Mika McKinnon, Author at Gizmodo

Where Will Researchers Test Telescope Equipment In The Future?

The Lick Observatory in the mountains east of San Jose, California, is the testing grounds for all-new technology developed by graduate students in the Univeristy of California system. At least, it has been. Now it’s being defunded, it’s an open question where testing will take place in the not-so-distant future. Lick Observatory had the first…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Sep 4 '14

What If We Tried to Fly On Alien Worlds?

Could we fly on far-away worlds, or will it forever be a tantalizing fantasy? Randall Munroe of xkcd tackled the practicalities of flight on the 32 largest stars, planets and moons of our solar system as part of his What if? series. Top image: Excerpt of the visual summary of flying on different bodies within…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Sep 3 '14

Ground Deformation from the Napa Valley Earthquake

The European Space Agency’s Earth-monitoring Sentinels collected radar interferometry of the Napa Valley before and after the recent earthquake, highlighting ground deformation. Ground-truthing of surface ruptures is drawing a surprisingly complex picture of valley faults. For more uses of radar interferometry, check out these unstable slopes in South America.

Tech News Mika McKinnon Sep 2 '14

Our Planet Is Ethereally Alien In These Dusky Photos From Space

While it looks like an unearthly landscape from a distant exoplanet, this is our own Earth as seen from the International Space Station. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev captured this delicate moment of diffuse light and rich shadows of clouds at sunset. While this is the most recent bit of extreme beauty sent home by Artemyev, it’s…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Sep 2 '14

The Astro-Geckos Didn’t Survive Their Space Adventure

After being lost and then found again, the capsule containing the infamous space geckoshave returned to Earth. Alas, the heating system failed, so instead of getting it on, the geckos froze to death.

Tech News Mika McKinnon Sep 1 '14

Stock Up On Spirulina For Snacks and Fresh Air On Deep Space Missions

Meet Spirulinaha, Arthrospira bacteria that scrubs carbon dioxide into oxygen, is a protein-rich meal for astronauts, and multiplies so rapidly that eating them for dinner won’t leave the space station without fresh air by morning. Top: a handful of Spirulinahas strands, passing gas before they’re eaten. Image credit: NASA/ESA Along with being so amazingly useful,…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Sep 1 '14

An Empty Spacesuit Is Full of Possibilities

When astronaut Alex Gerst checked in on this empty spacesuit, he proclaimed it was sneaking in some air guitar when no one was watching. But it seems like this spacesuit could be doing so much than that. You tell me: What’s the best caption for this photo? Image credit: NASA/ESA/Alex Gerst Here’s the same suit…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 31 '14

The Moon Landing Went Far Better Than the Practice Landing

Just months before the first moon landing, Neil Armstrong was squeezing in a few more practice landings. In an altogether disconcerting turn of events, the lunar lander exploded during practice. Between our stronger gravity and thick atmosphere, it’s hard to practice landing on the moon by flying on Earth. The best the test flight engineering…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 30 '14

Behold, A Fresh Collection of Free-to-Use Satellite Images

The DOVES are a flock of microsatellites tasked with rapid Earth imaging. Now all those images are free-to-use under a creative commons license. Top image: San Francisco Bay, California. Nature reserves, salt ponds, and levee trails to the east, the Dumbarton Bridge spanning East Palo Alto and Fremont, with Facebook’s campus to the southwest. Credit:…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 29 '14

Bárðarbunga Briefly Burbles With A Midnight Fissure Eruption

After rumbling at us all week with unconfirmed subglacial eruptions and tormenting volcanologists to debate will it or won’t it erupt, Bárðarbunga belched forth a fountain of lava. The eruption was both gentle and short-lived with no ash, boding well for air travel. https://gizmodo.com/another-volcano-is-rumbling-under-the-ice-in-iceland-1624326524 https://gizmodo.com/icelandic-scientists-mobilize-monitoring-for-uneasy-vol-1625759095 Bárðarbunga started erupting just after midnight local time with a…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 28 '14

Space, Science, and Speculation at Dragon Con

A concentrated mass of geekery is descending on Atlanta for the long weekend, and I’m showing up to do my part. From deliciously doom-filled panels to partaking in PowerPoint Karaoke, here’s where I’ll be for Dragon Con. This year is going to be a delightful mess of science, speculation and Stargate! I’ll be doing at…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 28 '14

A Squirt of Flame Forms a Fiery Jellyfish in Microgravity

You haven’t forgotten how amazing flames on the International Space Station are, right? We’ve got yet another peek at amorphous jellyfish of flames in microgravity, and they’re still beautiful. https://gizmodo.com/question-what-is-the-best-kind-of-fire-1597490341 https://gizmodo.com/spheres-of-flame-are-one-of-the-surreal-wonders-of-livi-1607600424 Image credit: NASA/ESA/Alexander Gerst These photographs were taken during the Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS) combustion experiments on the International Space Station. The…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 28 '14

Get Excited and Make Things with SCIENCE!

