Latest news with #Gherkin
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New asteroid as big as The Gherkin added to Earth threat-list
The European Space Agency has identified another asteroid as a potential collision risk for Earth, placing it in the top three hazards for the planet. 2025 FA22 is 656 feet or 200 meters in diameter - as tall as The Gherkin in London or New York's Trump Tower - and will approach Earth on September 19, 2089. The asteroid was found by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 2 (Pan-STARRS 2) in Hawaii on March 29 and has been assigned a rating of above -3 on the Palermo Scale. The Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale is used by astronomers to assess the risk of an asteroid or comet impacting Earth. It combines both the probability of impact and the potential energy of the impact to provide a single risk score. The asteroid's score means 'not currently concerning'. It has a Torino Scale score of close to 1, meaning 'no cause for concern'. READ MORE: People who leave Fairy Liquid next to kitchen sink given warning READ MORE: Beckham family 'done with Nicola Peltz' as truth behind David's party snub exposed FA22 will make a relatively close pass on September 18, 2025 before returning in 2089. After the close pass, scientists will have a better idea of the asteroid's make-up and trajectory. There are 1,782 objects on the ESA 'watchlist' as potential threats to Earth. 2025 FA 22 is currently third on that list, after 2023 VD3 - due between 2034 and 2098, and 2008 JL3 - due between 2027 and 2122. None of the asteroids has a high potential of hitting the planet at present. An asteroid named Apophis, officially designated 99942 Apophis, is due to pass closer to the Earth than some satellites orbit on April 13, 2029. Apophis was discovered on June 19, 2004, by astronomers at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona. It is 340 meters (1,100 feet) in diameter - large enough to cause major regional damage if it hit Earth - and has been named after Apophis, the ancient Egyptian god of chaos. In late 2004, astronomers calculated a relatively high probability (up to 2.7%) that Apophis could impact Earth on April 13, 2029 — an unprecedented concern for an object of its size. It briefly reached a level 4 on the Torino Scale — the highest ever recorded. (Level 4 means it merited attention from astronomers and potentially civil authorities.) Impact has been ruled out for the foreseeable future, but it will pass just 19,000 miles from the Earth making it visible to the naked eye. The asteroid 2024 YR4 recently garnered significant attention due to initial assessments suggesting a potential impact with Earth. Early observations indicated up to a 3.1% chance of Earth impact on 22 December 2032, the highest ever recorded for an asteroid of this size (40 to 100 meters). The impact risk has been downgraded to nearly zero, and the asteroid has been removed from ESA's risk list.
South Wales Argus
09-05-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
Blaenau Gwent residents raise concerns over wind turbines
The project's approval has sparked alarm among residents who have voiced their concerns about the impact on the landscape and the potential disruption to their daily lives. The proposed turbines will have a maximum tip height of 180 metres, which is roughly the same height as the Gherkin building in London. Cwm resident and psychologist, Dr Robert Edmunds, is amongst those arguing that the turbines will dramatically alter the area, potentially casting shadows over residents' gardens and generating noise. Much of the residents' concern extends beyond the mere presence of wind turbines, but rather the scale of the project and the proximity to residential homes. They highlight the potential impact the turbines could have on local lives, which they feel has been dismissed. "I do not feel most people realise the scale of the project," expressed Dr Edmunds. "It is a scandal that people can just have this foisted upon them by a government initiative, and there is very little we can do," Dr Edmunds explained. Similarly concerned over the practicality and proximity of the project is Steven Millard, who said, "The siting of such large structures, so close that they cast flickering shadows over hundreds of homes, a special school and hospital, should not be allowed." "Some homes are only 450m away from these 180m high structures," explained Mr Millard. Residents are particularly concerned about the potential side effects of large turbines, such as noise and shadow flicker, which they say have been documented in other areas throughout the Valleys. Residents have expressed confusion as to how the project has been approved despite widespread objections, and continue to question the suitability of the location. "It is odd that, in order to protect our climate and the natural world upon which we depend for our future, businesses and governments wish to destroy large swathes of our upland green spaces, our dog walking spaces, even though there are less destructive options and less disruptive places to place them," Mr Millard concluded. In response to the concerns, the company running the project, Cenin, said, "CENIN is engaged in discussions with Blaenau Gwent CBC about a local energy network." Cenin went on to explain how the renewable energy generated by the project could be used throughout the county and how it is likely to create vital employment. "There are no major negative effects of noise and shadow flicker that could bring disruption as suggested. "CENIN will engage with local people who are concerned about such matters and give detailed responses," they said. "CENIN will continue to listen to the community. "Certain political parties want to see the introduction of a Social Local Tariffs for Energy. "CENIN would certainly look at these proposals and if they work in practice, support them, especially to those needing support and in poverty," they finished.
