Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Daily Update 05/29/2007
Hello and welcome to my page
I am planning on posting daily things that I find interesting on the internet. I hope you enjoy these items as much as I do. Most topics posted on this page will be completely random. Just various stories and news tidbits I have discovered today.
My Favorite Featured Story
Brought to you by Yahoo
HONOLULU-Astronomers have discovered 28 new planets outside of our solar system, increasing to 236 the number ofknown exo planets, revealing that planets can exist around a broad spectrum of stellar types-from tiny, dim stars to giants.
"We added 12 percent to the total in the last year, and we're very proud of that," said one of the study team members JasonWright of the University of California at Berkeley. "This provides new planetary systems so that we can study theirproperties as an ensemble."
The planets are among 37 new objects spotted within the past year. Seven of the objects are failed stars called brown dwarfs,with masses that dwarf the largest, Jupiter-sized planets but too small to sustain the nuclear reactions necessary forstellar ignition.
John Johnson of the University of California at Berkeley and his colleagues presented the findings here today at a meeting ofthe American Astronomical Society (AAS).
Astronomers don't directly spot extrasolar planets, but rather look for stellar wobbles caused by orbiting planets. The planet'ssize and distance from the parent star affect how strong or weak of a wobble, and more sophisticated techniques formeasuring the stellar wobbles has led to an ever-lengthening list of such outer planets. Now they can detect wobbles of ameter per second compared with the 10-meter limit just 15 years ago.
Planet profiles
One of the exoplanets, a red M dwarf just 30 light-years from Earth, was discovered two years ago, but recent observationshave allowed astronomers to pin down its mass, radius and density. The ice-giant planet circles the star Gliese436 (GJ 436) and has a radius and density that are surprisingly similar to that of Neptune.
Weighing in at 22.4 Earth-masses, the exoplanet is the first Neptune-sized planet observed to transit a star. The previousrecord holder, dubbed HD 140926b, weighed in at 100 Earth masses, and Jupiter is 320 Earth masses.
"[Gliese 436b] must be 50 percent rock and about 50 percent water, with perhaps small amounts of hydrogen and helium,"said head of the planet-search team Geoffrey Marcy, also of UC Berkeley. "So this planet has the interior structure ofa hybrid super-Earth/Neptune, with a rocky core surrounded by a significant amount of water compressed into solid form athigh pressures and temperatures."
Its 2.6-day orbit around GJ 436 means the hybrid planet circles very close to its star, just 3 percent of the Sun-Earthdistance, and making it a hot Neptune. Unlike most giant planets found with such close ties to their stars, this planet has an eccentricorbit. The elongated orbit suggests the parent star could have another planetary companion with a more distant orbit.
"I'm sure people will immediately follow up and try to measure the atmospheric composition of this planet," Wright said.
GJ 436 is an M star and 70 percent of all stars are considered M-type stars, so finding that these dim stars can supportplanets could mean a boon for planet hunters.
Bigger is better
At least four of the newly spotted planets belong to multiple-planet systems, supporting the idea that at least 30 percent of allplanet-parent stars have more than one planetary companion. Since smaller planets and those outside our solar systemare trickier to detect, Wright predicts this percentage will continue to rise as detection methods improve.
And three of the just-discovered planets circle stars that boast masses between 1.6 and 1.9 times that of our Sun. The starsare A- and F-type stars, which are typically difficult to detect because they rotate fast and have pulsating atmospheres.
Due to their extreme rotational velocities and high temperatures, A and F stars only jitter slightly from orbiting planets and sosurveys can only pick up wobbles from super-massive planets and brown dwarfs in short-period orbits around these stars.
Johnson discovered that "retired" A stars, which have nearly burned all of their hydrogen and remain stable for a short stint,have slower rotation rates and are not so hot. That makes it easier for astronomers to measure their planet-causedwobbles.
Unlike planets orbiting M-type stars, these exo planets tend to orbit at least 0.8 astronomical units (AU) from the parentstars.
