A recently discovered comet will make an uncomfortably close planetary flyby next year — but this time it’s not Earth that’s in the crosshairs.

According to preliminary orbital prediction models, comet C/2013 A1 will buzz by Mars on Oct. 19, 2014. The icy interloper is thought to originate from the Oort Cloud — a hypothetical region surrounding the solar system containing countless billions of cometary nuclei that were outcast from the primordial solar system billions of years ago.

We know that comets have hit the planets before (re: the massive Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 that crashed into Jupiter in 1994), Mars in particular. It’s also believed that Earth’s oceans were created by water delivered by comets — cometary impacts are an inevitable part of living in this cosmic ecosystem.

C/2013 A1 was discovered by ace comet-hunter Robert McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales, Australia, on Jan. 3. When the discovery was made, astronomers at the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona looked back over their observations to find “prerecovery” images of the comet dating back to Dec. 8, 2012. These observations placed the orbital trajectory of comet C/2013 A1 through Mars orbit on Oct. 19, 2014.

Could the Red Planet be in for a potentially huge impact next year? Will Mars rovers Curiosity and Opportunity be in danger of becoming scrap metal?

It seems the likelihood of an awesome planetary impact is low — for now.

According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) calculations, close approach data suggests the comet is most likely to make a close pass of 0.0007 AU (that’s approximately 63,000 miles from the Martian surface). However, there’s one huge caveat.

Due to uncertainties in the observations — the comet has only been observed for 74 days (so far), so it’s difficult for astronomers to forecast the comet’s precise location in 20 months time — comet C/2013 A1 may fly past at a very safe distance of 0.008 AU (650,000 miles). But to the other extreme, its orbital pass could put Mars directly in its path. At time of Mars close approach (or impact), the comet will be barreling along at a breakneck speed of 35 miles per second (126,000 miles per hour).

Also, we don’t yet know how big comet C/2013 A1 is, but comets typically aren’t small. If it did hit, the impact could be a huge, global event. But the comet’s likely location in 2014 is also highly uncertain, so this is by no means a “sure thing” for Mars impact (Curiosity, you can relax, for now).

One thing is looking likely, however. Mars could be in for its own “cometary spectacular.”

A flyby of that distance will mean that should C3/2013 A1 erupt with a tail and coma around its nucleus (as it becomes heated by solar radiation), our Mars rovers and orbiting armada of planetary observation satellites will have a very intimate view of this historic moment. It has the potential to be a more impressive sight than Comet ISON’s inner-solar system trek later this year. But understanding the nature of comets is hard to predict; we won’t know if the sun’s heating will be sufficient enough for the comet nucleus to erupt and start out-gassing for some time to come.
Image courtesy of NASA








This article originally published at Discovery News here

Google Glass isn't even out yet, and people are heralding the part-camera, part-mobile device as the future — a revolutionary product that will surely change the way we use (and view) technology.

But some vision specialists are worried the high-tech specs, which you'll be able to wear on your head, could lead to health issues, including eye strain, headaches and neck pain.

"While Google Glass is a brand new interactive heads-up display (HUD) technology, there are some things we can presume based on the information Google has released," said Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford, a VSP optometrist for Bright Eyes Family Vision.

"Consumers may experience a physiological impact while wearing these glasses, such as increased eye-strain and dry eyes from reduced blinking," he added. "This could ultimately cause headaches and neck pain and are the symptoms of computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain."

Most people who spend long hours in front of the computer or mobile devices know the discomfort associated with prolonged eyestrain. That could also be compounded by the fact that Google Glass will be extremely near the eye, increasing the chances of irritability.

"The glasses themselves are too close for the eyes to focus, so the display alters the light so that the perceived image is located up and to the side, about two feet away from the user," said Warford, adding that despite the effect, it will still cause straining.

A Google spokesperson told Mashable that the company has studied design comfort and safety very closely, and hasn't found a cause for concern. They said it plans to continue to watch this area carefully.

Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Ehrenhaus of New York Cornea Consultants believes eyestrain isn't going to be as much of a concern as the distraction it can cause users on the street.

"We still need to learn more about the technology and what exactly people will be seeing, but there may not be a lot of eye straining at all," Ehrenhaus said.

