Monday, June 11, 2012


Canis Majoris is a star so big, it would take an airplane 1100 years to circle it once




 
VY Canis Majoris is the largest known star and also one of the brightest. It is 1800-2100 solar radii in radius, or about 3 billion km in diameter. It is over 4,900 light-years from Earth.

It is relatively unique when it comes to stars in that it is a single star, rather than multiple star systems, which would be more common for its size. VY Canis Majoris is so large, that if an airplane traveling 900 km/h were to circle it, it would take over 1100 years to make one journey!

Nasa confirms that our galaxy is doomed to crash into Andromeda... in just four billion years



LAST UPDATED AT 15:34 ON Fri 1 Jun 2012
THE MILKY WAY is on a collision course with our neighbouring galaxy Andromeda, Nasa astronomers confirmed today.

There has been nearly a century of speculation about the future of Andromeda, also known as M31, and the Milky Way. Now scientists have used the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope to repeatedly measure Andromeda's motions over a seven-year period to give a more accurate prediction.

When the two crash into each other, our galaxy will be transformed, with the Sun flung into a new region - but not for at least four billion years. And once the two galaxies collide it will take a further two billion years for them to merge completely. Another smaller galaxy, Triangulum, is also expected to join the cosmic pile-up, reports The Daily Telegraph.

So is this the end of the Milky Way? Despite galaxies having hundreds of billions of stars, there is a huge distance between them. This means the galaxies could pass through one another without their stars colliding. But as the space in between is full of gas and dust, materials from one galaxy can cause radical changes in star formations of the other.

While scientists predict that Earth and our solar system are in no danger of being destroyed, the Sun could be flung into a different orbit and we could end up in a larger elliptical-shaped galaxy.

"In the worst-case-scenario simulation, M31 slams into the Milky Way head-on and the stars are all scattered into different orbits," says scientist Gurtina Besla of Columbia University in New York. "The stellar populations of both galaxies are jostled, and the Milky Way loses its flattened pancake shape with most of the stars on nearly circular orbits. The galaxies' cores merge, and the stars settle into randomised orbits to create an elliptical-shaped galaxy."


HEALTH BENEFITS OF CUCUMBER



1.KEEP BODY HYDRATED
Cucumber has 96% water content that is more nutritious than regular water, which helps in keeping the body hydrated and regulating body temperature. It also helps in flushing out the toxins from the body.

 
2.SKIN CARE
The high water content, vitamins A, B & C and the presence of certain minerals like magnesium, potassium, and silica make cucumbers an essential part of skin care. Facial masks containing cucumber juice can be used for skin tightening. Ascorbic acid and caffeic acid present in cucumbers can bring down the water retention rate which in turn diminishes the puffiness and swelling under the eyes. Cucumber skin also can bring relief to the skin caused by sunburn or windburn.

 
3.FIGHT CANCERS
Cucumber are known to contain lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol – three lignans that have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of several cancer types, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer.

 
4.CONTROL BLOOD PRESSURE
Cucumber juice contains a lot of potassium, magnesium and fiber that work effectively for regulating blood pressure. This makes cucumber good for treating both low blood pressure and high blood pressure.

5.BENEFICIAL FOR TEETH AND GUMS
Cucumber juice is also beneficial for people with teeth and gums problems, especially in cases of pyorrhea. Cucumber is a good source of dietary fiber and this fiber massage in the teeth and gums.

6.AID DIGESTION
Digestive disorders like acidity, heartburn, gastritis and even ulcers can be cured by the daily consumption of fresh cucumber juice. The high water content and dietary fiber in cucumber are very effective in driving away the toxins from the digestive system and hence aid digestion. Daily consumption of cucumbers can be regarded as a remedy for chronic constipation.

7.PROMOTES JOINT HEALTH
Cucumber is an excellent source of silica, which known to help promotes joint health by strengthening the connective tissues.

8. TREATMENT OF SWELLINGS 
Cucumber seeds are used as a natural remedy for treating tapeworms. Bruised cucumber seeds mixed with water are also effective in the treatment of swellings of the mucous membranes of the nose and the throat.

9.NAIL CARE
The high silica content of cucumber also helps to prevent splitting and spoiling of nails of the fingers and toes.

10.RELIEVE GOUT AND ARTHRITIS PAIN
Cucumber is rich in vitamins A, B1, B6, C & D, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium, when mixed with carrot juice, they can relieve gout and arthritis pain by lowering the uric acid levels.

11.CURES DIABETES
The cucumber juice has been found to be beneficial for the diabetic patients. This vegetable contains a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin.

12.REDUCES CHOLESTEROL
Researchers found that some compound called sterols in cholesterol may help reduce cholesterol levels.

13.STIMULATE HAIR GROWTH
Cucumber contains silicon and sulphur and thus a regular intake of cucumber can help promote healthy hair growth. For best results, mix cucumber juice with the juices of carrot, lettuce or spinach.

14.ACTS AS A DIURETIC
The water content of Cucumber acts as a diuretic. It encourages the elimination of waste products from the body through urination. Regular intake of cucumber helps to dissolve bladder or kidney stones.

15.AID IN WEIGHT LOSS
Due to its low calorie and high water content, cucumber is an ideal diet for people who looking for weight loss.
When buying cucumbers, choose the ones that are firm to touch and dark green in color. Do not buy overly matured or yellow colored as they are prone to contain more insoluble fiber and mature seeds. Go for organically grown cucumbers to get a rich taste and nutritients content.
Google's Driverless Car!



This new technology sounds as if it is right out of a science fiction movie, and that’s because it’s not far off. Over the past several years Google engineers and scientists have been working tirelessly at Stanford Laboratories to develop a technology that will change the way we live in the upcoming decades: the Google Car.

 
This car is completely driverless. It combines information from Goggle Street View with artificial intelligence software that communicates with a sensor on top of the car, which in turn speaks to the wheels and steering wheel to drive the car without any human interference. So far the car has clocked over 175,000 miles and had zero accidents.

 
In fact, the technology has caught on so fast that the state of Nevada has passed the first laws allowing for automated cars! 

 
To see a Google Car in action check out the video below! Are you excited or hesitant about driverless cars? Let usb know in the comments