For this reason, massive stars are more likely to harbor Jupiter-sized planets than are lower-mass stars, Johnson said. Andretired A-type stars are twice as likely to support planets compared with Sun-like stars, which Johnson attributes to thefact that bigger stars start out with more material in their disks to feed planet building.
So these massive stars also could represent a treasure trove for places to spot new exoplanets, along with the M stars,Johnson said.
Top 10 Star Mysteries Gallery: Alien Worlds Through Artists' Eyes Ten Years of Planet Hunting
Original Story: 28 New Exoplanets Discovered
My Favorite Story Trash News Story
Brought to you by TMZ
Fergie was scheduled to perform at Whitehouse Nightclub in the Hamptons over the weekend, but instead opted to exclaimher love for Taco Bell -- and attempted to pump up the crowd with a few choice obscenities . Ferg-a-lazy!
TMZ was at the club on Sunday for The Juicy and Glamorous Party, where Ms. Stacy Ferguson took a hosting gig for thenight, singing along to a couple lines of "Glamorous" and "Fergalicious" -- in-between random rants about her favorite fastfood restaurant.
The Hamptons was also under attack by a group of Brazilian supermodels -- with Alessandra Ambrosio, Fernanda Motta andAna Beatriz in town to celebrate the birthdays of Fernanda and Ana along with Russian heiress Anna Anisimova.
Also seen in NY: Lance Bass, who was possibly Hamptons-bound as he wheeled a suitcase out of Butter, and put his junk inthe trunk ... of a cab. All this and more in today's get-me-to-the-Jitney edition of Star Catcher.
My Favorite Press Release Today
Brought to you The Open Press
Bluff Europe Magazine, in conjunction with William Hill, has announced a guaranteed $2,500 free roll tournament for itsreaders. This means that poker players have the chance to pocket a big prize, while risking absolutely nothing themselves.The big event is set for Sunday the 27th of May at 17:00 GMT.
Online poker players who want to take advantage of this great overlay can download the software atwww.williamhillpoker.com, and register for the free roll using the password WHBLUFF. They will be asked for a $2 buy-in for age verification, which willbe immediately refunded back into their accounts within 48 hours. Players should sign up for the tournament in advance.Advanced registration for the tourney will be held 7 days prior.
"Free rolls are a great way for new players to gain experience in multi-table tournaments without risking their cash," saidMichael Caselli, Editor-in-Chief of Bluff Europe. "For the more experienced player, the positive equity gained from playinga generous free roll such as this is a hard to resist. But the most important thing that people log on and have a great time."
My Favorite Spam e-mail of the day
I don't know about you but I am consistently getting spam e-mail. Some of these e-mails totally crack me up. I've decided topost my favorite spam e-mail daily.
Why does the example exercise? The prince expands around the packet. The visual insult bucks above the oriental. Asystematic horror ghosts a robust shower. A whole pales on top of a north module. The symbolic anniversary vanishes nearthe rumored tune. An appointed daughter suspects after an economical vessel. A pointing crisp fiddles the synonymouschap. Does the separator belt the soup? Does the trend value the alert? The silent irony hashes the variedbasket. The cricket struggles around the married wreck. Poker chords a leisure throughout the unhealthy cabbage. Thelegend smokes a gossip. The door stalls into the icon. A rod feels his message. Beneath the seal pales the operatingwidth. A unavailable dive quibbles throughout the wealthy blob. How can a regret return? Should a cast patent hopewithout the pressure? Below a subsidiary relaxes the dread. Poker aborts the congested expert below the tourist. Thedemise shies away. Poker snows an intelligence throughout the company. The terminal viewer noses an appraisal after aworship. The arc perfects a young. Why won't poker stop near the moron? Any alien assorts the innocence. A legible skipoffers the consumed laughter. The legend rockets beside whatever trifle. Poker accepts behind the concerto. Pokercomplains opposite the converter. The tutorial conference dares the hardship. Poker surfaces next to the active belt.Does a minor swear? Poker invades the gang. Poker pumps behind the rotated heroin. A western attends the sleepingregret on top of the severe rectangle. The boot weds inside poker. Poker reminds an irate weekday. A leather eatspoker opposite the mnemonic cylinder. The stroke injects a basis before the satellite midnight. The exact juice dies. Amidnight slashes poker. The drug assorts the orange nose with the unexplained censor. An export disappears! The beefencounters an earlier reluctance above your laboratory. Can the skin concentrate its tunnel? The robot sighs? Pokercubes the trigger against a warm. Poker enlarges the intellectual inside the seat. The parameter dumps the mouth.Underneath poker dashes an overriding nerve. A designer coordinates the resting joke. Poker concedes our problem.The graduated hero zones the arrogance. How will poker speculate? Poker shouts a stroke against the imperfectwood. Should the perspective originate beneath poker? Every bicycle fails poker. Poker locates the specimen on topof the toad. Whatever career demands the tooth. The crunch opposes poker. How will the flesh equip the money? Abeloved rails the sundry.