"The bigger issue is that you don't want to fall into a manhole while trying to look at an image in the glass."

Research has been conducted on pilots and drivers in the past reveal that when a person is mentally focused on the HUD, they are not paying attention to the world around them.

Warford agrees, noting clinical studies will eventually evaluate concentration factors, as well as visual skills and ocular physiology before and after extended use of Google Glasses to see its impact.

"For now, we can extrapolate what we know about visual processing of HUD data, the eye movements needed to use the glasses and the effects of prolonged digital screen usage," he added. "Consumers should also keep in mind the experience will not be like the original concept video or the holy-grail of augmented reality. It will be more like a phone you can see without having to hold."

What do you think about the possible health concerns surrounding Google Glass? Would you be nervous to give it a try or can you not wait to get your hands on it? Let us know in the comments.

Google Glass: How It Will Look"

OK, Glass..."

More than a catchphrase, "OK, Glass" is how the wearer will engage the headset, enabling it to listen to commands.



Taking a Photo

One of the most basic things Glass will be able to do is capture photos of whatever the wearer is looking at.



Recording Video

Similarly, the onboard camera will also be able to record videos.



Quick Communication

Here's how it'll look to receive a message.


Flight Alert

Location-based or timed alerts will appear on Glass like so.



Navigation

Showing maps based on the users point of view is potentially one of the most useful features of Google Glass.



Google+ Hangout

Glass will be able to share the wearer's POV via Google+ Hangout.



Brooklyn Bridge Query

The wearer can call search Google for answers to questions verbally.



Brooklyn Bridge Answer

Answers to queries appear similar to how voice search in Google Now works -- giving the user the one answer that they're looking for rather than a series of links.



Translation Query

Google envisions that fast translations of single words or phrases will be a common query for Google Glass.



Translation Answer

Here's how the answer will look, accompanied by an audio pronunciation.








































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Pinterest continues to grow and could soon top Twitter, a social media site that had a two-year head start on the picture-centric pinboard site. According to Pew Research Center, the two sites are neck and neck: 15% of Americans use Pinterest, and 16% use Twitter.

The Pinterest team hasn't been idle over the past year. Pinterest has added pages for businesses, mobile apps, secret boards, and it has a major redesign in the works. But what pinners want most, isn't included in the new design.

On behalf of ladies who pin, here's what Pinterest could do to make its avid users happier (most of whom are female, outnumbering men four to one).

Search Your Own Pins

You can't search your own pins, and that's a problem. According to Repinly, a Pinterest directory that tracks pins, pinners and trends, popular pinners have each created around 35 boards and pinned 2,757 photos on average. Sifting through pins for that perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe that you pinned six months ago can take far too long.

Boards display only the last few pins added, so if you have a lot of pins, like Anilú Magloire's "Home Love" board, ranked No. 1 on Repinly with more than 22,000 photos, good luck finding a specific pin.

Moving Pins

Related to the searching function, you should be able to rearrange pins within a board. Pins are placed in chronological order, meaning the first photos pinned appear at the bottom of a board. While Pinterest lets you choose a photo to feature, and you can change these board cover photos at any time, you only have one option for changing the order of pins: delete and re-pin.

Browse the Web on Smartphones

In an update last August, Pinterest added its own, built-in browser to its iPad app, leaving iPhone and Android without the nifty feature. (On the desktop version, pinners add a "Pin it" button to their browsers so they can pin a photo from any website that hasn't blocked the function.)

On an iPad, pinners type in a web address, visit a site and can pin a photo using the "Pin it" button. If you're using a smartphone, however, you have to take a screenshot with your phone and then pin from your camera roll. For those who pin, this is simply too much work.

Pinterest has not responded to our questions about new features, but testers thus far have posted only complaints about the redesign. Some don't like the bigger photos; they'd rather see more pictures on the screen. And many complain that they can't see who has re-pinned their pins: "Please get me out of this testing phase and back to how it was," Jena Dacres Thiele commented. "Or change it to tell us what pins were re-pinned and when."

In response to comments on the blog, Pinterest has said it will not add any new editing features to the update, and the mobile apps will remain unchanged.

If you'd like to weigh in on future Pinterest features, visit Pinterest's Feature Forum.























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