"Two US astrophysicists claim they have answered an important question about how planets form: why don't young planets get pushed into their companion stars before they have a chance to grow? It turns out that a little company is enough to keep them there, say the researchers, who argue that multiple planets moving through a rocky disk can prevent one another from falling into the star."
Peer pressure keeps young planets growing - physicsworld.com
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
On sunspots and solar flux
Recurrence plots of sunspots, solar flux and irradiance
by AC Sparavigna
The paper shows the recurrence and cross recurrence plots of three time series, concerning data of the solar activity. The data are the sunspot number and the values of solar radio flux at 10.7 cm and of solar total irradiance, which are known as highly correlated. To compare the series, the radio flux and irradiance values are monthly averaged. Recurrence plots display the oscillating behaviour with remarkable features. Moreover, cross recurrence plots help in identifying time lags between the sunspot number maximum and the maximum of radio or irradiance signals, in circumstances where the data values are highly dispersed. Image processing is useful too, in enhancing the monitoring. An interesting behaviour is displayed by cross recurrence plots of irradiance, which are not symmetric with respect to the line of identity.
by AC Sparavigna
The paper shows the recurrence and cross recurrence plots of three time series, concerning data of the solar activity. The data are the sunspot number and the values of solar radio flux at 10.7 cm and of solar total irradiance, which are known as highly correlated. To compare the series, the radio flux and irradiance values are monthly averaged. Recurrence plots display the oscillating behaviour with remarkable features. Moreover, cross recurrence plots help in identifying time lags between the sunspot number maximum and the maximum of radio or irradiance signals, in circumstances where the data values are highly dispersed. Image processing is useful too, in enhancing the monitoring. An interesting behaviour is displayed by cross recurrence plots of irradiance, which are not symmetric with respect to the line of identity.
Hygroscopic properties of volcanic ash
Hygroscopic properties of volcanic ash
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 38, L11802, 4 PP., 2011
doi:10.1029/2011GL047298
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 38, L11802, 4 PP., 2011
doi:10.1029/2011GL047298
by P. Kumar T. L. Lathem A. Nenes J. Dufek I. N. Sokolik M. Trail A. Russell
Volcanic ash is hygroscopic
Water vapor adsorption is the main proceess controlling ash hygroscopicity
The results can be parameterized in a simple correlation for use in models
"Limited observational data exists on the physical interactions between volcanic ash particles and water vapor; yet it is thought that these interactions can strongly impact the microphysical evolution of ash, with implications for its atmospheric lifetime and transport, as well as formation of water and ice clouds. ...The hygroscopicity of the ash particles is quantified by their ability to uptake water and nucleate into cloud drops under controlled levels of water vapor supersaturation. Evidence presented strongly suggests that ash uptakes water efficiently via adsorption and a simple parameterization of ash hygroscopicity is developed for use in ash plume and atmospheric models."
Volcanic ash is hygroscopic
Water vapor adsorption is the main proceess controlling ash hygroscopicity
The results can be parameterized in a simple correlation for use in models
"Limited observational data exists on the physical interactions between volcanic ash particles and water vapor; yet it is thought that these interactions can strongly impact the microphysical evolution of ash, with implications for its atmospheric lifetime and transport, as well as formation of water and ice clouds. ...The hygroscopicity of the ash particles is quantified by their ability to uptake water and nucleate into cloud drops under controlled levels of water vapor supersaturation. Evidence presented strongly suggests that ash uptakes water efficiently via adsorption and a simple parameterization of ash hygroscopicity is developed for use in ash plume and atmospheric models."
Shrinking atmospheric layer linked to low levels of solar radiation
Changes in the solar energy output may cause the outer atmosphere to contract.
Researches are also showing that solar cycling has differences in the minimum values.
Shrinking atmospheric layer linked to low levels of solar radiation
Snake near the lake
Image from Google Maps: a geoglyph near the Titicaca Lake, Peru.
This image shows a plain area covered by a network of waru-warus, that is, of the "raised fields" - earthworks separated by canals - near the Titicaca Lake. This is an ancient agricultural technique used by Andean people starting from the first millennium BC. Note that the structure of the network is created after a careful planning. Each raised field is approximately 10 meters large and more than one hundred long.
It seems a snake, the pond as its eye and a forked tongue. More on waru-warus: arXiv:1009.4602 [pdf] Geoglyphs of Titicaca as an ancient example of graphic design, Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, and arXiv:1009.2231 [pdf] Symbolic landforms created by ancient earthworks near Lake Titicaca, Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
Efimov states
"Tractable three-body problems are rare, which is why Vitaly Efimov’s study in 1970 proposing that bound states could exist between three interacting bosons was so intriguing. It took more than3 0 years, though, to observe Efimov states in an ultracold gas of cesium atoms, in which interactions could be controlled with a magnetic field. Now, writing in Physical Review Letters, theorists suggest similar states should also exist between dipolar molecules."
Friday, June 10, 2011
The bent pyramid
Google Maps is an excellent service for archaeological survey. Let us look at the Bent Pyramid in Egypt.
