Mars is the closest it’s been to Earth in 15 years: How to watch, timings, and more

Mars gets closest to Earth; date and time, how to watch, what to expect: Mars will be at its closest distance to the Earth during an Opposition phase, a phenomenon that occurs about once in every 15 years. (Image Source: NASA)

Mars will be closest to Earth on Tuesday, a phenomenon that occurs once in every 15 years. The phenomenon takes place whenever the red planet reaches its position of ‘opposition’, when Earth is between Mars and the sun.  This year, Mars’ opposition took place at the same time the blood moon was visible on July 27. When the planet reaches its closest distance from Earth later today, it allows stargazers to see it in its brightest form.

Here is when and how users can get the best view of Mars, and why this opposition is different from its previous versions.

Mars gets closest to Earth on July 31: What is Mars’ opposition?

Each planet has its own orbit around the sun, and takes a fixed time to complete a revolution around it. But because the distance of each planet from the sun differs, the time taken by each planet to revolve around the star varies. Earth takes roughly a year (or 365.25 days, to be exact) to complete a revolution around the sun, while Mars does it in 1.88 years (approximately 687 days). Since the orbits of the two planets are of different lengths, they come close to each other once every two years. The last time Mars came close to Earth was in 2016.

In some cases, as the two planets get closer to each other, the Earth – being closer to the sun – comes between the star and the red planet. In this case, Mars appears opposite the sun, and is said to be in ‘opposition’. During opposition, a planet will appear larger than usual, and its brightest colours are visible. In the case of Mars, its brightest shades of red or orange will be visible.

The last time Mars was close to Earth was in 2003, when the red planet came within 34.6 million miles (55.7 million km) of our planet. It was the closest Mars had been to Earth in 60,000 years, according to NASA. Today, the planet will be at a distance of 35.8 million miles (57.6 million km) from Earth.

This phenomenon is expected to occur next in 2034. This year’s opposition took place during the total lunar eclipse and blood moon, making the red planet appear dim. The moon and Mars were visible beside each other, and both celestial bodies were visible in shades of red.

Mars gets closest to Earth on July 31: Date and time, how to watch

On the evening of July 31, and the planet will be seen rising from the Gemini constellation in India and you will be able to see it with the naked eye. To view specific details of Mars’ surface, stargazers can view the planet through a telescope.

NASA has captured many images of the planet-wide dust storm that has been affecting Mars since June this year. (Image Source: NASA)

There is presently a planet-wide dust storm on Mars, a phenomenon that is said to occur when the planet is closest to the sun in its orbit. So not many features of the red planet may be visible today.

If the weather is a problem at your location due to the monsoon, you can view NASA’s live stream of the Mars sighting from the Griffith Observatory. The live stream can be found on the space agency’s website, or NASA’s YouTube channel from 1.30pm EST (around 11pm IST). The broadcast will continue till 4pm EST (1.30am IST on August 1).

Mars will next be close to Earth in October 2020. At the time, Mars and Earth will be 38.6 million miles (62.1 million km) apart.

Faster-charging smartphone batteries in the offing: Study

Scientists have identified a new class of materials which could be used to make smartphone batteries that charge faster. (Image Source: ThinkStock)S

Scientists have identified a new class of materials which could be used to make smartphone batteries that charge faster. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge in the UK, used materials with a complex crystalline structure and found that lithium ions move through them at rates that far exceed those of typical electrode materials, which equates to a much faster-charging battery.

Although these materials, known as niobium tungsten oxides, do not result in higher energy densities when used under typical cycling rates, they come into their own for fast charging applications, according to the research published in the journal Nature. Additionally, their physical structure and chemical behaviour give researchers a valuable insight into how a safe, super-fast charging battery could be constructed, and suggest that the solution to next-generation batteries may come from unconventional materials.

“We are always looking for materials with high-rate battery performance, which would result in a much faster charge and could also deliver high power output,” said Kent Griffith, a postdoctoral researcher in Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry. In their simplest form, batteries are made of three components: a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte. When a battery is charging, lithium ions are extracted from the positive electrode and move through the crystal structure and electrolyte to the negative electrode, where they are stored. The faster this process occurs, the faster the battery can be charged, researchers said.

