The evening skies in major swathes of the United States and Canada were ignited by a glittering fireball on Wednesday (Feb 21), as a&nbsp;meteor entered the atmosphere of the Earth and immediately burned up. 
 
More than 200 observers reported the dazzling display of meteors in 11 US states and Ontario, as per the data collected by the American Meteor Society. Most of those who spotted the meteor said that they saw it between 6:45 and 7 pm&nbsp;EST, according to the data, and most individual sightings had lasted from 1 to 7 1/2 seconds. 
 
However, some of the reports claimed that the falling space rock was in the sky for some time before it disappeared. As per one report, the fireball was visible for 20 seconds in West Virginia. 
 
The burst of light was captured by various cameras as it zoomed through the skies and various videos were shared on the social media platform.

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Our security camera (Linden, VA) view of tonight’s meteor in Maryland. <a href="https://twitter.com/capitalweather?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@capitalweather</a> <a href="https://t.co/IFXqzG6NXs">pic.twitter.com/IFXqzG6NXs</a>
— Donald Bradner (@SirDonVII) <a href="https://twitter.com/SirDonVII/status/1760493230712397994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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As per the news station, additional sightings were also reported from farther north in Pennsylvania and into the Midwest. "Meteors are harmless and never hit the surface of the earth. Meteorites, on the other hand, do hit the earth before they burn up," said Topper Shutt, who is a meteorologist at WUSA, reported CBS News.

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<h2 lang="en-US">Earth receives 48 1/2 tonnes of meteoritic material every day</h2>

According to NASA, scientists have estimated that around 48 1/2 tonnes of meteoritic material falls on Earth every day. Once a space rock enters the atmosphere and burns up, it is known as a meteor or shooting star. 
 
The meteor which is especially bright, sometimes shining even brighter than Venus, is known as a fireball. The space rocks are known as meteoroids before they descend down towards the Earth and can vary greatly in size. 
 
Some of them&nbsp;are as small as a grain of dust and some others are large in size. Most of them hurtle inside the atmosphere of Earth as small pieces which have broken off from larger objects in space, like comets or the moon and other planets.

Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Asteroid flew past Earth in near miss

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As per NASA, the meteoroids can be metallic, rocky or a combination of both. Last September, an exceptionally bright fireball was noticed by hundreds across the United States' mid-Atlantic region. 
 
NASA stated that at the time, the&nbsp;fireball looked as bright as a quarter moon and scientists found out that the original meteoroid from which it had emerged was a small fragment of another asteroid. 
 
NASA said that the asteroid may have come from the Asteroid Belt between Jupiter and Mars.

(With inputs from agencies)

The evening skies in major swathes of the United States and Canada were ignited by a glittering fireball on Wednesday (Feb 21), as a meteor entered the atmosphere of the Earth and immediately burned up.

The evening skies in major swathes of the United States and Canada were ignited by a glittering fireball on Wednesday (Feb 21), as a meteor entered the atmosphere of the Earth and immediately burned up. More than 200 observers reported the dazzling display of meteors in 11 US states and Ontario, as per the data collected by the American Meteor Society. Most of those who spotted the meteor said that they saw it between 6:45 and 7 pm EST, according to the data, and most individual sightings had lasted from 1 to 7 1/2 seconds. However, some of the reports claimed that the falling space rock was in the sky for some time before it disappeared. As per one report, the fireball was visible for 20 seconds in West Virginia. The burst of light was captured by various cameras as it zoomed through the skies and various videos were shared on the social media platform. Our security camera (Linden, VA) view of tonight’s meteor in Maryland. @capitalweather pic.twitter.com/IFXqzG6NXs — Donald Bradner (@SirDonVII) February 22, 2024 × As per the news station, additional sightings were also reported from farther north in Pennsylvania and into the Midwest. "Meteors are harmless and never hit the surface of the earth. Meteorites, on the other hand, do hit the earth before they burn up," said Topper Shutt, who is a meteorologist at WUSA, reported CBS News. Also Read: ‘Double the sample, double the fun’: NASA got double the amount of asteroid Bennu sample Earth receives 48 1/2 tonnes of meteoritic material every day According to NASA, scientists have estimated that around 48 1/2 tonnes of meteoritic material falls on Earth every day. Once a space rock enters the atmosphere and burns up, it is known as a meteor or shooting star. The meteor which is especially bright, sometimes shining even brighter than Venus, is known as a fireball. The space rocks are known as meteoroids before they descend down towards the Earth and can vary greatly in size. Some of them are as small as a grain of dust and some others are large in size. Most of them hurtle inside the atmosphere of Earth as small pieces which have broken off from larger objects in space, like comets or the moon and other planets. Watch: Gravitas: Asteroid flew past Earth in near miss As per NASA, the meteoroids can be metallic, rocky or a combination of both. Last September, an exceptionally bright fireball was noticed by hundreds across the United States' mid-Atlantic region. NASA stated that at the time, the fireball looked as bright as a quarter moon and scientists found out that the original meteoroid from which it had emerged was a small fragment of another asteroid. NASA said that the asteroid may have come from the Asteroid Belt between Jupiter and Mars. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Massive fireball flashes in US night sky, cameras capture 'meteor magic'