After a processing by means of AstroFracTool and GIMP, we have
Or using the wavelets of Iris
Interesting for mapping sites! In my opinion, there are many other structures in these images which are connected to the pyramid (for instance, the one that seems a pool near the upper left corner), besides those listed in the following map.
This map is adapted from:
A new type of supernova
"A new type of supernova that shines up to 10 times brighter than any previously recorded has been discovered by an international team of astronomers. However, the team has yet to explain the exact mechanism that drives this new type of exploding star, with existing models failing to reproduce the radiation emanating from this new class of violent events."
New type of supernova outshines the rest - physicsworld.com
Vídeo: espectacular explosión solar
Una espectacular erupción solar fue captada por la NASA. Aunque sólo es de impacto medio, las imágenes de la eyección de masa coronal son impresionantes.
Read more http://www.connuestroperu.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/42/18185-video-espectacular-explosion-solar-
Vídeo: espectacular explosión solar
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Automated factories in space
"Future space equipment could one day be built in off-planet automated factories, following a new programme by UK firm Magna Parva.
The Technology Strategy Board-funded scheme will develop the idea of off-planet manufacturing for technology such as solar sails and antenna reflectors, which could cut the costs and complexity of such structures.
If this equipment were manufactured in space it could be made thinner, lighter and with fewer parts because it would not have to withstand the force of Earth’s gravity or fold compactly into a launch vehicle."
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The cradle of Egyptian pyramids
The cradle of pyramids in satellite images, by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
http://arxiv.org/abs/1106.0818
We propose the use of image processing to enhance the Google Maps of some archaeological areas of Egypt. In particular we analyse that place which is considered the cradle of pyramids, where it was announced the discovery of a new pyramid by means of an infrared remote sensing.
Saqqara and Dahshur are burial places of the ancient Egypt. Saqqara was the necropolis of Memphis, the ancient capital of the Lower Egypt. This place has many pyramids, including the well-known step pyramid of Djoser, and several mastabas. As told in Wikipedia, 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids there and the high officials added their tombs during the entire pharaonic period [1]. The necropolis remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies till the Roman times. Dahshur is another royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile [2]. The place is well-known for several pyramids, two of which are among the oldest and best preserved in Egypt. Therefore this site can be properly considered as the cradle of Egyptian pyramids [3]. Figure 1 shows the Djoser pyramid and the Great Enclosure at Saqqara. The two images have been obtained from Google Maps after an image processing with two programs, AstroFracTool, based on the calculus of the fractional gradient, and the wavelet filtering of Iris, as discussed in Ref.4. The reader can compare the images with the original Google Maps, using the coordinates given in the figure [5].
Recently the BBC announced the discovery in the area between Saqqara and Dashur, near the river Nile, of a new pyramid buried in the sand [6]. The pyramid has been observed by means of the infrared remote sensing. According to the images in Ref.7, it is located near the pyramid of Khendjer, discovered by Gustave Jequier in 1929, built as the tomb of king Khendjer, who ruled Egypt during the 13th Dynasty [8]. The pyramid currently lies in ruins, in part damaged during the excavations done by Jequier, and it is rising just one meter above the desert sand. The pyramid complex was enclosed by inner and outer walls. The inner wall was made of limestone, the outer wall was made of mud bricks. According to Wikipedia, the pyramid stood at about 37.35 meters high [8].
It is interesting to observe the structure of this pyramid from the space with Google Maps. After a processing by means of AstroFracTool and Gimp [4], we obtained the lower panel in Fig.2. According to Ref.[8], the ruins are rising only a few meters above the grounds; the Google Maps, however, after a suitable processing are displaying all the details of the Khendjer complex.
As BBC announced, Sarah Parcak, of the University of Alabama, used some data from NASA infrared equipped satellites to survey the Egypt. Waiting for a more detailed report on her researches and on the methods the team used, let us observe the images that some Web sites are publishing, in particular that of the Khendjer complex (for the author it is impossible to tell whether the images are the original infrared ones or not). According to [7], it is in this complex that there is one of the discovered pyramids. The site is shown in Fig.3, where the upper panel is displaying as it appears in Google Maps, and the lower panel shows it after processing by means of AstroFracTool. It seems a ghost image having the same features of the complex outlines in Fig.2.
According to the Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, Zahi Hawass, the new technologies are able to locate the remains beneath the sand [9], but it is necessary to identify them with archaeological researches on the spot. Of course, a research on the area will be able to tell the name of the king buried in the site.
As discussed in Ref.10, there are several remote sensing techniques that can be useful in archaeology. For what concerns the Google Maps, let me remark its use in the study of the Merowe Dam and the paleochannels of the Nile where we compared the images from SIR-C/X-SAR imaging radar system, with those from Google [11].
It is my opinion that the image processing of Google Maps can be used for an archaeological survey of Egypt (see for instance, some examples on the satellite images of Amarna, [11]), besides of course, all the satellite methods used for geophysical researches. For what concerns the proposed processing of Google Maps, it is important to note the following fact: it is during the processing activity, when the user is changing parameters and details appear in the picture, that it is easier to recognize them. The information is already in the image: it is only enough to take it out.
