* Astronomy

Mount Etna mapped by radar satellites

Two German radar satellites flying in tight formation above the Earth have returned their first combined images.
TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X are circling the globe just 350m apart as they get set to make the most detailed 3D map of the Earth's surface ever acquired.
Their close proximity allows them to view the same patch of ground simultaneously but from slightly different angles.
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At the bottom of the sea, some 300 meters west of the Atlit fortress, lies one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of the Mediterranean basin. About 20 years ago, archaeologists discovered a complex of ancient buildings and ancient graves with dozens of skeletons at the underwater site of Atlit-Yam. The team of marine archaeologists that excavated the site, headed by Dr. Ehud Galili of the Israel Antiquities Authority, came to the conclusion that an ancient settlement once existed there, but sank beneath the surface of the sea some 8,000 years ago. The finds at the site, including goat and pig bones and wheat seeds, indicate that it was a well-established community whose residents supported themselves by agriculture, hunting, fishing and animal husbandry.

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Mount Etna last night had a major eruption with lava flows and a thick column of ash raining down on some towns of the Eastern side. Catania-Fontanarossa international airport was closed shortly after mid-night after safety fears for air traffic. The airport has now since reopened.

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Mt Etna in Italy began erupting violently again last night, spewing lava fountains almost 500 feet in the air from the south-eastern crater.
So far there is no threat to inhabited areas. Lava also oozed from fissures at the base of the same crater towards the Valle del Bove.

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