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Study Shows How Earthquake Monitors Can Track Space Junk Through Sonic Booms

A new study shows that earthquake monitoring networks can track falling space debris by detecting the sonic booms produced during atmospheric reentry, sometimes more accurately than radar. The Associated Press reports: Scientists reported Thursday that seismic readings from sonic booms that were generated when a discarded module from a Chinese crew capsule reentered over Southern California in 2024 allowed them to place the object's path nearly 20 miles (30 kilometers) farther south than radar had predicted from orbit. Using this method to track uncontrolled objects plummeting at supersonic speeds, they said, could help recovery teams reach any surviving pieces more quickly -- crucial if the debris is dangerous.

"The problem at the moment is we can track stuff very well in space," said Johns Hopkins University's Benjamin Fernando, the lead researcher. "But once it gets to the point that it's actually breaking up in the atmosphere, it becomes very difficult to track." His team's findings, published in the journal Science, focus on just one debris event. But the researchers already have used publicly available data from seismic networks to track a few dozen other reentries, including debris from three failed SpaceX Starship test flights in Texas. [...]

Fernando is looking to eventually publish a catalog of seismically tracked, entering space objects, while improving future calculations by factoring in the wind's effect on falling debris. In a companion article in Science, Los Alamos National Laboratory's Chris Carr, who was not involved in the study, said further research is needed to reduce the time between an object's final plunge and the determination of its course. For now, Carr said this new method "unlocks the rapid identification of debris fall-out zones, which is key information as Earth's orbit is anticipated to become increasingly crowded with satellites, leading to a greater influx of space debris."

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Rijnmond - Nieuws

Het laatste nieuws van vandaag over Rotterdam, Feyenoord, het verkeer en het weer in de regio Rijnmond

Nathan Rutjes gaat viraal als trainer van de jeugd: 'Het zou eigenlijk niet bijzonder moeten zijn'

Wanneer de jongste Sparta-voetballers moeten aantreden voor een wedstrijd, hebben ze altijd een geheim wapen achter de hand. Langs de lijn zit er namelijk iemand die met positieve tips en een grote glimlach de spelertjes altijd vertrouwen weet te geven: ex-profvoetballer Nathan Rutjes. Als leider van de Sparta Onder-9 vervult hij, naar eigen zeggen, zijn droombaan.

Akihabara, October 2025

mikeleonardvisualarts has added a photo to the pool:

Akihabara, October 2025

Akihabara, October 2025

mikeleonardvisualarts posted a photo:

Akihabara, October 2025

The Guardian

Latest news, sport, business, comment, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice

Australian Open 2026: Van de Zandschulp v Djokovic, Kalinskaya v Swiatek – live

Third-round matches continue at Melbourne Park
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On John Cain Arena, the 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka has just taken the second set against Taylor Fritz (9). It’s 6-7(7), 6-2 over there.

Scheduled after Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena is Naomi Osaka (16) v Maddison Inglis. Osaka has been in the news.

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‘Repatriate the gold’: German economists advise withdrawal from US vaults

Shift in relations and unpredictability of Donald Trump make it ‘risky to store so much gold in the US’, say experts

Germany is facing calls to withdraw its billions of euros’ worth of gold from US vaults, spurred on by the shift in transatlantic relations and the unpredictability of Donald Trump.

Germany holds the world’s second biggest national gold reserves after the US, of which approximately €164bn (£122bn) worth – 1,236 tonnes – is stored in New York.

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The influencer World Cup: Fifa and the TikTok deal targeting an avalanche of posts

Partnership with tech giant speaks to push to engage younger fans but also has wider strategic goals in mind

In this World Cup year, Fifa has come out of the blocks quickly. In the past few weeks any number of initiatives have been announced or activated, from a data partnership with Opta to facilitate more betting, to the Fifa Pass for speeding up visa applications for the US this summer, to the unveiling of the official Lego World Cup trophy. Among the ever-expanding list is an intriguing deal with TikTok, a partnership that will give digital creators front-row seats at the 104-match tournament.

In Fifa language its partnership with the short-form video platform will make “the most inclusive event in football history … even more accessible”. According to TikTok’s global head of content, James Stafford, it will bring fans “closer to the action in ways they can’t get anywhere else”. It plans to do so by granting an unspecified number of online personalities behind-the-scenes access, giving them archive and highlights footage to use in their content and, in return, requesting an avalanche of posts that will make the World Cup inescapable for TikTok users.

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‘A long time coming’: table tennis world hails Marty Supreme-fueled boom

Once dismissed as a basement game, table tennis is enjoying an unlikely US revival as the Oscar-tipped biopic Marty Supreme collides with a wave of new players

For decades in the US, table tennis has lived a double life: one of the most widely played sports in the country, yet still dismissed by many as a basement pursuit. Now, unexpectedly, it is having a cultural moment.

The release of Marty Supreme, a film steeped in obsession and myth, and loosely based on postwar American table tennis champion Marty Reisman, has pushed ping-pong into the pop-culture mainstream – just as US Major League Table Tennis sells out matches, clubs report growing interest, and younger players pick up paddles for the first time.

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Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

Wielrenner Vernon wint ingekorte etappe van Tour Down Under

WILLUNGA (ANP) - Ethan Vernon heeft de vierde etappe van de Tour Down Under gewonnen. De 25-jarige Brit was de snelste in een sprint van een ingekorte rit.

De Australiër Jay Vine blijft de leider in het algemeen klassement. Hij verloor zijn ploeggenoot Jhonatan Narváez, die na een valpartij afstapte. De openingswedstrijd van het nieuwe wielerseizoen eindigt zondag met een heuvelachtige rit rond Stirling.

De organisatie van de Tour Down Under paste de koninginnenrit drastisch aan om de veiligheid van de wielrenners te waarborgen. Er dreigde door de hitte brandgevaar, met name in het gebied waar Willunga Hill ligt. Die beklimming, traditioneel de scherprechter in de Australische etappekoers uit de WorldTour, werd uit de route gehaald.

De temperatuur liep op tot 40 graden Celsius en om die reden was er een grote kans op natuurbranden. De vierde etappe werd ingekort van 176 naar 131 kilometer en de aankomst was niet op Willunga Hill, maar werd verplaatst naar een strook bergop in het centrum van het Zuid-Australische stadje Willunga.


VK: Voorpagina

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De mens wordt oud en gaat dood. Maar wat sterfelijkheid betreft, verkopen statistieken ons illusies