ITV News
07-05-2025
- General
- ITV News
Shortlisted ideas for memorial to late Queen revealed as public asked for views
Five potential design concepts for a memorial dedicated to the late Queen Elizabeth II have been revealed. The designs have been shortlisted by the government for a site in St James's Park, close to Buckingham Palace. Today a public online exhibition has been launched with people invited to submit their feedback to the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, which will make its final decision on the winning design in early Summer 2025. Chair of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, Lord Janvrin, said: 'We are delighted to be working with some of the best architects, artists and designers in the world to produce a landmark memorial of outstanding beauty that celebrates and honours the life of Queen Elizabeth II.' Here are the five concepts that hope to be the winning design. Foster and Partners Foster and Partners is a British architectural firm famous for designing London's Gherkin skyscraper. The firm has worked with artist Yinka Shonibare and landscape architect Michel Desvigne Paysagiste for this design which features a Commonwealth Garden and a wind sculpture for "reflection and shared experience". Meanwhile a new figurative sculpture of the late Queen Elizabeth would be built. Heatherwick Studio In honour of the late Queen's 70 year reign, Heatherwick Studio has proposed a gathering place in the centre of St. James's Park, featuring a walk made of 70 lily pads. At the centre of the bridge will be figurative sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II, protected by a canopy of eight sculptural lilies. London based landscape architects J&L Gibbons say "the Queen was the nation's bedrock". With that in mind they have created what they call a "meandering flow of geology carrying people through an ephemeral choreography of blossoming and colour". The design will use stone sourced from the four nations of the UK. Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects Representing Elizabeth's "strength, endurance and the historic place of the monarchy in our constitution", this design features an exact metal cast of an oak from Windsor Great Park. Standing on a plinth in St James's Park's lake, it can be viewed from a bridge made from stones from across Britain and with bronze casts of significant objects from the late Queen's life. WilkinsonEyre The London-based firm is known for a number of famous buildings such as the Millennium Bridge in Gateshead and the London Olympic Basketball Arena. It's concept envisages a thread of pathways to represent what they call "defining themes" the Queen's life: "Reign, Faith, Commonwealth, Values, Nature, Family, and Prince Philip". A pair of bridges spanning the lake would form the heart of this design. You can view the designs in full and submit your feedback here.
Boston Globe
05-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Blue Heron Farm, Martha's Vineyard estate often rented by Obamas, hits the market for $39 million
Blue Heron Farm will be listed for $39 million, the agent handling the listing confirmed. Evan Joseph Studios President Barack Obama, right, rides in a golf cart with NBA basketball player Ray Allen, left, while golfing Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, at Farm Neck Golf Club, in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard. Steven Senne The Wall Street Journal Advertisement Located along Tisbury Great Pond, the opulent estate boasts a a five-bedroom guesthouse, a boat house, and a horse barn transplanted from Pennsylvania, the Journal said. A sitting room in the main house looks out at the estate's sweeping outdoor space. Evan Joseph Studios The Blue Heron Farm estate on Martha's Vineyard has a five-bedroom guesthouse. Evan Joseph Studios The 7,000-square-foot main house opens out onto the property's pristine lawns, and features a wraparound porch, a deck, and a gracious sitting room with floor-to-ceiling windows, photos show. Foster and his wife, Spanish art publisher Elena Foster, added a sleek modern pool house with a generous covered patio area, the Journal reported. The architect is known for designing projects around the world, including the London skyscraper known as 'the Gherkin' and Manhattan's Hearst Tower. Elena Foster is CEO of Ivorypress, an art publishing house and curatorial company. Advertisement A spacious pool house was added by owner Norman Foster, the Wall Street Journal reported. Evan Joseph Studios The Blue Heron Farm boathouse along Tisbury Great Pond. Evan Joseph Studios The estate has elements dating back to the 1800s, and has historic farming roots, according to the Journal. After Blue Heron Farm was purchased by the Fosters in 2011, the Obamas spent summer vacations elsewhere on the island, including at The main home's formal dining room. Evan Joseph Studios The main house has a wraparound porch looking out onto roughly 30 acres. Evan Joseph Studios A spacious pool house was added by owner Norman Foster, the Wall Street Journal reported. Evan Joseph Studios Claire Thornton can be reached at
Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Times
Obamas' Martha's Vineyard summer home could be yours — for $39m
A lavish holiday home where Barack and Michelle Obama escaped on summer retreat has come up for sale for a cool $39 million. Blue Heron Farm, a sprawling 30-acre estate on Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, is owned by the acclaimed British architect Lord Foster of Thames Bank and his wife, Elena Ochoa Foster. Foster, the visionary behind the Gherkin and Wembley Stadium in London, is also designing a new stadium for Manchester United. The property on Martha's Vineyard features a 7,000 sq ft main house, a five-bedroom guesthouse, a boathouse, a horseback riding ring and basketball and tennis courts. It also has an apple orchard, a century-old barn and a pool house, all along a private waterfront. Its market listing was first
