Rocket launch prompts calls of strange lights in sky

A series of spooky lights above parts of the northeastern United States Saturday sparked a flurry of phone calls to authorities and television news stations.

CNN affiliate stations from New Jersey to Massachusetts heard from dozens of callers who reported that the lights appeared as a cone shape shining down from the sky.

However, the lights were the result of an experimental rocket launch by NASA from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, a spokesman told CNN.

Keith Koehler said the Black Brant XII Suborbital Sounding Rocket was launched to study the Earth's highest clouds. The light came from an artificial noctilucent cloud formed by the exhaust particles of the rocket's fourth stage about 173 miles high.

Natural noctilucent clouds, also called "polar mesospheric clouds," are "found in the upper atmosphere as spectacular displays that are most easily seen just after sunset," according to a NASA statement published earlier in September. "The clouds are the highest clouds in Earth's atmosphere, located in the mesosphere around 50 miles altitude."

Normally, noctilucent clouds are not visible to the naked eye and can only be seen when illuminated by sunlight below the horizon. The launch took place at 7:46 p.m. Saturday, just as the sun was setting for the day.

Observation stations on the ground and in satellites will track the artificial noctilucent clouds created by the rocket for months, NASA said.

"Data collected during the experiment will provide insight into the formation, evolution, and properties of noctilucent clouds, which are typically observed naturally at high latitudes.

"In addition to the understanding of noctilucent clouds, scientists will use the experiment to validate and develop simulation models that predict the distribution of dust particles from rocket motors in the upper atmosphere," the NASA statement said

Source : edition.cnn.com

The Phenom Phone Watch

The watches industry is truly something. Just when you think that you heard about them all another one appears. This was exactly the case with this Phenom Phone Watch. We do know that there are a lot of similar gadgets on the market but this one stands out a little, especially due to the design. It makes you want to take a closer look at the Phenom Phone Watch. We are basically talking about a phone and a watch, all put into one (even if most phones out there also have watches).

The Phenom Phone Watch does not offer many fascinating features. It comes with a touchscreen display (1.3 inches with 260000 pixels), included bluetooth, radio,mp3, wav, mp4, gif, jpg and midi support, a camera of 1.3 megapixels and other features you would expect from a basic mobile phone. On the whole we can say that this gadget is a lot more than others on the market but the biggest problem still remains: why would you need a mobile phone watch when you can have a watch and a mobile phone? Still, if you are considering the Phenom Phone Watch you should know that you have to get ready to pay $295 for it.

Cool Glass Speakers Kenwood SP0001

Most speakers you can buy are basically made out of plastic. In most cases we are talking about a speaker that does not attract us. There are only a few out there that are really special. One of them is Kenwood SP0001, a speaker system that is made out of glass. To make everything really simple, this system is really attractive. It would be perfect in the home of every single person that loves cool gadgets. The Kenwood SP0001 comes in 2 versions: one with extra LED lights and the other without them. Unfortunately there is one big downside. Even if these speakers are not really powerful (just 10 W per each speaker), the Kenwood SP0001 costs a nifty $1,000. HMMM, that is a little too much for us but considering the fact that you will mostly find it in Japan, it might be successful.

New generation world’s first wave powered boat

New generation world’s first wave powered boat is now a reality. It is not speedy but waves greedy! Called The Suntory Mermaid II, the high-tech boat seems to be the first eco-friendly boat worldwide. Of course you heard sounds of the waves breaking on the shore and it was romantic, was not it? But you possibly did not imagine that these waves could be a futuristic engine for a new generation boats. This ecologically friendly boat is different from what we are used to see. Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Company accomplished its goal by making this miracle boat.

The Suntory Mermaid II is a 3 ton giant which is made of very thin recycled aluminum possible due to aluminum processing technology which prevents it from being heavy. The 3 mm aluminum sheets were used which are smaller than commonly used 5 mm sheets. Thanks to these sheets, the ship becomes more durable and corrosion-proof something other recycled aluminum lacks for. The Suntory Mermaid II is not a fairy tale and it is able to move at about five knots what makes it 2-3 times slower than average boats.

It is real for the 21 century to turn wave energy into propulsive power no matter from where the waves come from. As you can see wave-propulsion technology does not look like the myth. There are no disadvantages, except for those who like high speed cruising. This most advanced eco-friendly boat is reported to be the greenest source for nautical power. The Suntory Mermaid II is also able to be sailed with outboard engine if necessary but the trend it to be a sustainable ship.

The Suntory Mermaid II measures at 9, 5 meters in length which corresponds to 31 feet which one day can be noticed running smoothly near your seaside. This gorgeous ship was developed by Hiroshi Terao of Tokai University. With wave power system available, we are going in the right direction to help our earth out with global warming problems. Principle of operation consists in using wave energy to create propulsive power so that 2 fins under its bow start moving to make a ship go.

The Suntory Mermaid II also uses solar power to provide electricity for its on-board equipment. Power is needed for the navigation light, personal computer, ham radio as well as iridium satellite phone. The boat’s propulsion system is possible thanks to engineering professor at Tokai University in Japan Mr. Yutaka Terao. Ichiro Yokoyama was responsible for the ship’s design and appears to have successfully done his job. The Suntory Mermaid II is going to begin its voyage later this month. Hopefully, renewable energy will not be forgotten.

http://www.gadgets-reviews.com