Celebrating the start of the weekend with a global round up of good news nuggets.
Lunar Time
The White House wants NASA to figure out how to tell time on the moon. The head of the US Office of Science and Technology Policy has asked the space agency to work with other US agencies and international agencies to establish a moon-centric time reference system. NASA has until the end of 2026 to set up what is being called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC). It’s not quite a time zone like those on Earth, but an entire frame of time reference for the moon. Because there’s less gravity on the moon, time there moves a tad more quickly - 58.7 microseconds every day - compared with on Earth. Among other things, LTC would provide a time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites that require extreme precision for their missions.
Bibliophiles, Rejoice!
Sotheby’s Book Week will this year be led by an extraordinary collection of modern literature. The auction house is offering up the library of Dr. Rodney P. Swantko, a surgeon who quietly amassed a selection of some of the most notable books released in the 19th and 20th centuries. That includes titles by the likes of Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edgar Allan Poe, and Arthur Conan Doyle. Leading the auction is an autographed manuscript of the Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four, which is set to become the most valuable Doyle item ever to come to auction. With an estimate of up to $1.2 million, the book is signed twice by Doyle, and it shows some of his edits as he worked to Americanize the text for a U.S. audience.
Loving Legacy
In honour of his late wife Cathy, Sean Cummings has raised over $70,000 to pay off student lunch debt at schools in Oklahoma. It’s a fitting way to celebrate her memory, as Cathy was a chef and restaurant owner. “Her biggest thing was to feed people,” Sean told 11 News, adding: “This is exactly what she’d like to see done with her legacy.”
Balmoral Experience
Get ready for an up-close-and-personal look into the lives of King Charles and Queen Camilla. Balmoral Castle, the Scottish holiday residence of the British royals, will open its doors to the public for private tours of the interiors this summer - a first since the castle’s completion in 1855. In a new promotion dubbed The Balmoral Experience, guests will be taken on a guided tour through rooms in the castle used by the royals from 1 July to 4 August. Visitors will learn about the history and use of the spaces along the way. A tour of the Aberdeenshire castle is priced at about $126 dollars (£100) for an adult ticket, plus an extra $63 (£50) for those who add on the option of afternoon tea. Those unable to score Balmoral tour tickets can get their fill of the royal experience at Buckingham Palace, which will open its east wing to the public this summer for the first time.
5 Royal Estates Where You Can Stay The Night: Whether you’re a royalist, a history buff, or just looking for a taste of aristocratic life, here’s a handful of royal residences that any commoner can stay in, even if just for a few nights. More...
Office for Autism
Australia is the first country to create an Office for Autism and the first to release a draft national autism strategy. "That’s when we realised we needed someone solely focused on these autism policies. We didn’t realise no one had a position like this in the world," Emily Bourke, Australia’s first assistant minister for autism, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hunt For USOs
Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have caused so much concern in recent years that even Nasa launched a lengthy probe to find out what they were. Now some experts believe the hunt should move from the skies to the sea. The former head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is launching a probe into unidentified submersible objects (USOs) and, in particular, a strange anomaly seen on the seabed off the coast of California. Sonar has revealed an unusual trench on the seafloor as if an object has crashed into a ridge and then skidded to a halt. OGN will keep you posted.
Crop Dusting
Scientists have found that scattering volcanic dust on crops boosts yields by up to 20 percent while also removing carbon dioxide from the air. Following thousands of years of anecdotal evidence, Newcastle University and carbon removal company Undo put fine basalt to the test. Researchers believe the dust improved harvests by replenishing minerals and micronutrients.
“Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity.” Seneca
On This Day
6 April 1896: Pierre, baron de Coubertin, a founder of the International Olympic Committee and its president from 1896 to 1925, realized his goal of reviving the Olympics when the first modern Games opened in Athens this day in 1896.
Mood Booster
Sahara desert is home to the world's smallest wild dog. It's a remarkable creature.