A Japanese astronomer captured the telltale flash of a meteorite impacting the moon, causing a brief flash on our celestial neighbor’s nightside.
Daichi Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum, recorded the event using cameras set to monitor the moon.
The time of the flash was 20:14:30.8 Japan Standard Time (7:14 a.m. EST, or 1114 GMT) on Feb. 23. The meteorite appears to have struck near Ideler L crater, slightly northwest of Pitiscus crater, Fujii said.
Meteors travel on average at around 30,000 mph (48,280 kph), or 8.3 miles per second (13.4 km/s). Their high-velocity impacts generate intense heat and create craters, while also giving out a brilliant flash of visible light. Moon impacts can be seen from Earth, as captured above, if they are large enough and occur in an area during lunar nighttime facing Earth.
…continue reading
World’s first flying bike goes on sale on Japan
The Telegraph – Mar 11
The world’s first flying bike has hit the market in Japan for nearly £500,000 as creators of the XTURISMO “luxury air cruiser” say it will bring science fiction to life.
Japan’s H3 rocket fails in second attempted launch
Nikkei – Mar 07
The second attempt to launch Japan’s H3 rocket failed minutes after liftoff on Tuesday as its second-stage engine did not ignite and the nation’s space agency ordered the space vehicle to self-destruct.
Japan’s organ donor shortage pushes patients to look abroad
Nikkei – Feb 27
The arrest of the head of a Japanese nonprofit for allegedly facilitating an unapproved organ transplant overseas underscores long-standing problems with the donation system in a country that ranks only 44th in the world in transplants.
Japanese startup to launch balloon flight space viewing tours
DNAIndiaNews – Feb 24
A balloon made that could soon be carrying passengers to space. A new Japanese company IWAYA INC. announced its plans in Tokyo. It is a drum-shaped plastic cabin is 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in diameter and has several
large windows to allow a view of space above or the Earth below.
Japan flying car group makes first manned outdoor flight
Nikkei – Feb 22
A flying car achieved the first manned outdoor flight in Japan on Friday morning in a trial by a local consortium of aviation and automobile businesses, a big step for a technology seen as serving remote islands and mountainous regions that lack transportation.
Sci-Tech Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7