Our Planet & Space Travel
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A new class of 'waterworld' exoplanets have been found by astronomers, who say that despite being hot, ocean-covered and hydrogen-rich - could support life
New class of exoplanets dubbed 'Hycean' planets could support ALIENS | Daily Mail Online
[I do hope these people are safe and that Australia doesn't get these monster cyclones in summer or any season]
NASA images show Hurricane Ida from space | Daily Mail Online
When it hit Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds, Ida was in fifth place behind 'with a whole bunch of other notorious storms' for highest wind speed when making landfall in the US, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
Wind speeds sometimes get changed later after damage is reviewed. Both 1992's Andrew and 2018's Michael were upgraded to a Category 5 storm long after landfall.
In addition to wind speed, meteorologists rank hurricanes by central pressure by millibars (mb), with the lower the barometric pressure indicating a stronger storm.
By this measurement, Ida's landfall pressure of 930 millibars didn't quite rank as high. It was tied for the ninth strongest storm on landfall, far behind the 1935 Labor Day storm's 892 mb and even 2005's Katrina, which had lower wind speeds but a pressure of 920 mb.
Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and caused 1,800 deaths when it hit exactly 16 years ago.
Hurricane Ida makes its impact exactly 16 years on from Hurricane Katrina, which caused over 1,800 deaths and $125 billion in damage
In Mississippi´s southwestern corner, entire neighborhoods were surrounded by floodwaters, and many roads were impassable
Several tornadoes were reported, including a suspected twister in Saraland, Alabama, that ripped part of the roof off a motel and flipped an 18-wheeler, injuring the driver, according to the National Weather Service
THE MOST INTENSE HURRICANES RANKED BY PRESSURE TO HIT THE UNITED STATESAs of Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported Hurricane Ida packed winds topping 150 miles per hour (240 km per hour), with minimum pressure recorded at 933 millibars (mb), and could gather more strength, forecasters said. (The lower the minimum pressure, the more intense the hurricane)
The following are six of the most powerful hurricanes to make landfall on the mainland United States based on minimum pressure:
- Florida Keys Labor Day hurricane, 1935, 892 mb
The hurricane struck the Florida Keys as a Category 5, the highest ranking possible on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. It generated wind speeds of up to 200 miles per hour (322 km per hour) and killed more than 200 World War One veterans who were in the Keys to build a highway. After ravaging the Keys, the storm moved north off the western coast of Florida before turning inland. In all, more than 400 people died in Florida.
- Hurricane Camille, 1969, 900 mb
Camille struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a Category 5 hurricane, bringing with it devastating storm tides and strong winds that demolished buildings and destroyed orchards. More than 200 people were killed.
- Hurricane Michael, 2018, 919 mb
In October of 2018, Michael was the third most intense hurricane to make landfall on the continent, hitting the Florida Panhandle, with its minimum pressure recorded at 919 millibars (mb). Michael was a Category 5 hurricane at landfall, with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour (257 km per hour).
- Hurricane Katrina, 2005, 920 mb
The hurricane made a direct hit on New Orleans as a Category 3 storm, causing levees and flood walls to fail in dozens of places. Most of New Orleans was flooded, and some people who were stranded in their homes climbed to their roof to await rescue. About 1,800 people died, according to the National Weather Service. Most victims were in Louisiana, but neighboring Mississippi also was hard hit. Katrina caused an estimated $108 billion in damage, making it the costliest hurricane ever to strike the United States.
- Hurricane Andrew, 1992, 922 mb
Andrew struck South Miami-Dade County in Florida and caused an estimated $26 billion in damage. That ranked as the most expensive storm in U.S. history until Hurricane Katrina inundated New Orleans and pummeled other parts of the U.S. South in 2005. More than a dozen people were directly killed by the storm in Florida, with others dying of indirect causes.
Source: Reuters
Found hundreds of feet beneath the sea floor, these structures (left and top right) have been revealed in new detail by 3D seismic reflection scans that were analysed by researchers led from the British Antarctic Survey. Each structure is a so-called tunnel valley, a U-shaped gouge formed by meltwater draining underneath the vast ice sheets that formerly coated the area that today is the swathe of the North Sea between Scotland and Norway (bottom right). Studying these ancient valleys shines a light on how ice sheets react to a warming climate, the team explained - and could help us understand how glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland will respond to climate change.
