A Close Call For Two Planes …Scary Too !!!

July 6, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Pilots averted a catastrophic situation on Saturday when two planes nearly collided at Barcelona Airport in Spain.

The video shows an Utair Boeing 767-300 on final approach to a runway just as an Aerolineas Argentineas Airbus A340-300 prepares to take off.

The Utair pilots quickly aborts the landing, pulling up and clearing the plane on the ground.

YouTube/Barcelona-El Prat In’tl

The manoeuvre is risky because the plane has to unexpectedly re-enter the air, which is populated with other planes.

The Utair pilots close the landing gear doors and circle around for another landing attempt.

Meanwhile, the Airbus takes off unscathed.

Eventually, the Utair flight lands safely on its second attempt.

A very scary close call.

Here’s the full video:

Source:::: Business Insider AU and You Tube

Natarajan

Image of the day… A Drone Flies Thro Fireworks !!!

July 5, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Jos Stiglingh captured this stunning video with a GoPro Hero 3 Silver, showing the view from a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter flying in and above a fireworks display. He filmed it in West Palm Beach, Florida. Jos said:

Be sure to watch in HD!

Not everyone agrees flying a drone through fireworks is a good idea. Gregory S. McNeal said today (July 4, 2014) on Forbes that flying a drone through fireworks might land you in prison:

There’s no doubt that [Stiglingh’s] HD video is stunning. It’s also dangerous and likely unlawful (at least if it occurred in the United States). The flight is unsafe as the existence of the drone in the airspace above the fireworks display creates an increased risk of hazardous debris (from the fireworks or the drone) falling into spectator areas. There is also the possibility that a firework colliding with a drone may divert the pyrotechnic downward into spectator areas, causing it to detonate where it otherwise should not.

McNeal later adds that Steglingh’s drone might have been directed through a safety zone over the ocean, established by the coast guard.

Bottom line: Don’t try this at home! Jos Steglingh has captured a video of a drone flying through fireworks that many are viewing today. No wonder. It’s stunning.

Source:::: Earth Sky News

Natarajan

Image of the Day…Dust Storm …

July 4, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Dramatic shots of the July 3 dust storm – aka haboob – in Phoenix. Thanks to all who posted on EarthSky’s Facebook page.

Phoenix, Arizona got its first big dust storm yesterday (July 3, 2014). These storms, also known as haboobs, occur the summer months in the southwest United States. They’re caused by the monsoonal flow that helps provide rain for parts of Arizona. If some storms develop away from a dry area, then the outflow and winds from that storm can produce dust storms in the region. Check out these amazing images of yesterday’s storm!

Abc15.com has a huge gallery of images of the July 3, 2014 storm in Phoenix

Source:::: Earth sky news

Natarajan

Stunning Aerial Photos of Brazil”s Soccer Fields …

July 3, 2014July 3, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

1f0755ac9098cf0a9aba72d61b3038e3_vice_670

via The Creators Project

The community surrounding ‘The Beautiful Game’ is huge, and is a unifying force for countries all over the world. All that soccer requires is a ball, a couple goals, and some players—that’s part of what makes it so brilliant.

As many cities in the World Cup’s current home country are occupied by the most famous soccer players in the world, Brazilian photographer and journalist Renato Stockler’s photo essay Terrão de Cima captures the pure democratic essence and simplicity of the soccer fields ensconced in Sao Paulo neighborhoods.

Stockler says in the project’s description that the fields he photographs, “Are a breath for the hard daily life of those who live in the outskirts of Sao Paulo. These fields show the urgency for public and communal places to practice sports, a portrait of those who fight for leisure in a city as Sao Paulo.”

The reddish dirt and uneven patches of grass that make up most of the fields are a harsh contrast to the soft greens that soccer fans are accustomed to watching. All the same, Stockler says that when the hard day’s work is at an end, it’s easy to find tight knit communities of players, friends, and family gathered around the sparse field to blow off steam.

Terrão de Cima, which loosely translates to, “The Ground from Above,” is a love letter to the rugged fields of Stockler’s home, which are fast disappearing due to land speculation.

