Before Microsoft adds features and makes changes to Windows, the company relies on users to

Prices in the cryptocurrency market slumped across the board after the Federal Reserve signaled the possibility of resuming

NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 19, 2023--

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

Major institutional investors are still far away from being able to participate in decentralized finance, according to an

The internet does love a good optical illusion. A photo has gone viral on social media because people cannot see the fourth person in the picture. The debate started when @JenMsft tweeted the image of four bottles being clinked on what looks to be a group hike. But only three arms are immediately visible. She commented: “My brain refuses to believe there are 4 people in this photo.” Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter For those struggling to see them all, the “missing” fourth arm appears to be camouflaged as the bottle holder’s jacket matches the rocky path the group are standing on. User @JenMsft said the photo was first shared in a Reddit thread on confusing perspectives. People have previously looked into other optical illusions such as a hand swap trick, disappearing patterns and classic dual perception images. Social media users reacted to the latest confusing picture to go viral. Someone handily zoomed-in on the photo to highlight the illusion. Others shared their favourite optical illusions. Can you see them? Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Robert Louis Stevenson ('Treasure Island,' 'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde') is one of Scotland’s foremost writers—and his life, like his most famous stories, was full of both adventure and misfortune.

Shams' screen time report is inhuman.

By Casey Hall and Albee Zhang BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese consumers stayed away from sea food stalls and rushed to stock

NEWBERG, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 22, 2023--

A friend was filming the young couple in swimsuits as they crossed a muddy marsh and then jumped onto a farmer's machinery

Light bulbs have grown exponentially smarter in recent years. You can now replace your standard