Vesta: Asteroid or planet?

Indiana - Here is your ArcaMax Science & Technology Ezine, sponsored today by: Here's your opportunity to shop & dine out, and get paid! Your job is simple. There are currently over 200 department stores, restaurants, and service oriented companies eagerly seeking individuals to rate and evaluate their customer service at their local branches. Want to get started? Mystery Shopper Employment Agency can connect you with companies that are looking to hire mystery shoppers in your area. Take a tour of our website to get more information on mystery shopping job specifics. You can become a mystery shopper today! Take the Tour!
Vesta: Asteroid or planet? STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (UPI) -- As a U.S. spacecraft nears a rendezvous with the asteroid Vesta, a centuries old debate has reignited -- is it an asteroid or should it be considered a planet? Vesta, orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt, is larger than most asteroids, which average 60 miles in diameter or less, accuweather.com's astronomy blog reported Wednesday. At 330 miles in diameter, Vesta has been classified a "minor" planet, a tag it now shares with Pluto since the solar system's ninth planet was "demoted." A "minor" planet is an object that circles the sun but is neither a proper planet nor a comet. In June, the NASA Dawn spacecraft will arrive at Vesta, and astronomers hope to get some data to help solve the argument. "I don't think Vesta should be called an asteroid. Not only is Vesta so much larger, but it's an evolved object, unlike most things we call asteroids," NASA investigator Tom McCord said. Some researchers favor the term "protoplanet," which they define as a dense, layered celestial body that began to form in the same way as the "normal" planets but never fully developed. They point to the fact that Vests has a core, mantle and a crust, just like Earth. "This gritty little protoplanet has survived bombardment in the asteroid belt for over 4.5 billion years, making its surface possibly the oldest planetary surface in the solar system," Christopher Russell of UCLA said. "Studying Vesta will enable us to write a much better history of the solar system's turbulent youth." Copyright 2011 by United Press International
Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Share
Sponsor Using nothing more than the money you're currently earning and one of today's best-kept secrets... Your debts disappear (even your house is paid off) in 5-7 years and you retire debt-free. Find Out How! Be in control of your life financially independent - Enjoying peace of mind knowing your family is safe and you're set for life! Over half a million people are using my method. Now its your turn Stop being a prisoner of debt today! Discover how good it feels to wake up each morning knowing you own your car, house, and everything you have, and you don't owe a penny to anyone. No more bills in the mailbox! Click here to see how it works!
Manitoba wind farm comes online ST. JOSEPH, Manitoba (UPI) -- Manitoba's largest energy wind farm has been completed and is in operation to deliver enough energy for 50,000 homes in the province, officials said. Located in southern Manitoba community of St. Joseph, the facility is capable of generating 138 megawatts of power, a release by Pattern Energy, builder of the project, said Tuesday. Manitoba Minister of Innovation, Energy and Mines, David Chomiak spoke at the opening ceremony to mark the start of operations. "This wind farm is one of the largest in the country and will produce enough energy to power 50,000 homes," Chomiak said. "It showcases our province's dedication to creating renewable energy and continuing to build Manitoba Hydro. This project has also provided a solid boost to the local economy creating new opportunities and jobs." The first group of turbines in the project was set in motion by Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger in January. Now fully operational, the wind farm will contribute to a regional reduction of more than 350,000 tons of greenhouse gases, Pattern said. Pattern Energy will pay an estimated $38 million to landholders and an additional $44 million in local municipal taxes over the life of the project. Copyright 2011 by United Press International
Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Share
Sponsor Free Oil of Olay Sample Pack! Featuring: * Quench Daily Lotion Plus Shimmer * Body Wash + Tone Enhancing Ribbons * Ultra Moisture Bar - Vanilla Indulgence * Foaming Face Wash * Total Effects Daily Moisturizer Click here for details...