Aerial photography is the perfect medium for the task, since it shows the incredible variance in color, shape, and texture of local soccer fields, yet also captures the players as a single unit—a culture, rather than just a bunch of people. We’re still not sure we’d want to slide tackle anyone on these fields, but we’re more than ok with ogling them from above.

via The Creators Project

via The Creators Project

via The Creators Project

via The Creators Project

via The Creators Project

via The Creators Project

via The Creators

Source:::: Business Insider .com

Natarajan

Message For the Day…” Who Is God … ” ?

July 3, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

What or who is God? When the answer to this question is sought, one discovers that God is the glory immanent in Nature. The earth rotates on its axis at a speed of thousand miles an hour. As a consequence, we have alternations of day and night, which helps us to live on this globe. Besides, it moves around the sun at the rate of 66,000 miles an hour, causing the seasons which bring rains for crops and vegetation which sustain human life. The earth does not profit in the least by these rotations but human beings survive, enjoy life and prosper on account of them. Nature must indeed be laughing at the sterile frenzies, the endless pursuits, and the countless miseries to which human beings submit themselves to, in their search for achieving the unachievable! You must search in Nature the sacred lessons it holds for you; then, you will understand how deep and how everlasting is the Truth that it conveys to you!

Sathya Sai Baba

Image Of the Day… Upside-Down Rainbow !!!

July 3, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

upside-down rainbow. What is it?

Circumzenithal arc by Dudley Williams

Circumzenithal arcs have been described as an “upside down rainbow” or “a grin in the sky.” They’re wonderful! See photos here.

People who look up a lot may occasionally see the rainbow-like arcs depicted in the photos on this page. They’re called circumzenithal arcs, and they’re not really rainbows. Instead, they’re caused by ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. These arcs are related to the frequently seen halos around the sun or moon. Les Cowley of the great website Atmospheric Optics says of these graceful and colorful arcs:

The circumzenithal arc, CZA, is the most beautiful of all the halos. The first sighting is always a surprise, an ethereal rainbow fled from its watery origins and wrapped improbably about the zenith. It is often described as an “upside down rainbow” by first timers. Someone also charmingly likened it to “a grin in the sky”.

Look straight up near to the zenith when the sun if fairly low and especially if sundogs are visible. The centre of the bow always sunwards and red is on the outside.

Les says that the most ideal time to see a circumzenithal arc is when the sun is at a height of 22 degrees in the sky. Look here to see Les Cowley’s illustration of the various kinds of halo phenomena, related to circumzenithal arcs. And enjoy the photos below, contributed by EarthSky friends on Facebook. Thanks to all who contributed.

Bottom line: When you see an upside-down rainbow in the sky, you are likely seeing a circumzenithal arc. It’s related the halos often seen around the sun or moon, caused by ice crystal in the upper atmosphere. The photos here are by EarthSky friends on Facebook. Thanks to all who contributed!

Gallery: Rainbows around the world

Source::::: Deborah Byrd In Earth sky news site

Natarajan

Image of the Day…

July 2, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Northern Illinois storm clouds on June 30

A farmer captured this photo of a serious storm sweeping through northern Illinois on Monday, June 30.

On Monday, June 30, 2014, flooding, downed trees and fires caused by lightning strikes snarled traffic, cut power and delayed or canceled hundreds of flights in and out of Chicago, Illinois. Steve Pitstick of Pitstick Farms in northern Illinois caught some of the storm clouds of this heavy-weather day on film.

Illinois was said to be hit particularly hard in Monday’s storms, but the central U.S. as a whole had tornadoes, high winds, hail and heavy rains that day. By Tuesday morning, hundreds of thousands of people were without power and trying to clean up damaged homes and roadways, according to the National Weather Service.

Source:::: Earth sky news site

Natarajan

Best Views From Above … Plane”s Eye View !!!

July 2, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Who wouldn’t want to be a pilot with views like this? Source: ThinkStock

WHEN it comes to the ideal place for a spot of sightseeing, it’s hard to get better than the pointy end of the plane, where lucky pilots get to soak up the best views Earth has to offer in an office that the rest of us could only dream of having.