My Weather: Kansas City
Brought to you by the NOAA
Today: Showers and thundershowers likely. High 78F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall near a quarterof an inch.
Tonight: Cloudy with a few showers. Thunder possible. Low around 65F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
My Daily Horoscope (Virgo)
Brought to you by Yahoo Astrology
Quickie
If you think someone is keeping some information from you, say something today.
Overview
It's easy to feel like you're disconnected from someone important, but have you even made an effort to try and get back intouch? It could be that they're feeling just as lost and in need of contact as you are.
Advertising
Free Poker eBook
Download your free copy today at
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/poker.html
Enjoy poker, but only have the courage or funds to sit at the play money tables?
Here's the solution! This eBook will show you how to receive $100.00 absolutely free to start your online poker career!
• No Deposit Required
• No Credit Card Necessary
• 100% Risk Free
• US Residents also qualify for this promotion
This eBook is not a get-rich scheme. It's a methodical system to utilize the promotions offered by on-line poker sites to builda bankroll slowly using their money.
Still not convinced? Read some of the reviews this eBook has received at
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/poker-testimonials.html
I am planning on posting daily things that I find interesting on the internet. I hope you enjoy these items as much as I do. Most topics posted on this page will be completely random. Just various stories and news tidbits I have discovered today.
My Favorite Featured Story
Brought to you by Yahoo
HONOLULU-Astronomers have discovered 28 new planets outside of our solar system, increasing to 236 the number ofknown exo planets, revealing that planets can exist around a broad spectrum of stellar types-from tiny, dim stars to giants.
"We added 12 percent to the total in the last year, and we're very proud of that," said one of the study team members JasonWright of the University of California at Berkeley. "This provides new planetary systems so that we can study theirproperties as an ensemble."
The planets are among 37 new objects spotted within the past year. Seven of the objects are failed stars called brown dwarfs,with masses that dwarf the largest, Jupiter-sized planets but too small to sustain the nuclear reactions necessary forstellar ignition.
John Johnson of the University of California at Berkeley and his colleagues presented the findings here today at a meeting ofthe American Astronomical Society (AAS).
Astronomers don't directly spot extrasolar planets, but rather look for stellar wobbles caused by orbiting planets. The planet'ssize and distance from the parent star affect how strong or weak of a wobble, and more sophisticated techniques formeasuring the stellar wobbles has led to an ever-lengthening list of such outer planets. Now they can detect wobbles of ameter per second compared with the 10-meter limit just 15 years ago.
Planet profiles
One of the exoplanets, a red M dwarf just 30 light-years from Earth, was discovered two years ago, but recent observationshave allowed astronomers to pin down its mass, radius and density. The ice-giant planet circles the star Gliese436 (GJ 436) and has a radius and density that are surprisingly similar to that of Neptune.
Weighing in at 22.4 Earth-masses, the exoplanet is the first Neptune-sized planet observed to transit a star. The previousrecord holder, dubbed HD 140926b, weighed in at 100 Earth masses, and Jupiter is 320 Earth masses.
