Columbia downed by Megalightning

Columbia space shuttle launch
Columbia space shuttle launch

The second anniversary of the Columbia disaster passed almost unnoticed on February 1. Recent news reports said that the astronauts assigned to the first space shuttle mission since then were confident the mistakes and technical problems that led to that accident were in the past. Disturbingly, the astronauts’ confidence in the revamped Shuttle is misplaced.…


Saturn’s Strange Hot Spot Explained

Schematic of the Faraday motor effect upon a planet (or star).
Schematic of the Faraday motor effect upon a planet (or star).

The following excerpt is from the Keck Observatory News: MAUNA KEA (February 4, 2005) Astronomers using the Keck I telescope in Hawaii are learning much more about a strange, thermal “hot spot” on Saturn that is located at the tip of the planet’s south pole. In what the team is calling the sharpest thermal views…