Astronomy picture of the day - 2015 December 8 - Icelandic Legends and Aurora

Icelandic Legends and Aurora 
Image Credit & Copyright: Elizabeth M. Ryan; Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt

Explanation: Legends collide in this dramatic vista of land, sea, and sky. The land is Iceland, specifically Vík í Mýrdal, a southern village known for its beautiful black sand beaches. The sea, the Atlantic Ocean, surroundsReynisdrangar, a sea stack of eroded basaltic rock pillars that Icelandic folklore tells are the petrified remains of trolls once attempting to drag a three-masted ship onto land. Watching from overhead and shining bright on the upper right is the god of the sky, according to Greek mythology: the planet Jupiter. Also visible in the sky are several other Greek legends encapsulated as constellations, including a lion (Leo), a big bear (Ursa Major), and a water snake (Hydra). One might guess that all of this commotion caused the spectacular aurora pictured -- but really it was just explosions from the Sun.

Tina Turner - "In your wildest dreams" - Video - Music - Live

"In your wildest dreams"

Astronomy picture of the day - 2015 December 7 - Comet Catalina Emerges

2015 December 7
Comet Catalina Emerges 
Image Credit & Copyright: Fritz Helmut Hemmerich

Explanation: Comet Catalina is ready for its close-up. The giant snowball from the outer Solar System, known formally as C/2013 US10 (Catalina), rounded the Sun last month and is now headed for its closest approach to Earth in January. With the glow of the Moon now also out of the way, morning observers in Earth's northern hemisphere are getting their best ever view of the new comet. And Comet Catalina is not disappointing. Although not as bright as early predictions, the comet is sporting both dust (lower left) and ion (upper right) tails, making it an impressive object for binoculars and long-exposure cameras. The featured image was taken last week from the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa. Sky enthusiasts around the world will surely be tracking the comet over the next few months to see how it evolves.

Rui Veloso -"A paixão" - Video - Musica - Ao vivo

"A paixão"

Pedro Abrunhosa - "Para os braços de minha mãe" - Video - Musica

"Para os braços de minha mãe"

Londres: ataque no metro investigado como "ato terrorista"

A polícia metropolitana de Londres (MET/Scotland Yard) divulgou hoje que está a investigar como “ato terrorista” o esfaqueamento de três pessoas numa estação do metro de Londres, no sábado, que resultou num ferido grave. 

A MET vai investigar as possíveis conexões entre o autor do ataque a grupos terroristas. 

De acordo com informações de testemunhas, o atacante gritou “ isto é pela Síria”, depois de atacar os passageiros no metro. 

O homem acabou detido, depois de atingido por uma pistola taser da polícia britânica. Percorreu a estação de Leytonstone, enquanto bramia a faca com que degolou uma pessoa e provocou outros ferimentos noutras duas.  

Enquanto a polícia tentava dominar o homem, alguns passageiros tentavam fugir. Mas houve também quem filmasse o incidente.  

 

"A Polícia foi chamada, às 19.06 horas deste sábado, 5 de dezembro, no seguimento de relatos a dar conta de um esfaqueamento na estação de metro de Leytonstone. Um homem estaria a ameaçar as pessoas com uma faca", anunciou a Polícia Metropolitana de Londres em comunicado.

  

No Twitter, a polícia confirma que está a tratar o caso como um episódio terrorista e apela a testemunhos. 

TVI24 - Portugal

Astronomy picture of the day - 2015 December 6 - A Force from Empty Space: The Casimir Effect

2015 December 6
A Force from Empty Space: The Casimir Effect 
Image Credit & Copyright: Umar Mohideen (U. California at Riverside)

Explanation: This tiny ball provides evidence that the universe will expand forever. Measuring slightly over one tenth of a millimeter, the ball moves toward a smooth plate in response to energy fluctuations in the vacuum of empty space. The attraction is known as the Casimir Effect, named for its discoverer, who, 55 years ago, was trying to understand why fluids like mayonnaise move so slowly. Today, evidence indicates that most of the energy density in the universe is in an unknown form dubbed dark energy. The form and genesis of dark energy is almost completely unknown, but postulated as related to vacuum fluctuations similar to the Casimir Effect but generated somehow by space itself. This vast and mysterious dark energy appears to gravitationally repel all matter and hence will likely cause the universe to expand forever. Understanding vacuum energy is on the forefront of research not only to better understand our universe but also for stopping micro-mechanical machine parts from sticking together.

Roberto Carlos - "O cadillac" - Video - Musica

"O cadillac"

Questão de escolha! Entre um cretino e um Homem

PARA TER ESTA TRISTE FIGURA COMO CHEFE DE ESTADO,

PREFIRO UM MONARCA SERIO!

Dom Duarte

Desenho - Silvio Zatti - "Como desenhar Roberto Carlos"

"Como desenhar Roberto Carlos"