Super Blood Moon eclipse September 27-28.

There is a total eclipse of the moon on the night of September 27-28, 2015. It happens to be the closest supermoon of 2015. It’s the Northern Hemisphere’s Harvest Moon, or full moon nearest the September equinox. It’s the Southern Hemisphere’s first full moon of spring. This September full moon is also called a Blood Moon, because it presents the fourth and final eclipse of a lunar tetrad: four straight total eclipses of the moon, spaced at six lunar months (full moons) apart. Phew!

The total lunar eclipse is visible from the most of North America and all of South Americaafter sunset September 27. From eastern South America and Greenland, the greatest eclipse happens around midnight September 27-28. In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the total eclipse takes place in the wee hours of the morning, after midnight and before sunriseSeptember 28. A partial lunar eclipse can be seen after sunset September 27 from western Alaska, or before sunrise September 28 in far-western Asia. Photo top of post shows a partial phase of the April 14-15, 2014 total lunar eclipse by Fred Espenak. Follow the links below to learn more about the 2015 Harvest Moon and the September 27-28 total lunar eclipse.

SUPER MOON OF 27-28 SEPTEMBER.IT WAS THE LARGEST SUPERMOON IN 2015

REIGONS WHERE THE ECLIPSE CAN BE SEEN

Animation of the September 28, 2015, total lunar eclipse. Moon passes through southern half of the Earth’s shadow from west to east. Horizontal yellow line depicts the ecliptic – Earth’s orbital plane projected onto the dome of sky. The inner bull’s-eye shadow depicts the umbra (dark shadow). The penumbra (faint shadow) encircles the umbra.

Who will see the September 27-28 total lunar eclipse? The September 2015 full moon passes directly through Earth’s dark (umbral) shadow. The total part of this eclipse lasts for 72 minutes. A partial umbral eclipse precedes totality by some 64 minutes, and follows totality by about the same period of time, so the moon takes about 3 and 1/3 hours to completely sweep through the Earth’s dark shadow.

North America, South America, the Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, Europe, Africa and the Middle East are in a good position worldwide to watch the total eclipse of the moon. If you live in the Americas, the total eclipse happens after sunset September 27. In the world’s eastern hemisphere, the total eclipse happens after midnight and before sunrise September 28.

A very light penumbral eclipse comes before and after the dark (umbral) stage of the lunar eclipse. But this sort of eclipse is so faint that many people won’t even notice it. The penumbral eclipse would be more fun to watch from the moon, where it would be seen as a partial eclipse of the sun.

 A partial lunar eclipse may be visible in the haze of evening dusk on September 27 from the extreme northwestern portion of North America (western Alaska). A partial lunar eclipse might also be observed in the haze of morning dawn (September 28) from far-western Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan, eastern Iran).

Scientists Use Super-Powerful Laser To Simulate 'First Spark Of Life'

It's long been known that life on Earth arose about 4 billion years ago. But what caused the first "spark of life?" That remains a topic for debate.

Some scientists believe microorganisms from outer space hitched a ride to Earthaboard an asteroid or a comet, since life arose during a period when our planet was pelted with space rocks. Other scientists say life arose from spontaneous chemical reactions on Earth.

Now, chemists in the Czech Republic say they have evidence to support a theory that combines both ideas--that an asteroid impact triggered the production of RNA bases, the building blocks of life's genetic code.

To test the theory, the researchers simulated the energy of an asteroid impact on Earth using the Prague Asterix Laser System, a powerful laser that can generate around a billion kilowatts of energy at its peak, the Associated Press reported. The laser was directed for a fraction of a second at plasma containing formamide, a substance scientists believe was likely around on ancient Earth.

What happened next? The laser produced a shockwave in the plasma, generating radiation and temperatures of over 7,600 degrees Fahrenheit. This triggered a cascade of chemical reactions, leading to the formation of four RNA nucleobases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil.

“This is, I believe, the first time that all four nucleobases have been made in one set of reaction conditions,” Steven Benner, an astrobiologist at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, who was not involved in the new research, told Science.

That may suggest that it's possible an asteroid could have triggered the synthesis of RNA's building blocks. Of course, the question of how these "blocks" joined to form more complex molecules remains.

"In conclusion, all these findings suggest that the emergence of terrestrial life is not the result of an accident but a direct consequence of the conditions on the primordial Earth and its surroundings," the researchers wrote in an article describing their findings.

The article was published online on Dec. 8 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A SLIME MOLD WITH A MEMORY

A Slime Mold With a Memory

Slime molds have no brains, but as it turns out, they have ways of remembering where they've been.

The goopy puddles known as slime molds are part of a group of microbes called protists. These single-celled organisms don't have brains, yet researchers discovered they have memories.

Slime molds secrete a thick, translucent slime as they move. Then, they use the slime trail they've laid down to record where they've been -- which, in turn, helps them go around obstacles and find things. In studies, researchers hid a sugary meal behind a U-shaped barrier, and the slime mold found it by using its trail to figure out where it had already been, and thus where to look next 

Such a memory isn't the same as a human memory, of course. Slime molds can't store memories, for example. Still, the findings help us understand how early organisms figured out problems and puzzles. And the discovery marks the first demonstration of a spatial memory system in a brainless organism.

A Chinese Turtle that Pees Through its Mouth

A Chinese Turtle that Pees Through its Mouth

Urea, which comes from decomposing proteins, is a common component of fertilizer. Pelodiscus sinensis, a Chinese soft-shelled turtle, urinates through its mouth to pass urea

How cool would it be if you could pee through your mouth? Actually, it doesn't sound appealing at all. But scientists have discovered a Chinese soft-shelled turtle that can do just that. Its name is Pelodiscus sinensis, and it comes equipped with unusual gill-like projections on its mouth.

The turtles typically live in salty swamps and marshes. Strangely, when they're on dry land, they often stick their heads in puddles. In fact, researchers discovered these turtles can submerge their heads underwater for as long as 100 minutes. They also found the turtles can pee about 50 times more urea through their mouths than from their rears.

So why are they doing this? Like humans, turtles need to wash out the urea their bodies create. Urea is a result of proteins that decompose in our bodies. Humans create the urine to do this by drinking fresh water. But the soft-shelled turtles can't simply drink some water, because they live in a salty environment, andsaltwater's not good to drink. Scientists speculate that to solve this problem, the turtles get rid of their urea by sticking their heads in fresh water, like that found in puddles, and simply rinse the urea out through their mouths

LEMURIA

Lemuria, or Mu, is a continent said to have been swallowed by the sea, and to now lie under the Indian or Pacific Ocean. The famous Theosophist Madame Blavatsky claimed that the Lemurians were ape-like giants that had the gift of telepathy. In a book called “The Lost Continent of Mu”, one writer claimed that all of mankind has its origins in Mu, which once extended from Hawaii to Easter Island and Fiji. Supposedly, it was completely destroyed 12,000 years ago by an enormous earthquake, and sank into the sea.

Today, the Stelle group in the USA claims to be descended from the Lemurians. According to this group, the Lemurians escaped from earth following the catastrophe, and they have since been guiding the destinies of chosen groups such as themselves.

WATER FLOW PATTERNS ON MARS

 Water Flow Patterns on Mars

In 2011, Nasa released a statement, along with photos, saying they have evidence that there might be “flowing water” on Mars. The time-lapse shots appear to show liquid running down the planet’s rocky landscape to form long, dark flow patterns. Scientists’ best guess is that the flows are salty water, which warms up just enough during the planet’s summer months to melt and slosh around on the surface. Signs that Mars once had flowing water have been seen before, but this is the first time that such markings have been observed changing over a short period of time.

WATER FOUND ON MOON

On Oct 9, 2009 Nasa’s LCROSS, or Lunar Crater Observing and Sensing Satellite struck water in a cold, permanently dark crater at the south pole of the moon. The LCROSS was a nasa probe designed to impact the moon, while a small satellite followed behind it measuring the chemical makeup of the material that was ejected. After a year of data analysis, Nasa reported that it’s mission found water ice in the floor of the permanently-shadowed crater it’s probe impacted. Later data from three different spacecraft indicate a thin film of water coats the surface of the soil in at least some areas.