References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqqara
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahshur
3. From A to Z, Dahshur, http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html
4. Enhancing the Google imagery using a wavelet filter, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.1590
5. See images at the site https://sites.google.com/site/saqqaradahshursatellite/
6. Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images, F. Cronin, BBC New, 24 May 2011,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957
7. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1390667/Seventeen-lost-pyramids-thousands-buried-Egyptian-settlements-pinpointed-infrared-satellite-images.html?ito=feeds-newsxml, and also http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/9202577-egyptian-pyramids-found-by-infrared-satellite-images
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Khendjer
9. News broadcast by BBC is inaccurate, says Hawass, N. El-Aref, Ahramonline, 26 May 2011, http://english.ahram.org.eg/
10. The satellite archaeological survey of Egypt, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.6315
11. The Merowe Dam on the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/, and, Merowe Dam and the inundation of paleochannels of the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1011.4911
12. Some image processing on Amarna,
https://sites.google.com/site/amarnasatelliteimagery/
Fig.1: The Djoser pyramid and the Great Enclosure at Saqqara, Egypt. The images have been obtained from Google Maps after a processing by means of AstroFracTool and Gimp, in the upper panel, and Iris wavelets, in the lower panel. For a discussion of the processing see Ref.4. The figure is giving the coordinates for a comparison with the original Google Maps’ image [5].
Fig.2 The Khendjer complex as seen from the space, with Google Maps. After a processing by means of AstroFracTool and Gimp [4], we have the lower panel. According to Ref.[8], the ruins are rising only a few meters above the grounds; Google Maps, however, after a suitable processing are displaying all the details.
Fig.3. According to [7], it is in the Khendjer complex that there is one of the discovered pyramids. The upper panel is showing as it appears in Google Maps, the lower panel shows it after processing by means of AstroFracTool. It seems a ghost image having the same features of the complex outlines in Fig.2.
http://arxiv.org/abs/1106.0818
We propose the use of image processing to enhance the Google Maps of some archaeological areas of Egypt. In particular we analyse that place which is considered the cradle of pyramids, where it was announced the discovery of a new pyramid by means of an infrared remote sensing.
Saqqara and Dahshur are burial places of the ancient Egypt. Saqqara was the necropolis of Memphis, the ancient capital of the Lower Egypt. This place has many pyramids, including the well-known step pyramid of Djoser, and several mastabas. As told in Wikipedia, 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids there and the high officials added their tombs during the entire pharaonic period [1]. The necropolis remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies till the Roman times. Dahshur is another royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile [2]. The place is well-known for several pyramids, two of which are among the oldest and best preserved in Egypt. Therefore this site can be properly considered as the cradle of Egyptian pyramids [3]. Figure 1 shows the Djoser pyramid and the Great Enclosure at Saqqara. The two images have been obtained from Google Maps after an image processing with two programs, AstroFracTool, based on the calculus of the fractional gradient, and the wavelet filtering of Iris, as discussed in Ref.4. The reader can compare the images with the original Google Maps, using the coordinates given in the figure [5].
Recently the BBC announced the discovery in the area between Saqqara and Dashur, near the river Nile, of a new pyramid buried in the sand [6]. The pyramid has been observed by means of the infrared remote sensing. According to the images in Ref.7, it is located near the pyramid of Khendjer, discovered by Gustave Jequier in 1929, built as the tomb of king Khendjer, who ruled Egypt during the 13th Dynasty [8]. The pyramid currently lies in ruins, in part damaged during the excavations done by Jequier, and it is rising just one meter above the desert sand. The pyramid complex was enclosed by inner and outer walls. The inner wall was made of limestone, the outer wall was made of mud bricks. According to Wikipedia, the pyramid stood at about 37.35 meters high [8].
It is interesting to observe the structure of this pyramid from the space with Google Maps. After a processing by means of AstroFracTool and Gimp [4], we obtained the lower panel in Fig.2. According to Ref.[8], the ruins are rising only a few meters above the grounds; the Google Maps, however, after a suitable processing are displaying all the details of the Khendjer complex.
As BBC announced, Sarah Parcak, of the University of Alabama, used some data from NASA infrared equipped satellites to survey the Egypt. Waiting for a more detailed report on her researches and on the methods the team used, let us observe the images that some Web sites are publishing, in particular that of the Khendjer complex (for the author it is impossible to tell whether the images are the original infrared ones or not). According to [7], it is in this complex that there is one of the discovered pyramids. The site is shown in Fig.3, where the upper panel is displaying as it appears in Google Maps, and the lower panel shows it after processing by means of AstroFracTool. It seems a ghost image having the same features of the complex outlines in Fig.2.
According to the Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, Zahi Hawass, the new technologies are able to locate the remains beneath the sand [9], but it is necessary to identify them with archaeological researches on the spot. Of course, a research on the area will be able to tell the name of the king buried in the site.
As discussed in Ref.10, there are several remote sensing techniques that can be useful in archaeology. For what concerns the Google Maps, let me remark its use in the study of the Merowe Dam and the paleochannels of the Nile where we compared the images from SIR-C/X-SAR imaging radar system, with those from Google [11].
