When Galaxy’s Collide

This animation depicts the collision between our Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy. Hubble Space Telescope observations indicate, that the two galaxies, pulled together by their mutual gravity, will crash together about 4 Billion years from now. Around 6 Billion years from now, the galaxies will merge to form a single galaxy. The video also shows the Triangulum Galaxy, which will join in the collision and perhaps merge with the Andromeda / Milky Way pair.

Source: NASA

The Transit of Venus June 5th, 2012

Source: NASA

It won't happen again until December 2117. On June 5th, 2012, Venus will transit the face of the sun in an event of both historical and observational importance. The best places to watch are in the south Pacific, but travel is not required. The event will also be visible around sunset from the USA

Israel concerned over Lockheed attack

An F-35 fighter jet manufactured by US Lockheed Martin

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/182398.html

The Israeli military has expressed concerns over its security systems after US aerospace company Lockheed Martin came under a cyber attack.

The military said in a statement that “the attack on Lockheed Martin has raised concern for Israeli high-tech institutions,” Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Sunday.

Israel has ordered 20 F-35 fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin whose information systems network was attacked by hackers last week. Lockheed Martin provides Israel with a variety of fighter aircraft including F-16, F-22 and F-35.

The Israeli military is concerned about an expected delay in delivery of the planes. It also stated that the scope of adverse effects of the attack on Israel's security systems is yet unknown.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense said in a statement late Saturday that it was working with Lockheed to determine the extent of the attack.

Also in 2009, hackers broke into Lockheed's computers holding data on the F-35 fighter program worth an approximate $380 billion.

The Israeli Air Force has selected F-35 planes as the back bone of its future strategic fighters, and there are no plans for an alternative if the American program is discontinued due to cyber threats.

Lockheed Martin's IT network attacked

Lockheed Martin headquarters is Bethesda, Maryland

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/182248.html

US defense contractor Lockheed Martin has confirmed that its team detected a threat a week ago and took swift action to protect all systems and data.

"Lockheed Martin detected a significant and tenacious attack on its information systems network," said a company statement, stressing that its systems are now secure, AFP reported.

The US Defense Department says it is working to determine the scope of the attack. It has not so far commented on what information may have been compromised or where the cyber-attack may have originated.

"As a result of the swift and deliberate actions taken to protect the network and increase IT security, our systems remain secure," the statement said.

The Pentagon says the impact on its operations is minimal.

Lockheed Martin - with its headquarters in Bethesda, a Maryland suburb of Washington - is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests.

It is the world's biggest aerospace company and the Pentagon's number one supplier by sales. In 2009, about 74 percent of the company's revenue came from military sales.

The contractor's network contains technical specifications on weapons under development as well as those deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lockheed Martin will also design and build a new spacecraft for NASA to carry humans into deep space, the US space agency said last week.

NASA unveils dramatic new Sun images

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=124055§ionid=3510208


NASA has recently unveiled the first images and videos captured by its Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to unlock mysteries of the Sun to scientists.

NASA's February-launched SDO took the pictures and videos exclusively for illustrating the full range of the Sun's magnetic activity in unparalleled detail.

The spacecraft's images show never-before-seen detail of material streaming outward and away from sunspots and extreme close-ups of activity on the sun's surface.

Its high-resolution measurements of solar flares in a broad range of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths offer unprecedented capability to scientists.

"These initial images show a dynamic sun that I had never seen in more than 40 years of solar research,” said Richard Fisher, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

During its five-year mission, it will examine the sun's magnetic field and also provide a better understanding of the role the sun plays in Earth's atmospheric chemistry and climate.