 |
|
|
|||||
Skywatchers, you’re in for a treat. You’re going to want to look up into the night late Monday, May 5 into the early hours of Tuesday, May 6, to see the debris of Halleys comet as it lights up the sky with a meteor shower called the Eta Aquarids. Here’s everything you need to know about the Eta Aquarids and the chance to see debris from Halley’s comet in 2025. What are Halleys comet and the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, anyway? While Halley’s comet itself only travels around the sun every 75 or so years, each time it returns to the inner solar system, it sprays debris (ice and rock) into space, which results in two meteor showers each year: the Eta Aquarids in May, and the Orionids in October, creating what we know as shooting stars. (Halley’s comet was last seen in 1986, and won’t come around again until 2061.) When comets pass by the sun, the dust they emit eventually creates a dusty trail around their orbits. Then, when Earth passes through these trails, they interact with our atmosphere, creating those dazzling shows of light in the sky. The Eta Aquarids peak early in the month of May, and are known for their speed; they travel at about 40.7 miles per second into Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA. That’s important, because fast meteors can leave glowing incandescent “trains” of debris, which last for several seconds to minutes. During the peak of the Eta Aquarids, viewers can see up to 50 meteors each hour, depending on visibility. What’s the best time to see the Eta Aquarids meteor shower in 2025? Peak viewing is this Monday night, May 5 into Tuesday morning, May 6 in the predawn hours, according to NASA’s Bill Cooke, who told the AP that visibility will likely be affected by the moon, which will be two-thirds full. The good news: viewing opportunities will last through the month until May 28. You can view the Eta Aquarids in both the northern and southern hemispheres, but the southern hemisphere is preferable. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, viewers can expect to see about 10 meteors an hour, depending on your latitude and conditions that night. Expect to see “Earthgrazers,” which are long meteors “that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon,” per NASA. NASA viewing tips for the Eta Aquarids meteor shower Our friends at NASA offer these tips: Find a viewing spot away from city or street lights. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east. You may want to bring a blanket or a lounge chair. Look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient. The show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.
Category:
E-Commerce
Most F1 cars can reach speeds of well over 200 mph, but the newest automobiles in the F1 stable go much much slow. Built from 400,000 Lego pieces, the life-size Lego cars can drive 12 mphnot bad for a bunch of plastic bricks. To mark the start of a multiyear partnership, the Danish toy maker created 10 drivable, full-scale Formula 1 cars that debuted at the Miami Grand Prix. The racing series 20 competitors, including speed demons Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, drove the Lego cars at Sundays prerace Drivers Parade for millions of fans watching from the grandstands and on television. [Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images for LEGO Group] The big build cars took Lego builders a collective 22,000 hours over eight months to assemble the four million pieces. It’s Legos most challenging project by size and scale, according to Chief Marketing Officer Julia Goldin. The cars showcase each teams distinctive livery but share the cockpit, chassis, and components necessary to cover the circuits three-mile inaugural lap. We each want to push the art of impossible, to push the boundaries, Goldin told Fast Company in an interview on Friday at the trackside Lego Garage. Drivable, life-size Legos Lego has made a mark with life-size, or larger-than-life, public art installations at institutions from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport to the Volvo Museum in Sweden. But the Formula 1 cars boast a novel distinction, says Marcel ©»astný, the projects lead engineer: Theyre ready for the race track. The nearly 1:1 scale models reach about 12 mph using automotive parts contained within the structure and authentic Pirelli tires. They