Cutting Edge

Track Saturday's lunar eclipse with free Android app

If you're the type of person who plans to stay up late to watch tonight's total lunar eclipse, you might also want to be one of the first people to try the beta version of a new Android app.

Known as SkySafari, the app has been available for iOS devices for a while. But now, just in time for tonight's lunar eclipse, the app is being released into a free beta for Android.

"SkySafari is the only mobile astronomy app which can correctly reproduce this December's total lunar eclipse, or any other," an announcement for the more

Good morning, moon: Supersized lunar eclipse Saturday (video)

If you live in the western United States, set your alarm tonight. The total lunar eclipse Saturday morning promises to be big and bright--and we won't get another one until 2014.

It starts around 4:45 a.m. PT, when Earth's shadow will begin to fall across the moon. By 6:05 a.m., the moon will be in full eclipse mode and glowing red. One atmospheric scientist who's become adept at predicting such events expects this eclipse to be "bright red with a possible hint of turquoise." Find out more--and why the moon will appear "supersized"more

NASA's latest stunning images of sun (photos)

Its mission is science, but since NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was launched in 2010, it's been sending some just-plain stunning images of the sun back to Earth. The SDO spacecraft is the first mission launched for NASA's Living With a Star (LWS) Program, designed to understand the sun's influence on Earth.

Using Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, EUV Variability Experiment, and a Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, the semi-autonomous spacecraft gives scientists a nearly constant ability to watch our star.

Check out some of the latest colorful multiwavelength images returned this week from the orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory. more

Princeton researchers use satellite images to track disease

Tracking where humans migrate and cluster in any given country from season to season is, in some places, a tall order. Which makes tracking the risk of infectious disease outbreaks that thrive in dense populations tricky as well.

Satellite images of nighttime lights could be the answer, according to researchers at Princeton, who report on their findings today in the journal Science.

Using nighttime images taken of Niger's three largest cities between 2000 and 2004 by a U.S. Department of Defense satellite, and checking those images against public health records compiled by Niger's Ministry of Health, they more

NASA: Anyone seen all the moon rock we've lost?

When you suddenly have a piece of outer space in your hands, the temptation to slip it into your pocket or purse is just a little too great.

Such is the impression given by a report published yesterday by NASA. It was entitled: Where The Blazes Has All Our Moon Rock Gone?

Well, it wasn't quite that specific. But such was the gist.

The Associated Press pilfered the news that NASA's Inspector General is quite concerned that so much outer space material is out of its hands.

There are apparently around 500 pieces of moon rock and bits more

CGI hackers discover secret of rainbows

If you thought animating human motion for a video game or feature movie was hard, try rainbows.

In the search for better animation techniques for video games and movies, computer graphics researchers at the University of San Diego have gained insight into the physics of rainbows. Their discovery could lead to more realistic depictions of rare types of rainbows, such as twinned rainbows, and other natural phenomena.

The conditions for the appearance of a rainbow are well understood: light passing through water droplets in the air causes the light to reflect and refract within the water. The reflecting light fans more

Meet the real transformers: Best robots of the year (video)

From an autonomous car to a robot built to respond to disasters to a robot that can fold towels a la Rosie from "The Jetsons," these are just some of the amazing machines that caught the attention of SmartPlanet this year.

SmartPlanet correspondent Sumi Das takes a look back at the best robots of 2011.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "SmartPlanet's best robots of 2011."

Related SmartPlanet links:

• Robot that moves like a roach, could find earthquake survivors
• New robot climb stairs and have spines
• Robots at hospital pharmacy mean more accurate dosages

Self-shading smart window runs on sunlight

RavenBrick is developing a window that knows when it's hot enough for shade.

The Denver-based company has been working on a window coating that creates a heat-blocking tint triggered by the outdoor temperature. The company is in the process of raising $3 million in venture capital with plans to build a factory that will start operating in about a year, according to co-founder and President Wil McCarthy.

One of the trends in building design is to use large windows to bring in daylight, which creates a pleasing workspace and lowers the need for artificial lighting. One of the challenges more

GE gas plant goes zero to 100 in minutes

General Electric has a customer for its natural gas power plant that nimbly navigates changes in electricity demand.

The company today announced a deal with French energy provider EDF to supply a FlexEfficiency 50 power plant which will be the first connected to a national grid.

GE is touting both the energy efficiency and the flexibility of this new turnkey power plant which it hopes will replace traditional power generators that, like steering bulky ocean liners, take hours to ramp up and down.

The ability to quickly adjust natural gas power production makes the FlexEfficiency well suited to work in more