999 42 Apophis Calling!

Every week it seems the end of the world will be upon us soon. The latest fear mongering reports are wonderfully synchromystic in their intent.

The near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis was discovered on June 19, 2004, by Roy A. Tucker, David J. Tholen and Fabrizio Bernardi at the Kitt Peak National Observatory.

When first discovered, the object received the provisional designation 2004 MN4, and news and scientific articles referred to it by that name.

When its orbit was sufficiently well calculated, it received the permanent number 99942 (on June 24, 2005). Receiving a permanent number made it eligible for naming. It received the name "Apophis" on July 19, 2005.

The Serpent is killed

Apophis is the Greek name of an enemy of the Ancient Egyptian sun-god Ra: Apep, the Uncreator, an evil serpent that dwells in the eternal darkness of the Duat and tries to swallow Ra during his nightly passage. Apep is held at bay by Set, the Ancient Egyptian god of storms and the desert. David J. Tholen and Tucker—two of the co-discoverers of the asteroid—are reportedly fans of the TV series Stargate SG-1. One of the show's persistent villains is an alien named Apophis. (wikipedia)

Apep or Apophis was an evil god in ancient Egyptian religion, the deification of darkness and chaos, and thus opponent of light and Ma’at (order/truth).

In Gods and Myths of Ancient Egypt, we read that the Egyptian god of destruction Apophis, like Seth, was associated with various frightening natural events such as unexplained darkness from a solar eclipse, storms, and earthquakes.

Way-to-go guys – great name!

From Sky News: Astronomers following the so-called "doomsday" asteroid Apophis which could collide with Earth have discovered it is 20% bigger than previously thought. Previous estimates put the asteroid's average diameter at 270 metres (877 feet) representing a mass that would equal the energy release of a 506-megatonne bomb, according to Nasa figures.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said its Herschel telescope had scanned the space rock as it headed towards its closest fly-by with the planet in years on Wednesday. In a two-hour observation, Herschel returned a diameter of 325 metres (1,056 feet), with a range of 15 metres (48.75 feet) either way, the ESA said.

"The 20% increase in diameter, from 270m to 325m translates into a 75% increase in our estimates of the asteroid's volume or mass," said Thomas Mueller, of the Max Planck Institute for Extra-terrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, who led the data analysis.

Apophis sparked a scare when it was first detected in 2004. Early calculations suggested a 2.7% chance of the space rock hitting Earth in 2029 - the highest ever for an asteroid, but the risk was swiftly downgraded after further observations. It is expected to pass even closer to the planet on April 13, 2036, according to Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

The object is being tracked by astronomers to help them fine tune the 2029 and 2036 risks of a collision. Herschel, using thermal sensors, also found that Apophis is darker than previously thought, the ESA added. Only 23% of light that falls on it is reflected, and the rest is absorbed by the asteroid. Previous estimates of this reflectivity, known as albedo, were put at around 33%.

This discovery is important because asteroids experience something called the Yarkovsky effect, or an increase in thrust that comes from alternate heating and cooling as the rock slowly turns in space. Over time, this momentum can change the body's trajectory as it moves through the Solar System.

On 15th February there will be another close fly-by of an asteroid but nothing to worry about, that one doesn’t have a name, just a number: 2012 DA14

NASA Superstars

Allison from OnlinePsychologyDegree.net sent me this amusing graphic looking at the many failed apocalyptic events throughout history... check it out below.

Happy New Year!

Where will 2013 lead us?

The Great Divide

Accidently on purpose I caught an interesting three-part documentary about London’s legendary Claridge’s Hotel, recently screened on British TV. It was fascinating to watch the secret and not –so-secret billionaires of the world spending obscene amounts of money dining on green leaves from flower pots, complete with live ants, enjoying their breakfast in bed for over six thousand pounds a night.

It was a great insight into the daily lives of the staff, how they keep things running, and the sacrifices they make to ensure the VIP guests are happy. What was rather less enthralling was part three, a small glimpse into the preparations for the Olympic Games. We got to see dozens of heads of state, governors, and ambassadors, along with Hollywood stars, and royalty from a myriad of countries, all descending on the hotel for the event.

It was disturbing to watch the presidents of some of South America, and Africa’s poorest and largely deprived countries, arriving with their entourages for a 2-week stay in the most luxurious suites available. Presidents’ and politicians of countries whose own citizens are starving and battling civil war, and who knows what else, holidaying to excess.

If you’re interested, The Daily Mail online had a small article with clips from the program. I would love to stay in a hotel like this, I won’t lie, but there are limits. This amount of pure indulgence and ridiculous spending is not only obscene, but perfectly illustrates the great divide between those with prestige and power, and the rest of us.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246103/Inside-Claridges-The-money-soaked-secrets-Britains-swankiest-hotel.html

 

Is Nothing Sacred?

Back Tomorrow

Rachel's tears

"A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children,
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more."

Jeremiah 31:15-17

You Lose!

Unlike residents up and down the east coast of America, who’ve lost everything, not through choice but due to a hurricane named Sandy, I voluntarily destroyed a part of my life… I made a choice to ‘let go’, to throw away most of my ‘possessions’.

There are always so many choices to make, but sometimes we bemoan the fact and say we have no choice. We can choose to leave, or weather the storm.  The truth of the matter is that every moment in a person’s existence is a matter of choice, some things are automatic, other’s we make a conscious effort to control. Then, we say one thing but invariably go ahead and do another.

My personal epiphany occurred, through a process of ‘letting go’, a very tough jaw-breaking realisation came flooding in. What does it mean to lose everything? How important are clothes, cars, pretty pictures, fancy cutlery, twitter accounts, digital radios or even money itself?  Aren’t the fundamentals really food, water, warm clothes in the winter, and perhaps some kind of roof over our heads? What value does an iPad have against a hot cup of soup when you’re starving?

Through a set of unfortunate circumstances, I find myself treading the pavements of my old home town, but seeing it much changed for the worse. Homeless people and beggars where ever I turn, money lending shops and pawn brokers in between closed down retailers, next door to ‘One Pound’ discount sellers, groups of kids staring in windows, teenage mothers wandering the streets, clearly unable to afford the price of a cup of tea. Poverty and despair on every corner.

Buddhism teaches that the secret to a happy life is detachment. Lose your attachment to all things and you will find peace. I see the wisdom in this ancient ‘wisdom’, but the irony is remarkable to. Just as Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear. Life is the most precious thing of all, not a diamond ring, or a holiday in the Bahamas.

When we lose something precious to us it’s right to feel scared and angry and upset, but ultimately we all lose our connection to the material world in death. So, until that moment arrives, we should be celebrating for all it’s worth. How can we when there is so much despair around us?

How can we redress the balance between those who have and those who have not? What will it take to bring some happiness, peace, and dignity, back to humanity? A homeless man that I see on the street every day asks for spare change from passers-by, they give him nothing and he replies with ‘God bless you!’ – It sounds like an insult. I am beginning to understand why people are so obsessed with TV soaps, reality programmes, pop-music icons, and celebrity dance contests. This is one game that seems impossible to bag.

My precious!