herald Legos new Speed Champions product line based on race cars from Ferrari, McLaren, and other teams, with accessories from driver minifigures in full racing gear to replacement hub caps. [Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images for LEGO Group] Of course, they differ from actual Formula 1 cars in two key ways: performance and design. A modern F1 car uses a 1.6-liter V6 turbo engine and two electric motors to produce around 1,000 horsepower and travel upwards of 200 mph. And unlike the official single-seat race cars, Legos design fits two people. Lego created the dual cockpit specifically in order to accommodate each teams driver pairs during the parade. The beginning of the concept was really fitting two people inside, and then we built the rest of the car around the cockpit, says Jonathan Jurion, the projects senior designer. [Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images for LEGO Group] But making room for two people inside the car wasnt the projects only challenge. Since the competitors didnt get a test run ahead of the public debut, Lego also had to create adjustable seats and pedals within the cockpit to accommodate the drivers heights. The projects engineering manager specialist Martin ©mida says his team used animation runs and personal measurements to ensure a fit on race day. And then there was the compressed timeline, with the project kicking off last August. We did 10 cars in the amount of time it would normally take to do one car, Jurion says. We didn’t want to cut any corners, so we had to think out of the box how to streamline the process while creating a custom design for each one. From CAD to hand-built Despite a frenetic start off the line, the project began with the same computer-aided design exercise used by the 400-plus Lego products launched each year. We model the cars first in the computer because it’s a huge amount of bricks, Jurion says. We have specialists who work on the shapes and forms, and others who work on the design of the detailing and logos. The design then shuffles through the pipeline, to technical engineers and manufacturing engineers who make sure that we can build these, because it’s not really an easy task, he adds. Designers and engineers used foam mockups to collaborate on a layout that hid the drivetrain, which includes a motor and a 105 amp-hour battery. (Lego cut its teeth last year on a full-scale McLaren P1 that Lando Norris took for a spin on Englands Silverstone Circuit. But instead of traditional Lego bricks, that car used bolts, gears and pins from Legos advanced Technic system.) We have special builders who really know how to build these huge builds, and they take the building instructions from the manufacturing engineers and then build them, kind of layer by layer, like we would build a house, Jurion adds. The cars were assembled by hand at Legos factory in the Czech Republic but glued together for their Formula 1 debut. All the bricks you can see are off-the-shelf bricks, Jurion says. Potentially, if anyone has enough bricks, they could build them at home. Gluing the bricks together is obviously something that we don’t want our fans to do in real life, but we had to do it so that we keep the cars together, he added. We don’t want to lose any bricks on track. [Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images for LEGO Group] Multiyear growth Lego and Formula 1 alike have long had loyal fans willing to shell out top dollar for the experience, but both brands have surged in popularityespecially among women, children and families, according to Goldinsince the COVID-19 pandemic. A new audience turned, or returned, to Lego sets during lockdown, boosted by the LegoMasters reality television series, while Netflixs Drive to Survive, now filming its eighth season, has brought millions of new fans to motorsports. [Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images for LEGO Group] Data show that F1 has seen a particular surge in growth among children between ages 8 and 12. Lego continues to grow, as well, slated to begin construction on its first U.S. factory, a $1 billion factory outside Richmond, Virginia, in mid-2027. Goldin declined to provide the total investment figure for the Formula 1 partnership but says theres more to come. This sets the bar high, but we definitely dont think of this as a one-off.
