Fact of the Day

[(Kirito)]

The northern lights look like fire, but they wouldn't feel like one. Even though the temperature of the upper atmosphere can reach thousands of degrees Fahrenheit, the heat is based on the average speed of the molecules. After all, that's what temperature is. But feeling heat is another matter – the density of the air is so low at 60 miles (96 kilometers) up that a thermometer would register temperatures far below zero where aurora displays occur.

[Grundy]

Did you know... that the aurora borealis is visible from space ? Satellites can take pictures of the aurora from Earth's orbit and the images they get are pretty striking . In fact , auroras are bright enough that they show up strongly on the nightside of the Earth even if one were looking at them from another planet .
 

[lucaslink2]

Did you know... that other planets have them? Voyagers 1 and 2 were the first probes to bring back pictures of auroras on Jupiter and Saturn, and later Uranus and Neptune. Since then, the Hubble Space Telescope has taken pictures of them as well. Auroras on either Jupiter or Saturn are much larger and more powerful than on Earth, because those planets' magnetic fields are orders of magnitude more intense. On Uranus, auroras get weirder, because the planet's magnetic field is oriented roughly vertically, but the planet rotates on its side. That means instead of the bright rings you see on other worlds, Uranus' auroras look more like single bright spots, at least when spied by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2011. But it's not clear that's always the case, because no spacecraft has seen the planet up-close since 1986.

[DarkRavie]

11 hours ago, lucaslink2 said:

Did you know... that other planets have them? Voyagers 1 and 2 were the first probes to bring back pictures of auroras on Jupiter and Saturn, and later Uranus and Neptune. Since then, the Hubble Space Telescope has taken pictures of them as well. Auroras on either Jupiter or Saturn are much larger and more powerful than on Earth, because those planets' magnetic fields are orders of magnitude more intense. On Uranus, auroras get weirder, because the planet's magnetic field is oriented roughly vertically, but the planet rotates on its side. That means instead of the bright rings you see on other worlds, Uranus' auroras look more like single bright spots, at least when spied by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2011. But it's not clear that's always the case, because no spacecraft has seen the planet up-close since 1986.

I did not know that.  It's interesting.  I learn something new when you all participate and post!  Thank you.  I do hope you all like this thread.

Edited April 11, 2019 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - UNLUCKY NUMBERS

 

Did you know... that in many hotels and buildings there is no floor with number 13? This is because number 13 is considered very unlucky.  In Christianity, number 13 is considered as highly inauspicious. It is believed that Judas Iscariot – the one, who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to participate in the Last Supper.  This number is avoided in the daily life by Christians. You will never find elevators and rooms with number 13.  Even in the Parsi Culture, 13 is considered inauspicious.

Edited April 12, 2019 by DarkRavie

[(Kirito)]

4 is well known to be an unlucky number because 四 sounds similar to 死 (sǐ), which means "death" in Chinese. People will go to extremes based on superstitions of the number 4. In China, the presence of the number 4 is avoided in most public settings; in addition to elevator buttons, addresses, ID numbers, phone numbers, license plates, and product names will usually omit the number 4 for fear of being attached to bad luck. Houses and apartments that have 4 in the address number will sell for much less than ones without. Mentioning the number four to an ill family member is considered to be highly offensive, and giving anything with 4 on it to someone can be seen as a death threat.

[Pa1]

11 hours ago, (Kirito) said:

4

 

And that's my birth date. Finally got the reason for my bad luck.

[(Kirito)]

That's the reason why OnePlus (Chinese Smartphone making company) didn't launch OnePlus 4 flagship.

[Grundy]

Did you know... that in chinese 7 is considered terribly unlucky ? It is a yang number and its pronunciation is close to the pronunciation of the word meaning ,, gone ,, ( 去 qu ) . Seven also relates to ceremonies that release dead souls from purgatory . In some parts of China , the 14th or 15th of the 7th month in the Chinese lunar calendar is the date for holding sacrificial ceremonies .