This is not so much the planet but what humans have done inside the planet over many thousands of years.
Tomb of ancient Egyptian King Djoser who lived more than 4,500 years ago is restored to its original glory of stunning turquoise stones, hieroglyphic carvings and labyrinth of corridors
The South Tomb was constructed to honor King Djoser who ruled ancient Egypt some 4,500 year ago However, the pharaoh's body was not laid to rest in the tomb, but in the Step Pyramid that sits nearby
The tomb consists of stunning tiles and a labyrinth of corridors, decorated with hieroglyphic carvings Officials have been working at restoring the site for the past 15 years and it is now open to the public
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 23:11 AEST, 14 September 2021 | UPDATED: 01:15 AEST, 15 September 2021
Kin Djoser, who ruled for about 19 years, is know for his use of stone architecture, which can be seen in the South tomb, along with the Step Pyramid and ancient ruins in Memphis - the capital city southwest of what is now Cairo
The South tomb, built between 2667 BC and 2648 BC. Pictured is a path leading to the opening of the massive tomb
The opening leads to a stairway that descends about 98 feet below the surface and leads to the burial shaft (pictured)and then to the labyrinth of corridors
A large structure sits above the desert landscape, in which visitors walk through to enter the tomb.
The opening leads to a stairway that descends about 98 feet below the surface and leads to the burial shaft and then to the labyrinth of corridors.
However, the burial vault, according to experts, is too small to hold adult human remains, revealing the tomb was never built as King Djoser's resting place.
The South tomb is thought to have been constructed for symbolic reasons, or perhaps to hold Djoser's internal organs
Kin Djoser, which ruled for about 19 years, is know for his use of stone architecture, which can be seen in the South tomb, along with the Step Pyramid and ancient ruins in Memphis - the capital city southwest of what is now Cairo
Kin Djoser, who ruled for about 19 years, is know for his use of stone architecture, which can be seen in the South tomb, along with the Step Pyramid and ancient ruins in Memphis - the capital city southwest of what is now Cairo.
The South tomb was crumbling due to neglect, fierce desert winds, and eventually damaged by an earthquake that hit the area in 1992.
Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism said the opening of the South Tomb marked the completion of restoration work that started in 2006 and included reinforcing of the underground corridors, refurbishing the carvings and the tiled walls, along with installing lights throughout the once dark tunnels.
In addition to the South Tomb, the Saqqara plateau hosts at least 11 pyramids, including the Step Pyramid, as well as hundreds of tombs of ancient officials and other sites that range from the 1st Dynasty (2920 B.C.-2770 B.C.) to the Coptic period (395-642).
Pictured are just some of the intricate hieroglyphics that line the inner walls of the massive South tomb
Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism said the opening of the South Tomb marked the completion of restoration work that started in 2006 and included reinforcing of the underground corridors, refurbishing the carvings and the tiled walls, along with installing lights throughout the once dark tunnels
The inside of the tomb is designed like a labyrinth with corridors that and hallways throughout
The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis of Egypt´s ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh.
The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s.
Egypt has publicized a string of recent archaeological finds over the past year in an effort to revive its key tourism sector, which was badly hit by the turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising. The sector was also dealt a further blow by the global coronavirus pandemic.
The Step Pyramid, built around 4,700 years ago, measures 200ft high (60m) and is believed to be the first pyramid in Egypt and the oldest building in the world.
Egypt has publicized a string of recent archaeological finds over the past year in an effort to revive its key tourism sector, which was badly hit by the turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising. The sector was also dealt a further blow by the global coronavirus pandemic
Following an average start this year, the hole has grown considerably in the last week, the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said.
Spanish Island going up with volcanic action!
[Some wonderful videos of the action in the night skies.] 
The explosion took place in an area known as Cabeza de Vaca on the western slope of the volcanic ridge as it descends to the coast, and comes after the island registered up to 1,000 earthquakes in the past five days alone
Itahiza Dominguez, head of seismology of Spain's National Geology Institute, told local TV station RTVC that although it was too early to tell how long this eruption would last, prior 'eruptions on the Canary Islands lasted weeks or even months.'
La Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Sunday after 5,000 earthquakes were registered in the area in the past week
A volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma erupted Sunday after a week long build-up of seismic activity, forcing the authorities to scramble evacuations for more than 5,000 people as lava ran towards their homes.
