Alpha Centauri, Nearest Star, Has Earth-Sized Planet

Artist's conception of planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B. Image: ESO/L. Calcada

How many science fiction stories have been written about Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our own?  How many serious scientists, in their quest to determine just how lonely we are in the universe, have wondered whether there are planets there, only four light-years away?

The first results are in — and yes, there is at least one planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B, one of the three stars clustered together there.  European astronomers, using a 3.6 meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, report it is remarkably small — about as massive as Earth.  Worlds that small have been beyond earthlings’ capacity to detect them until just very recently.

Let’s get some details out of the way quickly.  The newly found planet is probably hellish, only about 4 million miles from its host star (we’re 93 million miles from ours). It’s also fast, completing one orbit — one “year” — in only 3.2 of our days.

For now, the most remarkable thing about the planet, say the astronomers, is that they found it at all.  It is much too distant to be seen directly.  Instead, they watched the planet make its star wobble slightly, pulled around by the planet’s gravity as it circled from one side to the other.

Their measurements showed the star moved from side to side at a top speed of 1.8 km (about 1.1 miles) per hour — “about the speed of a baby crawling,” they said.

“It’s an extraordinary discovery and it has pushed our technique to the limit,” said Xavier Dumusque of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, who is lead author of the paper reporting the find in this week’s edition of the journal Nature.

So the astronomers were able to detect the little world over a distance of 25 trillion miles, but just barely.  They kept watching for four years until they were sure.

It’s hardly a twin of Earth, but it is a neighbor of sorts, one more sign that the Milky Way galaxy is thick with planets.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Re-released I, Robot to be first home release-exclusive 3D

When the 2004 science fiction movie I, Robot is re-released on Blu-ray later this month, it'll make movie history as the first movie to be re-mastered in 3D for the home market exclusively, launching a new range of 3D Blu-rays from 20th Century Fox.

A sign that 3D movies aren’t necessarily the modern fad that some believe may come in the unlikely form of Will Smith’s 2004 movie I, Robot, which is to become the first library title to be re-worked into the stereo visual format for Blu-ray release, instead of theater re-release, when it hits stores at the end of this month.

The movie is one of what studio Twentieth Century Fox is calling “a handful” of movies from its library that will be converted for Blu-ray re-release in the 3D format, although no other titles have been named at this time (Entirely conjecture, but considering that Fox owns the rights to the Alien movies, is it really going to pass up the chance to at least put either Ridley Scott’s original or James Cameron’s Aliens into 3D? After all, both are at least as well-known as I, Robot, and in the same genre, as well…). According to a Fox spokesperson talking to the Hollywood Reporter, associates of Will Smith have seen the results of the 3D-conversion of I, Robot, and were apparently happy enough with it to ask about the possibility of other Smith movies receiving similar treatment.

The movie has been converted using JVC Kenwood’s 2D3D workstation, which made its public debut at last winter’s Hollywood Post Alliance Technology Retreat, with Fox already attached as a business partner at that time. One of the benefits of this system when compared with other conversion techniques, according to Fox SVP of Advanced Technology Ian Harvey, is that it allows for faster conversion by minimizing manual rotoscoping or paint work, which in turn can cut costs considerably. Estimates for 3D conversation have ranged from anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 per minute in the past, which would considerably add to the budget of any movie project; Harvey won’t be drawn on the cost of the JVC system, but will admit that it is “less than other techniques” that Fox has previously considered.

The conversion for I, Robot was handled by a creative team including a specialist stereographer, but director Alex Proyas wasn’t involved, according to Fox (Again, it’s unknown whether other directors will be involved in their movies’ conversion in future, especially considering that the titles of said movies have not been made public as yet). Currently, the JVC system is aimed primarily on movies  – and, presumably, potentially television shows aimed at the home market, rendering in HD but not beyond at this point; according to Fox’s Harvey, that’s the way it should stay. “They should shoot new films in 3D,” he said, adding that in his opinion, “there are still issues on any conversion. It is not like Avatar.”

The new, 3D I, Robot is released on Blu-ray October 23.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

A Planet Made of Diamond, Twice the Size of Earth

Artist's conception of 55 Cancri e. Haven Giguere/Yale University

Arthur C. Clarke, the late science-fiction writer most famous for “2001: A Space Odyssey,” let his mind wander all over the universe.  In a sequel, “2010: Odyssey Two,” one of his extraterrestrial characters discovered that “the core of Jupiter, forever beyond human reach, was a diamond as big as the Earth.”

