http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/radiogram.htm

  https://github.com/GyanD/codexffmpeg/releases/tag/2023-03-05-git-912ac82a3c

RSID: <<2023-11-10T00:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>


Welcome to program 329 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:44 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:52 MFSK32: Record-Low Water Levels on Mississippi River
  7:40 MFSK64: NASA spacecraft discovers asteroid's "moon"*
11:42 MFSK64: This week's images*
28:38 MFSK32: Closing announcements

* with image(s)


 

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From gCaptain:

Record-Low Water Levels on Mississippi River as Drought
Conditions Expand

Mike Schuler
November 8, 2023

A combination of a warm October and worsening drought conditions
in the Lower Mississippi Valley has caused water levels along
parts of the Mississippi River to drop to historic lows,
according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA).

This marks the second consecutive year of record-low water levels
in the region. The lack of rainfall and high temperatures have
led to an expansion of drought coverage and intensity, impacting
the Mississippi Valley.

The consequences of these low water levels have been significant.
Barges and ships have run aground, disrupting the transportation
of grain during one of the busiest periods of the year.
Meanwhile, saltwater intrusion concerns have also popped up in
southern Louisiana, forcing the US Army Corps of Engineers to
ship fresh water from upstream to treatment plants in Plaquemines
Parish, Louisiana.

The drought has also had a broader impact on the demand for US
grain, resulting in the country losing its status as the
preferred grain shipper. American wheat shipments hit an all-time
low in the week ending November 2, according to the US Department
of Agriculture. Export inspections of American wheat totaled a
mere 71,608 metric tons, the smallest amount on record since the
USDA began collecting weekly data in 1983.

The shrinking Mississippi River and competition from abundant
global grain supplies have contributed to this decline.

The combination of warm temperatures, expanding drought
conditions, and record-low water levels along the Mississippi
River points to the ongoing challenges posed by climate change
and underscores the need for sustainable water management and
climate resilience efforts.

According to NOAA, the average temperature in the contiguous US
in October was 56.1°F, 2.0°F above the 20th-century average.
While it was the 18th-warmest October overall, some states,
including Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, experienced
record-breaking warmth. Six other states also had a top-10
warmest October on record.

In terms of precipitation, the Lower 48 states received an
average of 2.14 inches in October, slightly below the historical
average. North Carolina experienced its 10th-driest October on
record, while no state had one of their top-10 wettest Octobers.

The US experienced above-average temperatures from January to
October, with Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas having
their warmest year-to-date on record. Several other states had
their second warmest year-to-date, while no state had one of
their top-10 coldest periods.

Looking at the year-to-date period, the US received slightly
above the historical average of 25.50 inches of precipitation.
Wyoming and Massachusetts ranked fourth wettest, while
Connecticut, Maine, and Nevada ranked fifth wettest. However,
Maryland experienced its seventh-driest year-to-date period on
record.

https://gcaptain.com/record-low-water-levels-on-mississippi-river/

Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...

 

RSID: <<2023-11-10T00:37Z MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>



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From New Atlas:

NASA's Lucy spacecraft discovers unexpected satellite-orbiting
asteroid

By Michael Irving
November 7, 2023

NASA's asteroid-exploring spacecraft Lucy has made its first
up-close observations - and discovered something completely
unexpected. The asteroid Dinkinesh not only has a small satellite
orbiting it, but that mini-moon is made up of two objects stuck
together.

Launched in 2021, Lucy is set to visit more asteroids than any
other spacecraft so far. Its main mission is to investigate the
Trojans, two clusters of asteroids orbiting the Sun at the
distance of Jupiter - one ahead of and one behind the giant
planet. On the way, it's performing a kind of test run on
asteroids in the main belt just beyond Mars, including this first
target.

Known as Dinkinesh, this asteroid wasn't really expected to throw
up any surprises - it was merely meant to help the science team
test how well Lucy could track asteroids and snap photos as it
whizzes past them at 16,000 km/h (10,000 mph). But in the weeks
as the craft approached, the asteroid's brightness seemed to be
changing over time.

On November 1, Lucy was finally close enough to start snapping
photos, and they quickly revealed the reason for the changing
brightness: a small satellite object was discovered orbiting the
main body of Dinkinesh. From these images, the team estimates
that the bigger object measures about 790 m (2,592 ft) wide, and
the smaller one is about 220 m (722 ft).

Things got even weirder after more data was downloaded. Just six
minutes later, Lucy snapped another set of photos as it departed
Dinkinesh, and from that angle it was clear that the asteroid's
moon was actually made up of two distinct objects. In the
original images, the second object was hidden behind the first.

These two objects are so close that they're actually touching
each other, forming what's called a contact binary. It's not the
first such object found, but it is the first one ever seen
orbiting an asteroid, and its existence raises a few questions.

"It is puzzling, to say the least," said Hal Levison, principal
investigator for Lucy. "I would have never expected a system that
looks like this. In particular, I don't understand why the two
components of the satellite have similar sizes. This is going to
be fun for the scientific community to figure out."

There's still more data to download from Lucy's close encounter
with Dinkinesh, and of course, this is just the first of many
asteroid fly-bys for the spacecraft. Lucy will venture deeper
into the main asteroid belt to visit Donaldjohanson in 2025,
before journeying to the Trojans where it will image at least
seven more asteroids starting in 2027. If the very first visit
was this surprising, who knows what the others might hold.

Source: NASA

https://newatlas.com/space/lucy-asteroid-dinkinesh-satellite-contact-binary/
 

Image: The asteroid Dinkinesh, as seen by Lucy on approach. The
small satellite can be seen in the bottom-right corner ...

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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

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This week''s images ...


Aurora with bridge in foreground, Drumheller Valley, Alberta,
November 5. https://tinyurl.com/yo23x59m ...

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A rainbow aurora curtain in Finland during the November 5
G3-level solar storm. https://tinyurl.com/yvpzz5o8 ...

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A Philco Radios neon sign at the National Capital Radio &
Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland.
https://tinyurl.com/ynk34gzd ...

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As the sun sets, a worker repairs a swing at a fairground in
Pushkar, Pakistan. https://tinyurl.com/ymvt3jl4 ...

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The DJ act Super Computer opens for Oliver Tree at L'Olympia,
Paris. https://tinyurl.com/ylyft9g6 ...

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The Conway Scenic Railroad in Crawford Notch State Park, Harts
Location, New Hampshire, October 28. https://tinyurl.com/yvr7hub6
...

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A scene from GlasGLOW at the Botanic Garden in Glasgow, October
26. https://tinyurl.com/ywcxy8a2 ...

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Sunset at the Wharf in Washington DC, November 5. The sign over
the street says TEERTS LRAEP. https://tinyurl.com/2xbgtaff ...

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Our painting of the week is "Blaue Kuh" (1913-14) by Franz Marc
(1880-1916). https://tinyurl.com/yuc43nyo ...

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Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...
 

RSID: <<2023-11-10T00:58Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>