Latest news with #ISAS
The Star
01-07-2025
- Science
- The Star
QuickCheck: Is there a planet in our solar system that spins the wrong way?
The planet Venus is the second planet from the sun and is almost equal in size and mass with our planet, Earth. - pix by JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Kevin M. Gill (CC BY 2.0) PETALING JAYA: The sun rises from the east, and sets in the west - this is a well-established fact for the longest time, and this is due to Earth's rotation, which is moving from west to east on its rotation. While planets in our solar system move one way, is it true that there's a planet moving in the opposite direction? Verdict: TRUE While the other planets are rotating in the same direction, only one planet is going against the flow - and that is Venus. The second planet from the sun, has a retrograde motion - which means that the orbital or rotational motion of Venus is going in the opposite direction on its axis. The initial theory of why Venus does this is that it initially spun in the same direction as most other planets and it simply flipped its axis 180 degrees at some point. Scientists have argued that the sun's gravitational pull on the planet's very dense atmosphere could have caused strong atmospheric tides. However, in 2000, a team of scientists from the French research institute Astronomie et Systemes Dynamiques proposed a new explanation. Scientists Alexandre Correira and Jacques Laskar suggested that Venus may not have flipped at all. According to the report published in Nature, they propose instead that its rotation slowed to a standstill and then reversed direction. Taking into account the factors mentioned above, as well as tidal effects from other planets, the team concluded that Venus's axis could have shifted to a variety of positions throughout the planet's evolution. Another theory is that Venus, also known as Earth's twin planet, could have been hit by a giant asteroid, leaving it spinning the other way. While large asteroids have hit Earth during its history (one of the theories as to how the Moon formed), it seems like a plausible idea that, during the early stages of the Solar System, Venus could have been hit by a celestial object that is similar in size to itself causing it to spin backwards. If this collision also altered Venus' orbit, the presence of the Sun, Mercury and Earth in this solar system would have pulled its orbit back to its original position. Another fun fact is that because of Venus' slow rotation, one Venus day is about 243 Earth days or close to eight Earth months. With this trivia, have a good (Earth) day. References: 1. science/venus-spins-backwards 2. article/why-venus-spins-the- wrong/
Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
NatWest shares exact date it will take on 1.8million customers in major takeover
Last June, the major supermarket bank announced plans to transfer its personal loans, credit cards, and savings accounts to the high street building society A major update has been issued to the 1.8million Sainsbury's Bank customers who will soon be taken on by Natwest. Last June, the major supermarket bank announced plans to transfer its personal loans, credit cards, and savings accounts to the high street building society. Sainsbury's Bank has now confirmed that this transfer will be taking place on May 1. This transfer will include all of Sainsbury's Bank's personal loans, credit cards, and savings accounts, and it is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Sainsbury's Bank customers have been reassured that they will see no immediate changes to how they use or access their accounts until the transfers are completed. This means all direct debits, standing orders, spending, payments, and transfers to and from savings accounts will remain unchanged. Customers will also still be able to collect Nectar points with their credit card. NatWest will also become the ISA manager for all Sainsbury's Bank ISAS from May 1. If you have ISAS with both Sainsbury's Bank and NatWest or Ulster Bank, the accounts will remain separate, and you can continue to contribute to them within the £20,000 ISA allowance. The Bank has written to its ISA customers to give them more details about what the ISA transfer will mean for them. Sainsbury's announced plans to wind down its retail banking division in January last year so it could focus more on its retail operations. NatWest agreed to take over the supermarket bank in June 2024. The deal will see Natwest take on £1.4billion of unsecured personal loans, £1.1billion of credit card balances and about £2.6billion of customer deposits overall. Join Money Saving Club's specialist topics The sale did not include Sainsbury's Bank's commission-income businesses, such as insurance, cash points, and travel money. Argos Financial Services is also not included in the deal, so these will remain the same going forward. In August 2024, Sainsbury's Bank pulled its credit card and loans for new customers and stopped accepting new savings account customers in March this year. The High Court granted the formal takeover of Sainsbury's Bank by Natwest on April 16 this year. The high street bank said it will give customers 60 days notice of any changes to their account. Although the bank noted that it was working to make sure - where possible - customers' new accounts would be the same as their existing ones. This includes the overall amount of interest charged for credit cards, the amount of interest earned for savings and any promotional offers. Once your account is migrated to the NatWest system, you won't be able to access it through Sainsbury's Bank's online banking and mobile app. Natwest said it would be contacting all customers about how they set up an online account, so they can access their money. If you do not want your account transferred to NatWest, you can close it, pay back any outstanding balance, or withdraw funds.
