'Supermoon' science: Biggest full moon of 2013 explained

Skywatcher Roberto Porto took this photo of the biggest full moon of 2012, a so-called supermoon, in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Spai

Skywatcher Roberto Porto took this photo of the biggest full moon of 2012, a so-called supermoon, in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Spain, on May 5, 2012.

By Miriam Kramer, Space.com

There is more to a "supermoon" than meets the eye.

Science governs the appearance of the largest full moon of the year,?and this weekend you can check out the amazing lunar sight for yourself.

On Sunday (June 23), the moon will be at its closest point to Earth ? called perigee. This relatively close brush will happen as the moon enters its fullest phase, creating the cosmic coincidence known as the supermoon. At its fullest and closest, the moon will appear about 12 percent larger in the sky. [Amazing Supermoon Photos of 2012]?

"It doesn't matter where you are, the full moon you're seeing will be the biggest for 2013," Michelle Thaller, the assistant director of science at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said. "? That 12 percent size different can mean as much as a 30 percent change in the brightness, so this will be a particularly bright supermoon."

How to see the supermoon
Weather permitting, everybody should be able to see the supermoon. The moon will be rising from the east right around sunset, Thaller said. It will appear huge and low on the horizon before rising brightly into the sky for the night. Saturday and Sunday should both be ideal viewing opportunities.

You can also watch a live webcast of the supermoon on SPACE.com beginning on Sunday beginning at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 June 24 GMT), courtesy of the online Slooh Space Camera, an online skywatching website (http://www.slooh.com).

?The full moon is seen as it rises near the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, March 19, 2011, in Washington. The full moon tonight is called a super perigee moon since it is at its closest to Earth in 2011. The last full moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March 1993.

A changing distance
Supermoons occur about once annually, and this year, the supermoon is closer than it has been in a little while, Thaller said.

The distance from the Earth to the moon varies along the rocky satellite's elliptical orbit. Perigee differs from month to month, so sometimes the supermoon is a little closer or further away, Thaller said.

"The closest the moon gets can actually vary much as much as the diameter of the Earth," Thaller said. "That seems like a pretty big number, but the moon is actually 30 times the diameter of the Earth away from us. If you line up 30 Earths, that's about the average distance of the moon away, but as it swings a little bit closer to us, that distance can vary."

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Science from a moon
Although it might be a brilliant skywatching opportunity, not a lot of scientific research comes from the supermoon. Scientists prefer to study the moon from a closer vantage point, Thaller said.

"The supermoon for [scientists] is a fun chance to talk about the changes in the sky [and] observing the universe," Thaller told SPACE.com. "As scientists, we like to observe the moon a little bit closer up and right now we have LRO, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft actually orbiting the moon. We're taking these incredible high resolution pictures of the entire lunar surface."

Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo of the Sunday supermoon and you'd like to share it for a possible story or image gallery on SPACE.com, please send images and comments, including equipment used, to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Follow Miriam Kramer?@mirikramer?and?Google+. Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook?and?Google+. Original article on?SPACE.com.

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Google Street View Car Captures Google Street View Bike Captures Google Street View Car

"Oh, um... hey, Google Maps Car."

"Uh, hey, Google Maps Tricycle."

"...I can see you."

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"Like, right now. I can see you. It will be on Google Maps later."

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"This is a lot more awkward than I thought it would be."

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Photos credit Google Maps via Google Street View World

Hat tip to Mark!

Source: http://jalopnik.com/google-street-view-car-captures-google-street-view-bike-531205395

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Trilobites Everywhere!

?AMNH\D. Finnin

Just a few short steps off Central Park West you have the means of traveling back through time to explore the diversity of life in ways you may not consider. Before humans, before dinosaurs, before fish even, there was another life form that achieved dominance. Something that we would likely overlook today, but once flourished with with great success. I?m talking, of course, about trilobites, and the opportunity to step back in time through a temporary exhibit at the American Museum of History to the age of the trilobites.

Trilobites represent some of the earliest forms of complex life. They had a solid 300 million year run, which allowed them to develop into some very diverse forms. Scientists have identified over 20,000 species that swam, crawled, and burrowed in the oceans at some point between the Cambrian (542 mya) and Permian (251 mya) periods before succumbing to a final mass extinction. The fossil record shows that their numbers dwindled a few times during this time frame, but they were able to rebound to varying degrees of success.

We?ve been able to learn a great deal about these creatures because they?re arthropods and have exoskeletons, and when you combine this with a marine environment we have the optimal conditions for detailed fossils. Exhibit curator Dr. Neil Landman finds them fascinating. ?They?re exquisitely preserved,? he said.?Some have eyes on stalks some have spines. And all this information tells us how the animals lived on the ocean floor.?

The display is meant to capture the diversity and complexity of life through a different lens. Trilobites themselves seem like creatures from another planet?it?s a great reminder that life can be successful in many different ways.

Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=trilobites-everywhere

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This Insane Carbon Fiber Hammock Bathtub Is the Epitome Of Relaxation

The eternal debate?of whether to soak in the tub or lounge in a hammock?has just been rendered moot, thanks to this stunning carbon fiber hammock tub that lets you do both at the same time. Made by the UK company SplinterWorks, it's called the Vessel, and it makes for an awesome centerpiece for your bathroom, assuming you've got the room for it (and the cash).

At just under nine feet long, the Vessel is actually considerably longer than your standard tub, making it particularly ideal for taller bathers. And the layers of carbon fiber that make up its curvy form are filled with foam core so it's better insulated than a regular tub too, keeping your water warmer for longer.