Do you think science is really, really cool? Do you want to just play with it, making awesome things for no other reason than because you can? You want to find a Science Hack Day, and go to it. Tracking the real-time position of the International Space Station on a modified globe. Image credit: Matt…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 27 '14

How To Perfectly Locate Your Router, Using Physics

How do you determine the optimal placement for a wifi router? For most people, this could be an exercise in design, or in outlet location and cable length, or maybe where it’s most convenient to frequently reset. For a physicist, it involves solving the Helmholtz equation. Jason Cole is a PhD physics student in London.…

Physics & Chemistry Mika McKinnon Aug 26 '14

This Is The Most Detailed Map of Neptune’s Moon Triton

On August 25, 1989, Voyager 2 sailed past Triton, capturing our first real look at Neptune’s moon. With half the moon lost in shadow, we only got a glimpse of the icy moon. Now that footage has been restored and enhanced for your viewing pleasure. The most detailed map of Neptune’s moon Triton. Full resolution…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 25 '14

Geology of the Napa Valley Earthquake

Northern California was hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake just outside of Napa at 3:20 am this morning. You saw the damage reports elsewhere: here’s all the geoscience behind what happened, and what to expect next. A jumble of bottles at B.R. Cohn Winery barrel storage facility. Image credit: AP/Eric Risberg Californians woke up to…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 25 '14

This Mooring Tool Is Next-Level Design Sorcery

Every now and then, a bit of engineering comes by that is both deeply simple, and beautifully complex. This tool for hooking the mooring lines of boats onto a dock cleat is flat-out mesmerizing. Securing boats by mooring lines onto dock cleats, buoys, or anything else isn’t exactly a complicated task: wrap the line around…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 23 '14

Icelandic Scientists Mobilize Monitoring For Uneasy Volcano

After rumbling ominously for days, Bárðarbunga is finally erupting. Maybe. A small subglacial eruption started on Saturday. Scientists rapidly deployed additional sensors in the region, monitoring the ongoing earthquake swarm, surface deformation, and subglacial eruption. https://gizmodo.com/another-volcano-is-rumbling-under-the-ice-in-iceland-1624326524 The Icelandic volcano started erupting on Saturday afternoon, local time. At least, that’s what the best-guess is based on…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 23 '14

A SpaceX Rocket Test Just Went Explosively Awry

A rocket exploded during a test flight at the SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas. An anomaly crept during the flight, triggering the rocket to self-detonate. No injuries are reported, and rumours are rampant. While an unintentionally explosive test flight is a shocking thing to our risk-adverse society, it’s actually an indicator…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 22 '14

No, New Orleans Is Not Getting Another Katrina This Weekend

New Orleans really doesn’t need to worry about a hurricane barreling into them right now, even if you see a Facebook post proclaiming, “SHARE THIS IMMEDIATELY!” You can stop calling the National Weather Office in a panic now. Like most viral misinformation, a tiny glimmer of truth hides within the fear-mongering. In this case, it’s…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Aug 22 '14

Mika McKinnon

Where Will Researchers Test Telescope Equipment In The Future?

What If We Tried to Fly On Alien Worlds?

Ground Deformation from the Napa Valley Earthquake

Our Planet Is Ethereally Alien In These Dusky Photos From Space

The Astro-Geckos Didn’t Survive Their Space Adventure

Stock Up On Spirulina For Snacks and Fresh Air On Deep Space Missions

An Empty Spacesuit Is Full of Possibilities

The Moon Landing Went Far Better Than the Practice Landing

Behold, A Fresh Collection of Free-to-Use Satellite Images

Bárðarbunga Briefly Burbles With A Midnight Fissure Eruption

Space, Science, and Speculation at Dragon Con

A Squirt of Flame Forms a Fiery Jellyfish in Microgravity

Get Excited and Make Things with SCIENCE!

How To Perfectly Locate Your Router, Using Physics

This Is The Most Detailed Map of Neptune’s Moon Triton

Geology of the Napa Valley Earthquake

This Mooring Tool Is Next-Level Design Sorcery

Icelandic Scientists Mobilize Monitoring For Uneasy Volcano

A SpaceX Rocket Test Just Went Explosively Awry

No, New Orleans Is Not Getting Another Katrina This Weekend

JetBlue Sued for Allegedly Increasing the Price of Tickets Based on Personal Data

The Creator and Director of ‘Widow’s Bay’ on Crafting Their Quirky, Spooky New Series

Americans Are Missing Out on Yet Another New Super-Cheap DJI Drone

Why Buy Sunglasses When You Can Get Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1) Smart AI Glasses for Less?

Tesla Reveals Mysterious $2 Billion AI Hardware Deal in SEC Filing

Anker’s UV Printer Can Handle Almost Anything… If You Know What You’re Doing

DJI Follows Up Drone Deals With Action Camera Discounts, Osmo Action 5 Pro Hits Its Lowest Price in Months

This Is What a Leg Ravaged by ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacteria Looks Like

‘Battlestar Galactica’ Is Blasting Back to Streaming

Theoretically, Govee’s New Solar-Powered String Lights Will Never Run Out of Power

HP’s EliteBoard Keyboard-Computer Proves We Can Stick a PC in Anything

Sleep-Tracking Earbuds Didn’t Fix Me, but They Did Open My Eyes

I’ve Tested a Lot of Bad Smart Glasses and These Are the Worst Yet

Roborock’s Qrevo Curv 2 Flow Is the Ultimate Robot Mop—If You Don’t Have Corners or Walls

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee