Prelims Focus – 11th April 2024

Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC)

Recent News:

The US White House has instructed NASA to develop a time standard for the Moon that can be used by various international organisations and private companies to synchronise their operations on the lunar surface.

Details:

• Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) is a new lunar-based time system being developed by NASA in collaboration with other government agencies, with a goal to establish it by the end of 2026. 
• The rationale behind creating LTC is to provide a standard time measurement for coordinating human activities on the moon, as exploration and economic development initiatives are underway. 
• The moon’s time deviates from UTC due to relativistic effects, making the use of UTC impractical for precise operations on the moon. 
• LTC aims to serve as an atomic clock on the moon, providing a time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites that require extreme precision for their missions.
• The creation of LTC may require international agreements, including those among Artemis Accords signatories, to ensure its implementation and adoption as an international standard.

Arctic’s polar vortex

Recent News:

Scientists were shocked to discover that the Arctic’s polar vortex was spinning in the opposite direction, which is one of the six most powerful events of its kind since 1979.

Details on the Arctic’s polar vortex:

• The Arctic polar vortex is a band of strong westerly winds in the stratosphere that forms in the winter, enclosing a large pool of extremely cold air.
• Its strength and location can be influenced by regional variations in sea ice, such as lower-than-average sea ice extent in the eastern Arctic’s Barents and Kara Seas, which can lead to shifts in the vortex and colder-than-average winters across Siberia and central Eurasia. 
• The polar vortex does not always influence winter weather in the mid-latitudes, but when it does, the effects can be extreme, such as an extremely cold Arctic and milder-than-usual weather in the mid-latitudes. 
• There is no clear trend in the polar vortex’s behaviour, but natural variability and changes in sea ice could have consequences for its location and impact on weather patterns

Gudi Padwa

In News: Gudi Padwa is celebrated on the first day of the month of Chaitra every year, which synchronises with the first day of the new moon.

• • It is a spring festival celebrated predominantly in Maharashtra and Goa, marking the beginning of the new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus.
  • It falls on the first day of the Chaitra month in the Hindu calendar, is a vibrant celebration filled with rituals, festivities, and a sense of community.
  • The term ‘Gudi Padwa’ is derived from  words – ‘Gudi’ because of this flag, and ‘Padwa’ which represents the primary day of the lunar fortnight.
    • A Gudi is hoisted on this day, giving the festival its name.

• Significance

• • Gudi Padwa signifies the advent of spring and the reaping of Rabi crops.
  • It is assumed that on this day, Lord Brahma created the universe.
  • It marks the start of the harvest season in Maharashtra.
  • It promotes the conventional arts, because the making of the Gudi and the drawing of rangoli require creativity and artistic skills.

Ural River

In News: Recently, Russia declared an emergency in the Orenburg region near Kazakhstan after the Ural River burst through a dam embankment in the city of Orsk.

• • It originates in the southern Ural Mountains.
  • It embarks on a journey of 2,428 kilometres, making it the third longest river in Europe after the Volga and the Danube.
  • It flows south along the eastern flank of the Ural Mountains, passing through cities like Magnitogorsk. At Orsk, it cuts westward across the southern stop of the Urals, past Orenburg, and turns south again across a lowland of semi-wasteland to enter the Caspian Sea at Atyraū.
  • It is historically known as the Yaik, is a significant geographical function that courses through Russia and Kazakhstan.
  • It serves as a natural border between Europe and Asia, marking it as a geographical landmark of massive significance.

• Economic Importance

• • The Ural River affords a natural waterway that helps trade and transportation.
  • The river is navigable up to the city of Oral in Kazakhstan.
  • Furthermore, a dam and hydroelectric station were constructed at Iriklinsky, south of Magnitogorsk, harnessing the river’s power for energy production.

Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM)

In News: NTPC Limited, India’s largest integrated power company, is about to launch the latest edition of Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM). 

• It is a flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, initiated as a pilot project in 2018 for youth belonging to underprivileged sections of the society.
• The program aligns with the Government of India’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative and aims to tackle gender inequality by means of nurturing women’ imaginations and fostering their ability to discover opportunities. 
• Under the mission a 1-month workshop for young girls during summer holidays is offered for their all-round upliftment and development.
• The workshop specializes in health, hygiene, safety, fitness, sports and yoga.

Peter Higgs

In News: Nobel prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs has passed away recently.

• Born in England on May 29, 1929
• He proposed the Higgs boson in 1964  which is likewise known as “the God particle” together with François Englert, and 4 different theorists to provide an explanation for why certain particles have mass.
• He theorised that there have to be a subatomic particle of a certain measurement that would give an explanation for how different particles — and consequently all of the stars and planets in the universe — acquired mass. 
• Scientists confirmed its life in 2012 by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland.

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