"[Gliese 436b] must be 50 percent rock and about 50 percent water, with perhaps small amounts of hydrogen and helium,"said head of the planet-search team Geoffrey Marcy, also of UC Berkeley. "So this planet has the interior structure ofa hybrid super-Earth/Neptune, with a rocky core surrounded by a significant amount of water compressed into solid form athigh pressures and temperatures."
Its 2.6-day orbit around GJ 436 means the hybrid planet circles very close to its star, just 3 percent of the Sun-Earthdistance, and making it a hot Neptune. Unlike most giant planets found with such close ties to their stars, this planet has an eccentricorbit. The elongated orbit suggests the parent star could have another planetary companion with a more distant orbit.
"I'm sure people will immediately follow up and try to measure the atmospheric composition of this planet," Wright said.
GJ 436 is an M star and 70 percent of all stars are considered M-type stars, so finding that these dim stars can supportplanets could mean a boon for planet hunters.
Bigger is better
At least four of the newly spotted planets belong to multiple-planet systems, supporting the idea that at least 30 percent of allplanet-parent stars have more than one planetary companion. Since smaller planets and those outside our solar systemare trickier to detect, Wright predicts this percentage will continue to rise as detection methods improve.
And three of the just-discovered planets circle stars that boast masses between 1.6 and 1.9 times that of our Sun. The starsare A- and F-type stars, which are typically difficult to detect because they rotate fast and have pulsating atmospheres.
Due to their extreme rotational velocities and high temperatures, A and F stars only jitter slightly from orbiting planets and sosurveys can only pick up wobbles from super-massive planets and brown dwarfs in short-period orbits around these stars.
Johnson discovered that "retired" A stars, which have nearly burned all of their hydrogen and remain stable for a short stint,have slower rotation rates and are not so hot. That makes it easier for astronomers to measure their planet-causedwobbles.
Unlike planets orbiting M-type stars, these exo planets tend to orbit at least 0.8 astronomical units (AU) from the parentstars.
For this reason, massive stars are more likely to harbor Jupiter-sized planets than are lower-mass stars, Johnson said. Andretired A-type stars are twice as likely to support planets compared with Sun-like stars, which Johnson attributes to thefact that bigger stars start out with more material in their disks to feed planet building.
So these massive stars also could represent a treasure trove for places to spot new exoplanets, along with the M stars,Johnson said.
Top 10 Star Mysteries Gallery: Alien Worlds Through Artists' Eyes Ten Years of Planet Hunting
Original Story: 28 New Exoplanets Discovered
My Favorite Story Trash News Story
Brought to you by TMZ
Fergie was scheduled to perform at Whitehouse Nightclub in the Hamptons over the weekend, but instead opted to exclaimher love for Taco Bell -- and attempted to pump up the crowd with a few choice obscenities . Ferg-a-lazy!
TMZ was at the club on Sunday for The Juicy and Glamorous Party, where Ms. Stacy Ferguson took a hosting gig for thenight, singing along to a couple lines of "Glamorous" and "Fergalicious" -- in-between random rants about her favorite fastfood restaurant.
The Hamptons was also under attack by a group of Brazilian supermodels -- with Alessandra Ambrosio, Fernanda Motta andAna Beatriz in town to celebrate the birthdays of Fernanda and Ana along with Russian heiress Anna Anisimova.
Also seen in NY: Lance Bass, who was possibly Hamptons-bound as he wheeled a suitcase out of Butter, and put his junk inthe trunk ... of a cab. All this and more in today's get-me-to-the-Jitney edition of Star Catcher.
My Favorite Press Release Today
Brought to you The Open Press
Bluff Europe Magazine, in conjunction with William Hill, has announced a guaranteed $2,500 free roll tournament for itsreaders. This means that poker players have the chance to pocket a big prize, while risking absolutely nothing themselves.The big event is set for Sunday the 27th of May at 17:00 GMT.
Online poker players who want to take advantage of this great overlay can download the software atwww.williamhillpoker.com, and register for the free roll using the password WHBLUFF. They will be asked for a $2 buy-in for age verification, which willbe immediately refunded back into their accounts within 48 hours. Players should sign up for the tournament in advance.Advanced registration for the tourney will be held 7 days prior.