Category:
E-Commerce
The death of Joann fabrics is turning out to be a big gain for at least one other retailer. Following the beloved craft chains bankruptcy and subsequent plan to wind down its operations, discount retailer Burlington Storesformerly known as Burlington Coat Factoryis moving to scoop up dozens of leases from former Joann locations across more than 20 states, court documents reveal. The 45 locations, some of which have been home to Joanns stores for decades, were listed as being taken over by various Burlington subsidiaries on a bankruptcy court filing last week, with the company expected to assume control of most of the leases on June 1. In January, Joann filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for a second time in less than a year, having succumbed to inflationary pressures and shifting habits among consumers who had embraced at-home crafts during the early years of the pandemic. The company has since said it would close every location, with a sizable chunk of those stores closing for good last week. All of Joann’s almost 800 stores are expected to be closed by the end of May. The relatively quick wind-down creates an opportunity for other retailers that are looking for space, with leases available for low cure amounts or no cure price at all, court records show. The transfer of leases to Burlington is not a done deal, as interested parties still have time to object. Fast Company reached out to Burlington for comment and additional details. ‘2,000-store target’ Headquartered in Burlington, New Jersey, Burlington Stores offers merchandise at so-called off prices, specializing in apparel, footwear, and of course coats. The company formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory earned $504 million in profit on revenue of $10.6 billion in fiscal 2024. Last week’s filing shows Texas as the state with the most Joann stores that will be transferred to Burlington, with nine locations in the Lone Star state, followed by California with five. The filing also offers a window into the growth plans of a brick-and-mortar brand with ambitions to significantly increase its store count. While many chain retailers have reduced their physical footprint or shuttered entirely over the past few years, Burlington has been growing at a healthy clip. The company opened more than 100 net new stores in 2024, CEO Michael OSullivan said in an earnings release in March, and it plans to open another 100 locations this year. Burlington has also been relocating dozens of locations that OSullivan described as oversized, part of a national trend in which retailers are trying to do more with smaller-format stores. As of the end of its last fiscal year, Burlington operated 1,108 stores in 46 states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. It has said it has a long-term target of 2,000 stores. In addition to Burlington, the filing also listed other retailers that were taking over a handful of Joann locations, including Hobby Lobby, Boot Barn, and furniture retailer Massa Gallery. Below you can find the full list of locations that Burlington is seeking to take over. The oldest lease on the list, in Flagstaff, Arizona, dates back to April 1979. Arizona 1717 N Dysart Road in Avondale, AZ 1514 S Riordan Ranch St in Flagstaff, AZ Arkansas 3835 North Mall Ave in Fayetteville, AR California 5885 Lincoln Avenue in Buena Park, CA 26583 Carl Boyer Drive in Santa Clarita, CA 2210 Daniels St in Manteca, CA 3010 Ming Ave in Bakersfield, CA 12779 Main Street in Hesperia, CA Colorado 2580 South Colorado Blvd in Denver, CO 7360 South Gartrell Road in Aurora, CO Florida 10261 River Marsh Drive Ste 149 in Jacksonville, FL 540 N us Hwy 441 in Lady Lake, FL 1131 S Federal Hwy in Pompano Beach, FL Georgia 2655 N. Decatur Road, Decatur, GA 1074 Bullsboro Drive Unit #6 in Newnan, GA Illinois 7511 Lemont Rd Ste 101 in Darien, IL 2056 N. State Route 50, Bourbonnais, IL Kentucky 4600 Shelbyville Rd Ste 280 in Louisville, KY Massachusetts 96 Providence Highway in East Walpole, MA Michigan 9052 Highland Road in White Lake, MI Mississippi 3875 North Gloster Street in Tupelo, MS Nebraska 10521 S. 15Th Street in Bellevue, NE New Mexico 558 E. Main St., Farmington, NM New York 3225 State Route 364 in Canandaigua, NY 1530 County Route 64 in Horseheads, NY North Carolina 80 South Tunnel Road Suite 30 in Asheville, NC Ohio 4600 W Broad Street in Columbus, OH 3872 Paxton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH Boardman Poland Road, Youngstown, OH Oregon 783 Lancaster Dr. Ne. Suite #133 in Salem, OR South Carolina 1120 Seaboard Street, Myrtle Beach, SC 1215-B North Main Street in Summerville, SC Texas 1219 North Fry Road in Katy, TX 10515 N Mo Pac Expy Bldg 1 in Austin, TX 9500 S I-35 Frontage Rd. Building K, Austin, TX 4127 N Hwy 75 in Sherman, TX 2640 West University Dr in Denton, TX 2050 West Unversity Dr Suite 250 in Mc Kinney, TX 19105 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy., Mesquite, TX 10501 Gateway Blvd W Bld 9 in El Paso, TX 201 University Oaks Blvd in Round Rock, TX Utah 720 W. Telegraph in Washington, UT Washington 700 Ocean Beach Hwy Ste 100 in Longview, WA Wisconsin 1226 Koeller St in Oshkosh, WI 4045 Commonwealth Ave in Eau Claire, WI
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||