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AbsoluteXyro writes:
NASA's Cassini orbiter, which has been dutifully exploring the Saturn system since 2004, has captured images of the first river ever observed on another world — and it's a biggun. 200 miles of flowing hydrocarbons meandering down a valley in the north polar region of Saturn's moon Titan, emptying into the awesomely named Kraken Mare — itself a body of liquid roughly the size of the Mediterranean Sea back on Earth. But don't think of going for an extraterrestrial skinny dip quite yet, temperatures on Titan average a brutally cold 290 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit).
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AbsoluteXyro writes:
Today users of Google Maps will notice a new mapping option — "Quest" — alongside the usual "Map" and "Satellite" views. Quest view renders the planet in a retro 8-bit fantasy video game style, including renders of famous landmarks such as the White House and the Eiffel Tower. Even Pegman gets in on the game, now taking on the appearance of a sword wielding 8-bit adventurer, allowing you to witness Street View through 8-bit eyes. Basically, imagine a fully functioning Google Maps on an NES.
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AbsoluteXyro writes:
According to a Space.com article, NASA scientists have discovered the smallest known black hole, XTE J1650-500. Weighing in at a scant 3.8 solar masses and measuring only 15 miles across, this finding sheds new light on the lower limit of black hole sizes and the critical threshold at which a star will become a black hole upon it's death, rather than a neutron star. XTE J1650-500 beats out the previous record holder, GRO 1655-40, by about 2.5 solar masses.
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AbsoluteXyro writes:
IGN reports that The Wii version of Resident Evil 4 was confirmed earlier today for inclusion in the elite "Worst Kept Secrets" club as Famitsu spilled the beans on the title in its latest issue. The new version boasts point-and-shoot gameplay, along with a bevy of motion controlled actions that Capcom hopes will put you in the game. Better yet, the game features the visuals of the Gamecube version and all the bonus content of the PS2 version. Famitsu also delivers some info that IGN apparently missed in their translation, including new enemies and bosses, as well as a retail price point of about $30 USD. The game reportedly hits shelves (overseas anyhow) on May 31st.
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AbsoluteXyro writes:
As the amateur astronomers among us already know, Comet McNaught has been gracing the early morning and late evening skies... as it approaches the Sun, some estimate it has the potential to become 40 times brighter than Venus, or a magnitude of -8.8! In fact, it has recently been reported at SpaceWeather.com that Comet McNaught is now visible in broad daylight! From the article: "It's fantastic," reports Wayne Winch of Bishop, California. "I put the sun behind a neighbor's house to block the glare and the comet popped right into view. You can even see the tail."