Our jealousy has soared to new heights with the release of a survey by British Airways of their pilots’ favourite destinations seen from above.

The pilots were asked to chose from the airline’s 180+ different routes, and came up with a top 10 list.

Here are the winners, along with pilots explaining why they are so incredible.

1. Northern Lights, North America

Captain Dave Willsher: “If you’re not already asleep this is an amazing sight three to four hours into most long North America flights. Well worth staying up for.”

Still awake? Picture: Jason Jenkins Source: Flickr

2. Central London, approach into Heathrow

Captain Mark Mannering-Smith: “Most flights approach Heathrow from the east — a great opportunity to get an unbeatable view of London.”

Wave hi to the Poms. Picture: Advait Supnekar Source: Flickr

Another Heathrow shot. Picture: Jessica Spengler Source: Flickr

Coming in to land. Picture: Andy Mitchell Source: Flickr

3. Mont Blanc, Pisa

First Officer Caroline Robinson: “A breathtaking view of the Alps, and especially of Mont Blanc.”

The majestic Alps. Source: ThinkStock

4. Sydney Harbour

Captain Derek May: “When leaving Sydney, sit on the right hand side of the aircraft to get the best views of Sydney Harbour.”

There’s a lot to see at Sydney Harbour. Source: ThinkStock

Meanwhile, flying over South Sydney. Source: ThinkStock

An aerial photo of Goat Island on Sydney Harbour. Source: Supplied

View of Manly, with Sydney Harbour and the city centre in the background. Source: Supplied

5. Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, San Francisco

Captain Simon Scholey: “You get great views of the bridge on the left hand side of the aircraft, Alcatraz from the right, and the bay from both!”

It’s a pretty cool sight. Picture: Paul Williams Source: Flickr

The Golden Gate Bridge. Source: News Limited

Flying over San Francisco. Picture: Jessica “The Hun” Reeder Source: Flickr

6. Greenland, North Atlantic flights

Senior First Officer Peter Nye: “Greenland is visually stunning. The tips of mountains can be seen poking through the snow which is over a mile deep. Occasionally you will be able to see icebergs carving off glaciers around the coast.”

Ice, ice, baby. Picture: My Faily Sublime Source: Flickr

A frozen meltwater lake along the northeast Greenland coast. Picture: NASA Source: Flickr

7. Venetian canals

First Officer Joanne Tait: “This is especially good on a departure to the north east as you circle back over the city.”

Venice down below. Source: ThinkStock

8. Cape Town, Table Mountain

Senior First Officer Kate Laidler: “On early morning arrivals from the north it’s great for Table Mountain and the bay.”

Cape Town aerial view. Source: ThinkStock

9. Dubrovnik

Captain Al Bridger: “It’s a terrific approach into Dubrovnik over the bay to the north east.”

Dubrovnik from above. Source: ThinkStock

10. Mount Fuji

Captain Chris Hanson: “Whether arriving or departing from Tokyo (Narita) you can see Mount Fuji sticking out of the clouds.”

Pilots enjoy great views of Mount Fuji. Source: ThinkStock

Source:::: news.com.au

Natarajan

Image of the day !!!

July 1, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Happy anniversary, Cassini spacecraft

June 30 is the 10-year anniversary of the Cassini spacecraft’s successful insertion into orbit around Saturn. Imaging team leader Carolyn Porco expresses the wonder.

In the past 10 years, no spacecraft has consistently delivered the wonder of our solar system like the flagship-class NASA-ESA robotic spacecraft Cassini. No surprise, because it’s orbiting the amazing planet Saturn, world of rings and moons. June 30, 2014 is the 10-year anniversary of Cassini’s insertion into orbit around Saturn. It’s hard to convey in words how wonderful the Cassini images have been since that great day. They are stark, pleasingly symmetric and startling in their beauty. Carolyn Porco, who leads the imaging science team on the Cassini mission, had this to say today on CICLOPS, the official website of the Cassini imaging team.

On the night of June 30, 2004, we flawlessly guided ourselves into orbit around Saturn, and in doing so, took up residence in the house of the sun’s most glorious planet. Our long voyage to this faraway place was over, and we were about to embark on a scientific exploration that would make history. It was hard to take it all in. I was certain that evening there was nothing we could not do.