The explosion took place in an area known as Cabeza de Vaca on the western slope of the volcanic ridge as it descends to the coast, and comes after the island registered up to 1,000 earthquakes in the past five days alone.
Huge red plumes topped with black-and-white smoke shot out along the volcanic ridge that scientists had been closely following due to the accumulation of molten lava below the surface.
WoW!
I have only read the headlines so far.
One hypothetical planet - the size of Jupiter - may orbit all three stars in its star system, 1,300 light-years from Earth, at once, according to a newly published study.
New scientific research conducted at White Sands National Park in New Mexico has uncovered the oldest known human footprints in North America.
The discovery reveals evidence of human occupation in the Tularosa Basin beginning at least 23,000 years ago, thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
“These incredible discoveries illustrate that White Sands National Park is not only a world-class destination for recreation but is also a wonderful scientific laboratory that has yielded groundbreaking, fundamental research,” said Superintendent Marie Sauter.
The fossilized human footprints were buried in multiple layers of gypsum soil on a large playa in White Sands National Park.
Seeds embedded in the footprints were radiocarbon dated and analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey to establish their age.
The research dramatically extends the range for the coexistence of humans and Pleistocene (ice age) megafauna and confirms that humans were present in North America before the major glacial advances at the height of the last ice age closed migration routes from Asia.
“This study illustrates the process of science—new evidence can shift long held paradigms,” said USGS Acting Rocky Mountain Regional Director Allison Shipp.
White Sands National Park contains the world’s largest-known collection of Pleistocene age (ice age) fossilized footprints in the world and has been recognized as a megatracksite since 2014.
MORE: A Sorceress’ Toolkit Has Been Discovered in the Ashes of Pompeii
Those footprints havebeen given the intriguing nickname “ghost tracks.” Each footprint marks the spot where an ancient ancestor once stood many thousands of years ago.
The newly discovered “ghost tracks” tell an interesting tale of what life was like at this time.“The footprints left at White Sands give a picture of what was taking place, teenagers interacting with younger children and adults,” said lead study author, Matthew Bennett from Bournemouth University, in a statement. “We can think of our ancestors as quite functional, hunting and surviving, but what we see here is also activity of play, and of different ages coming together. A true insight into these early people.”
In addition to human footprints, tracks from the Columbian mammoth, saber-toothed cat, dire wolf, and other ice age animals have been discovered at White Sands.
RELATED: Archaeologists in Egypt Discover Mummy With Gold Tongue
Scientists from White Sands National Park, the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Bournemouth University, University of Arizona, and Cornell University, in connection with the park’s Native American partners, have collaborated and consulted on this research. The findings are detailed in an article published in the journal Science.
White Sands National Park protects and preserves the world’s largest gypsum dunefield, at least 23,000 years of archaeology, adaptive flora and fauna, as well as Works Progress Administration-era historic pueblo buildings.
Powerful 6.1-magnitude earthquake rattles Tokyo 
NEW Japan's public broadcaster NHK said the quake registered a tremor of '5 plus' on Japan's own scale of quake intensity and could cause building damage. Officials reported no danger of tsunami.
NEW The UK's Met Office and the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have forecasted a coronal mass ejection - a massive expulsion of plasma from the Sun's corona.
I have only been able to read the headlines.
A solar eruption rises above the surface of the sun. Pictured is the relative size of Earth. These dramatic storms, caused by coronal mass ejections from the sun, hurtle towards Earth, potentially causing widespread devastation
Joe Biden just gave a top environmental job to a man who spent his career helping toxic chemical companies avoid regulation
Man-made toxins building up in our bloodstreams. Poisons polluting mothers and literally passing into wombs and fetuses. A chemical so powerful it can't be broken down, dubbed "the forever chemical," present in the blood of nearly every person in the U.S. And, on top of everything else, a leading Harvard researcher says this toxin may even reduce the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19.
This is the very potent reality of a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or C8, produced by mega-corporation DuPont. The U.S. might have avoided the ubiquitousness of this nightmare poison, but DuPont's crack lobbyist team spent years fighting against any proposed regulations. One of these consultants was a man named Michael McCabe.
And what is next on this industry insider's career path? Working for President-Elect Joe Biden as he creates a transition board for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).