The Helix Nebula (also known as NGC 7293), at distance of around 400 light years, is the closest planetary nebula to the Earth. It formed when a dying star threw off its outer layers which are gradually expanding into space. They are called planetary nebulae because astronomers originally believed they were new planets, due to their often spherical shapes. The Helix Nebula is around 100 times more distant than the nearest stars (excluding the Sun). The gases are expanding into space at a rate of
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The narrowest street is in Reutlingen, Germany. It is called Spreuerhofstrasse and is 31 cm (1 ft) at the narrowest point. The street was measured in February 2006.
The closest finish in an America Cup race was on 3 July, 2007, when Alinghi (SUI) crossed the finish line 1 second ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) to win the 32nd Cup 5 – 2.
The fastest time to open 100 mussels is 2 min 11 sec by Kannha Keo (New Zealand) at the Havelock Mussel Festival, Havelock, New Zealand on 17 March 2007.
The record for the fastest motorcycle wheelie over 1 kilometre is 251.86 km/h (156.50 mph) achieved by Terry Calcott (UK) at Elvington Airfield, Yorkshire, UK on 12 September 2005. Calcott died after a road accident in Germany in May 2007
The newest, most recently recognised species of cetacean is the Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni), formally reclassified as a separate species in its own right in 2005. This shy, tricoloured dolphin with a very rounded bulbous brow and a very small stubby dorsal fin has been sighted regularly in the shallow waters off the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, for many years, but until DNA and other studies confirmed its distinct status it had always been classified as belonging to the same species as the Irrawaddy
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Although the sphynx cat has been in existence since 1996, it was not until 2002 that the breed became officially recognised.
The most recently discovered bird of prey species is the Socotra buzzard (Buteo socotraensis), formally described and named in 2010. It is native only to the Socotra archipelago, a group of tiny islands forming part of Yemen in the Arabian peninsula.
The newest species of wild cat is the Bornean clouded leopard Neofelis diardi. In 2006 scientists officially recognised this species as being significantly different enough to the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) for it to be elevated to a species in its own right. Its preference for tropical and subtropical forest and high altitudes of up to about 2,000 metres (6,500 ft), mean that it can be found in Borneo and Sumatra.
Discovered accidentally by a picnicking family in a remote hilly wooded area of northwestern Madagascar in 2006, but only recognised to be a dramatically new species and genus following DNA analysis a year later, the Tahina palm tree (Tahina spectabilis) was not officially named and described until January 2008. What makes this species’ belated scientific discovery so surprising is its huge size, standing over 18 m (58 ft 6 in) tall, with fan-like leaves 5 m (16 ft) across, and its bizarre, suicidal life cycle.
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