Accusing it of violating customers' privacy, a California Tesla owner sued the electric vehicle manufacturer on Friday, as per reports.&nbsp; Tesla which is known for its innovation in electric vehicle technology now faces a class action lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. A class-action lawsuit is usually the one where&nbsp;at least one person acts&nbsp;as a representative of the whole group of persons or entities sharing same concerns.&nbsp;

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This comes after a Thursday report that groups of Tesla employees had secretly shared very intrusive&nbsp;videos and images taken by customers' car cameras between 2019 and 2022 via an internal messaging system.

Henry Yeh, a resident of San Francisco and owner of a Model Y from Tesla, filed the case. He&nbsp;claimed&nbsp;that Tesla employees&nbsp;had access to the pictures and videos for their "tasteless and tortious"&nbsp;enjoyment at the cost of&nbsp;"humiliation"&nbsp;of individuals who were&nbsp;secretly filmed.&nbsp;

Jack Fitzgerald, an attorney representing Yeh, told Reuters, "Like anyone would be, Mr Yeh was outraged at the idea that Tesla's cameras can be used to violate his family's privacy, which the California Constitution scrupulously protects."&nbsp;

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"Tesla needs to be held accountable for these invasions and for misrepresenting its lax privacy practices to him and other Tesla owners," Fitzgerald said. It's worth noting that Tesla has earlier stated that it takes privacy seriously. However, no comments have yet been made by Tesla on the lawsuit filed.&nbsp;

<h2>Which recordings were leaked?&nbsp;</h2>

A few of the clips showed Tesla owners in awkward circumstances. For instance, a video of a man approaching a car being entirely nude was recounted by one ex-employee.&nbsp;

In another video, an ex-employee said a Tesla was shown in a collision video from 2021 travelling quickly through a residential neighbourhood before striking a child riding a bike. Both the child and the bike flew in opposite directions.&nbsp;

Watch | Pakistan: National Security Committee to launch new military operation against militants

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The ex-employee said that the video circulated "like wildfire" through private chats within the Tesla headquarters in San Mateo, California. Tesla's actions in the lawsuit&nbsp;were described as "especially flagrant" and "extremely insulting" in the lawsuit.

As per reports, the petitioner was filing the complaint "against Tesla on behalf of himself, similarly-situated class members, and the general public."&nbsp;

"Indeed, parents’ interest in their children’s privacy is one of the most fundamental liberty interests society recognises," the lawsuit said.

Moreover, the complaint urged the court to "enjoin Tesla from engaging in its wrongful behaviour, including violating the privacy of customers and others, and to recover actual and punitive damages." 
 
(With inputs from agencies) 
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Accusing it of violating customers' privacy, a California Tesla owner sued the electric vehicle manufacturer on Friday, as per reports. Tesla which is known for its innovation in electric vehicle technology now faces a class action lawsuit.