The niobium tungsten oxides used in the current work have a rigid, open structure that does not trap the inserted lithium, and have larger particle sizes than many other electrode materials. Griffith suggests that the structural complexity and mixed-metal composition are the very reasons the materials exhibit unique transport properties. “Many battery materials are based on the same two or three crystal structures, but these niobium tungsten oxides are fundamentally different,” said Griffith. The oxides are held open by ‘pillars’ of oxygen, which enables lithium ions to move through them in three dimensions.

“The oxygen pillars, or shear planes, make these materials more rigid than other battery compounds, so that, plus their open structures means that more lithium ions can move through them, and far more quickly,” Griffith said. Using a technique called pulsed field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which is not readily applied to battery electrode materials, the researchers measured the movement of lithium ions through the oxides, and found that they moved at rates several orders of magnitude higher than typical electrode materials. Most negative electrodes in current lithium-ion batteries are made of graphite, which has a high energy density.

Also Read: Novel smartphone app can extend battery life

However, when charged at high rates, it tends to form spindly lithium metal fibres known as dendrites, which can create a short-circuit and cause the batteries to catch fire and possibly explode. “In high-rate applications, safety is a bigger concern than under any other operating circumstances,” said Professor Clare Grey, also from the Department of Chemistry at Cambridge. “These materials, and potentially others like them, would definitely be worth looking at for fast-charging applications where you need a safer alternative to graphite,” Grey said.

NASA’s new planet hunting probe, TESS, begins operations

NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) probe will now take over the mantle to find new planets in the vicinity of our solar system. 

NASA’s latest planet hunting probe – the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) – has started its search for new worlds around nearby stars, the US Space agency said. (Image Source: NASA)

NASA’s latest planet hunting probe – the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) – has started its search for new worlds around nearby stars, the US Space agency said. TESS is expected to transmit its first series of science data back to Earth in August, and thereafter periodically every 13.5 days, once per orbit, as the spacecraft makes it closest approach to Earth. The TESS Science Team will begin searching the data for new planets immediately after the first series arrives.

“I’m thrilled that our planet hunter is ready to start combing the backyard of our solar system for new worlds,” said Paul Hertz, NASA Astrophysics division director at Headquarters, Washington. “With possibly more planets than stars in our universe, I look forward to the strange, fantastic worlds we’re bound to discover,” said Hertz. TESS is NASA’s latest satellite to search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.

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NASA's Actual Plan to Save the World from Asteroids

NASA wants to smash a satellite into an asteroid, and it's all in the name of saving Earth from future catastrophic space rock collisions.

The mission will spend the next two years monitoring the nearest and brightest stars for periodic dips in their light. These events, called transits, suggest that a planet may be passing in front of its star. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets using this method, some of which could potentially support life.

'Fileless' cyber attacks on the rise in 2018

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Cyber-criminals are increasingly applying "fileless" attacks in 2018 that leverage trusted Windows executables to invade systems and breach corporate networks, a new report has said. 

"Fileless" attacks that don't drop malware on a victim's system. Instead, they use tools already installed on computers or run simple scripts and shellcode in memory, often hidden in the Windows Registry. 

According to global cyber security firm McAfee Labs, the "fileless" attacks are growing in 2018 as these attacks are launched through reputable executables (or memory) and are hard to detect. 

"One fileless threat, CactusTorch, uses the 'DotNetToJScript' technique which loads and executes malicious .NET assemblies straight from memory," McAfee said in a statement. 

"In 2018, we have seen rapid growth in the use of CactusTorch, which can execute custom shellcode on Windows systems," it added. 

Both consumers and corporate users can fall victim to this threat. In corporate environments, attackers use this vector to move laterally through the network. 

In McA'ee's "Q2 Threat" report, many fileless malware campaigns were discovered to leverage Microsoft PowerShell to launch attacks in memory to create a backdoor into a system -- surging 432 per cent over 2017. 

"Fileless" malware takes advantage of the trust factor between security software and genuine, signed Windows applications. 

Top WhatsApp tricks and hidden features you must know

WhatsApp tips and tricks: We take a look at five tips and tricks on Android that will make you a smarter WhatsApp user. 

WhatsApp tips and tricks: Take a look at five tips and tricks on Android that will make you a smarter WhatsApp user.

