A Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) Airbus A350 Has Been Involved In A Serious Accident At Tokyo Haneda Airport

A Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) Airbus A350 has been involved in a serious accident at Tokyo Haneda Airport on the evening of Tuesday, January 02, 2024. The aircraft collided with a De Havilland Canada DHC-8-315Q operated by the Japan Coast Guard on the runway at 17:47 local time. 

A significant fire subsequently took hold, with video footage of the firefighting efforts being shared widely around online and traditional media channels. 

The accident marks the first hull loss of an Airbus A350 aircraft. 

(via Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collides with aircraft on landing in Tokyo | Flightradar24 Blog)

Wombat poop is cube-shaped. Yes, you read that right! Wombats, the Australian marsupials, have uniquely shaped droppings.

The peculiar cube shape is thought to help prevent the poop from rolling away, allowing it to mark its territory more effectively. Scientists have even studied the structure of wombat feces for its potential application in manufacturing and construction!

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft accomplished yet another historic communications achievement less than a month after successfully firing its “first light” laser data transmission. On December 11, the onboard Deep Space Optical Communications array’s flight laser transceiver sent an “ultra-high definition” video clip approximately 19 million miles (31 million kilometers, or about 80 times the Earth-Moon distance) back to Earth—a new record not just for transmission, but for cat videos, as well.

(via Taters the cat stars in first 'ultra-HD' video sent from deep space | Popular Science)

Starlink Satellites via astronycsc

Starlink refers to a satellite internet constellation project developed by SpaceX, the private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded by Elon Musk. The goal of the Starlink project is to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet service to underserved and remote areas around the world.

Starlink, as a satellite internet constellation, has raised concerns about its potential to cause visible optical interference or "satellite trails" in the night sky. This interference occurs when sunlight reflects off the satellites, making them visible as bright points of light moving across the sky.

The individual satellites in the Starlink constellation are equipped with solar panels and reflective surfaces, which can catch and reflect sunlight when they are in the dark part of the Earth but are still illuminated by the Sun. This can result in visible trails of light moving across the night sky.

Astronomers and astrophotographers have expressed concerns about the impact of these satellite trails on astronomical observations. The bright streaks created by the reflections can interfere with observations of celestial objects and may be particularly disruptive for long-exposure astrophotography.

SpaceX, the company behind Starlink, has acknowledged these concerns and has been actively working on mitigating the impact of satellite reflections on astronomical observations. They have been testing various solutions, including adjustments to the satellites' orientation, changes in the satellite design, and coatings to reduce reflectivity.

One attempt to address this issue involved the launch of a prototype satellite called "DarkSat" or "VisorSat." This satellite had experimental coatings to reduce its reflectivity and make it less visible from the Earth. However, the effectiveness of such measures is still under evaluation.

Valles Marineris: The Grand Canyon of Mars

Credits: Viking Project, USGS, NASA

With the releases of iOS 16 and macOS Ventura in 2022, Apple debuted its Lockdown Mode for people at particular risk of being targeted by mercenary spyware.

(via What It’s Like to Use Apple’s Lockdown Mode | WIRED)