The character of Superman has featured in four live-action TV series and been played by five different US actors: George Reeves (The Adventures of Superman, syndicated 1951–57); John Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher (Superboy, syndicated 1988–91); Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, ABC 1993–97); and Tom Welling (Smallville, Warner Bros., later CW, 2001–present). A sixth actor, Johnny Rockwell (USA), played the character in The Adventures of Superboy (1961), an untransmitted pilot for an unrealized series. The characters of Superman and Batman Continue reading →

Unsurprisingly consulting detective Sherlock Holmes has been portrayed the most times on TV worldwide. From his earliest small-screen appearance on NBC experimental programming in 1937 to the present day more than 30 actors have essayed the role. In the latest incarnation Sherlock (BBC 2010) Benedict Cumberbatch plays the cerebral hero and the huge ratings for his series demonstrates the enduring appeal of the character.

Native to southwestern Africa’s dry grasslands, the sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) builds an immense communal nest that can be up to 8 m (26 ft) long and 2 m (6 ft 6 in) high. Resembling a giant haystack that hangs from a tree or telegraph pole, it contains up to 300 individual nests. Each of these nests in turn houses a pair of weavers and their brood. Not surprisingly, these enormous communal nests can get so heavy that the tree on which they are built Continue reading →

Spider-Man is by far the most popular superhero for videogame adaptations. From 1982 to Spider-Man: Edge of Time (Activision, 2011), he has so far starred in 37 solo video games across 32 formats and appeared in nine other titles with other Marvel characters. He has also featured on pinball tables, handheld LCD games, PC activity packages and a plug-and-play TV game. Intro pp.6-7 Featured in Gamer’s Edition 2012 Updated for GWRGE 2012

According to TV.com, a CNET Networks Entertainment website, the most popular TV show as of February 2008 – with a review score of 9.4 out of 10 – is the hospital drama House (Fox), starring Hugh Laurie (UK) as the unconventional, maverick Dr Gregory House.

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRiSE) is a camera on board NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It is capable of taking digital images of the Martian surface measuring 40,000 x 20,000 pixels. From its orbit, which ranges between 255 and 320 km (158 and 198 miles) above Mars, it can take images of the Martian surface showing details as small as 1 m (3 ft) across. MRO was launched on 12 August 2005 and arrived in Martian orbit on 10 March 2006.

The aurorae on Jupiter are around 1,000 times more powerful than Earth’s. They are caused by energetic particles from the Sun being channelled onto the Jovian poles by Jupiter’s magnetic field and causing atoms in its upper atmosphere to glow like the gas in a neon tube. It produces around a million megawatts of energy, enough to power 100 major cities on Earth. The bands and curtains of the Jovian aurorae can be as large as the Earth.

Most powerful rocket engine Built in the former USSR by the Scientific Industrial Corporation of Power Engineering in 1980, the RD-170 has a thrust of 7,890 kN 1,777,000 lb in space and 7,246 kN 1,632,000 lb at the Earth’s surface. It also has a turbopump rated at 190MW, and burns liquid oxygen and kerosene. The RD-170 powered the four strap-on boosters of the Energiya booster, launched in 1987 but now grounded by budget cuts.

The NHL record for most powerplay goals scored by a defenseman in a season is 19 by Sheldon Souray (Canada) playing for the Montreal Canadiens (Canada) in 2006-07 (on 5 April 2007). The previous record of 18 was shared by Denis Potvin (Canada) playing for the New York Islanders (USA) in the 1974-75 season and Adrian Aucoin (Canada) of the Vancouver Canucks (Canada) in 1998-99.

In February 2001 a volcanic eruption occurred on Io, a satellite of Jupiter, with an estimated output of 78,000 Gigawatts. The observations were made with the WM Keck II Telescope, Hawaii, and published in the journal Icarus in November 2002. For comparison, the 1992 eruption of Mt Etna, Sicily, was estimated at just 12 Gigawatts. The eruption came from the Surt volcano, on Io’s Jupiter-facing hemisphere. During its peak, its output almost matched the eruptive power of all of Io’s active volcanoes combined.