WhatsApp is used by more than a billion people globally, and the service has its largest user base here, in India with over 250 million users. WhatsApp actively adds nifty features to make the platform more useful and fun, which means there is a lot more you can do on the app than just messaging. For instance, one can assign customised ringtones to individuals and different groups, save data on WhatsApp calls, star messages, and more. We take a look at six tips and tricks on Android that will make you a smarter WhatsApp user:

WhatsApp tips and tricks: How to see who has read your message on Group

It is easier to know whether a friend has read one’s message on individual chats, but groups also have this option. Users can check which members of group have read their message by tapping on Group on WhatsApp. Next, long press a message and tap on the info icon on the top menu. Two separate lists will pop up – of those who have read the message and people to whom the message has been delivered.

WhatsApp tips and tricks: Assign customised tone to group chat, individual

WhatsApp users can assign custom notification tone for group chats as well individuals. This is a great way to know who has messaged instantly, without even having to look at notification menu. To set customised for group, open a group and tap on Group info, then custom notifications. From here, one can customise ringtone, etc for a group. For individual chats, open contact and click on menu on top right and click on View Contact. Next, choose custom notifications.

WhatsApp tips and tricks: How to check if you have been blocked by someone

Though a bit tricky, WhatsApp users can still check whether someone has blocked them. One can start by seeing if that person’s profile picture is visible to them. Only one or sent tick, and not two ticks, will appear for messages sent to someone who has blocked the user.

WhatsApp actively adds nifty features to make the platform more useful and fun, which means there is a lot more you can do on the app than just messaging.

WhatsApp tips and tricks: Star a message

WhatsApp lets people star a message in a chat for an easy reference to it later. To do this, long press a message and choose the star button from the top menu. One can unstar a message in a similar manner. All starred messages appear in Starred messages tab present in contact info window.

WhatsApp tips and tricks: Save data on WhatsApp calls

WhatsApp users can save data on calls while using mobile data. To save data on calls, open Settings menu and click on Data and storage usage tab. An option to lower the amount of data used during WhatsApp call appears at the bottom. Tick the check box in call settings to save data during calls while using mobile data.

WhatsApp tips and tricks: Search a message

WhatsApp lets users search for specific messages in a chat. Of course, one will need to recall a related keyword to search for a specific message. Open a chat and click on the three-dot menu on top right. Select search and type a keyword to scroll through all related messages that have it. All starred messages can be viewed when one clicks open a chat, open contact info and click on Starred Message option.

Scientists Revived 42,000-Year-Old Frozen Roundworms And They Promptly Woke Up & Started Eating

Cryopreservation is something we see a lot in sci-fi movies, where people are frozen in stasis for hundreds or thousands of years to stay alive. Now, it seems scientists have found evidence of this fascinating process naturally occurring in nature.

A group of scientists in Russia claim they’ve managed to revive two frozen nematodes, aka roundworms, that were tens of thousands of years old. One specimen was found in a soil sample taken from a ground squirrel burrow 100 feet underground, estimated to be somewhere around 32,000 years old. A second nematode was recovered from a permafrost sample sitting just 11 feet below the surface, supposedly about 41,700 years old.

The samples were stored in a laboratory at around -20 degrees Celsius. Isolated nematodes were then warmed up to about 20 degrees C and surrounded by food. After several weeks, scientists say the roundworms actually began showing signs of life, moving and eating. “Thus, our data demonstrates the ability of multi-cellular organisms to survive long-term (tens of thousands of years) cryobiosis under the conditions of natural cryoconservation,” the researchers said in a study.

Previous studies have shown that some species of nematodes can survive in extreme environments, like living in below freezing temperatures for 25 years, and even 39 years of extreme dehydration. However, this is the first time the hypothesis has been proven on such a massive time scale.

“Theoretically, it is possible that if the organisms are protected from physical damage that would compromise their structural integrity during their frozen internment, they should be able to revive upon thawing/rehydration for very long periods of time,” Robin Giblin-Davis, director of the University of Florida's Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, told Gizmodo. Then again, the researchers say their findings might be skewed if these ancient samples are starkly different from modern day nematodes and similar organisms.

The reason these samples even stayed frozen is because seasonal thawing wouldn’t have reached the depths at which they were buried. And if they can learn enough about how these creatures evolved, we might just have the key we need to apply cryopreservation to humans in the distant future.

