BALTIMORE, Maryland March 9, 2015 - On March 8, the Dawn Spacecraft went into a controlled orbit around the largest Asteroid in the Asteroid Belt, whose thousands of celestial bodies orbit the Sun in the area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Achieving orbit, in itself, is a remarkable accomplishment by those at the Jet Propulsion Labratory and their European Partners in Italy and Germany. But the headlines from the Dawn flight are far more mysterious. Ceres - itself a mystery because of its remarkably spherical shape compared to the "chunk" and "rough hewn" shapes of all of its fellow Asteroids - has two brilliant lights shining out from the bottom of an otherwise unremarkable crater. The crater is near the asteroid's equator. The Dawn took photos of the lights as it approached Ceres. Scientists are said to be "puzzled," and this 'puzzling' is far more remarkable than any puzzling that they expected to pique their collective interests. To attemp to categorize or orient the amount of mystery about the lights in the astronomical community is difficult because these folk have planned for millions of contingencies. These lights, however, have stunned them to the core. Really, they have. These two lights are downright amazing. According to experts, the two lights are quite intense and their source is quite small - exactly the opposite of what one might expect. Although called 'reflective,' the fact is that the lights are said to be no more than 40% reflective, while ice, which some scientists had thought the lights were, is sometimes up to 100% reflective. Jet Propulsion scientists are said to have ideas about what the source of the lights are, but no more than that. Although the orbit is achieved, we are told that better photos are to come, and at some date in early April the photos will be amazingly close. There was wild speculation on the web in recent days, some of which sought to raise questions about the lack of pictures subsequent to the original photographs. I, for one, believe this is benign since the spacecraft was programmed before it took off from Earth in 2007. At that time, there was no clue that the photographs approaching Ceres would raise such controversy, and there was no reason to waste energy on photographs during the approach, other than the ones already taken. Go to Wikipedia for more info on Ceres, generally, and the lights. The picture of the lights that most web sites have is also there. The Jet Propulsion Lab has a dedicated web page for the Dawn Mission at http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/ Bloomberg has a speculative article about the lights at "http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-08/opec-s-el-badri-says-oil-oversupply-is-about-2m-bbl-day-in-1h".
The actual discovery of Ceres came it bits and pieces, fits and starts. According to Wikipedia, the brilliant Johannes Kepler first noticed the gap between Mars and Jupiter in 1596. Johann Elert Bode, in 1772, first suggested that an undiscovered planet could exist between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Then, n 1800, a group headed by Franz Xaver von Zach, editor of the Monatliche Correspondenz, an astronomical journal, sent requests to twenty-four experienced astronomers (dubbed the "celestial police"), asking that they combine their efforts and begin a methodical search for the expected planet. Although they did not discover Ceres, they later found several large asteroids. Before he received his invitation from von Zach, the Italian Astronomer, Giuseppe Piazzi of the Academy of Palermo, Sicily, discovered Ceres on January 1, 1801, while searching for a star in the same part of the sky. Piazzi subsequently observed Ceres 23 more times from January 1, 1801 through February 11, 1801, when illness interrupted his observations. His discovery was announced on January 24, 1801 in letters he sent to two other astronomers. One was his compatriot, Barnaba Oriani of Milan. The other was Bode. Piazzi said in his correspondence that the object was a comet, but he added that "since the movement is so slow and rather uniform, it has occurred to me several times that it might be something better than a comet." In April, Piazzi sent his complete observations to Oriani, Bode and Jerome Lalande in Paris. The findings were then published in Monatliche Correspondenz in September, 1801.
Twice since its discovery Ceres has been classified as a planet, most recently in the last decade at the same time that the controversy about Pluto's status came about. The same protocol that sought to keep Pluto catogorized as a planet also made Ceres a full-fledged planet again. But the protocol was never adopted in the proposed form, and language was added that insisted that any planet must fully occupy its orbit doomed those on Earth who believed Ceres should be in the same category as was Earth, Mars, Jupiter and the other known planets. This is because Ceres, in the Asteroid Belt with thousands of other bodies, does not nearly 'fully occupy' its orbit. The Hubble Space Telescope - which orbit Earth - photographed Ceres in 2004, and the lights appear on these photos as a very large very bright area. The photos from such a distance nonetheless made clear that the asteroid had light coming from it.
And why we visit the obscure and mysterious, how about this weekend tidbit from, of all places, the New York Daily News, and other mainline newspapers. The subject's amazing subject is confirmed by the diecision of the Daily News to assign one of its own reporters to the story, which, save for its amazing nature, is really just a police rescue in a rural area of Utah.
FROM NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: See the original article at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/mysterious-voice-leads-police-baby-car-crash-article-1.2142732
'Mysterious voice' led Utah Officers to child who survived for 14 hours in submerged car
BY JOEL LANDAU NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Monday, March 9, 2015, 12:11 PM Updated: Monday, March 9, 2015, 4:36 PM
The officers who rescued a Utah toddler from death’s doorstep in a submerged car on Sunday said their adrenaline-fueled heroics were triggered by a mysterious plea.
