Mid week collection of positive news nuggets to perk up the day.
Supermoon Tonight
A “supermoon” is expected to appear bigger and brighter to stargazers tonight. July’s full moon is known as the Buck Moon because male deer shed and regrow their antlers around this time of the year. The name came from a Native American system which uses the different months’ full moons as a calendar to keep track of the seasons. A supermoon is the result of a full moon occurring when it is near its closest point to the Earth in its orbit. Fingers crossed for a clear night!
Radio Garden
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to tune in to La Voix d’Alliance in the Ivory Coast, or pick up a bit of flamenco guitar on Radio de la Paz in Madrid? Believe it or not, you can now do exactly that with an amazing interactive web page called Radio Garden that allows you to access thousands of radio stations spanning the entire world. Just click here: Radio Garden, then click on the globe and you can instantly go to any city or country. Click again on the green circle to hear the local radio station broadcasting in real-time. Radio Garden now provides over 8,000 stations broadcasting live from Alaska to New Zealand and from Tierra del Fuego to the north of Japan. Have fun!
Get in Touch
It has happened to us all: sitting on the sofa, toying with the idea of sending an old friend an unexpected text, but worrying that a message out of the blue may seem weird, intrusive or just plain unwelcome. However, research suggests such fears are unfounded, with those on the receiving end often far more grateful than the sender may expect. What’s more, the study suggests the more of a surprise a message or small gift is, the greater the appreciation the recipient feels. Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology investigated the matter by conducting a series of experiments, based on hypothetical and real-life scenarios, involving more than 5,900 participants. So, send that message!
Random Fun Fact
Roosters prevent themselves from going deaf due to their own loud crowing, by tilting their head backs when they crow, which covers their ear canal completely, serving as a built-in ear-plug. A study showed that their crowing averages over 100 decibels, which is roughly the same as running a chainsaw.
Millionth Find
Some spent lockdowns baking bread, perfecting yoga poses or learning a few words of Japanese. Others got into a slightly more unusual hobby: amateur treasure hunting. These people contributed to the 50,000 archaeologically significant finds that were recorded by hobbyists in 2020 and which shed further light on Britain’s history, according to the British Museum. Among the finds was the millionth archaeological find made by the British public, a copper alloy medieval harness pendant found in Lincolnshire (pictured).
Quarks
Scientists at European research center CERN discovered three never-before-seen subatomic particles while working with the Large Hadron Collider, which was only recently turned back on following maintenance. The excited CERN scientists made the discovery of a new type of “pentaquark” and the first-ever pair of “tetraquarks”, adding to the illustrious list of new hadrons first observed at the 27-km-long (16.8-mile) LHC. The new subatomic particle discoveries will help physicists better understand the way in which quarks bind to form composite particles.
Ramsay Street
The first pictures of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan reunited on the set of Neighbours have been released. After 30 years away, much to the delight of fans, they will reprise their roles as Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson as the long running Australian TV soap comes to an end. The pair were a favourite with viewers before their departure in the 1980s. The programme will culminate with a double episode finale on 29 July.
Quote of the Day
“Laughter is magic that dispenses clouds and creates sunshine in the soul.”
Richelle E. Goodrich
On this Day
13 July 1985: The benefit concert Live Aid was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia; the event drew an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers and raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Remarkable story of why Norway was an early adopter of electric vehicles - and now leads the world in abandoning fossil fuel cars. Read on...
Nasa reveals the first stunning images from the Webb telescope peering towards the beginning of the universe, billions of years ago. Read on...
Mood Booster
Yosemite Firefall: In mid to late February, the setting sun hits Horsetail Fall at just the right angle to illuminate the waterfall and give the illusion that orange and red lava is flowing off the cliff, tumbling 1,570 feet (480m).