Typhoon eye seen from space is terrifying and fascinating

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Typhoon Maysak looks imposing from orbit. ESA/NASA/Samantha Cristoforetti

Typhoon season is off to an early start this year and NASA's eyes in the skies are getting a good look at a super-typhoon that formed over the Pacific Ocean. Typhoon Maysak is still churning away, but European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti caught an image of it on March 31 as it strengthened into a super-typhoon.

Cristoforetti, the first Italian woman in space, is a member of the Expedition 42/43 crew on the International Space Station. The photo shows a massive, swirling cloud formation from an upside-down perspective. The typhoon's eye is visible as a hole in the clouds near the center. Heavy rainfall and strong thunderstorms are hidden underneath the floor of clouds.

NASA's weather satellites are tracking Typhoon Maysak, monitoring its movement, rainfall and winds. NASA notes that Maysak produced maximum sustained winds near 150 mph. The space agency's Aqua satellite captured another view of the storm system, looking almost directly down, showing the wide scope of the typhoon over the ocean.

Currently, Typhoon Maysak is heading towards the Philippines, though the Pacific Disaster Center reports it is now entering a weakening phase.

A NASA satellite takes another look at Maysak. NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

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Typhoon eye seen from space is terrifying and fascinating

'Story Time from Space' Raising Funds to Put Kids' Science in Orbit

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A few years ago, educator Patricia Tribe was cooking spaghetti and contemplating a tough question: How do you keep science in schools while still making enough time for literacy?

By 2011, the now-former director of education at Space Center Houston saw her vision realized: Astronaut Alvin Drew read a book by children's space author Jeffrey Bennett on the International Space Station during the STS-133 space shuttle mission.

"He read 'Max Goes to the Moon'" (Big Kid Science, 2012), Tribe told Space.com. Bennett was happy to contribute to the project, but at first didn't believe the messenger, she joked. "He thought it was a prank call." [Space.com's Favorite Sci-Fi and Space Books]

Four years later, Tribe's "Story Time from Space" group is bigger; members include Drew, Bennett and former Canadian astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason. There are now five books from Bennett on the station, launched on an Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares flight in January 2014. Several astronauts have read the books on video in the past year. But Tribe's group now wants to add science experiments to the stories.

The group is asking for $55,000 on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. They've raised a little more than $3,000 to date, and a Kickstarter campaign last year failed to achieve its goal. Tribe, however, says the group will keep seeking money through grants if this second campaign fails.

"We're not stopping, that's for sure," she said. The Indiegogo campaign concludes April 25.

The science experiments will deal with nine topics: balance, buoyancy, free fall, heat transfer, light, surface tension, orbit, pendulums and space's effects on the human body. Items for the experiments will include a spectrometer, a sensor to measure acceleration and discs with different colors to measure heat absorption through the station's huge cupola windows.

A typical experiment will be paired with material from one of the five books on the station, like using the spectrometer to watch the light changing during a sunset, for example. Data from the experiment will then be included in the lesson plan, which will be tailored according to student age (from primary school to university).

Despite the wide range of topics, the group's experiments fit in a box roughly 1 foot (30 centimeters) square that weighs only a couple of pounds (about 1 kilogram). They're expected to ride a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft to station on June 13, Tribe said.

The major partner for "Story Time from Space" is the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the sole operator for the United States science laboratory on the station, called Destiny. CASIS and NASA take care of the launch costs, while "Story Time", a nonprofit group, is responsible for paying for the payload creation, Tribe said.

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'Story Time from Space' Raising Funds to Put Kids' Science in Orbit

Plants use 'sixth sense' to grow on ISS

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April 2, 2015

These culture dishes hold seedlings and the growing medium for the Plant Gravity Sensing investigation, which were used during astronaut training at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agencys Tsukuba Space Center in March 2014. (Credit: European Space Agency/S. Corvaja)

Provided by Laura Niles,International Space Station Program Science Office and Public Affairs Office

Although it is arguable as to whether plants have all five human senses sight, scent, hearing, taste and touch they do have a unique sense of gravity, which is being tested in space. Researchers with theJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency will conduct a second run of thePlant Gravity Sensing study after new supplies are delivered by the sixthSpaceX commercial resupply mission to theInternational Space Station. The research team seeks to determine how plants sense their growth direction without gravity. The study results may have implications for higher crop yield in farming and for cultivating plants for long-duration space missions.

The investigation examines the cellular process of formation in thale cress, orArabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant related to cabbage. The genetic makeup of thale cress is simple and well-understood by the plant biology community. This knowledge allows scientists to easily recognize changes that occur as a result of microgravity adaptation.