“We could see a person in the front seat and then we heard a voice saying, ‘Help me, we’re in here.’ It was clear as day,” said Officer Tyler Beddoes of the Spanish Fork Police Department, one of four men who pulled an unconscious 18-month-old from a car — which had been submerged in near-freezing water for 14 hours — as her mother lay dead in the driver’s seat.
Beddoes and his fellow first responders braved the chilly waters long enough to turn the red Dodge sedan, which was upside down, and pull little Lily Groesbeck out of her car seat, in which she had been suspended since her mother Jennifer Groesbeck apparently lost control of the car the previous evening.
“We could see her eyes fluttering so there was some life but as far as movements or consciousness there was nothing that we could see,” Beddoes told the Daily News on Monday.
The four officers and three firefighters formed an assembly line and transported the child back to shore. The first responders started performing CPR, and Lily later regained consciousness in a Salt Lake City hospital. Her condition was upgraded to stable on Monday.
Jennifer Groesbeck, 25, was driving to her home in Springville, but when crossing a bridge in Spanish Fork, the single mom hit a cement barrier and drove off the roadway, police said.
The vehicle crashed into the river around 10:30 p.m., according to a witness who told
police he heard the accident. The car was not visible from the roadway, and was not discovered until 14 hours later, when a fisherman spotted it at 12:24 p.m. Saturday and called police.
That’s when Beddoes and his partners arrived. The witness told them that he could see an arm through the window, and the four men plunged into the freezing rapids to see if they could find any survivors.
Then, suddenly, they started hearing the distinct sound of a woman’s voice, calling to them to help.
We heard a voice saying 'help me, we're in here.' It was clear as day. We replied back 'hang in there, we're trying what we can.'
The voice motivated them to push harder because they believed there may be someone inside who was still alive. With their adrenaline pumping they pulled the heavy, water-filled car onto its side and discovered the driver was dead.
The officers had no explanation for the mysterious voice that appeared to come from inside the car. Beddoes said he said he wouldn’t believe it really happened had not the other officers heard it, as well.
“I don’t know what I thought I heard,” he said. “I’m not a typically religious guy. It’s hard to explain — it was definitely something. Where and why it came from, I’m not sure.”
The little girl was hanging upside down, but her head was not touching the water. The responders did not even see her, initially, but when they got the car turned over they spotted her and raced to get her out.
Groesbeck, the youngest of five children, was enrolled at Provo College and hoped to become a medical assistant, her sister Jill Sanderson told KSL TV in Salt Lake City.
“She was very compassionate and a very loving person and always willing to bend over backwards for her loved ones,” she told the station. “Her baby was the love of her life. She was an amazing mother.”
The family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her funeral
expenses and Lily’s medical treatment.
Her baby was the love of her life. She was an amazing mother.
The child was being treated at Primary Childrens Hospital, where a her condition was “stable and improving,” a spokeswoman said Monday.
“She is doing remarkably well considering the circumstance. The doctors have been hopeful so far,” Sanderson told reporters. “We would like to express our appreciation to the Spanish Fork rescue team for saving the babys life.”
Beddoes, who spent at least 20 minutes in the frigid waters, said he and his colleagues were so focused on the rescue they didn’t realize the impact it was having on their bodies. The 6-foot-tall officer said the water level was often at his neck, sometimes higher.
“I didn’t feel the cold — I wasn’t paying attention to myself,” he said. “After several minutes in the water I started to feel the effects.”
The four officers and three firefighters were treated for hypothermia and released Saturday night.
Police are still trying to determine what caused the accident. Spanish Fork Lt. Matt Johnson told the Daily News there were no skid marks or evidence of evasive maneuvers at the bridge. A toxicology report on Jennifer Groesbeck is pending.
The men who jumped into the water to save the infant should be commended, Johnson said.
“It’s a very courageous effort on their part,” he added. “They were willing to risk their lives and enter the water to make sure there were no other occupants in the vehicle. This is what public service is all about.”
CUTLINES FOR PICTURES EMBEDDED IN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ARTICLE: (1)Spanish Fork police officer Tyler Beddoes, center, was one of the first people to respond to the scene. He and his fellow officers said they heard a female voice call for help as they approached the vehicle.
(2)JENNIFER GROESBECK VIA FACEBOOK
Jennifer Groesbeck, 25, died in a car accident Friday night in Spanish Fork, Utah. Her 18-month-old daughter Lily was found 14 hours later and is listed in critical condition.