It is my opinion that the image processing of Google Maps can be used for an archaeological survey of Egypt (see for instance, some examples on the satellite images of Amarna, [11]), besides of course, all the satellite methods used for geophysical researches. For what concerns the proposed processing of Google Maps, it is important to note the following fact: it is during the processing activity, when the user is changing parameters and details appear in the picture, that it is easier to recognize them. The information is already in the image: it is only enough to take it out.
References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqqara
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahshur
3. From A to Z, Dahshur, http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html
4. Enhancing the Google imagery using a wavelet filter, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.1590
5. See images at the site https://sites.google.com/site/saqqaradahshursatellite/
6. Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images, F. Cronin, BBC New, 24 May 2011,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957
7. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1390667/Seventeen-lost-pyramids-thousands-buried-Egyptian-settlements-pinpointed-infrared-satellite-images.html?ito=feeds-newsxml, and also http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/9202577-egyptian-pyramids-found-by-infrared-satellite-images
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Khendjer
9. News broadcast by BBC is inaccurate, says Hawass, N. El-Aref, Ahramonline, 26 May 2011, http://english.ahram.org.eg/
10. The satellite archaeological survey of Egypt, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.6315
11. The Merowe Dam on the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/, and, Merowe Dam and the inundation of paleochannels of the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1011.4911
12. Some image processing on Amarna,
https://sites.google.com/site/amarnasatelliteimagery/
Fig.3. According to [7], it is in the Khendjer complex that there is one of the discovered pyramids. The upper panel is showing as it appears in Google Maps, the lower panel shows it after processing by means of AstroFracTool. It seems a ghost image having the same features of the complex outlines in Fig.2.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Cool microscope feels the heat
"Physicists in Germany have invented a new kind of microscope that uses a gas of extremely cold atoms to map the surface of nanoscale structures. The researchers say that their device is complimentary to atomic-force microscopes (AFMs) and that they ultimately hope to create a probe with precision that is limited only by fundamental quantum uncertainties."
Cool microscope feels the heat - physicsworld.com
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The satellite archaeological survey of Egypt
The satellite archaeological survey of Egypt
by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
References.
1. Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images, F. Cronin, BBC New, 24 May 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957
2. Documentation of the Abandoned Town La Ciudad Perdida in Peru Combining VHR Satellite Data and Terrestrial Measurement, K. Pavelka, M. Bukovinsky, J. Svatuskova, Remote Sensing for Science, Education and Natural and Cultural Heritage, Rainer Reuter Ed., EARSeL, 2010.
3. News broadcast by BBC is inaccurate, says Hawass, N. El-Aref, Ahramonline, 26 May 2011, http://english.ahram.org.eg/
4. Lines under the forest, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/, and http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.5277.
5. SIR-C X-SAR Earth-Imaging Radar for NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, Infopage.
6. The Merowe Dam on the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/, and, Merowe Dam and the inundation of paleochannels of the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1011.4911.
7. Enhancing the Google imagery using a wavelet filter, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.1590.
8. The geoglyphs of Titicaca, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/ and Symbolic landforms created by ancient earthworks near Lake Titicaca, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.2231.
9. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1390667/Seventeen-lost-pyramids-thousands-buried-Egyptian-settlements-pinpointed-infrared-satellite-images.html?ito=feeds-newsxml, and also
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/9202577-egyptian-pyramids-found-by-infrared-satellite-images
10. In my opinion, the published images at [9] are not the real infrared images of the Alabama University team, but this is what is published on the web.
11. Some image processing on Amarna, https://sites.google.com/site/amarnasatelliteimagery/
Fig.1: Tanis as can be observed after processing an image from Google Maps. In the upper part, brightness and contrast had been adjusted with GIMP. The lower image was obtained with a wavelet filtering with Iris. It seems that the image is giving quite good details too.
Fig.2. This is the Saqqara area where there is a buried pyramid. The image has been obtained after processing a Google Maps image. According to Refs.[9], in this area there one of the buried pyramid announced by BBC [1]. (SEE PLEASE THE NOTE AT THE END OF THIS POST)
Fig.3: The Great Temple in Amarna, as can be seen after processing a Google Maps image.
---------------------
NOTE 11 November 2018
by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
A recent announcement from BBC of 17 new pyramids discovered in Egypt arouses the interest on the archaeology aided by satellites imagery [1]. These pyramids, as many other ancient remains in Egypt, are under the sand of the desert. They were discovered by means of a remote sensing with infrared sensors. In fact, the archaeological surveys, usually performed by means of airplanes, are necessary to observing the sites from above and gain a better view of the landforms. In some cases, the survey of a region ends with the discovery of new archaeological sites or with the precise location of an ancient lost town [2].
Satellites give different opportunities, according to their sensorial equipment. BBC announced that Sarah Parcak, of the University of Alabama, used some data from NASA infrared equipped satellites to survey the Egypt. Waiting for a more detailed report on her researches and on the methods the team used, we can just tell that the infrared inspection is based on collecting the radiances in various wavelength bands, in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The resulting profiles depend on the methods used to obtain the surface data from radiances. To have a good detection, the surface must be free from clouds.
The Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, Zahi Hawass, seems to be quite interested to the new technologies, but, as he told Ahram Online, the satellite infrared images are only able to locate the remains beneath the sand [3]. It is then necessary, according to Hawass, to identify them with archaeological researches on the spot. From the news on the Web it is not clear how many sites have been analyzed by the team of the University of Alabama. It seems that the amount of data collected by the researchers is huge.
Besides the analysis with infrared imagery, let us consider that there are other remote sensing techniques that can be useful in archaeology: among them we have the LIDAR system, which is, as we discussed in [4], able to see under the canopy of the forests, and the SIR-C/X-SAR imaging radar system, which has waves that can penetrate the clouds, and, under certain conditions, vegetation, ice and dry sand [5]. Of course, these facilities are not freely available and needs financial supports.
We could then ask ourselves if a free satellite service, such as Google Maps, can help in some archaeological researches in Egypt. It is my opinion that the answer is positive. In studying the Merowe Dam and the paleochannels of the Nile we could compare the images from SIR-C/X-SAR imaging radar system, with those of the Google Maps [6]. After a suitable image processing with some freely downloadable programs (GIMP, IRIS, AstroFracTool,[7]), the Google Maps revealed astonishing details of the network of old buried channels of Nile in the Nubian region. The same for the "raised fields" near the Titicaca Lake in Peru: the processing of the images clearly displayed the network of these ancient earthworks and canals [8]. Many of these structures are probably buries under some sediments of the lake.
Let us then try to apply the image processing to the Google Maps of those areas in Egypt, where according to the press, the infrared satellite imagery is giving good results. We see that one of these investigated areas is that of Tanis, a town of the ancient Egypt. In Fig.1, it is shown what we can have after processing the image from Google Maps. The upper part of the figure is obtained using the GIMP image- processing program, to adjust brightness and contrast. The lower part is gained after a processing with the wavelet filtering of Iris. These images seem to contain quite clear information on the buried town too.
Another example is the site where there are buried pyramids, according to the press [9,10]. The site is at Saqqara: Figure 2 shows the area as can be seen after a processing of Google Maps. The reader is invited to compare these images with those published on the Web, copyrighted BBC. I guess that after comparison, the reader can draw some positive conclusions about Google Maps and its use for an archaeological survey of Egypt. I am proposing another example of the use of image processing in Fig.3. This is the Great Temple at Amarna, buried under the sand (more images at [11]).
As Zahi Hawass is telling, it is necessary to understand whether some “anomalies” revealed by the satellite remote sensing are archaeological remains or not. This means that archaeology can only receive benefits for geophysics researches and the related use of remote sensing.
References.
1. Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images, F. Cronin, BBC New, 24 May 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957
2. Documentation of the Abandoned Town La Ciudad Perdida in Peru Combining VHR Satellite Data and Terrestrial Measurement, K. Pavelka, M. Bukovinsky, J. Svatuskova, Remote Sensing for Science, Education and Natural and Cultural Heritage, Rainer Reuter Ed., EARSeL, 2010.
3. News broadcast by BBC is inaccurate, says Hawass, N. El-Aref, Ahramonline, 26 May 2011, http://english.ahram.org.eg/
4. Lines under the forest, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/, and http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.5277.
5. SIR-C X-SAR Earth-Imaging Radar for NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, Infopage.
6. The Merowe Dam on the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/, and, Merowe Dam and the inundation of paleochannels of the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1011.4911.
7. Enhancing the Google imagery using a wavelet filter, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.1590.
8. The geoglyphs of Titicaca, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/ and Symbolic landforms created by ancient earthworks near Lake Titicaca, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.2231.
9. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1390667/Seventeen-lost-pyramids-thousands-buried-Egyptian-settlements-pinpointed-infrared-satellite-images.html?ito=feeds-newsxml, and also
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/9202577-egyptian-pyramids-found-by-infrared-satellite-images
10. In my opinion, the published images at [9] are not the real infrared images of the Alabama University team, but this is what is published on the web.
11. Some image processing on Amarna, https://sites.google.com/site/amarnasatelliteimagery/
Fig.1: Tanis as can be observed after processing an image from Google Maps. In the upper part, brightness and contrast had been adjusted with GIMP. The lower image was obtained with a wavelet filtering with Iris. It seems that the image is giving quite good details too.
Fig.2. This is the Saqqara area where there is a buried pyramid. The image has been obtained after processing a Google Maps image. According to Refs.[9], in this area there one of the buried pyramid announced by BBC [1]. (SEE PLEASE THE NOTE AT THE END OF THIS POST)
Fig.3: The Great Temple in Amarna, as can be seen after processing a Google Maps image.
---------------------
NOTE 11 November 2018
For what concerns the Figure 2, here I would like to show you also - in the blue insert of the following image - that published by BBC of the pyramid.