The last decade has been the kind that can define a human life. Wandering a distant, alien wilderness of endlessly moving worlds, all of us under the commanding and splendidly garlanded presence at its center, one can surely be forgiven for feelings of rapture and sacred calling. It changes you. It has changed me.

And it has changed all of us, Carolyn, who have been privileged to view these images. Thank you and congratulations, Cassini mission imaging team!

Want to see some of the images? Here are a few, from past EarthSky posts:

Best images of great Saturn storm of 2011

Night and day on Saturn

Crescent Saturn

Best views of Saturn hexagon

Saturn’s moon rains water onto Saturn

A 360-degree view of Saturn’s auroras

Saturn’s largest and second-largest moons

Rainbow rings of Saturn

Video: Ride with the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn

Cassini finds vortex at south pole of Saturn’s moon Titan

Image from Cassini captures five of Saturn’s moons

NASA Cassini spacecraft provides new view of Saturn and Earth

Yin and yang of Saturn’s moon Iapetus

Cassini spies Venus from Saturn’s orbit

Blazing objects in Saturn’s weirdest ring

Bottom line: June 30, 2014 is the 10-year anniversary of the Cassini spacecraft’s insertion into orbit around Saturn. Don’t we live in an amazing time of history?

Source::::Earth sky news

Natarajan

Image of the day…

June 30, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

One frame from a time lapse of the Milky Way, with some light pollution and fast-moving cloud cover … and an iridium flare.

Mike Taylor in Maine contributed this interesting photo. He calls it Nature & Man. It’s one frame from a time lapse of the Milky Way, photographed in western Maine. The shot includes quite a bit of light pollution and some fast-moving cloud cover. Most of the light pollution in this image is coming from Farmington, Maine which is about 35 miles from this location. Perhaps most interesting to most skywatchers is the bright iridium flare captured here. As Mike said, they are often mistaken for meteors, but, instead:

An iridium flare is a specific type of satellite flare that is made when the antennas of an Iridium communication satellite reflect sunlight directly onto the surface of the Earth. The satellites are in a near-polar orbit at an altitude of 485 miles. Their orbital period is approximately 100 minutes with a velocity of 16,800 miles per hour.

The uniqueness of Iridium flares is that the spacecraft emits ‘flashes’ of very bright reflected light that sweep in narrow focused paths across the surface of the Earth. An Iridium communication satellite’s Main Mission Antenna is a silver-coated Teflon antenna array that mimics near-perfect mirrors and are angled at 40-degrees away from the axis of the body of the satellites. This can provide a specular reflection of the sun’s disk, periodically causing a dazzling glint of reflected sunlight.

At the Earth’s surface, the specular reflection is probably less than 50 miles wide, so each flare can only be viewed from a fairly small area. The flare duration can last from anywhere between 5 to 20 seconds and can easily be seen by the naked eye

Source:::: earth sky news site

Natarajan

Take off with Natarajan

Airport Natarajan's Digital home

space

A Close Call For Two Planes …Scary Too !!!

The video shows an Utair Boeing 767-300 on final approach to a runway just as an Aerolineas Argentineas Airbus A340-300 prepares to take off.

The Utair pilots quickly aborts the landing, pulling up and clearing the plane on the ground.

The manoeuvre is risky because the plane has to unexpectedly re-enter the air, which is populated with other planes.

The Utair pilots close the landing gear doors and circle around for another landing attempt.

Meanwhile, the Airbus takes off unscathed.

Eventually, the Utair flight lands safely on its second attempt.

A very scary close call.

Here’s the full video:

Image of the day… A Drone Flies Thro Fireworks !!!

Stunning Aerial Photos of Brazil”s Soccer Fields …

Message For the Day…” Who Is God … ” ?

Image Of the Day… Upside-Down Rainbow !!!

upside-down rainbow. What is it?

Image of the Day…

Northern Illinois storm clouds on June 30

Best Views From Above … Plane”s Eye View !!!

Image of the day !!!

Happy anniversary, Cassini spacecraft

Image of the day…