Accusing it of violating customers' privacy, a California Tesla owner sued the electric vehicle manufacturer on Friday, as per reports. Tesla which is known for its innovation in electric vehicle technology now faces a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. A class-action lawsuit is usually the one where at least one person acts as a representative of the whole group of persons or entities sharing same concerns. Also Read | Trump asks aides to hire Laura Loomer, an anti-Muslim, for campaign role This comes after a Thursday report that groups of Tesla employees had secretly shared very intrusive videos and images taken by customers' car cameras between 2019 and 2022 via an internal messaging system. Henry Yeh, a resident of San Francisco and owner of a Model Y from Tesla, filed the case. He claimed that Tesla employees had access to the pictures and videos for their "tasteless and tortious" enjoyment at the cost of "humiliation" of individuals who were secretly filmed. Jack Fitzgerald, an attorney representing Yeh, told Reuters, "Like anyone would be, Mr Yeh was outraged at the idea that Tesla's cameras can be used to violate his family's privacy, which the California Constitution scrupulously protects." Also Read | India, Korea natural partners, held substantive talks with Jaishankar: South Korean FM Park Jin to WION "Tesla needs to be held accountable for these invasions and for misrepresenting its lax privacy practices to him and other Tesla owners," Fitzgerald said. It's worth noting that Tesla has earlier stated that it takes privacy seriously. However, no comments have yet been made by Tesla on the lawsuit filed. Which recordings were leaked? A few of the clips showed Tesla owners in awkward circumstances. For instance, a video of a man approaching a car being entirely nude was recounted by one ex-employee. In another video, an ex-employee said a Tesla was shown in a collision video from 2021 travelling quickly through a residential neighbourhood before striking a child riding a bike. Both the child and the bike flew in opposite directions. Watch | Pakistan: National Security Committee to launch new military operation against militants × The ex-employee said that the video circulated "like wildfire" through private chats within the Tesla headquarters in San Mateo, California. Tesla's actions in the lawsuit were described as "especially flagrant" and "extremely insulting" in the lawsuit. As per reports, the petitioner was filing the complaint "against Tesla on behalf of himself, similarly-situated class members, and the general public." "Indeed, parents’ interest in their children’s privacy is one of the most fundamental liberty interests society recognises," the lawsuit said. Moreover, the complaint urged the court to "enjoin Tesla from engaging in its wrongful behaviour, including violating the privacy of customers and others, and to recover actual and punitive damages." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tesla sued by California man after employees shared intrusive videos taken by car cameras

Meanwhile Iran turned off 2 surveillance devices on Wednesday used by UN. Iran said it disconnected some IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear sites, hours before the UN nuclear watchdog adopted a resolution criticising the Islamic republic for failing to cooperate.

UN nuclear watchdog censures Iran, IAEA cameras removed from nuke facility

Researchers from IIT Madras and Rice University, USA&nbsp;have developed algorithms for lensless, miniature cameras that have applications in augmented/virtual reality, security, smart wearables, robotics among others. Lensless cameras are touted to be the future of miniature imaging technology, as they offer imaging capabilities similar to conventional cameras, but at much lesser weight and cost. They're also&nbsp;nearly-flat cameras.

In conventional cameras, the lens enables light to be focussed onto an imaging sensor, which captures a sharp, detailed photograph. However, in lensless cameras the light will fall on many pixels (giving a blurred image), from which the final image has to be derived via a software.&nbsp;

In 2016, Prof. Ashok Veeraraghavan’s lab at Rice University&nbsp;registered success in making a low-cost and low-weight ultra-thin lensless camera. In these newly developed lensless cameras, a thin optical mask was placed just in front of the sensor at a distance of approximately 1 mm. However, because of the absence of focusing elements, the lensless camera captures blurred images restricting their commercial use. The algorithm developed by the teams carries out the function of reducing the bur in the images and making them of usable quality.&nbsp;

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The findings were presented as a paper in the prestigious IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and an extended version appeared in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence.