NASA Astronaut Karen Nyberg harvests plants from a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency investigation of Arabidopsis thaliana during Expedition 37. (Credit: NASA)

Understanding the cellular processes in plant development may translate to better knowledge of cellular processes in the human body. Since thale cress is considered amodel organism for biological research, there are genetic similarities that may reveal insights into our health. Specifically, this could impact medical science since research teams may gain a better understanding of mechanisms of diseases affected by gravity, such as osteoporosis and muscle loss.

In the Plant Gravity Sensing study, scientists examine whether the mechanisms of the plant that determine its growth direction the gravity sensor form in the absence of gravity. Specifically, the research team analyzes how concentrations of calcium behave in the cells of plants originally grown in microgravity when later exposed to a 1g environment, or gravity similar to that on Earth. Plant calcium concentrations have been shown to change in response to temperature and touch and adapt to the direction of gravity on Earth.

Plants cultivated in space are not experienced with gravity or the direction of gravity and may not be able to form gravity sensors that respond to the specific direction of gravity changes, said Hitoshi Tatsumi, Ph.D., principal investigator of the Plant Gravity Sensing investigation and associate professor at Nagoya University in Nagoya (present address: Kanazawa Institute of Technology), Japan.

Researchers use a centrifuge in theCell Biology Experiment Facility inKibo, the Japanese Experiment Module, to monitor the plants response to changes between microgravity and a simulated 1g condition. The research team does this to determine if the plants sense changes in gravitational acceleration and adapt the levels of calcium in their cells.

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Hubble finds phantom objects near dead quasars

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IMAGE:These Hubble Space Telescope images reveal a set of bizarre, greenish looping, spiral, and braided shapes around eight active galaxies. The galaxies host a bright quasar that may have illuminated... view more

Credit: NASA, ESA, and W. Keel (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa)

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a set of wispy, goblin-green objects that are the ephemeral ghosts of quasars that flickered to life and then faded.

The glowing structures have looping, helical, and braided shapes. "They don't fit a single pattern," said Bill Keel of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, who initiated the Hubble survey. Keel believes the features offer insights into the puzzling behavior of galaxies with energetic cores.

The ethereal wisps outside the host galaxy are believed to have been illuminated by powerful ultraviolet radiation from a supermassive black hole at the core of the host galaxy. The most active of these galaxy cores are called quasars, where infalling material is heated to a point where a brilliant searchlight shines into deep space. The beam is produced by a disk of glowing, superheated gas encircling the black hole.

"However, the quasars are not bright enough now to account for what we're seeing; this is a record of something that happened in the past," Keel said. "The glowing filaments are telling us that the quasars were once emitting more energy, or they are changing very rapidly, which they were not supposed to do."

Keel said that one possible explanation is that pairs of co-orbiting black holes are powering the quasars, and this could change their brightness, like using the dimmer switch on a chandelier.

The quasar beam caused the once invisible filaments in deep space to glow through a process called photoionization. Oxygen atoms in the filaments absorb light from the quasar and slowly re-emit it over many thousands of years. Other elements detected in the filaments are hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, sulfur, and neon. "The heavy elements occur in modest amounts, adding to the case that the gas originated in the outskirts of the galaxies rather than being blasted out from the nucleus," Keel said.

The green filaments are believed to be long tails of gas pulled apart like taffy under gravitational forces resulting from a merger of two galaxies. Rather than being blasted out of the quasar's black hole, these immense structures, tens of thousands of light-years long, are slowly orbiting their host galaxy long after the merger was completed.

"We see these twisting dust lanes connecting to the gas, and there's a mathematical model for how that material wraps around in the galaxy," Keel said. Potentially, you can say we're seeing it 1.5 billion years after a smaller gas-rich galaxy fell into a bigger galaxy."

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Hubble finds phantom objects near dead quasars

Marion Cotillard Looks Radiant in Her Latest Lady Dior Handbag CampaignSee the Pics!

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by Nicole Adlman Wed., Apr. 1, 2015 1:25 PM PDT

Marion Cotillard has wowed us again. (Seriously, she never ceases to amaze!)

Whether she's turning heads on the red carpet or leaping full-length pools in a single bound for artsy Dior music videos, the star just, well, knows how to impress. Her style is both modern and timeless, which comes through whether she's modeling for Dior or hitting the red carpet in the brand's latest couture confections.

In these new ads (which were shot by famed photographer Peter Lindbergh), Marion models the brand's new Lady Dior bag in a futuristic backdropshowcasing a chic, structured design that features kitschy Dior hardware on the handle.

WATCH: Marion gets musical for Dior commercial

Another shot shows the actress getting up close and personal with the glass in a telephone booth (that seems to be very steamy, we might add).

In more exciting news for Marion, WWD reports that the star is partnering with Chopard on a collection of sustainable jewelry, which will be the first of its kind for the luxury jewelry brand. Since becoming a brand ambassador, Marion's been particularly faithful to Dior on the red carpetsomething tells us we'll be seeing those "green" baubles on the carpet soon, too.