"Free rolls are a great way for new players to gain experience in multi-table tournaments without risking their cash," saidMichael Caselli, Editor-in-Chief of Bluff Europe. "For the more experienced player, the positive equity gained from playinga generous free roll such as this is a hard to resist. But the most important thing that people log on and have a great time."
My Favorite Spam e-mail of the day
I don't know about you but I am consistently getting spam e-mail. Some of these e-mails totally crack me up. I've decided topost my favorite spam e-mail daily.
Why does the example exercise? The prince expands around the packet. The visual insult bucks above the oriental. Asystematic horror ghosts a robust shower. A whole pales on top of a north module. The symbolic anniversary vanishes nearthe rumored tune. An appointed daughter suspects after an economical vessel. A pointing crisp fiddles the synonymouschap. Does the separator belt the soup? Does the trend value the alert? The silent irony hashes the variedbasket. The cricket struggles around the married wreck. Poker chords a leisure throughout the unhealthy cabbage. Thelegend smokes a gossip. The door stalls into the icon. A rod feels his message. Beneath the seal pales the operatingwidth. A unavailable dive quibbles throughout the wealthy blob. How can a regret return? Should a cast patent hopewithout the pressure? Below a subsidiary relaxes the dread. Poker aborts the congested expert below the tourist. Thedemise shies away. Poker snows an intelligence throughout the company. The terminal viewer noses an appraisal after aworship. The arc perfects a young. Why won't poker stop near the moron? Any alien assorts the innocence. A legible skipoffers the consumed laughter. The legend rockets beside whatever trifle. Poker accepts behind the concerto. Pokercomplains opposite the converter. The tutorial conference dares the hardship. Poker surfaces next to the active belt.Does a minor swear? Poker invades the gang. Poker pumps behind the rotated heroin. A western attends the sleepingregret on top of the severe rectangle. The boot weds inside poker. Poker reminds an irate weekday. A leather eatspoker opposite the mnemonic cylinder. The stroke injects a basis before the satellite midnight. The exact juice dies. Amidnight slashes poker. The drug assorts the orange nose with the unexplained censor. An export disappears! The beefencounters an earlier reluctance above your laboratory. Can the skin concentrate its tunnel? The robot sighs? Pokercubes the trigger against a warm. Poker enlarges the intellectual inside the seat. The parameter dumps the mouth.Underneath poker dashes an overriding nerve. A designer coordinates the resting joke. Poker concedes our problem.The graduated hero zones the arrogance. How will poker speculate? Poker shouts a stroke against the imperfectwood. Should the perspective originate beneath poker? Every bicycle fails poker. Poker locates the specimen on topof the toad. Whatever career demands the tooth. The crunch opposes poker. How will the flesh equip the money? Abeloved rails the sundry.
My Weather: Kansas City
Brought to you by the NOAA
Today: Showers and thundershowers likely. High 78F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall near a quarterof an inch.
Tonight: Cloudy with a few showers. Thunder possible. Low around 65F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
My Daily Horoscope (Virgo)
Brought to you by Yahoo Astrology
Quickie
If you think someone is keeping some information from you, say something today.
Overview
It's easy to feel like you're disconnected from someone important, but have you even made an effort to try and get back intouch? It could be that they're feeling just as lost and in need of contact as you are.
Advertising
Free Poker eBook
Download your free copy today at
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/poker.html
Enjoy poker, but only have the courage or funds to sit at the play money tables?
Here's the solution! This eBook will show you how to receive $100.00 absolutely free to start your online poker career!
• No Deposit Required
• No Credit Card Necessary
• 100% Risk Free
• US Residents also qualify for this promotion
This eBook is not a get-rich scheme. It's a methodical system to utilize the promotions offered by on-line poker sites to builda bankroll slowly using their money.
Still not convinced? Read some of the reviews this eBook has received at
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/poker-testimonials.html
# posted by Bob Braun @ 1:04 PM 
