A Small Asteroid Will Make A Flyby In March

On February 2nd 2016, it was announced that a small asteroid would make a close pass of earth on March 5th 2016. The asteroid named 2013 TX68, is a 100 ft long space rock that is expected to flyby the Earth at a distance of either 9 million miles or as close as 11,000 miles. The reason for the wide possible range is that the asteroid was only discovered on October 6th 2013, when it flew past the Earth at 1.3 million miles.

Scientists at NASA's Near Earth Objects Center (NEO) say that, though there isn't much data on asteroid 2013 TX68, there is little chance that it will collide with the Earth. But they have, however identified a somewhat remote chance of 2013 TX68 hitting the Earth when it flies by again on September 28th 2017. They say that odds of an impact at that time will be more than 1-in-250. The asteroid is expected to pass the Earth again in 2046 and 2097.

At 100 ft across, asteroid 2013 TX68 is a little less than twice the size of the asteroid that broke up over Chelyabinsk, Russia, which has been estimated to have been 65 ft in length. If an asteroid the size of 2013 TX68 were to strike the Earth's atmosphere, it would create an air burst twice the size of the Chelyabinsk event. Scientists are hoping that 2013 TX68 will be picked up by NEO search telescopes during its flyby next month, giving them more data about its uncertain orbit.

Scientists Find Eintein's Gravitational Waves

On February 11th 2016, a team of scientists announced that they had successfully detected the existence of gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are ripples in space time that were first predicted by Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Researchers discovered the gravitational waves as the result of two colliding black holes.

The discovery was made by scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). The gravitational waves were first discovered on September 14 2015 by LIGO detectors in Livingston, Louisiana and Hanford, Washington. What they detected was two huge black holes, one 35 time the mass of our sun and the other 29 times our sun's mass, circling each other.

Scientist listened to the two black holes which were 1.3 billion light years from Earth, and somewhere beyond the Magellanic Cloud. They listened for a 20th of a second. At first the two black holes circled each other at a rate of 30 time a second. After 20 milliseconds the two objects were circling each other at a rate of 250 times a second, before they finally collided with each other.

Working in unison, the two detectors picked up minute vibrations from the gravitational waves as they passed by the Earth. The scientist then converted those vibrations into audio waves and listened to the sound of the two black holes as they merged. The sound that was played back, was "a low rumbling pierced by chirps." The gravitational waves only changed LIGO's instruments by one ten thousandth the size of a proton.

The researchers believe that because gravitational waves are so radically different from electromagnetic waves, they will ultimately reveal some very big and unexpected surprises about the universe.

The Old Guard: Maurice White, Leader Of Earth Wind & Fire, Dies At 74

The words "old guard," tend to refer to the established, often conservative element within a society. But, I have often heard it used in reference to those whose customs, practices, and traditions carry on beyond the times in which they were created. When it comes to music, the "old guard," can be found among those artists and bands whose music has stood the test of time. The names of which are numerous and stretch across every genre.

On February 3rd 2016, Maurice White the leader of the R&B band/group, Earth Wind & Fire, died in his home in Los Angeles, after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was 74. Mr. White formed the band with his brother Verdine in 1969. He was one of the band's lead singers up until the mid 1990s, and continued to write and produce for the band/group until shortly before his death.

Mr. White spent time in his early career backing Ramsey Lewis. At the time he was in Chicago, but in 1969 he moved to Los Angeles with a band called, The Salty Peppers. When the group failed to take off, in 1971 Mr. White changed the name of the group to Earth Wind & Fire after certain elements of his astrological sign. The group's lineup changed in the first few years. Philip Bailey and Mr. White's brothers Verdine and eventually Fred, joined the band.

Earth Wind & Fire's early hits include, Head to The Sky and Mighty Mighty. Then in 1975, things really took off with the release of the sound track to the movie, That's The Way of The World. The movie also featured the band playing a fictional version of themselves as struggling musicians. The album featured the number one hit, Shining Star, which the band won a Grammy for best R&B performance.

After the success of That's The Way of The World, the hits became many as Earth Wind & Fire"s mix of R&B, Soul, Funk, Jazz, and Rock set a standard for what an R&B band should be. Through out the 70s and into the 80s they became known for uptempo grooves like Serpentine Fire and Let's Groove as well as ballads like Love's Holiday and After the Love is gone. In time, many other artists came to emulate their style.

Mr. White was once quoted as stating the world was a "negative place" and that he wanted to emphasize all things positive. He said, "Our goal was to reach all of the people and keep a universal atmosphere - to create a positive energy." 

While Funk is not Classical music, which continues to enjoy popularity, it can still be said that there are Funk classics, and Rock and Jazz classics too. The question is, whether or not someone from this or future generations will step forward and carry the torch! Be true to the Funk and remember the, "old guard."

New Release!

I recently released a new single under my given name, John Hughley. It's entitled, "If I'd Of Got To You First." It's available now at iTunes. Click the Tunecore Widget below for a full stream preview!