Spotted | Common News Update

Dec152018 by adminNo Comments

InSight lander spotted from space

Dec. 14 (UPI) -- In a series of new photos captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, InSight, NASA's newest Martian lander, can be seen on Elysium Planitia. It's the first time the lander has been spotted from space since InSight touched down late last month. MRO's powerful camera, HiRISE, snapped photos of InSight on Dec. 6 and Dec. 11. The lander, as well as its discarded heat shield and parachute, can be seen in the birds-eye photographs released Friday by NASA. In the images, the lander appears a bright green due to light reflecting off InSight's instrument suite. In one of the images, a dark ring surrounding the lander is visible. The ring was made by InSight's thrusters, which helped slow the spacecraft's descent. In another one of the images, the lander's two extended solar pane...

Sep32018 by adminNo Comments

Tropical sunfish spotted in Highland waters

Science

A fish normally found in tropical waters has twice been spotted off the west coast of Scotland last week.It is the fourth time this year that the sunfish has been recorded by the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.The ocean sunfish is the heaviest bony fish in the world, with an average weight of 2,200lbs (998kg).The species was recorded on Friday by the crew of a fishing boat off the north coast of Skye. A sunfish was also seen off Ardnamurchan on Wednesday.Sunfish, which drift with ocean currents, were once rarely seen in Scotland, but boat operators have reported more sightings in recent years, with August being the peak month.They live on a diet of mostly jellyfish and swim at depths of up to nearly 2,000ft (610m). ...

Jul172018 by adminNo Comments

Iceberg looming over Greenland village spotted from space

Technology

An iceberg that drifted perilously close to a remote Greenland village is so big it can be seen from space. The European Space Agency released an image Tuesday showing the giant iceberg just off the coast of Innaarsuit. Dozens of village residents were evacuated to higher ground last week due to concerns the 11 million-ton iceberg might break apart and produce waves large enough to wash away low-lying buildings. The image captured July 9 by ESA's Sentinel-2 satellites shows several other large icebergs in the vicinity. Separately, Greenland's broadcaster KNR published video taken by a local resident showing a time lapse of the iceberg drifting past the village. KNR reported that strong winds and elevated tides moved the iceberg northward, away from the harbor, over the weekend. —&#...

Jun272018 by adminNo Comments

Signatures of complex organic molecules spotted on Saturn's moon Enceladus

Science

June 27 (UPI) -- Scientists have found evidence of complex organic molecules on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The chemical signals were identified among spectrometry data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. "We are, yet again, blown away by Enceladus," Christopher Glein, a space scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, said in a news release. "Previously we'd only identified the simplest organic molecules containing a few carbon atoms, but even that was very intriguing." The new data revealed the presence of complex organic molecules with masses greater than 200 atomic mass units. "That's over ten times heavier than methane," Glein said. "With complex organic molecules emanating from its liquid water ocean, this moon is the only body besides Earth known to simultaneously satisfy all...

May272018 by adminNo Comments

Breast screen error 'could have been spotted earlier'

Health

Tens of thousands more women in England may have missed out on breast screening invitations dating back further than previously thought, according to a leading cancer expert.Earlier this month, the health secretary said a 2009 computer failure may have shortened up to 270 lives.But Prof Peter Sasieni said the problems go back to 2005, and could have been spotted earlier. Public Health England said his analysis was "flawed".And it said an independent review would look at all aspects of the breast screening service.PHE discovered in January that some women aged 68-71 had not received their final invitation for breast screening.Jeremy Hunt told the Commons that 450,000 women were affected between 2009 and the start of 2018.Prof Sasi...