6 Teens Designed This World's Most Green Building To Help Fight Climate Change & Overpopulation

Climate change and the population explosion are two major problems plaguing all of humanity, putting our future as a species in danger.

Now, six teenagers have come together to design buildings they believe can help fix both problems.

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Six teenagers from five countries – Romania, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Norway – have teamed up to design a building of the future, one that addresses the need for efficient housing as well as green buildings. It was recently selected as the winning concept for a competition by the New York Academy of Sciences and United Technologies Corporation to create sustainable buildings.

One of the features of the building is that, the walls combine concepts behind both green infrastructure and solar panels. A network of vines coat the north-south facing walls, which will work as air purifiers and insulation, while the east-west walls have solar panels to generate power. In addition, the exterior walls are tilted at a 75-degree angle to optimize the amount of surface are exposed to sunlight. The roof is also covered in adjustable solar panels that can be tilted to the best angle to capture sunlight.

 

But wait, there’s more. The building is also almost entirely self-sustaining as far as resident’s water needs are concerned. A central tank captures water used from kitchens and bathrooms, instead of only relying on a fresh supply. While wastewater from toilets and faucets is flushed away, water from other sources like showers are captured, treated and purified to remove pathogens, and recycled to toilet flushes and the like. Recycled water that isn’t used for this can instead water the green walls of the building. Altogether, this cuts the building’s water usage by as much as a third.

As part of the concept, the functioning of the entire building will be governed by a “home assistant”. This connects with various sensors to adjust temperature, light intensity, and other comforts that use electricity based on a flat’s occupancy. It also measures energy usage patterns and gives residents a “green score”. The students believe that competition would encourage more green practices. 

#NotAPlasticoholic: 7 Things About Plastic That Have Plagued The Planet Earth

Versatile, pliable, durable, cheap to produce and ubiquitous- well, the plastic isn't all of that. It's a bane too. 

The plastic- a substance invented in 1950 to make its life easier than ever before has now started to threaten its very own existence as plastic pollution has contaminated everything without which humans can’t survive.

 

From our cell phones to laptops, from water bottles to the food plates, everything is made of plastic and once it serves its purpose, it’s thrown

But once thrown, it remains there forever polluting our surroundings because plastic never gets decomposed. Not even after thousand years. 

Whether it’s the oceans, rivers, ponds, land or even the very air we breathe in- plastic has poisoned every shred of nature around us. It’s high time the adequate steps should be taken because it’s already too late.

Here are some facts about plastic that show if necessary steps aren’t being taken, it’s all over for humanity.

1. Plastic produced yearly outweighs the entire humanity

Since the 1950s 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic has been produced across the world and nearly half of the plastic has been produced post-2000. For example, in 2016, world plastics production totalled around 335 million metric tons and since plastic remains as it is without getting decomposed, the recycling is the only option by which it can be contained.

2. Only 9 per cent plastics get recycled, rest is thrown

This answers why most of the oceans are now filled with plastic garbage polluting and killing the marine life. Some 18 billion pounds of plastic is thrown into the oceans across the world and biggest of the patch of plastic in the ocean is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

It is a portion of Pacific Ocean where garbage has got collected due to the current of water and it roughly has 79,000 tonnes of plastic garbage. Discovered in 1997, the patch is spanned in 617, 673 sq miles which the twice the size of France and roughly contains 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic.  Plastic recycling rates are highest in Europe at 30 per cent.

China’s rate is 25 per cent. The United States recycles just 9 per cent of its plastic trash. 

3. China produces maximum plastic where the US uses the most

Half the world’s plastics are made in Asia. The lion’s share of that 29 per cent is made in China, home to 18 per cent of the world’s population. The rest of the Asian countries produce 21 percent of the plastic. The nations in North America Free Trade Agreement including the US produce around 18 per cent of the plastic whereas Europe produces around  10 per cent. But when it comes to consumption the US uses the most. The average annual plastic bag usage in the US is highest. A whopping 100 BILLION plastic bags are used by Americans every year. Tied together, they would reach around the Earth’s equator 773 times.

