Science! (3 Viewers)

[Optimus Prime]

(CNN) — Glass rarely forms naturally from organic materials. However, in 2020, researchers discovered a black, glassy substance inside the skull of a person killed during the eruption of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

Now, the scientists say they have worked out the sequence of events that likely killed the victim and led to the formation of the unique and puzzling glass, thought essentially to constitute fossilized brain tissue.

Recovered from the coastal town of Herculaneum, which along with Pompeii was wiped out by the eruption, the remains belonged to an individual, thought to be a young man, who was found lying face down on a bed buried by volcanic ash.

A new analysis of samples of the glass found inside the skull and spinal cord suggests that the person’s body tissue must have been heated to above 510 degrees Celsius (950 degrees Fahrenheit) before cooling rapidly to allow the glass to form in a process known as vitrification.

“The process of transformation of anything liquid into glass is the fast cooling, not the fast heating,” said Guido Giordano, a volcanologist at Roma Tre University in Rome and lead author of the study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports………


A young man’s brain turned to glass during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Scientists say they have figured out how

 

[Optimus Prime]

Seven planets will appear to align in the night sky on the last day of February in what is known as a planetary parade.

These planetary hangouts happen when several planets appear to line up in the night sky at once.

“A planetary parade is a moment when multiple planets are visible in the sky at the same time,” said Dr Greg Brown, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told PA Media. “How impressive a parade it is will depend on how many planets are in it and how visible they are.”

This week, all seven planets are technically visible in the sky at once, though they are not all equally easy to spot.


“Mercury, Neptune and Saturn are all very close to the horizon in the early evening and, particularly in the case of Neptune and Saturn, will struggle to be seen in the twilight,” Brown said. “In addition, Uranus, like Neptune, is very faint, making it almost impossible to find without a pair of binoculars or a telescope.

“Venus, Jupiter and Mars, however, are all very easy to see with the unaided eye.”

A parade of four or five planets visible to the naked eye happens every few years, according to Nasa.

“Groups of three, four or even five planets being visible aren’t uncommon, regularly appearing throughout each year,” Brown said. “But the more planets are involved, the more things need to be aligned to be visible at once. This makes full seven-planet parades fairly rare.”

The seven planets will next align in 2040.…….

Planetary parade: Mercury falls into line for rare seven-planet alignment

The seven will appear to form a straight line in the night sky in display that won’t be seen again until 2040

www.theguardian.com