PHOTOS: See our picks for most coveted celeb clutches

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Lehigh Valley Hospital surgical resident charged as alleged Muhlenberg College exposer

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More than a month ago, Muhlenberg College police got the heads-up to be on the lookout for a shiny red car with a Maryland license plate.

The car's driver allegedly exposed himself to a student at nearby Cedar Crest College in late February, and officials there shared the information with Muhlenberg officers.

Two weeks ago, a Muhlenberg student told campus police that a man driving a red car followed her, called her over and exposed himself.

A shiny red car was spotted two more times at Muhlenberg after that, near the center of campus in the late afternoon when lots of students walk about, police said.

The last sighting of the car happened late Monday afternoon when a man exposed himself to a female student on a private driveway through student housing near the Harry C. Trexler Library on Chew Street, police said.

This time the student took down a license plate, police said, and a day later that led to the arrest of the suspect: a Lehigh Valley Hospital surgical resident who recently graduated from medical school.

Allentown police charged Jeffrey A. Zapora, 28, a member of the honors society at the University of Maryland Medical School and a first-year resident in plastic surgery at Lehigh Valley Health Network, with indecent exposure in two incidents at Muhlenberg. They said he might face additional charges as the investigation continues.

Zapora, who was sent to Lehigh County Jail under $5,000 bail but later posted bail, was suspended by the hospital pending further investigation, according to hospital spokesman Brian Downs.

University officials said only that Zapora attended the School of Medicine from 2010-14.

According to a criminal complaint:

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Lehigh Valley Hospital surgical resident charged as alleged Muhlenberg College exposer

Red Sox send Rusney Castillo, Jackie Bradley Jr. to Triple-A

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Neither move is a surprise, really, but theyre still interesting: Boston has sent last years Opening Day center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and this offseasons $72.5 million Cuban signing Rusney Castillo to Triple-A

Outfield depth is a huge strength for the Red Sox, wholl go with Hanley Ramirez in left field, Mookie Betts in center field, and Shane Victorino in right field, with Allen Craig and Daniel Nava on the bench.

Obviously something has to give there at some point, because Castillo is a high-upside prospect and the Red Sox didnt give him $72.5 million to sit at Triple-A for long and Bradley still has upside despite flopping as a rookie. Moving on from the 34-year-old Victorino would seem to be the most likely way to clear a spot in a month or two, but in the meantime hes getting a chance to show hes got some gas left in the tank.

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Red Sox send Rusney Castillo, Jackie Bradley Jr. to Triple-A

Typhoon Maysak heads for Philippines

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Story highlights Maysak has sustained winds of more than 130 mph but is expected to weaken It's forecast to hit the Philippines during the Easter weekend

Maysak is moving west-northwest after skirting the Federated States of Micronesia, according to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Its eye is projected to make landfall in the central or northern part of the Philippine island of Luzon on Sunday, though the country's residents could start feeling its effects days before.

That could interrupt the Easter celebration for many in the predominantly Catholic nation, which may be socked by heavy rains and potent winds. The International Red Cross noted that "many people are expected to throng coastal areas at this time."

Images of the typhoon as seen from the International Space Station were posted to Twitter, including a Vine video showing the swirling eye of the storm.

The storm has weakened and is expected to lose more strength before it reaches the Philippines. Its maximum sustained winds on Wednesday were 150 mph, making it a super typhoon in the Joint Typhoon Warning Center's definition.

But by Thursday, the winds' strength had declined to around 132 mph -- no longer a super typhoon but still the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.

Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera told CNN that Maysak could weaken further to become a tropical storm by the time it reaches the Philippine coast.

"This will not be a catastrophic storm," Cabrera said. That said, it could still cause flooding and bring strong winds, he cautioned.

The Philippines is frequently hit by typhoons. In December, for instance, Hagupit killed at least 18 people in the East Asian nation and injured hundreds more.

But that devastation paled in comparison to the havoc wrought by Super Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, which killed more than 6,000 people and injured more than 27,000 others. That typhoon, considered to be among the strongest storms ever to make landfall, hit the eastern city of Tacloban especially hard.

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Video: NASA’s Scott Kelly says International Space Station arrival ‘like coming to my… – Video

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NASA Flight Engineer Scott Kelly talks about his planned year-long stay at International Space Station. Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 43 Flight Engineer Scott Kelly NASA...

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Video file: NASA’s Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) Project Takes a Spin – Video

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Video file: NASA #39;s Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) Project Takes a Spin
Video file for media and public use. The LDSD (Low Density Supersonic Decelerator) project is testing breakthrough technologies that will enable large payloads to be safely landed on the surface...

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