20 Mar 2011 'Pac-Man' in space: 1980s video game icon glows on Saturn's moon Mimas

Other moons usually grab the spotlight, but it turns out Mimas is more bizarre than we thought it was, said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. It has certainly given us some new puzzles.Cassini collected the data on Feb. 13, Rosetta Stone Greekduring its closest flyby of the moon, which is marked by an enormous scar called Herschel Crater and resembles the Death Star from Star Wars.Scientists working with the composite infrared spectrometer, which mapped Mimas' temperatures, expected smoothly varying temperatures peaking in the early afternoon near the equator. Instead, the warmest region was in the morning, along one edge of the moon's disk, making a sharply defined Pac-Man shape, with temperatures around 92 Kelvin (minus 294 degrees Fahrenheit). The rest of the moon was much colder, around 77 Kelvin (minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit). A smaller warm spot -- the dot in Pac-Man's mouth -- showed up around Herschel, with a temperature around 84 Kelvin (minus 310 degrees Fahrenheit).The warm spot around Herschel makes sense because tall crater walls (about 5 kilometers, or 3 miles, high) can trap heat inside the crater. But scientists were completely baffled by the sharp, V-shaped pattern.We suspect the temperatures are revealing differences in texture on the surface, said John Spencer, a Cassini composite infrared spectrometer team member based at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. It's maybe something like the difference between old, dense snow and freshly fallen powder.Denser ice quickly conducts the heat of the sun away from the surface, keeping it cold during the day. Powdery ice is more insulating and traps the sun's heat at the surface, so the surface warms up.Even if surface texture variations are to blame, scientists are still trying to figure out why there are such sharp boundaries between the regions, Spencer said. It is possible that the impact that created Herschel learn french Saturn, the visibility of these contrasts on a moon continually re-paved with small particles from the E ring helps scientists estimate rates of change on other satellites.These processes are not unique to Mimas, but the new high-definition images are like Rosetta stones for interpreting them, Helfenstein said.

19 Mar 11 French Territories Vote No To Autonomy But Claims That Top Jobs Go To Immigrants Persist

People in Martinique and Guiana have voted against greater autonomy from France despite protests Rosetta Stone English
and strikes over low wages and high prices.Residents of the Caribbean territories want to maintain strong links with France. Nearly 79% on the island of Martinique and almost 70% in Guiana, on the South American mainland, rejected a reduction of French control of the two overseas departments. Campaigners in favour of less control had hoped for a positive outcome in the referendums. They argued it would allow the territories a greater say in key issues like development, education and employment.It was just a year ago that a number of overseas French territories including Reunion and Guadeloupe, were rocked by violent protests and strikes caused by low wages, unemployment and high prices. It led to various debates about citizenship and immigration. There were claims that top jobs were going to French immigrants rather than local people.Unemployment in Rosetta Stone German
France's overseas territories is generally far higher than in mainland France. Food and fuel are also more expensive despite government efforts to cut prices.In a statement, French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the outcome of the referendum, saying it reflected the strong ties between the territories and metropolitan France. Both Martinique and French Guiana were granted French department status when Paris relinquished total control more than half a century ago. Alfred Marie-Jeanne, a leader of Martiniques independence movement, has voiced deep disappointment at the results. He said the No vote reflected peoples fears, not their aspirations.Tensions though are still high in nearby Guadeloupe, another French territory in the Caribbean which was the scene of the most violent of last years confrontations when shops were burned and looted and a union leader was killed during a 44 day standoff between protesters and police. The trouble came at the height of the holiday season when thousands of British, French and American tourists visit the island. learn spanish
Now there has been talk of a general strike and further street protests.