Environment

Donald Trump plans to ban all climate change research conducted by Nasa as part of a no-nonsense approach to “politicized science”, his senior adviser has said. Former Rep. Bob Walker is planning to to end NASA’s research into climate change and shift their focus to “deep space” investigation. The Guardian reports: Bob Walker, a senior Trump campaign adviser, said there was no need for Nasa to do what he has previously described as “politically correct environmental monitoring”. “We see Nasa in an exploration role, in deep space research,” Walker told the Guardian.

Two days after a strong, shallow 6.9 magnitude struck Japan off the coast of Fukushima, moments ago JMA reported that another earthquake has hit Japan, once again off Fukushima, at a depth of 10 kilometers, which according to NHK reports was modestly weaker, with a preliminary measurement of 5.6 on the Richter scale according to USGS.

• EARTHQUAKE REPORTED IN JAPAN, OFF FUKUSHIMA, JMA SAYS
• JAPAN EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE 6.1, NHK SAYS
• 5.6 MAG. EARTHQUAKE 37KM SE OF NAMIE JAPAN :USGS

NHK reports that there is no tsunami risk.

Scientists and conspiracy theorists alike were left mystified after NASA cameras picked up a mysterious blue spherical object zooming past the Sun on November 17th Taken from NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) satellites which orbits the Sun, the images show the large sphere in clear view, before going missing from other frames. In response to much online speculation about the blue sphere, NASA said while there is a coronal hole on the surface of the sun at the moment, it was not captured in the images.

Following yesterdays 7.3 earthquake off the coast of Fukushima an aftershock measuring up to 5.7 on the Richter scale has struck the area. There have been conflicting reports as to the magnitude of today’s aftershock, but no reports of any damage so far. According to RT Japan’s Meteorological Agency stated that it was 5.7 with its epicenter located off the coast of the Fukushima Prefecture at a depth of 30km. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), however, recorded the shock at 5.2, with a depth of 10km.

A tsunami alert has been issued after powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Fukushima Prefecture in Japan The quake struck 67km northeast of the city of Iwaki located in the southern part of the Hamadori coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture. It struck on Tuesday morning at about 06:00 local time (21:00 GMT, Monday), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. A ten foot tsunami wave alert has been issued and residents living near the Fukushima coastline are being told to evacuate the area.