Now, a team of researchers led by Nikku Madhusudhan of Yale University say they may have found the real thing – a so-called super-Earth, orbiting a star 40 light-years away in the constellation Cancer the crab.  From its orbit and the size of its host star, they can calculate its size and mass – its diameter is double that of Earth – and have concluded that it is unusually dense.

How dense?  To borrow a line from Clarke, “De Beers shareholders, please note.”

“The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite,” said Madhusudhan in a statement from Yale.  “This is our first glimpse of a rocky world with a fundamentally different chemistry from Earth.”

The planet is called 55 Cancri e, and you would not like it there.  Madhusudhan and his colleagues said it whips around its host star in just 18 hours.  The surface temperature is something like 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit.  The researchers said there is probably little water to speak of.  Life would be out of the question.

A lot of this is educated conjecture, of course, because the planet is so distant that the only sign it exists is that once every 18-hour-long “year,” it passes between us and its host star, blocking an infinitesimal amount of its light.  But astronomers say that stars are remarkably consistent in their size and composition, and they can calculate a planet’s likely size and density even if they cannot see it.

The findings have been accepted for publication in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters, said Yale.  The authors estimated that up to a third of 55 Cancri e could be diamond.

So if you could get there you would be very rich.  But you wouldn’t want to stay.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Flipboard rolling out six curated video channels to boost content

Flipboard is rolling out curated video channels for its popular news reader app, covering subjects such as news, science, music, fashion and cooking.

A day after announcing it now has 20 million users, Flipboard is introducing curated video channels to its news reader.

The hugely popular app, which presents news content in an attractive magazine-style format, is rolling out six new TV sections, powered by popular YouTube channels.

Topics include news, science, music, fashion and cooking, among others. The existing video sections, provided by an array of sources, will of course continue to be available to users.

“Whether you enjoy inspirational talks, science experiments or live music, these curated video sections are guaranteed to entertain and inform, wherever your interests lie,” Flipboard said in a post on its blog.

At the time of writing, the channels weren’t showing in its ‘contents’ section and could only be accessed via links on its blog post about the new feature (through ‘Inside Flipboard’). If the new section is being added via an app update, it hasn’t shown up for iOS users yet. Android users should be able to update already, according to the version showing in the Google Play store.

Stats revealed by Flipboard on Tuesday show that three billion pages have been flipped in the two years since the app became available, with users spending an average of 86 minutes a month perusing its content.

Channel info

Here’s a full list of Flipboard’s new curated channels:

Cooking TV: For foodies and aspiring home chefs, these how-to cooking videos can add skills to your culinary repertoire. Learn the basics like Chow.com’s “How to Make the Creamiest, Cheesiest Mac ‘n Cheese” or try quirky recipes like Food Network TV’s “Chicken and Waffles on a Stick.”

Influencer TV: Hear about big ideas from leading innovators and creative thinkers. Influencers TV includes a TED Talks lecture on creating awe by Rob Legato, the Visual Effects Supervisor for “Titanic” and “Hugo.” For shorter fare, check out Big Think videos on “The Search for Life on Mars” and “Seeing Sound, Tasting Color: Synasthesia.”

Music TV: Keep up with what the kids—and hip people of all ages—are listening to these days. Watch the latest indie music videos on Noisey and follow NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series for intimate sessions with emerging artists. Pitchfork TV catches live show moments, including “Bjork Dedicates ‘Declare Independence’ to Pussy Riot.”

Science TV: Feed your curiosity with cool experiments and surprising scientific facts. VSauce will answer “What if the Earth were Hollow?” and “What If Everyone Jumped at Once?” On SciShow, find out “Why Our Brains Love Junk Food” or other scientific explanations for everyday dilemmas.

News TV: With News TV, stay updated on current events via leading news outlets. Get storm and earthquake alerts from Associated Press and ABC News. CBS News follows the 2012 presidential campaigns and Al Jazeera provides international news.

Catwalk TV: Get the latest fashion trends, fresh off the catwalks in Paris, Milan, Tokyo, New York City and more. YouTube channels like Fashion TV and Videofashion cover global runways and rising models. See new campaigns from individual designers, like Alexander McQueen’s “Menswear Autumn/Winter 2012.”

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com