Giant Planet Orbits Backwards

Posted by John Farrier in Science & Tech on August 12, 2009 at 11:24 am

Astronomers with the Wide Area Search for Planets have discovered a planet, dubbed WASP-17, that is twice the size of Jupiter. That makes it the largest planet ever discovered. Unlike any other planet discovered so far, it orbits opposite to its star’s direction of rotation. Astronomer David Anderson from Keele University:

“Newly formed solar systems can be violent places. Our own Moon is thought to have been created when a Mars-sized planet collided with the recently formed Earth and threw up a cloud of debris. A near collision during the early, violent stage of this planetary system could well have caused a gravitational slingshot, flinging WASP-17 into its backwards orbit.”

But why is WASP-17 so big? The discovery team suggests that have been subjected to intense tides as it travelled in its strange and highly-elliptical orbit, causing it to become stretched and bloated.

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VideoSift Clips of the Week - Neatorama

Posted by dag in VideoSift on June 11, 2009 at 6:25 am

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Planet and Star Size Comparison in HD

You may have seen a planet and star size comparison before but this one is beautifully crafted and looks stunning in full-screen HD.

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Choir uses hands to create a thunderstorm

I was blown away by how realistic their thunderclaps sound – and the song is good too.

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The Cigarette Trick

Short and sweet. A cigarette is tossed and caught in the mouth, then a lit match is tossed and caught in the mouth to light the cigarette.

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What IS this creature?!?

So far, no one on VideoSift has come to any verifiable conclusion on what this creature is. The closet guess is a head crab. ;) Calling all cryptozoologists, we need your help.

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Tilt-Shift video of trains in Switzerland

Wonderful tilt-shift video of trains in the villages of Sisikon and Göschenen in Switzerland. Created by Andi Leemann and Jeri Peier. They used two EOS 5D Mark II cameras, a Canon 90mm TS-E f/2.8 and a Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 combined with a 1.4x converter. (and polarisation filters)

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For more of the web’s most interesting videos, check out: VideoSift.

 
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Working Antikythera Model

Posted by Ali S. in Arts & Crafts, Gadget, Science & Tech, Video Clips on December 14, 2008 at 6:55 pm


[YouTube - Link]

I’m sure most of you know at least something about the mysterious Antikythera Mechanism that was found at the bottom of the sea in 1901 near the island of Antikythera (from where the device took its name) and is estimated to have been built between 150-100 BC by an unknown builder. Famed for its mysterious and significantly advanced gear mechanism and complex build the Antikythera Mechanism was eventually found to be a computing calender and clock of sorts for the planets. Which may have been useful to sailors as would be evidenced by why the device was found among the carcass of a sunken ship.

Fast forward to the modern age and we find curator Michael Wright with the first fully functional working model of the Antikythera Mechanism in the World. To imagine that such advanced and complex machines were being built so long ago has fascinated and helped reshape ancient history and knowledge. The mystery concerning this device has increased as archaeologists and scientists wonder why they have only found this sole machine in the past century and why there is no recorded information regarding its creator.

 
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