According to Dr. Kaushik Mitra, Head of Computational Imaging Laboratory,&nbsp;IIT&nbsp;Madras and Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering,&nbsp;the existing algorithms produce low-resolution, grainy images, whereas their method offers significant improvement. “Our Research team used Deep Learning to develop a reconstruction algorithm called ‘FlatNet’, which was found to be effective in de-blurring images captured by lensless cameras. We are working on designing newer and better lensless cameras using data-driven techniques, devising efficient algorithms for&nbsp;&nbsp;lensless captures and looking into important applications like endoscopy and smart surveillance” he added.&nbsp;

This research was funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER and NSF EXPEDITIONS, US, Neural Engineering System Design (NESD) - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), US, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant, US, and Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship India 2020.

This Research was led at&nbsp;IIT&nbsp;Madras by Dr. Kaushik Mitra, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering. The research team included Mr. Salman Siddique Khan, Mr. Varun Sundar and Mr. Adarsh VR from&nbsp;IIT&nbsp;Madras. Prof. Ashok Veeraghavan led the Rice University team which included Dr. Vivek Boominathan and Mr. Jasper Tan.

Researchers from IIT Madras and Rice University, USA have developed algorithms for lensless, miniature cameras that have applications in augmented/virtual reality, security, smart wearables, robotics among others.

Researchers from IIT Madras and Rice University, USA have developed algorithms for lensless, miniature cameras that have applications in augmented/virtual reality, security, smart wearables, robotics among others. Lensless cameras are touted to be the future of miniature imaging technology, as they offer imaging capabilities similar to conventional cameras, but at much lesser weight and cost. They're also nearly-flat cameras. In conventional cameras, the lens enables light to be focussed onto an imaging sensor, which captures a sharp, detailed photograph. However, in lensless cameras the light will fall on many pixels (giving a blurred image), from which the final image has to be derived via a software. In 2016, Prof. Ashok Veeraraghavan’s lab at Rice University registered success in making a low-cost and low-weight ultra-thin lensless camera. In these newly developed lensless cameras, a thin optical mask was placed just in front of the sensor at a distance of approximately 1 mm. However, because of the absence of focusing elements, the lensless camera captures blurred images restricting their commercial use. The algorithm developed by the teams carries out the function of reducing the bur in the images and making them of usable quality. The findings were presented as a paper in the prestigious IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and an extended version appeared in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. According to Dr. Kaushik Mitra, Head of Computational Imaging Laboratory, IIT Madras and Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, the existing algorithms produce low-resolution, grainy images, whereas their method offers significant improvement. “Our Research team used Deep Learning to develop a reconstruction algorithm called ‘FlatNet’, which was found to be effective in de-blurring images captured by lensless cameras. We are working on designing newer and better lensless cameras using data-driven techniques, devising efficient algorithms for lensless captures and looking into important applications like endoscopy and smart surveillance” he added. This research was funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER and NSF EXPEDITIONS, US, Neural Engineering System Design (NESD) - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), US, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant, US, and Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship India 2020. This Research was led at IIT Madras by Dr. Kaushik Mitra, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering. The research team included Mr. Salman Siddique Khan, Mr. Varun Sundar and Mr. Adarsh VR from IIT Madras. Prof. Ashok Veeraghavan led the Rice University team which included Dr. Vivek Boominathan and Mr. Jasper Tan.

Indian, US researchers develop algorithms to get clearer images from futuristic lensless cameras

Seeking a vote on strict gun control laws in the wake of America&#39;s deadliest mass shooting last week that killed 49 people in Orlando, Democratic Congressmen resorted to an unprecedented sit-in inside the well of the US House of Representatives. 
 
The leadership of the Republican party, which holds a majority in the House, refused to budge and instead shut off the television cameras used for live coverage. 
 
The Democratic Congressmen used their own smartphones to live telecast -- through Facebook and other social media sites -- the proceedings inside the House along with their sit-in demonstrations in the House well. 
 
Images from inside the well of the House reflected a chaotic situation rarely seen. 
 
One television commentator described this like an anarchy and lawlessness as the rare sit-in inside the House crossed midnight even after the lights were switched off. 
 
