On the menu for the latest edition of Weird Science: Cosmic cannibals, a presidential alien abduction and clowns in space. Bon appetit!
You gonna eat that? The Andromeda galaxy, our nearest neighbor in space, turns out to have a nasty appetite. Using a telescope scan, astronomers have found evidence of Andromeda’s galactic meals. From the AP:
“What we’re seeing right now are the signs of cannibalism,” said study lead author Alan McConnachie of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Victoria, British Columbia. “We’re finding things that have been destroyed … partly digested remains.”
Earth’s galaxy, the Milky Way, is next on Andromeda’s snack list. John Dubinksi, co-author of the project, says the two galaxies are headed toward each other at a rate of 75 miles per second. But not to worry: We won’t be dinner for another few billion years.
Back on Earth, a U.S.-Australian research team has discovered the coldest, driest, calmest place on the planet. The spot, known only as “Ridge A,” is located on the Antarctic Plateau. From LiveScience: “It’s so calm that there’s almost no wind or weather there at all,” said study leader Will Saunders.
I hear Venus is beautiful this time of year: Reuters is reporting that Miyuki Hatoyama, Japan’s next first lady, claims she was abducted by aliens and taken to Venus. The new prime minister’s wife wrote a book last year called, “Very Strange Things I’ve Encountered,” in which she describes her close encounter:
“While my body was asleep, I think my soul rode on a triangular-shaped UFO and went to Venus. It was a very beautiful place and it was really green.”
Eh, alien abductions are a dime a dozen — but how many people can claim that they knew Tom Cruise in a previous life? When he was Japanese? The Independent reports that Mrs. Hatoyama and Tom Cruise are old pals: “I believe he’d get it if I said to him, ‘Long time no see’, when we meet,” she said in a recent interview.
Bring in the clowns: On September 30, billionaire Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte is set to launch into space as the world’s seventh space tourist. The cost of his ticket to space? A paltry $35 million. During his 11-day trip, Laliberte plans to broadcast the “first ever widely acknowledged artistic performance from space,” according to Space.com. OK, so there won’t be any clowns, but Laliberte will take part in a reading of a “poetic fairy tale” he wrote to promote clean-water access and water conservation.