Featured Posts
Starts With a Bang!
31 Jul 2019, 14:01 UTC
When you hold out your palm and point it towards the sky, what is it that’s interacting with your hand? You might correctly surmise that there are ions, electrons and molecules all colliding with your hand, as the atmosphere is simply unavoidable here on Earth. You might also remember that photons, or particles of light, must be striking you, too. But there’s something more striking your hand that, without relativity, simply wouldn’t be possible. Every second, approximately one muon — the unstable, heavy cousin of the electron — passes through your outstretched palm. These muons are made in the upper atmosphere, created by cosmic rays. With a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds, you might think the ~100+ km journey to your hand would be impossible. Yet relativity makes it so, and the palm of your hand can prove it. Here’s how.
How To Prove Einstein’s Relativity In The Palm Of Your Hand
31 Jul 2019, 14:01 UTC
When you hold out your palm and point it towards the sky, what is it that’s interacting with your hand? You might correctly surmise that there are ions, electrons and molecules all colliding with your hand, as the atmosphere is simply unavoidable here on Earth. You might also remember that photons, or particles of light, must be striking you, too. But there’s something more striking your hand that, without relativity, simply wouldn’t be possible. Every second, approximately one muon — the unstable, heavy cousin of the electron — passes through your outstretched palm. These muons are made in the upper atmosphere, created by cosmic rays. With a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds, you might think the ~100+ km journey to your hand would be impossible. Yet relativity makes it so, and the palm of your hand can prove it. Here’s how.
Physics World Blog
31 Jul 2019, 11:30 UTC
When we look up at the Moon from our Earthly vantage point, we see a familiar face of shadowed craters and bright ridges. But nowadays, with the aid of satellites and telescopes, we’re also able to look beyond that well-known visage and see our nearest neighbour in a different light. Sarah Tesh picks some of her favourite alternative views of the Moon.
Moon of many faces
31 Jul 2019, 11:30 UTC
When we look up at the Moon from our Earthly vantage point, we see a familiar face of shadowed craters and bright ridges. But nowadays, with the aid of satellites and telescopes, we’re also able to look beyond that well-known visage and see our nearest neighbour in a different light. Sarah Tesh picks some of her favourite alternative views of the Moon.
astrobites
30 Jul 2019, 17:16 UTC
Have you ever wondered what the first molecule that formed in the Universe was? As the temperature of the young Universe cooled to below 4000 K (or about 7000 °F), light elements produced during Big Bang nucleosynthesis began to recombine. As a result, the helium ions He2+ and He+ first recombined with free electrons to form neutral atoms. The recombination of hydrogen followed shortly thereafter, and in this metal-free and low-density environment, the stage was set for the formation of the first molecular bond in the Universe: the helium hydride ion HeH+. As recombination progressed, the eventual destruction of HeH+ created a path to the formation of molecular hydrogen, the most abundant molecule in the present Universe. Despite its importance in models of the chemical evolution of the early Universe, the HeH+ ion had never before been unambiguously detected in interstellar space. In today’s astrobite, we take a look at how astronomers found the first molecule molecule in the Universe and the implications for the origins of chemical complexity in the present Universe.
The First Molecule in the Universe
30 Jul 2019, 17:16 UTC
Have you ever wondered what the first molecule that formed in the Universe was? As the temperature of the young Universe cooled to below 4000 K (or about 7000 °F), light elements produced during Big Bang nucleosynthesis began to recombine. As a result, the helium ions He2+ and He+ first recombined with free electrons to form neutral atoms. The recombination of hydrogen followed shortly thereafter, and in this metal-free and low-density environment, the stage was set for the formation of the first molecular bond in the Universe: the helium hydride ion HeH+. As recombination progressed, the eventual destruction of HeH+ created a path to the formation of molecular hydrogen, the most abundant molecule in the present Universe. Despite its importance in models of the chemical evolution of the early Universe, the HeH+ ion had never before been unambiguously detected in interstellar space. In today’s astrobite, we take a look at how astronomers found the first molecule molecule in the Universe and the implications for the origins of chemical complexity in the present Universe.
Bad Astronomy
30 Jul 2019, 13:00 UTC
OK, I promise I'll explain all this, but I have to get this out of my system first: Astronomers have found that the Crab Nebula pulsar is blasting out extraordinarily high-energy photons by watching optical shock waves in water generated by faster-than-light muons. I know, right? Just writing that down was cool.
The Crab Nebula hulks out, sends *incredibly* high-energy gamma rays at Earth
30 Jul 2019, 13:00 UTC
OK, I promise I'll explain all this, but I have to get this out of my system first: Astronomers have found that the Crab Nebula pulsar is blasting out extraordinarily high-energy photons by watching optical shock waves in water generated by faster-than-light muons. I know, right? Just writing that down was cool.
Universe Today
29 Jul 2019, 19:35 UTC
The U.S. House of Representatives have passed a bill to change the name of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST.) Instead of that explanatory yet cumbersome name, it will be named after American astronomer Vera Rubin. Rubin is well-known for her pioneering work in discovering dark matter.
Great News! The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Might be Named for Vera Rubin
29 Jul 2019, 19:35 UTC
The U.S. House of Representatives have passed a bill to change the name of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST.) Instead of that explanatory yet cumbersome name, it will be named after American astronomer Vera Rubin. Rubin is well-known for her pioneering work in discovering dark matter.
Starts With a Bang!
29 Jul 2019, 14:01 UTC
It’s not volcanic activity, and it’s definitely not from a fire.
Why Does Mars Appear To Have Smoke Plumes In Its Atmosphere?
29 Jul 2019, 14:01 UTC
It’s not volcanic activity, and it’s definitely not from a fire.
Many Worlds
29 Jul 2019, 13:03 UTC
Did you know that many bacteria — some of the oldest lifeforms on Earth — can talk? Really.
If Bacteria Could Talk
29 Jul 2019, 13:03 UTC
Did you know that many bacteria — some of the oldest lifeforms on Earth — can talk? Really.
Astro Watch
29 Jul 2019, 09:49 UTC
Observations made with a new instrument developed for use at the 2.1-meter (84-inch) telescope at the National Science Foundation's Kitt Peak National Observatory have led to the discovery of the fastest eclipsing white dwarf binary yet known. Clocking in with an orbital period of only 6.91 minutes, the rapidly orbiting stars are expected to be one of the strongest sources of gravitational waves detectable with LISA, the future space-based gravitational wave detector.