4. A million plastic bottles  are bought every minute

This is the biggest source of plastic menace. In order to make our lives a bit more comfortable, humanity is forsaken our future. The world buys a million plastic bottle carrying water, soft drinks, and what not and this number will top half a trillion by 2021. And to make it worse, only half of these bottles get recycled. No wonder our oceans are filled plastic bottles.

5. 40% of plastic produced is used in packaging alone, used just once

REUTERS

Packaging is something that once removed, never gets used again and nearly 40 per cent of plastic produced in a year is used in packaging which explains why most of the plastic remains here and there and never gets recycled. A massive 161 million tons plastic is just manufactured for packaging followed by 72 million tons used in construction, 65 million tons in textile, 46 million tons for consumer products, 30 million tons for transportation and 52 million tons for others.

6. Eight per cent of world’s oil is used for manufacture plastic

REUTERS

Oil has arguably resulted in several wars across the world, but ol all is not used to move vehicles. In industries, nearly 8 per cent of this oil is used to create plastic yearly which will further suffocate earth and push it further towards being lifeless.

7. Oceans have more plastic particles than milky way has stars

REUTERS

Roughly 8 million metric ton of plastic is dumped into oceans across the world which makes it containing more plastic particles than the number of stars in galaxy milky way.

Samsung Has Built New "Unbreakable" Display For Phone Owners That Drop Their Devices Too Much

Until recently, Samsung was the sole provider of OLED panels for the iPhone X, but it’s now facing possible Chinese competition.

Thankfully, Samsung has just made a development that could give it an edge; an “unbreakable” OLED display. 

All of you know how heartbreaking it is to watch an expensive smartphone tumble out of your hands to shatter on the floor. And then it’s so expensive to repair, but so inconvenient to use with giant cracks running down its face.

But Samsung has just announced the governmental certification of its new flexible OLED displays, which it claims are “unbreakable”. As part of the official certification process, the displays underwent punishing durability tests based in military standards

Samsung explains that the new flexible display panel was developed using “an unbreakable substrate and an overlay window securely adhered to it.” This is different from the traditional glass usually overlaying a display, which breaks on hard impact.

In the drop tests, Samsung’s display panel survived falls from nearly four feet off the ground 26 times in a row, followed by high and low temperature tests. Through all of this, the panel continued to function normally with no damage to its front, sides or edges. It even survived a subsequent 6-feet drop test, much higher than the US military standard with no sign of damage.

There’s no word yet on when these display will hit the market, or even what devices they’ll be featured in. It’s likely too soon for the Galaxy Note 9 next month, but you can be sure we’ll see it in subsequent Samsung devices.

You May Soon Be Able To Legally Buy & Sell Bitcoin In India, Thanks To Match-Fixing In Cricket

After months of tirades and motions against it, India’s cryptocurrency scene might actually be getting some legitimisation from an unexpected source.

It turns out the controversial debate regarding legalising sports betting in India could actually be the breakthrough it needs.

India’s law commission has been studying the matter of sports betting for at least two years now, looking at the feasibility and risks involved with that particular type of gambling. And for the benefit of its debate, it’s clubbed cryptocurrency together with other accepted modes of electronic payment like netbanking, and credit/debit cards.

"Gambling transactions should be made cashless, making use of electronic means of payment such as credit cards, debit cards, net-banking, virtual currencies (VC, or cryptocurrency), etc.,” the commission said in its report to the supreme court earlier this month.

Also Read: ‘Decrypting’ Cryptocurrency’s Potential In India, And Analyzing The Changing Face Of Money

As much as this may seem a distant thread, it’s actually huge for cryptofiends in India. Until now, the government has by and large been against cryptocurrency transactions in the country, whether because they were worried about it causing a financial bubble crisis or because it would encourage illegal activities. So this is effectively the first time a government-appointed body has referred to cryptocurrency as legitimate tender, simply by including it among others.

In addition, the mention was made by a Supreme Court-appointed body, and as part of an official report giving its recommendations. It certainly provides a ray of hope to crypto traders after the harsh RBI crackdownmonths ago. The final hearing regarding its legitimacy is now pegged for September 11.

Of course, it might all come down to how the Supreme Court judges interpret the law commission’s recommendation that includes cryptocurrency. Hypothetical or inclusionary, it might just decide the fate of Bitcoin in India.