NCAA Men's Basketball: Some Teams To Watch Out For, Especially If They Get Into the Field of 68
The field for the 2015 NCAA Championship is to be announced Sunday evening. If you have at least a passing interest in the event, you know that the story line for the tournament as a whole will be about Kentucky and whether they can remain unbeaten and win the National Title for a Second Consecutive Time. Playing the Wildcats is almost like playing an NBA team; Kentucky has been that dominant. On only a couple of occasions have other teams been able to remain competitive with the Wildcats throughout the game. Twice, Kentucky has been pressed in Lexington. Ole Miss took Kentucky into overtime before losing in Rupp Arena on January 6, 89-86. Before that, the Wildcats were unexpectedly stretched by Columbia of the Ivy League on December 10. The Lions scored the first 11 points of the game, played in front of over 22,000 fans at Rupp Arena. In fact, Columbia did not surrender the lead until there was 13:18 left to play in the second half. Four days after the Ole Miss game, Kentucky went into College Station, Texas to play the Texas A & M Aggies. Texas A & M played tough throughout but bowed at last, 70-64, in double overtime. Thay have not been pressed or stretched much at all in their last seven games, and during that stretch only Georgia, in a game at Athens, Ga., lost by less than ten points (72-64).
But there are teams that will be in the NCAA field that can scare Kentucky, some of them (Duke, Virginia, Wisconsin) are obvious. I believe there are five teams that are at least extremely interesting and capable of pulling huge upsets. They are teams not many experts believe will do anything or at least, very little, in the month-long tournament. I think Maryland and Wichita State have huge upsides to their abilities and their prospects. Both have wonderful backcourts - Maryland has Melo Trimble, Dez Wells, and, off the bench, Jared Nickens, each of which have unlimited shooting range, jarring shooting touches, and the ability to score as many points as the Terps need them to score. Maryland is ranked No. 8 this week by the AP and the Coaches' Poll, and while they might not have a lot to prove on the surface this weekend at the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago, the truth is that a No. 2 seed in the Big Show is there for the taking, but it will probably mean gaining a title in the conference show. Wichita State lost to Illinois State in their conference tourney semi-finals. Illinois State then lost to Northern Iowa in the Ohio Valley Title Game. Both Northern Iowa and Wichita State will make the big show, while Illinois State and their in-state buddies at Illinois will be in the NIT unless the latter at least makes the title game in the Big Ten Tournament. A third nationally known team that, I think, might be able to make a lot of noise in the big show is Baylor. They are big inside, quick outside, and murderous on the boards. Watch them.
Then there are two other teams who probably don't have the firepower to get out of the first week of games, but that being said, they also have the ability to lay one or two of the big boys to waste if they do wiggle in. As I finish this, one of the two, Valparaiso, is playing Green Bay for the Horizon League's automatic bid. They almost certainly have to win to get in, even though they have a marvelous record. As I finish the article, Valpo has rallied dramatically late in the second half to beat snakebitten Green Bay, which hasn't been to the big show since the late 1990's. Valpo, some might recall, fought their way into the Sweet 16 one year, but that was when their coach, Bryce Drew, was their best player. In one tournament game, he drilled a long three at the buzzer to win against the SEC's Mississippi State. Bryce Drew is also a very good coach - even though ESPN Commentator and Coaching Legend Jim Calhoun insisted on calling him Drew Bryce - and he'll have time to get ready for the first round opponent. A second team that has the ability to make life really miserable for any team in the tourney - if they get a bid - is BYU. The Cougars and their brilliant coach, Dave Rose, will be having sleepless nights between now and Sunday because Gonzaga whacked them last night in a thrilling game. The Bulldogs thus win the West Coast Conference and stake a hard claim on a number two national seed. Currently ranked seventh, the Zags have only two losses. One was in overtime at powerful Arizona, and the other was a week ago in Spokane to BYU. Mark Few, the outstanding Gonzaga coach, admitted his team took BYU lightly and it cost them their long home win streak. Going into the game, ESPN's Bracket guru, Joe Lunardi, had BYU as one of the last four into the tournament, so the wait will be terrible. BYU made it to the WCC title game by beating Santa Clara and Portland. Nobody is going to want to play BYU in the NCAA tourney. They have three prolific guards in Tyler Haws, Kyle Collinsworth and Skyler Halford. Halford sustained a leg injury late in the game against Gonzaga and his availability for the post-season must be questionable. The Cougars have one of the highest point per game averages in the nation. In the semi-final against the University of Portland, Collinsworth got his fifth triple-double of the season. Last night, Collinsworth exploded for 28 points. Haws can positively go off on some nights and he makes other teams paranoid. Halford looks like a computer geek but scores like he owns the gym. He scores from three point land like he's done it everynight of his life. Standing only six-foot, one-inch, he nonetheless drives to the basket fearlessly, as do Collinsworth and Haws. This is a fun team to watch and a scary one to play. They fully deserve to be in the tournament regardless of what happened against Gonzaga on Tuesday night.
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