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The World / Business

Mountain Views News Saturday, November 16, 2013

MVNews this week: Page B:3

The World Around Us

Mountain Views News Saturday, November 16, 2013

HUBBLE SEES ASTEROID SPOUTING SIX COMET-LIKE TAILS

Astronomers viewing our solar system’s asteroid belt with NASA’s Hubble Space
Telescope have seen for the first time an asteroid with six comet-like tails of dust
radiating from it like spokes on a wheel.

Unlike all other known asteroids, which appear simply as tiny points of light, this
asteroid, designated P/2013 P5, resembles a rotating lawn sprinkler. Astronomers are
puzzled over the asteroid’s unusual appearance.

“We were literally dumbfounded when we saw it,” said lead investigator David
Jewitt of UCLA. “Even more amazing, its tail structures change dramatically in just
13 days as it belches out dust. That also caught us by surprise. It’s hard to believe we’re
looking at an asteroid.”

Jewitt leads a team whose research paper appears online in the Nov. 7 issue of The
Astrophysical Journal Letters [http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/778/1/L21].

P/2013 P5 has been ejecting dust periodically for at least five months. Astronomers
believe it is possible the asteroid’s rotation rate increased to the point where its
surface started flying apart. They do not believe the tails are the result of an impact
with another asteroid because they have not seen a large quantity of dust blasted into
space all at once.

Scientists using the Pan-STARRS survey telescope in Hawaii announced their
discovery of the asteroid Aug. 27. P/2013 P5 appeared as an unusually fuzzy-looking
object. The multiple tails were discovered when Hubble was used to take a more
detailed image Sept. 10.

When Hubble looked at the asteroid again Sept. 23, its appearance had totally
changed. It looked as if the entire structure had swung around.

“We were completely knocked out,” Jewitt said.

Careful modeling by team member Jessica Agarwal of the Max Planck Institute
for Solar System Research in Lindau, Germany, showed that the tails could have been
formed by a series of impulsive dust-ejection events. She calculated that dust-ejection
events occurred April 15, July 18, July 24, Aug. 8, Aug. 26 and Sept. 4. Radiation
pressure from the Sun stretched the dust into streamers.

Radiation pressure could have spun P/2013 P5 up. Jewitt said the spin rate
could have increased enough that the asteroid’s weak gravity no longer could hold
it together. If that happened, dust could slide toward the asteroid’s equator, shatter
and fall off, and drift into space to make a tail. So far, only about 100 to 1,000 tons of dust, a small fraction of P/2013 P5’s main mass, has been lost. The asteroid’s nucleus, which measures 1,400 feet wide, is
thousands of times more massive than the observed amount of ejected dust.

Jewitt’s interpretation implies that rotational breakup must be a common phenomenon in the asteroid belt; it may even be the main way small asteroids die.

“In astronomy, where you find one, you eventually find a whole bunch more,” Jewitt said. “This is just an amazing object to us, and almost certainly the first of many more to come.”

Jewitt said it appears P/2013 P5 is a fragment of a larger asteroid that broke apart in a collision roughly 200 million years ago. There are many collision fragments in orbits similar to P/2013 P5’s. Meteorites
from these bodies show evidence of having been heated to as much as 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. This means the asteroid likely is composed of metamorphic rocks and does not hold any ice as a comet does.

You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@MtnViewsNews.com.

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

BENEFITS ON BOTH SIDES

CAN YOU MONETIZE SOCIAL MEDIA?

There is no question that social media plays a big role in creating brand loyalty
and brand awareness. But… the big question sits on all of our minds is “Can a
Facebook post or Tweet generate a sale?”

For certain, email marketing can monetize your social media.

There is a technique I call the “Immediate Welcome Reward” which I’ve seen generate sales from a
single Facebook post.

Basically, you promote a link on social media that asks people to sign up for your email list.
Immediately after signing up they receive a welcome email with a reward for subscribing to your
emails.