Installation does appear a bit tricky, however, since you'll need to install a drain on the floor to allow the Vessel to empty, as well as a standing faucet to fill it. And when it comes to mounting the tub you'll need walls that are strong enough to not only support the weight of the water, but a bather as well. Complications aside, if you're redoing a bathroom and desperately want to impress your friends, whatever ridiculous price tag SplinterWorks is charging for the Vessel is no doubt worth it. Especially when you discover it comes in an assortment of colors, including silver, bronze, and even pink. [SplinterWorks via Contemporist]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-insane-carbon-fiber-hammock-bathtub-is-the-epitome-529680956

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Woman killed in as storms move across South Dakota

Siding and fiberglass insulation from a cabin on Lake Poinsett lie on the ground after a fast-moving line of strong storms barreled across northeast South Dakota and spawned several tornadoes, Friday, June 21, 2013, at Lake Poinsett, S.D. One woman was killed when her trailer was tossed in the air from the storms. (AP Photo/Tena Haraldson)

Siding and fiberglass insulation from a cabin on Lake Poinsett lie on the ground after a fast-moving line of strong storms barreled across northeast South Dakota and spawned several tornadoes, Friday, June 21, 2013, at Lake Poinsett, S.D. One woman was killed when her trailer was tossed in the air from the storms. (AP Photo/Tena Haraldson)

A barn slides off its foundation after a fast-moving line of strong storms that barreled across northeast South Dakota spawned several tornadoes, Friday, June 21, 2013, at Lake Poinsett, S.D. One woman was killed when her trailer was tossed in the air from the storms. (AP Photo/Tena Haraldson)

A clump of uprooted trees sits next to a Lake Poinsett cabin after a fast-moving line of strong storms that barreled across northeast South Dakota spawned several tornadoes, Friday, June 21, 2013, at Lake Poinsett, S.D. One woman was killed when her trailer was tossed in the air from the storms. (AP Photo/Tena Haraldson)

Motorists and bikers drove through deep water as they try to cross the Hennepin Ave. bridge near the main Post Office, Friday, June 21, 2013 in Minneapolis. Another round of heavy rain and high winds swept into the Twin Cities Friday night, less than 24 hours after damaging winds and heavy rain uprooted trees and knocked out power to more than 157,000 Xcel Energy customers. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Bruce Bisping) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT

A bus tried to negotiate a tree and limb-littered street in Minneapolis near the MIA, Friday, June 21, 2013 in Minneapolis. Another round of heavy rain and high winds swept into the Twin Cities Friday night, less than 24 hours after damaging winds and heavy rain uprooted trees and knocked out power to more than 157,000 Xcel Energy customers. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, David Joles) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) ? A fast-moving line of storms barreled across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest Friday evening, killing a woman in her trailer on a South Dakota lake and leaving thousands of people without power.

Hamlin County Sheriff Chad Schlotterbeck said the 63-year-old woman was hunkered down in the bathtub in her trailer on the east side of Lake Poinsett when a storm lifted the structure and dropped it to the ground. Schlotterbeck said the entire county of about 6,000 residents was without power Friday evening, and the fire department was going door to door to assess the extent of damage.

"We've got homes destroyed," he said.

The sheriff's office was waiting to release the woman's name until it could notify relatives. A man in his 60s was also injured in the storms, and another man was hospitalized from an electrical shock, Schlotterbeck said.

The National Weather Service said it received reports of tornadoes touching down in Clark, Hamlin, Spink and Kingsbury counties, as well as strong winds and golf-ball-sized hail. The storms later moved into Minnesota and Wisconsin, bringing heavy rain and damaging winds.

Some of the most notable damage from the storms occurred around Lake Poinsett, which is in northeast South Dakota and is home to numerous summer cabins. Jim Scarlett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen, said the damage was likely caused by a tornado, but the office was still assessing what happened.

Randy Knudtson was standing on the side of the road across from his cabin along Lake Poinsett when the storm moved in.

"It was completely black on the tree horizon and then in less than five minutes all of the sudden it was right on top of us," said Knudtson, 64. "I've never seen winds like this."

Knudtson went inside and huddled in the cabin's laundry room with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren. The storm tossed around some of his neighbors' docks, pontoon boats and boat lifts, but his cabin was spared.

Scarlett said there were also reports of heavy wind damage around Castlewood and in Deuel County near Clear Lake.

"The town of Clear Lake just got devastated with wind damage," he said.

The winds blew down trees and branches in several areas, and heavy rain caused some street flooding.

In Wisconsin, a trained spotter measured 1.48 inches of rain in a 40-minute period in Hudson in St. Croix County, the National Weather Service said.

In Minnesota, the storms blew through the Twin Cities area less than 24 hours after damaging winds and heavy rain uprooted trees and knocked out power to more than 157,000 customers.

Hennepin County Emergency Management Director Eric Waage said he saw "quite a few large trees down" as he surveyed damage from the latest storm.

"Almost everywhere I've driven has been out of power," Waage said Friday night. He said he had not received any reports of injuries.

A wind gust measuring 69 mph was reported just before 8 p.m. in suburban Crystal, the weather service said.

Amanda Viacara, bar manager at Chino Latino restaurant in Minneapolis, said the sky darkened and "the winds started coming in sideways." She said the rain "was moving from side to side," sending "a lot of people scurrying for cover."

"We had a lot of people that just decided to sit and relax and enjoy the inside (of the restaurant)," Viacara said.

___

Associated Press writer Jeff Baenen in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

___

Follow Dirk Lammers on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ddlammers

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-21-Severe%20Weather/id-511936270dda46bcb4e66308558a029a

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