The Daily Populous

When Astronomers Chased a Total Eclipse in a Concorde

Under the control and overall direction of French test pilot André Turcat, the French Concorde "001" prototype had set numerous speed and altitude records.

In London, British astrophysicist John Beckman had been using aircraft to do astronomy for years, despite being a nervous flyer himself.

Closing in at maximum velocity, Concorde would swoop down from the north and intercept the shadow of the moon over northwest Africa.

Two minutes after take-off, the aircraft hit Mach 1, or about 707 mph at altitude, and headed southeast toward the moving shadow.

Planned Concorde eclipse tours in 2001 were grounded, and in 2003 the final commercial Concorde flights touched down for the final time.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the Concorde took off from Tenerife; in fact, it left from Gran Canaria.

An earlier version also incorrectly indicated the speed of Mach 1 at which "001" was traveling after two minutes of ascent. »

Close shave from an undetected asteroid

Authored by earthsky.org

Asteroid 2017 OO1 flyby had passed at about one-third the Earth-moon distance, or about 76,448 miles (123,031 km).

The late discovery of asteroid 2017 OO1 is a reminder that a Chelyabinsk type event can clearly repeat.

Bottom line: Asteroid 2017 OO1 was detected three days after passing at about one-third the moon’s distance from Earth. »

Grenfell Tower: Corporate manslaughter considered by police

Authored by bbc.co.uk

Image copyright PA. Police investigating the Grenfell Tower fire say they have "reasonable grounds" to suspect that corporate manslaughter offences may have been committed.

Organisations guilty of the offence of corporate manslaughter are liable to an "unlimited fine".

Individuals cannot be charged with corporate manslaughter, an offence which is intended to work "in conjunction" with other forms of accountability. »

Westworld Season 2 Premieres Spring 2018

Authored by screenrant.com

HBO has now confirmed that Westworld season 2 will premiere next spring.

It even earned some Emmy nominations, including for Outstanding Drama, as the only HBO show in the category.

The second season of Westworld, which is currently in production, will air in the spring of 2018 – as confirmed by a PR overview of the premiere dates for all of the current HBO/Cinemax TV series. »

US healthcare: Senate 'skinny repeal' bill fails

Authored by bbc.co.uk

The latest attempt to repeal the Obama-era healthcare act has failed after a dramatic night in the US Senate.

The so-called "skinny" repeal, which would have scaled back some of the more controversial provisions, is the third failed attempt to repeal Obamacare.

The stripped down bill came after earlier Senate defeats for proposals to replace Obamacare and then to partially repeal it. »