[lucaslink2]

Did you know... that 17 is considered unlucky. When viewed as the Roman numeral, XVII, it is then changed anagrammatically to VIXI, which in the Latin language translates to "I lived", the perfect implying "My life is over." Also 9 is feared in Japan because it sounds similar to the Japanese word for torture or suffering, so it's also considered unlucky

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - BLIMPS

 

Did you know... that A blimp is an airship that has no internal framework to keep its helium gas bag rigid? They lift due to high pressure and helium pumped in the balloon and uses less fuel in two weeks than it takes a 747 airplane just to taxi to the runway.  The only solid parts of a blimp are the gondola, where the passengers are, and the tail fins used for stability.  Blimps require propeller motors for steering mobility purposes.  Pilots power and steer blimps with two propeller engines and a movable tail and rudder system.  On average, blimps can travel 150-200 miles per day.  The usual cruising speed for a blimp is 35 miles per hour in a zero wind condition. There are 4 air valves on each blimp- two at the front and two at the back. The valves are opened and closed to either let air out or keep air in the ballonets. Without any lifting gas, the empty ship (GZ-20) weighs about 12,840 pounds. Inflated with helium, the ship weighs only 100-200 pounds, depending on the amount of fuel, payload and ballast aboard.

 

[(Kirito)]

Blimps are commonly used for advertising purposes, and some blimps have 1000s of LED lights on them to shine messages.

Blimps are often deflated in transportation processes. Also, some blimps were used for patrolling purposes for the United States Navy in the World War I period.

[Grundy]

Did you know... that In 1925 , Goodyear Tire and Rubber created the blimps we now know today ? The term ''blimp'' is a mix of the original British word for blimp , ,,limp,, and the most common type of blimp class , B , thus creating ,,blimp,, bizkit .
 

[lucaslink2]

Did you know... that the largest balloon-like part, or envelope, is made of a special polyester fabric that is specially designed to be strong and light. It is shaped like a bullet to be aerodynamic, reducing friction as it cruises through the sky.

[Grundy]

Fact of the Day - PIRATES

 

Did you know... that Blackbeard was the most feared pirate of all ? Blackbeard ( aka Edward Teach ) was known as the most terrifying pirate in the world . Before capturing a ship he would weave hemp into his beard and light it on fire , an intimidation tactic that made him look demonic . 
 

[(Kirito)]

The rulers of Minoan Crete were the first to raise a navy specifically for the purpose of battling piracy. He managed to clear the surrounding waters of piracy for a time, until his navy was destroyed by a tsunami around 1400 B.C. and piracy resumed.

[DarkRavie]

Did you know... that The most notable period of piracy happened between 1650s and 1730s in a period that is today known as "Golden Age of Piracy"? Then, large amounts of organized pirate fleets managed constantly raid trade routes of Caribbean, West Africa, Red Sea and India, and various publications started promoting their idolized way of life, great adventures and riches that they captured. Some of the most notable pirate captains managed to inflict such a fear and devastation to the trade community, that they even manage to completely stop naval commerce between commerce in few occasions.

 

Exploits of pirates such as Blackbeard (who operated in Caribbean and was famous for his theatrics and personal image), Henry Every (who managed to capture incredible wealth and retire without being caught by authorities), Henry Morgan (who fought against Spanish as a privateer his entire life), Edward Low (famous for his cruelty and love for torture), and Anne Bonny (one of the rare female pirates) managed to attract such attention, that European and US governments had to react. For years their armies were occupied with fighting among themselves, but when peace treaties have been signed threat of piracy became unbearable to all of them. With few organized attack they managed to kill several major pirate captains (such as Bartholomew Roberts who captured over 470 ships in Caribbean and West Africa), destroy their hideouts (at the peak of the pirate activity, their bases at Madagascar held over 1000 people) and provide better support to trade fleets and end so called "Golden Age of Piracy".

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - WARSHIPS

 

Did you know... that on June 11th, 1944, the United States commissioned its last battleship?  The USS Missouri was the last American battleship ever built, despite their military successes, mostly due to the increased importance of aircraft carriers.  When she was finally decommissioned on March 31st, 1992—the last battleship to be stricken from the Navy’s registry—the USS Missouri had an impressive service legacy.  She earned 11 battle stars from World War II, Korea, and the Persian Gulf conflict.

[Grundy]

Did you know... that the America Class is one of the largest assault ship of the US Navy ? So far , only one ship , the USS America , has been completed ( in 2014 ) . The ship has a total length of 257 m ( 844 ft ) and displacement ( weight ) of about 45.000 long tons ( 46.000 t ) .

[(Kirito)]

Ok, this is post WWII but concerns a renowned German cruiser the Prinz Eugen. After the Potsdam Conference of 1945 the Eugen was ceded to the US and used as a target ship in the Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946. The cruiser survived both 'Able' air burst bombs and the more powerful 'Baker' underwater shot. She remained afloat and was eventually towed away to sink off Kawajalein Atoll in August 1946.