It’s important that all the pieces work together when you are setting up the immediate welcome
reward:

1. Make sure you are using a credible email marketing service, my favorite is Constant
Contact.
2. Customize your email sign-up form with your logo and other content that is important to
your business. Make sure you know the URL of your sign up form.
3. Customize a Welcome email that immediately goes out after someone signs up on your
form.
4. Include an immediate reward in your Welcome Email – a generous discount code or a
coupon (great for retail). It could also be something they download (great for a B2B).
5. Promote the link to your email sign up form on social media. For example: “Don’t forget to
sign up for our emails, we send out exclusive offers that you don’t want to miss!” Include the link
to your sign-up form in this post.
6. If using Facebook, I highly suggest paying $5-$10 to boost the post so it reaches more
people.
7. Once the users subscribe to your list, they will automatically receive your Welcome email.
If your immediate reward is something that is valuable to the person signing up, say a coupon for
50% off first order, they just might make a purchase right then and there!

If this starts to work for you and you notice that it is generating sales, repeat, repeat and repeat.
Drive people to sign up for your emails at least once a month. You might even consider a floating
email sign-up form on your web site too.

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, a creative services business that specializes in
Internet Marketing strategies and Social Media. They offer social media management services and
help their clients build a strong on-line presence. “Like” them on Facebook for trending news in
social media, internet marketing and other helpful tips, www.facebook.com/hutdogs.

There are new rules regarding short sales meant to improve the experience for both sellers and buyers,
but the legalities and legwork can overwhelm even the most savvy. Of course, that's where the real
estate agent shines, handling the paperwork and the phone calls, leaving you to focus on your move.

Keep in mind that if you're expecting to buy a home on short sale, you can get a great deal, but don't
expect miracles from a bank that has agreed to accept a price lower than what the sellers owe on their
mortgage. These short sales often generate multiple offers, and if a home has been approved to sell for
$200,000, don't expect to waltz in and offer $125,000.

The real advantage of a short sale deal is that the home will likely be in much better physical condition
than its foreclosure counterpart. Often, a foreclosed home will have been abandoned for months, and
perhaps trashed before being vacated. A short sale property in better condition is in and of itself a
benefit with real value that offsets any lower price you could offer on a foreclosure.

And for sellers, a short sale preserves your dignity, reduces some of the stress, and won't damage
your credit history as much as a foreclosure. Whether selling or buying, consult an agent for the best
results.

BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques

By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA

COUNTDOWN TO SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Get ready, set and geared up to take part in this year’s Small Business on Saturday, November 30th.
Promoted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), this annual day is a celebration and
show of support of the small businesses that do so much in their communities.

The SBA website offers easy-to-use resources that can help business owners to make the most of
this day, including marketing tips and a webcast with ideas on how entrepreneurs can use this
nationally-recognized day to launch the beginning of increased sales and profits throughout the
holiday season. In addition to seven short articles that include topics like “7 Holiday Marketing Tips
on a Limited Budget” and “How to Market Your Business with an Event”, the site offers other free
resources specific to Small Business Saturday.

A free online marketing kit at the site includes sample posters and press releases. The SBA also
provides tips and resources to help promote your business’s participation in Small Business Saturday
via social media. One example is a set of educational materials from Twitter to assist with writing
Tweets designed to get your messages to stand out and generate interest in your business. You can
also join Small Business Saturday® on Facebook and include links to your website and other social
media outlets.

The SBA webpage below also includes a link to a “Shop Small” website maintained by American
Express, which provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to be placed in the online list of businesses
participating in Small Business Saturday. This feature allows shoppers across the country to type in
a zipcode to locate small businesses in the areas where they either live, or plan to shop.

For additional info and resources regarding Small Business Saturday, visit:

http://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba_initiatives/small_business_saturday_2013

Note: Click the “For Shoppers” link to access the “Shop Small” website.

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