News in Briefs

Jupiter-like planets formed in hundreds -- not millions -- of years, study shows

Casting aside the traditional view that it takes more than 1 million years for gas giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn to form from the cosmic debris circling a young star, new NASA research suggests such planets form in a dramatically shorter period, perhaps a few hundred years.

"The forming planets have to be able to survive the effects of nearby stars burning brightly, heating and dispersing the gases that accumulate around the giant planets. If the process takes too long, the gases will be dissipated by the radiation from those stars," said University of Washington astrophysicist Thomas R. Quinn.

"If a gas giant planet can't form quickly, it probably won't form at all," he said.

For more info, contact:
Quinn at trq@astro.washington.edu
or Mayer at lucio@physik.unizh.ch

Tunguska Explosion
95th Anniversary Conference

JPL at NASA has reported the possible science fiction/science fact event of the year is coming! "In 2003, there will be 95th anniversary of the 1908 Tunguska event. Despite numerous hypotheses, there is still no consensus on "what it was". The hypotheses vary from a meteorite fall, and a gas outburst to an 'alien spaceship'.

"Thus, due to large interest from the scientific and general public, the administration of Evenkia has decided to organize an international conference ("Tunguska 2003") in the cities of Moscow and Krasnoyarsk, and in a settlement of Vanavara (which is about 70 km from the Tunguska epicenter). And, of course, a trip to the Tunguska epicenter is planned."

Anyone visiting Russia/Siberia in June or July 2003 is welcome to register for the Conference!

For more info: http://olkhov.narod.ru/conf03.htm

Fox Cancels Firefly

Joss Whedon has confirmed to fans that Fox has canceled the struggling series, the SF Western Firefly.

Fans were reported on SciFi.com as organizing a postcard writing campaign to urge the continuation of the show.

Whedon is quoted as stating, "Don't think for a second that I have given up on this show. I think it has been mistreated shamefully, but the Fox network has indicated that they would not stand in the way (which they can) of my finding a new home for the show. That's no easy prospect. But I will do everything in my power, as always, to keep this bird in the air. Of course I'll post if there's any news."

For more info: http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue296/news.html

Obituaries

Sfsite.com reports that television screenwriter John Meredith Lucas died on 19 October 2002 of leukemia. Lucas's screenplays included episodes of "Logan's Run" and "Star Trek". He also directed episodes of, "Planet of the Apes", "The Six-Million Dollar Man" and "Star Trek".

Sfsite.com also details the death, on 4 November 2002, of Jonathan Harris, who was best known as Dr. Zachary Smith on the 1960s series, "Lost in Space". Harris died from a blood clot in his heart while receiving treatment for a chronic back problem.

For more info: http://www.sfsite.com/columns/steven144.htm

Slow Glass Bookshop Goes Electronic