&quot;Enough is enough,&quot; said Indian American Congressman Ami Bera, as he joined his fellow Democratic lawmakers in the protest, which was led by legendary Congressman John Lewis, known for his civil disobedience movement. 
 
&quot;Republicans denied us a vote, we sat on the Floor. We sat on the Floor, with John Larson presiding. When they turned off the House cameras, we livestreamed from our phones,&quot; said Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi in her remarks on the House floor late last night. 
 
&quot;They can try to shut down the Floor, but because of you, they cannot shut out the voices of the victims and the will of the American people. And now, as you hold up the names of people who have been victims of violence,&quot; she said. 
 
Democratic lawmakers were demanding that Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, bring up a vote on commonsense gun violence prevention legislation before the House recesses. 
 
Refusing to budge under pressure, Ryan described this as a publicity stunt by Democrats. 
 
&quot;This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. That&#39;s point number one. Point number two is this bill was already defeated in the United States Senate. Number three, we&#39;re not going to take away a citizen&#39;s due process rights,&quot; Ryan said. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re not going to take away a citizen&#39;s constitutional rights without due process. That was already defeated in the Senate. And this is not the way to try and bring up legislation,&quot; he told CNN in an interview. 
 
Ryan defended his decision to shut off the cameras and lights arguing that these are as per the House rules. 
 
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer demanded that Republicans hold a vote on legislation on gun violence. 
 
&quot;After the unspeakable slaughter of 49 innocent people in Orlando earlier this month, it is unconscionable that House Republicans would continue to block a vote even on commonsense safeguards, including expanding background checks and preventing dangerous firearms from being sold to terror suspects,&quot; Hoyer said. 
 
&quot;This is an issue that ought to transcend party - it&#39;s about saving lives and keeping our communities safe,&quot; he said. 
 
(PTI)

Even past midnight, Democrats telecast the session on smartphones after Republicans turned cameras off

Seeking a vote on strict gun control laws in the wake of America's deadliest mass shooting last week that killed 49 people in Orlando, Democratic Congressmen resorted to an unprecedented sit-in inside the well of the US House of Representatives. The leadership of the Republican party, which holds a majority in the House, refused to budge and instead shut off the television cameras used for live coverage. The Democratic Congressmen used their own smartphones to live telecast -- through Facebook and other social media sites -- the proceedings inside the House along with their sit-in demonstrations in the House well. Images from inside the well of the House reflected a chaotic situation rarely seen. One television commentator described this like an anarchy and lawlessness as the rare sit-in inside the House crossed midnight even after the lights were switched off. "Enough is enough," said Indian American Congressman Ami Bera, as he joined his fellow Democratic lawmakers in the protest, which was led by legendary Congressman John Lewis, known for his civil disobedience movement. "Republicans denied us a vote, we sat on the Floor. We sat on the Floor, with John Larson presiding. When they turned off the House cameras, we livestreamed from our phones," said Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi in her remarks on the House floor late last night. "They can try to shut down the Floor, but because of you, they cannot shut out the voices of the victims and the will of the American people. And now, as you hold up the names of people who have been victims of violence," she said. Democratic lawmakers were demanding that Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, bring up a vote on commonsense gun violence prevention legislation before the House recesses. Refusing to budge under pressure, Ryan described this as a publicity stunt by Democrats. "This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. That's point number one. Point number two is this bill was already defeated in the United States Senate. Number three, we're not going to take away a citizen's due process rights," Ryan said. "We're not going to take away a citizen's constitutional rights without due process. That was already defeated in the Senate. And this is not the way to try and bring up legislation," he told CNN in an interview. Ryan defended his decision to shut off the cameras and lights arguing that these are as per the House rules. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer demanded that Republicans hold a vote on legislation on gun violence. "After the unspeakable slaughter of 49 innocent people in Orlando earlier this month, it is unconscionable that House Republicans would continue to block a vote even on commonsense safeguards, including expanding background checks and preventing dangerous firearms from being sold to terror suspects," Hoyer said. "This is an issue that ought to transcend party - it's about saving lives and keeping our communities safe," he said. (PTI)

House sit-in seeking gun control laws described as 'anarchy and lawlessness'

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