANTALU (Telugu News Channel) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frYp4DMyUBw&feature=youtube_gdata

other Video (not related to above) which may interest you - Discussion on TV9 (telugu news channel) About Asteroids
Bhumi Pai Dha-di - TV9 : http://www.viddler.com/explore/ssamediea27/videos/38/
(please see after 10 mins of video to see me. )