Space Weather

[Jherrith]

I occasionally get notices from Space Weather web site about what is going on for CME and so forth. Well, today got an unusual one that I wanted to share.

So read on...

 

   STRANGE BUT TRUE--AN ASTEROID WITH RINGS: Today at a press conference in Brazil, astronomers announced the surprising discovery of an asteroid with rings. The 250-km-wide asteroid, named Chariklo, is located in the outer solar system between Saturn and Uranus. In June 2013,  observers used seven different telescopes in South America to watch the asteroid pass in front of a distant star. The star winked out not just once, as would be expected for a solitary asteroid, but multiple times, revealing a pair of dense narrow rings surrounding the space rock. Here is an artist's concept of the system:

"We weren't looking for a ring and didn't think small bodies like Chariklo had them at all, so the discovery — and the amazing amount of detail we saw in the system — came as a complete surprise!" says Felipe Braga-Ribas of Observatório Nacional/MCTI in Rio de Janeiro. He planned the observing campaign and is the lead author of a March 26th paper in Nature describing the results.

According to their analysis, the rings are only 3 km and 7 km wide, respectively, with a 9 km gap between them. "I   try to imagine how it would be to stand on the surface of this icy   asteroid and stare up at a  such a  ring   system 1000 times closer than the Moon,"   adds team member Uffe GrÃ¥e Jørgensen of the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark.
Because the rings are so narrow, they are probably confined and shepherded by    small satellites. "So, as well as the rings, it's likely that Chariklo has at least one small moon still waiting to be discovered," adds Felipe Braga Ribas

[thelufias]

Isn't that something.....I got the same notice and spend some time in there this morning looking at other items they have listed to...

[Jherrith]

Well, we only do the in depth reading when home, as to much to do during working hours.

Like today, pulled in the additional antenna lines, then found out that there was a revision indicating that the lines should be in a different room.

The mechanical room.

NOT

First off you have the air handler in there, a water heater, a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive), and the fire alarm panel. Then there is the concept of conditioned air for the equipment and the dust and dirt factor. Let us not forget the access to the room. Mechanical room are much lower on the food chain then a bona-fide IT room.

So although I pulled the lines in per the previous instructions there seems to be some problems with the actual final destination.

Having been in construction for so long this does not surprise me, however changing the location of radio equipment that had been determined from the start is shall we say ... not cool.

So did what we could, and now leave it in the hands of the "NSFW" to resolve the discrepancy, before I make any terminations.

[Jherrith]

Isn't that something.....I got the same notice and spend some time in there this morning looking at other items they have listed to...

I did some poking about and you are so right there was some additional great stuff

[thelufias]

LOL.....Yup...those Job things do take up ones time.   But I find I have less time now then I did before to work on my projects.....  All of a sudden I'm "Dan the go to guy"  when something is needed .... and call anytime...."he's Retired" 

I get into Space Weather in the morning now and beat the newsletter notice by a 1/2 a day.......

[sidherose]

That's pretty cool!! Love seeing 'new' things 'out there'.

 

[sidherose]

Sounds like someone had a severe case of HeadusUpArsis when they decided to put the radio equipment in the Mechanical Room! Some first-year Mechanical or Electrical Engineer grad with a BS and no experience perhaps?

[Jherrith]

Indeed the real clincher would be a VFD for the AHU, with three (3) RF lines next to each other.

Can you say interference ... with capital letters, underlined, and bright shining lights

Knew you could.

[sidherose]

Can the RF lines be put in pvc conduit?

[Jherrith]

They can be put in any sort of conduit from EMT (electrical metallic conduit) to RMC (rigid metallic conduit) and yes PVC.

Typically only due to the concept of protection from physical damage, more often then not in the room where the equipment is located it is racked on cable tray to the point of termination.

That being said the next challenge would be to run said conduit to point of termination, that room is quite congested pipe wise already, then as mentioned we have a dust issue for the equipment in my rack, plus a cooling issue.