Oregon volcano to be monitored BEND, Ore. (UPI) -- The U.S. Geological Survey says it wants to monitor a volcano in Eastern Oregon to record any future rumblings of activity as soon as possible. The Newberry volcano, about 20 miles southeast of Bend, will get eight seismic and GPS monitoring stations under a USGS proposal, the East Oregonian reported Wednesday. "We're doing this on Newberry because it's a potentially active volcano," John Ewert at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash., said. "And as far as volcanoes go, it's one that, were it to reactivate, we'd be pretty concerned about because there are substantial numbers of people and infrastructure nearby." The seismometers can detect earthquakes caused when magma moves below the surface, and the GPS will signal changes in the shape of the surface that could be caused by the shifting magma below, Ewert said. There is currently one seismic detector on the volcano, but to detect the exact location of cracking or fracturing rock signaling a possible eruption requires at least four, he said. Nine stations is something of a minimal number for a volcano the size of Newberry, he said, and can measure its normal behavior on a day-to-day basis. With the last eruption just 1,300 years ago -- relatively recently, geologically speaking -- volcanologists say the more measurements, the better. "It's just a big honking volcano," Cynthia Gardner with the Cascades observatory said, "and it deserves more than we have on it right now." Copyright 2011 by United Press International
Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Share
U.N.: Arctic sees record ozone loss UNITED NATIONS (UPI) -- A U.N. weather and climate agency says ozone loss over the arctic reached record levels this spring because of ozone-depleting substances and weather. The arctic region has suffered an ozone loss of about 40 percent from the beginning of the winter to late March, a release by the World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday. The highest loss previously recorded was about 30 percent over the entire winter, the organization said "The arctic stratosphere continues to be vulnerable to ozone destruction caused by ozone-depleting substances linked to human activities," organization Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said. The record loss is despite the success of the Montreal Protocol cutting production and consumption of ozone-destroying chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons and halons once present in refrigerators, spray cans and fire extinguishers. "Without the Montreal Protocol, this year's ozone destruction would most likely have been worse," the meteorological group said. "The slow recovery of the ozone layer is due to the fact that ozone-depleting substances stay in the atmosphere for several decades." The depletion of the ozone layer is also due to a very cold winter in the stratosphere, the organization said, noting that even though this arctic winter was warmer than average at ground level, it was colder in the stratosphere than for a normal arctic winter. Significant arctic ozone loss is possible in the case of a cold and stable arctic stratospheric winter, it said. Copyright 2011 by United Press International
Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Share
Submit Your Gardening Pics As your garden wakes up with the warmer weather, start taking photos and sending them in to the Gardening Photo Gallery! Share pictures with fellow readers, and vote on your favorites to make them the most popular for the month. If you have more photos to submit, send them in to the Travel, Pet, and Baby photo galleries. Subscribe to ArcaMax Gardening instantly for tips, local weather, and more. Find out more before subscribing. -- From the ArcaMax editors
To see more Science & Technology, visit the Science & Technology channel.
ArcaMax proudly distributes 75 popular newsletters, including Garfield, Recipes, Bible Verses, Gardening and Business Success. To Subscribe to any of our Newsletters visit: http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/reg Email providers may filter your email! Learn how to always get your ArcaMax ezines in your inbox. ArcaMax publications are now available in an "advertising-free" format. Click here for details. We invite you to visit BookDaily: Book Samples for Book Lovers
Thank you for your subscription to Science & Technology from ArcaMax with the following email address: ignoble.experiment@arconati.us Science & Technology from ArcaMax may be non-commercially distributed unedited! Please share it! Pass it along to friends, family and associates. SUBSCRIBING To Subscribe to any of our Newsletters visit: http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/reg UNSUBSCRIBING To discontinue this newsletter - Select this link Having Trouble? You may also try this link: http://www.arcamax.com/unsubscribe It is our policy and practice not to send unwanted email. ArcaMax Publishing, Inc. 729 Thimble Shoals Boulevard Suite B Newport News, VA 23606 Copyright 1996-2011 ArcaMax Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.