How tall is Amber Heard? Actress' height was compared to her ex Johnny Depp during defamation trial
Amber Heard's height was under scrutiny after her attorney apparently claimed that Johnny Depp had a much larger body structure
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New Zealand's Ardern gets international book deal
Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Friday she will write a book about leadership to be published worldwide, after five tumultuous years in...
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MrBeast reveals how he balances work and his relationship with girlfriend Thea Booysen: 'That's the hardest part'
MrBeast was first seen with his current girlfriend Thea Booysen in 2022
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Men alleging abuse at Japanese talent agency are interviewed by company investigators
Two men who say they were sexually abused as teenagers by a Japanese entertainment mogul have been interviewed by a special team set up by the talent agency to look into the allegations
2023-08-14 19:49
Le'Veon Bell believes he can take down Jake and Logan Paul: ‘I can beat both of 'em’
During a podcast, Le'Veon Bell stated that he can beat both Logan and Jake Paul in a boxing match
2023-09-26 16:19
Perseids 2023: Meteor beacon offers unique way to observe spectacular shower over UK
A group of amateur radio enthusiasts have set up a beacon in the UK that allows anyone to observe meteors as they burn through the Earth’s atmosphere. The UK Meteor Beacon project uses radio signals to identify meteorites as they pass through a 400 km-wide section of sky over England and Wales. The data is then displayed on a live online feed, with meteors appearing as blue streaks that emit a ping followed by a trailing pitch. The system captures more than 100 meteors every hour, even during times of relatively low activity. For the upcoming Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on 12 August, the frequency could be in the region of thousands per hour as Earth passes through the tail of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Unlike optical astronomy, the use of radio signals mean that meteors can be observed in nearly any weather conditions at all hours of the day and night. It also means that the system can pick up smaller meteors that may not appear as ‘shooting stars’ to the naked eye. This method of observation could potentially lead to the discovery of new meteor showers, which could then be tracked to uncover previously unknown comets. The radio transmitter is based at the Sherwood Observatory near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, however receivers can be placed anywhere in the country. “The transmitter is illuminating the sky above Mansfield with radio signals that can be reflected by meteors and their trails,” Brian Coleman, who designed the system’s hardware and has a receiver in his back garden, told The Independent. “Even outside the Perseids and other meteor showers we’re seeing them at a rate of two a minute – and we can observe them day and night no matter what the weather. Only thunderstorms and lightning can interfere with it.” It is the first meteor beacon system run by amateur radio and astronomy volunteers in the UK, and has already received funding from the Radio Society of Great Britain and the British Astronomical Association. It has also gained the attention of academic and citizen scientists keen on studying meteors. Setting up the beacon transmitter is only the first part of the project, with the four-person team now planning to design and deploy echo receivers that can be distributed throughout the country at distances of up to 1,200 km from the Sherwood Observatory. The receivers can be built for as little as £10, according to Mr Coleman, using plastic pipes and other materials found in DIY stores. His hope is that the low cost will encourage schools to set up their own receivers to develop STEM-related projects that will encourage students to explore radio engineering and astronomy. Observations of the meteors from different directions can also be used to calculate the location and trajectory of meteors, with the team currently trying to establish whether it is possible to triangulate the meteors by studying the horizontal lines and blue smudges that appear on the waterfall display. Such measurements are currently possible with military-grade pulse radar systems, but it has never been done before on this scale. If it is possible, then knowing the speed and direction of the meteors will allow them to calculate the landing spot of any meteors that make it through the Earth’s ionosphere without burning up completely. These samples can then be studied to offer a better understanding of the universe. “The ultimate ambition is to have a system like Blitzortung, which uses a network of ground-based detectors to track live lightning strikes around the planet,” Mr Coleman said. “If successful, we could observe meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere in real-time throughout the world – but there’s still a lot of work to do before we achieve that.” Read More Amateur astronomers make ‘major breakthrough’ in saving Earth from asteroids ‘It’s becoming like an airport’: How SpaceX normalised rocket launches Perseid meteor shower offers best chance to see a ‘shooting star’ in 2023 Watch live: Russian cosmonauts step out of ISS to perform spacewalk Earth hit by powerful ‘X-1’ solar flare, after fears of ‘cannibal’ blast
2023-08-10 05:29
What is Alabama Barker's net worth? Travis Barker's $7M mansion showcases daughter's lavish lifestyle
Alabama Barker, 17, shared aN Instagram Story video from her private bathroom, revealing her opulent lifestyle in father Travis Barker's $7 million mansion
2023-08-09 16:47
Celine Dion trends as sick trolls joke about 'My heart will go on' amid frantic search for Titanic sub
Public interest has sparked various odd discoveries and rumors following the disappearance of the Titan submersible
2023-06-22 19:46
Illinois appeals court affirms actor Jussie Smollett's convictions and jail sentence
An appeals court has upheld the disorderly conduct convictions of actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and then lying about it to Chicago police
2023-12-02 02:25
Is there a connection between ‘Inception’ and ‘Oppenheimer’? Christopher Nolan explains sci-fi movie’s ending after 13 years
Christopher Nolan explained how his films's endings are not nihilistic despite that being the popular view
2023-06-26 17:46
Inside Bianca Censori's family: From heroin-dealing dad to an uncle sentenced to death
Bianca Censori's uncle, Eris, was known as 'Melbourne's Al Capone' at one time
2023-08-20 19:22
What is 'They Cloned Tyrone' about? Plot of Jamie Foxx-starrer mystery movie explained
'They Cloned Tyrone' is a directorial debut by Juel Taylor, with Jamie Foxx and John Boyega in lead roles
2023-07-06 17:58
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