Here the insert is used just for information, to show in an image of Google Maps, after enhancing the contrast, the place where Sarah Parcak told she has evidenced a pyramid. I beg BBC pardon for the use of the insert, but I have seen today, at the following link
that my image was used for a hoax of a human settlement under the ice. Let me thank Maarten Schenk for having evidenced this fact. I am quite upset by the use of an image of mine in this hoax.
I repeat, I am discussing the work by Sarah Parcak and the use of satellites for the archaeology in Egypt. Let me stress that the IMAGE is an image from Egypt, and the article of BBC was on Egypt. Nothing to do with ICE, only SAND!
Amarna
The following images are showing a great temple in Amarna, the city of Akhetaten.
The images have been obtained applying an image processing to Google Maps.
The image processing is done by means of GIMP, IRIS and AstroFracTool.
El Inca
"El Inca, Garcilaso de la Vega (April 12, 1539–1616), born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society. Although not all scholars agree, many consider Garcilaso's accounts the most complete and accurate available. Because there was also a Spanish author named Garcilaso de la Vega, he is more commonly known as "El Inca" Garcilaso de la Vega, or simply "El Inca Garcilaso"."
La cultura Andina y el Sumaq Kawsay
Interessante discussione su ConNuestroPeru
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Internet : New crater in Sudan discovered using Google Maps
"Software scientists have discovered a 10 kilometre wide crater like structure in the Bayuda Desert of Sudan using Google Maps...
Amelia Sparavigna from the Politecnico di Torino in Italy said she got the idea from Italian researcher Vincenzo de Micheles who identified an impact crater in the remote desert of southern Egypt by 2008 using Google Earth. Located between the fourth and sixth cataract, the area is characterised by basaltic rocks from ancient volcanoes. Sparavigna noticed “a non-perfect round shape about 40 kilometres in diameter” on the eastern bank of river Nile. She then processed the original Google Maps satellite image with an astronomical image-processing program. “Aerial photography is expensive and satellite imagery doesn’t always have good enough resolution. But in this case they have been able to generate some interesting images which have been further enhanced,” ABC Science quoted Professor David Cohen, a geologist, as saying."
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tanis map
This image is showing the ruins of the ancient city of Tanis (an archeological site in Egypt, well-known from the Indiana Jones' movie). The image has been obtained from the original image from Google Maps, with a certain image processing. The following is the original image from Google.
Or you can use AstroFracTool and Gimp
For more details see
Friday, May 27, 2011
Picaflores que llegan hasta el sol
"El otro principio fue el de considerar siempre el Perú como una fuente infinita para la creación. Perfeccionar los medios de entender este país infinito mediante el conocimiento de todo cuanto se descubre en otros mundos. No, no hay país más diverso, más múltiple en variedad terrena y humana; todos los grados de calor y color, de amor y odio, de urdimbres y sutilezas, de símbolos utilizados e inspiradores. No por gusto, como diría la gente llamada común, se formaron aquí Pachacamac y Pachacutec, Huamán Poma, Cieza y el Inca Garcilaso, Túpac Amaru y Vallejo, Mariátegui y Eguren, la fiesta de Qoyllur Riti y la del Señor de los Milagros; los yungas de la costa y de la sierra; la agricultura a 4000 metros; patos que hablan en lagos de altura donde todos los insectos de Europa se ahogarían; picaflores que llegan hasta el sol para beberle su fuego y llamear sobre las flores del mundo. Imitar desde aquí a alguien resulta algo escandaloso. En técnica nos superarán y dominarán, no sabemos hasta qué tiempos, pero en arte podemos ya obligarlos a que aprendan de nosotros y lo podemos hacer incluso sin movernos de aquí mismo. Ojalá no haya habido mucho de soberbia en lo que he tenido que hablar; les agradezco y les ruego dispensarme."
JOSE MARÍA ARGUEDAS ALTAMIRANO
Palabras en el acto de entrega del premio “Inca Garcilaso de la Vega”
Lima, Octubre de 1968.http://cinosargo.bligoo.com/content/view/231404/NO-SOY-UN-ACULTURADO-por-JOSE-MARIA-ARGUEDAS.html
JOSE MARÍA ARGUEDAS ALTAMIRANO
Palabras en el acto de entrega del premio “Inca Garcilaso de la Vega”
Lima, Octubre de 1968.http://cinosargo.bligoo.com/content/view/231404/NO-SOY-UN-ACULTURADO-por-JOSE-MARIA-ARGUEDAS.html
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Quake coincides with sky 'anomalies'?
"A preliminary analysis of the atmosphere and ionosphere over Japan in March reveals infrared and electron anomalies coincident with the Tohoku earthquake, researchers in the US and Russia claim. The anomalies are the latest evidence for a possible link between seismic activity and changes in the atmosphere or ionosphere, although sceptics believe they are unrelated."
Tohoku quake coincided with sky 'anomalies' - physicsworld.com
Snake venom gets into the groove
"A few snakes do inject their venom, the rattlesnake being a well-known example. A rattlesnake's fangs are like hypodermic needles, shooting venom into prey at high pressure from a poison gland in the snake's head. But many venomous snakes and other reptiles do not have tubes in their fangs, and so cannot deliver pressurized venom. Often their fangs just have a single groove, running top to bottom."
