As you may have heard, the asteroid 2012 DA14 silently glided past Earth on Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. Observations using radar have shown it to be an elongated rock about 20 x 40 meters (65 x 130 feet) in size…
It still didn’t get very bright; it was invisible to the naked eye. But with digital cameras and dark skies, snapping pictures of it was a matter of knowing where to aim, something photographer Colin Legg knows very well. From Perth, Australia, he captured this lovely time-lapse video of the asteroid moving past Earth right at the time of closest approach, 19:24 UTC. And he captured more than just DA14; there are some other surprises in the video, too. Make sure to set it to full-screen.
You can see DA14 sliding through the video from top to bottom on the left side of the frame. But right after the video starts, a meteor plummets through the field of view, leaving behind what’s called a persistent train—a trail of vaporized rock that can glow for several minutes.
From Slate’s Bad Astronomy.
“Wow the moon looks huge tonight!” We’ve all said it, but is the moon ever larger or closer at the horizon? (No, it’s not.) Is it some visual magnification by the atmosphere? (Nope, evidently that’s not why either.)
The answer: evidently our brains are playing tricks on us when we see a huge moon. The perception of the moon’s size is influenced by what’s surrounding it.
Created by Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown, this ASAP Science video, The Moon Illusion explains why the moon looks larger near the horizon. There’s also more information here and here.
via Geekosystem.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds operated the F-100C from 1956 until 1964. After briefly converting to the F-105 Thunderchief, the team flew F-100Ds from July 1964 until November 1968.
In this film from 1959 we see the Thunderbirds flying in formation, low level passes, in cockpit views and much more. The original source footage had no audio so I have added a generic jet engine sound for some background ambiance.
From the wdtvlive42 archives.
Cloudy is a happy animated short by artists Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III of Friends With You. Welcome to the clouds!
From IAmOther:
This animated short is an exploration into the clouds; a sweet, visual soundscape that takes the viewer through a personal journey into the sky. Sing, dance and relax as you follow a cast of clouds and raindrops through an entrancing adventure you’ll wish to take over and over again.
FriendsWithYou explores animism, giving the main cast of characters a soul. The purpose of the piece is to transcend the viewer to a peaceful and joyous state. Clouds singing and performing their duties in a joyful manner show us that everything in our world has a role and a purpose.
Both co-collectors were giggling pretty hard at this one.
via Stellar.
