Billion Tonne Comet May Have Missed Earth By A Few Hundred Kilometres in 1883

Billion Tonne Comet May Have Missed Earth By A Few Hundred Kilometres in 1883
Technology Review
October 17, 2011
A re-analysis of historical observations suggest Earth narrowly avoided
an extinction event just over a hundred years ago...http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27264/

Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News 18OCT2011

Orionid Meteor Shower: The Most Anticipated Show Every YearInternational Business Times AUBy Karen Mae Cordon | October 18, 2011 1:52 PM EST The Orionid meteor shower 2011 will be seen on Friday, the dawn of October 21. So if you want to catch themeteor shower, you can either sleep early to wake up at dawn or not to sleep at all. ...



CSI-style investigation of meteorite hits on Earth
24dash

MBIQ Indicates Meteor Event Alberta, Canada 17OCT2011

MBIQ Indicates Meteor Event Alberta, Canada 17OCT2011

Lethbridge, Alberta arrived from google.ca on "Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News" by searching for blue shooting star at 430am on October 17th.
06:33:03 -- 1 minute ago


If you witnessed this event we need your sighting report; thank you:
Date and Time of event? Location name (town,city) where you were when saw the meteor? Start and

America Technology Gets Ready to Go Big Again with New Nuclear Projects

I hear it all the time lately.

“What’s happening to American technology? Are we losing our edge?”

No more space shuttle. Steve Jobs logging off for good. The next generation space telescope on the chopping block.

So, it was with no small satisfaction last week that I listened into an NRC hearing on combined construction and operating license for new reactors at the V.C. Summer site in South Carolina. Perhaps the best bit was Stephen Byrne, executive vice president of South Carolina Electricity and Gas, explaining why a utility executive would opt to build a new nuclear power plant.

“We choose nuclear over other energy alternatives for four main reasons. First, the need for baseload power. The new units will help meet state regulatory reserve margin requirements. Second, cost. Nuclear is competitive with other baseload options when evaluated over its 40-year design life. Third is fuel diversity, adding units 2 and 3 [at V.C. Summer] will increase the share of nuclear in our fuel portfolio from approximately 11 percent to approximately 30 percent…Fourth is its low greenhouse gas emissions.”

But more than that, it was nice knowing that, after a 30-year break, America is (pending final NRC approval) going to be building a nuclear power plant again.

Think about it. Upwards of 1,000 megawatts of generating capacity all produced with a small amount of uranium. In a facility with a relatively small physical footprint, especially compared to the equivalent space renewables would use. (One of the things that struck me about my first visit to a plant was how small it was.) And it all happens without combustion, so no greenhouse gases are produced.

The AP1000 reactor design for the facilities comes from Westinghouse. Westinghouse, based in Pennsylvania, was acquired by Toshiba Corporation and other partners in 2006. But at the end of the day, a U.S. company will play a major role in building a reactor on American soil creating American jobs.

There has also been a lot of talk lately on what counts as a shovel-ready project. Both the V.C. Summer project in South Carolina and the Vogtle project in Georgia [another subject of a recent NRC mandatory hearing on its combined operating license] fit the bill. In fact, the shovels have already started digging in early work at the sites. Southern Company—which is heading up the Vogtle project—can’t wait to get started.

“We will be in a position to implement the rule-making as soon as it is affirmed,” Joseph “Buzz” Miller, executive vice president for nuclear development of Southern Nuclear Operating Co., said...

The NRC is expected to approve the Vogtle COLs sometime “very early next year.” The Summer COLs, presumably, would not be far behind.

When the COLs get issued, I will be heading over to Southern’s website on the progress at Vogtle to keep track of what’s going on. And right after that, I’ll be checking in with NASA on its next missions.

Soest, Germany / Holland Fireball Meteor 16OCT2011

Germany Allsky Capture 16OCT2011
(c) Olaf Gabel
http://www.chief-impactor.de/
some more info on the cam:http://www.chief-impactor.de/meteorcam/index.htmljust cut the video (xvid)http://www.chief-impactor.de/meteorcam/soest.avi
Soest, Germany Fireball Meteor 2300 hrs 16OCT2011
a fireball the size of a grapefruit , melon flew past our car approximately 300 meters away and an approx hight of

Emporia, VA, USA Large Yellow Meteor 17OCT2011

Emporia, VA, USA Large Yellow Meteor 0030 ESDT 17 October 2011
12:30 AM ESDT Approximately 20 miles East of Emporia VA USA near Capron.
Meteor was South of my location moving approximately West to East, about
20 to 25 degrees above Southern horizon..
Large yellow fireball with green around edge. Length of view,
approximately 5-10 seconds. Do you have any other data on this event? Regards, David

Enfield, Nova Scotia, Canada Bright Meteor 16OCT2011

Enfield, Nova Scotia, Canada Meteor 11:40 pm Atlantic time 16OCT2011
We sighted a meteor on October 16, 2011 at 11:40pm Atlantic time. We live in Enfield, Nova Scotia, Canada.  It was a bright meteor with a big orange/white streak of fire behind it, lasting approx 3-4 seconds travelling NW.  Hope this helps!  -Katie Nephew & Jonathan Hobson
Thank you Katie and Jonathan!

We need your sighting