Snake venom gets into the groove - physicsworld.com
Fermi Telescope and the dark matte- physicsworld.com
"New results from NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope appear to confirm a larger-than-expected rate of high-energy positrons reaching the Earth from outer space. This anomaly in the cosmic-ray flux was first observed by the Italian-led PAMELA spacecraft in 2008 and suggests the existence of annihilating dark-matter particles. Physicists believe that about 80% of the mass in the universe is in the form of a mysterious substance known as dark matter. ... researchers are attempting to find direct evidence of it on Earth using either heavily shielded underground detectors or with particle accelerators. But they also have a third, less direct, option – using satellites or balloon-based instruments to detect the particles that some theories predict are created in space when two dark-matter particles collide and annihilate."
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Historiadores y cronistas de las misiones
Historiadores y cronistas de las misiones
http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra/historiadores-y-cronistas-de-las-misiones--0/#I_60_
http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra/historiadores-y-cronistas-de-las-misiones--0/#I_60_
Mike Ruggieri's News
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Andean Archaeology News
April 13, 2011
April 13, 2011
"Oldest Textiles in South America
Textiles and rope fragments that were found 30 years ago in Guitarrero Cave in the Andes have now been dated to 10,000 BCE, making them the oldest textiles ever found in South America. ... Textile weaving took place in these caves showing that women were probably amo
ng the first to live at these altitudes in the area. The article will appear in the current issue of Current Anthropology."Textiles and rope fragments that were found 30 years ago in Guitarrero Cave in the Andes have now been dated to 10,000 BCE, making them the oldest textiles ever found in South America. ... Textile weaving took place in these caves showing that women were probably amo
http://web.me.com/michaelruggeri/Mike_Ruggeris_Ancient_Andean_Archaeology_News/Mike_Ruggeris_Ancient_Andean_Archaeology_News.html
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Guaman Poma
Da Wikipedia.
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, conosciuto anche come Guaman Poma (San Cristóbal de Suntuntu, località della provincia di Lucanas nella regione di Ayacucho, 1550 ca. – dopo il 1615), è stato un cronista indigeno del Perù durante la conquista dell'America.
« Questo è il nostro paese, perché Dio ce lo ha dato »
Era il figlio di Guaman Mallqui e Juana Cori Ocllo Coya (ultima figlia del sovrano Túpac Yupanqui)...
Nel 1908, nella Biblioteca Reale di Copenaghen (Danimarca), fu riscoperto un antico manoscritto di 1179 pagine: la Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno di Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, di cui non si avevano più notizie da circa 300 anni. ...
Questa opera, di altissimo valore storico, aveva in origine un obiettivo concreto: ritrarre la realtà andina e sollecitare la corona spagnola ad effettuare una riforma del governo coloniale per salvare le popolazioni andine dallo sfruttamento e dai maltrattamenti. La relazione, infatti, era dedicata al re Filippo III di Spagna, ma andò smarrita durante il viaggio verso la penisola iberica. Oggi si conserva nella Biblioteca Reale di Copenaghen e si può consultare on-line.
http://www.kb.dk/permalink/2006/poma/info/en/frontpage.htm
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, conosciuto anche come Guaman Poma (San Cristóbal de Suntuntu, località della provincia di Lucanas nella regione di Ayacucho, 1550 ca. – dopo il 1615), è stato un cronista indigeno del Perù durante la conquista dell'America.
« Questo è il nostro paese, perché Dio ce lo ha dato »
Era il figlio di Guaman Mallqui e Juana Cori Ocllo Coya (ultima figlia del sovrano Túpac Yupanqui)...
Nel 1908, nella Biblioteca Reale di Copenaghen (Danimarca), fu riscoperto un antico manoscritto di 1179 pagine: la Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno di Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, di cui non si avevano più notizie da circa 300 anni. ...
Questa opera, di altissimo valore storico, aveva in origine un obiettivo concreto: ritrarre la realtà andina e sollecitare la corona spagnola ad effettuare una riforma del governo coloniale per salvare le popolazioni andine dallo sfruttamento e dai maltrattamenti. La relazione, infatti, era dedicata al re Filippo III di Spagna, ma andò smarrita durante il viaggio verso la penisola iberica. Oggi si conserva nella Biblioteca Reale di Copenaghen e si può consultare on-line.
http://www.kb.dk/permalink/2006/poma/info/en/frontpage.htm
Friday, May 20, 2011
Fossilised spider in amber
Scientists have used X-ray computed tomography to produce 3D images of a 49 million-year-old spider trapped inside an opaque piece of fossilised amber resin.
Scientists get a 3D view of ancient fossilised spider | News | The Engineer
Scientists get a 3D view of ancient fossilised spider | News | The Engineer
Yale Papyrus Collection
"The Yale papyrus collection began in 1889 with a gift of papyri from W. M. F. Petrie's excavations at Hawara, the archeological site in Ancient Egypt. In the following decades, Yale received a number of papyri, many of them from the discoveries at Oxyrhynchus, the ancient city west of the Nile River, by two young British excavators, Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt."Yale Papyrus Collection
Voynich Manuscript
Written in Central Europe, the Voynich Manuscript—named after the Polish-American antiquarian bookseller, Wilfrid M. Voynich, who acquired it in 1912—are still being debated as vigorously as its puzzling drawings and undeciphered text. It is considered as a magical or a scientific text, nearly every page contains botanical, figurative, and scientific drawings.
A new radiocarbon dating determined that the manuscript was penned on 15th-century pages.
A new radiocarbon dating determined that the manuscript was penned on 15th-century pages.
You can see the manuscript at
Unbound planets could abound in the universe
"Ten planets that appear to be drifting in interstellar space have been spotted by an international team of astronomers. The planets are so far from any host stars that they may not orbit a star at all, and could be drifting unbound through space. The team believes that such rogue planets could outnumber normal stars almost 2:1 and their existence could confirm computer simulations of solar-system formation."
Unbound planets could abound in the universe - physicsworld.com
Unbound planets could abound in the universe - physicsworld.com
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Il Guardiano del Nord
Vaishravana, il Guardiano del Nord e dio della ricchezza
Legno laccato, dorato e dipinto, h. cm 38
Arte sino-tibetana, XVII secolo
Museo Arte Orientale, Torino
Il Re Guardiano del Nord è uno dei Re Celesti e siede sul dorso di un leone delle nevi,
reso in questa scultura secondo gli schemi della tradizione cinese. Vaishravana è ornato da una grande tiara, da orecchini ricadenti sulle spalle e dal gioiello pettorale del “nodo senza fine”, uno degli otto simboli auspiciosi del Buddhismo. La mano destra atteggiata nella tarjani mudra, il gesto per allontanare gli spiriti maligni, trattiene un gioiello fra il pollice e il medio, mentre il braccio sinistro sostiene una mangusta sputa-gioielli. L'animale è simbolo della caratteristica del dio, quale divinita' che dona ricchezza e dominatore dei serpenti che regnano nel sottosuolo.
Mudra, http://www.cultor.org/Orient/Iconography/Mudras/Mudras.html
Vaishravana, also known as Jambhala in Tibet and Bishamonten in Japan is the name of the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology.
In Japan, Bishamonten, or just Bishamon, is thought of as an armor-clad god of warfare or warriors and a punisher of evildoers. Bishamon is portrayed holding a spear in one hand and a small pagoda in the other hand, the latter symbolizing the divine treasure house, whose contents he both guards and gives away. He is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. Bishamon is also called Tamon-ten, meaning
"listening to many teachings".
Adam's Calendar
"A 75,000 year-old stone calendar - In the cradle of humankind.
A new discovery of an ancient circular monolithic stone calendar site in Mpumalanga has proven to be at least 75,000 years old, pre-dating any other structure found to date. Southern Africa holds some of the deepest mysteries in all of human history... at around 60,000 years ago the early humans migrated from Africa and populated the rest of the world.... Modern historians have been speculating about the origins of these ruins, often calling them ‘cattle kraal of little historic importance’. The truth of the matter is that closer scientific inspection shows that we actually know very little about these spectacular ancient ruins. ...Adam’s Calendar is the flagship among these ruins because we can date this monolithic calendar with relative certainty to at least 75,000 years of age based on a number of scientific evaluations."
Scarab seal
"Ancient Egyptian scarabs were popular amulets in ancient Egypt. According to ancient Egyptian myths, the sun rolls across the sky each day and transforms bodies and souls. Modeled upon the Scarabaeidae family dung beetle, which rolls dung into a ball for the purposes of eating and laying eggs that are later transformed into larva, the scarab was seen as an earthly symbol of this heavenly cycle. This came to be iconographic, and ideological symbols were incorporated into Ancient Egyptian society."
From Wiki
Heart-scarab with a decoration on the back
(Egyptian Museum, Torino)
See my book
Nubia
"In 2300 BC, Nubia was first mentioned in Old Kingdom Egyptian accounts of trade missions. From Aswan, right above the First Cataract, southern limit of Egyptian control at the time, Egyptians imported gold, incense, ebony, ivory, and exotic animals from tropical Africa through Nubia. As trade between Egypt and Nubia increased so did wealth and stability."
More http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubia
More http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubia
Origami and shopping bags
"Engineers from Oxford University have used the principles of origami to create the first rigid, flat-folding shopping bag with a rectangular base.
The project started off as a mathematical curiosity for Dr Zhong You, a lecturer at Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science, but it may have important implications for the packaging industry."
Origami principles lead to rigid, flat-folding shopping bag | News | The Engineer
The project started off as a mathematical curiosity for Dr Zhong You, a lecturer at Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science, but it may have important implications for the packaging industry."
Origami principles lead to rigid, flat-folding shopping bag | News | The Engineer
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Fernando Sanford and the "Kirlian effect"
My paper on Fernando Sanford and the Kirlian effect has been selected by
Look 'n' Watch
The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv this week
Look 'n' Watch
The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv this week
