Auroras
An aurora occurs when the Sun's solar winds crash into the Earth's magnetosphere. They tend to look ghostly and somewhat creepy, although they are known to be quite beautiful as well. They move and change color in the sky. What is actually happening in an aurora is the Earth's magnetic field line is interacting with high-energy particles, or any particles from the solar wind. The charged particles will follow the magnetic field lines back down to Earth's surface, but they collide with things on their way. This results in a sort of light show. Different colors are created, and an amazing sight is developed! I would love to get the chance to see one someday.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Astronomy Cast Ep. 206
Fission
Fission is the opposite of fusion. In nuclear fission, atoms come apart rather than fuze together. Energy is given off when nuclei are broken apart. Fusion occurs naturally throughout the entire Universe. However, it can also be manipulated by science and used for things such as creating devastating weapons and as a power source. Sometimes nuclei just are not very stable, and with time they naturally break apart. In this case, they undergo beta decay or inverse beta decay. This means a neutron decays into a proton, electron, and energy. In the case of weapons, we compress two pieces of Uranium-235 into a high-density mass. Then, rapid fire fission occurs, creating more neutrons, thus more fission. It is scary to think we have that amount of power and that we are able to manipulate such a natural process.
Fission is the opposite of fusion. In nuclear fission, atoms come apart rather than fuze together. Energy is given off when nuclei are broken apart. Fusion occurs naturally throughout the entire Universe. However, it can also be manipulated by science and used for things such as creating devastating weapons and as a power source. Sometimes nuclei just are not very stable, and with time they naturally break apart. In this case, they undergo beta decay or inverse beta decay. This means a neutron decays into a proton, electron, and energy. In the case of weapons, we compress two pieces of Uranium-235 into a high-density mass. Then, rapid fire fission occurs, creating more neutrons, thus more fission. It is scary to think we have that amount of power and that we are able to manipulate such a natural process.
Astronomy Cast Ep. 205
Fusion
Fusion is the process of taking two atoms and colliding them into one atom. Usually by-products are also created along with energy. Fusion was an essential factor in developing the Universe. After the Big Bang, only hydrogen existed in the Universe. But through the process of fusion, the atoms were squeezed and clumped together into heavier and heavier elements. Fusion is also important because it gives us warmth and light from the Sun. With fusion bombs we can create destruction. Also, fusion may be an inexpensive source of energy! It is not unlikely that we will be able to find more uses for it with the rapidly growing technology of today!
Fusion is the process of taking two atoms and colliding them into one atom. Usually by-products are also created along with energy. Fusion was an essential factor in developing the Universe. After the Big Bang, only hydrogen existed in the Universe. But through the process of fusion, the atoms were squeezed and clumped together into heavier and heavier elements. Fusion is also important because it gives us warmth and light from the Sun. With fusion bombs we can create destruction. Also, fusion may be an inexpensive source of energy! It is not unlikely that we will be able to find more uses for it with the rapidly growing technology of today!
Astronomy Cast Ep. 213
Supermassive Black Holes
Black holes are still very much a mystery to scientists and astronomers. However, we have learned an incredible amount about them in the recent decades. Astronomers now believe that there is a huge black hole in the center of every galaxy. These black holes are thought to be able to contain hundreds of billions of times the mass of our Sun! It is difficult to even imagine such massiveness! They have event horizons that are bigger than our Solar System! Here, in these black holes, are the most energetic particles in the Universe. There are also the brightest objects in the Universe. But the most incredible and most confusing thing about black holes, is that the laws of physics are completely mangled in them. Because no light escapes black holes, astronomers must detect the active ones indirectly. The Spitzer telescope uses infrared rays to find the actively "eating" black holes. Optical and X-ray telescopes have been unable to view the holes.
Black holes are still very much a mystery to scientists and astronomers. However, we have learned an incredible amount about them in the recent decades. Astronomers now believe that there is a huge black hole in the center of every galaxy. These black holes are thought to be able to contain hundreds of billions of times the mass of our Sun! It is difficult to even imagine such massiveness! They have event horizons that are bigger than our Solar System! Here, in these black holes, are the most energetic particles in the Universe. There are also the brightest objects in the Universe. But the most incredible and most confusing thing about black holes, is that the laws of physics are completely mangled in them. Because no light escapes black holes, astronomers must detect the active ones indirectly. The Spitzer telescope uses infrared rays to find the actively "eating" black holes. Optical and X-ray telescopes have been unable to view the holes.
Observation, March 26
On Saturday, March 26th, I went outside to observe the stars. Conditions were great for observing the sky. I was able to make out the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) and Sirius (Canis Major) perfectly! I also think I saw Gemini and Orion. It was awesome!
Observation, March 19
Last Saturday, March 19th, I observed the moon perigee. It was amazing! It was incredibly large as it rose in the east. It was also much brighter than usual. The moon was absolutely beautiful!
Monday, March 28, 2011
APOD 3.8
Boston Moonrise
On March 19th, the moon was a beautiful sight! It was a full moon that seemed excessively large and bright. Its exact full phase occurred within an hour of perigee, meaning it was 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a Full Moon at apogee. In this picture, the moon is rising over Boston, hugging the horizon. It is slightly distorted by the atmospheric refraction. This picture was taken from Prospect Hill in Waltham, Massachusetts, about 10 miles from the Boston skyline. The next time the moon will be seen so large and bright will be May 6th of next year!
On March 19th, the moon was a beautiful sight! It was a full moon that seemed excessively large and bright. Its exact full phase occurred within an hour of perigee, meaning it was 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a Full Moon at apogee. In this picture, the moon is rising over Boston, hugging the horizon. It is slightly distorted by the atmospheric refraction. This picture was taken from Prospect Hill in Waltham, Massachusetts, about 10 miles from the Boston skyline. The next time the moon will be seen so large and bright will be May 6th of next year!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
APOD 3.7
NGC 6914 Nebulae
This extremely colorful picture reveals the stars, dust, and gas found in NGC 6914. It is a complex of nebulae. It lies toward the northern constellation Cygnus and the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, about 6,000 light-years away. Within the 1/2 degree wide field shown, both reddish hydrogen emission nebulae and dusty blue reflection nebulae can be seen. This view spans about 50 light-years. The region's atomic hydrogen gas is ionized by ultraviolet radiation from the massive, hot, young stars. This produces the red glow seen. The dusty blue color is formed by blue starlight reflected by the dusty clouds. This amazing picture was processed to reveal both colors!
This extremely colorful picture reveals the stars, dust, and gas found in NGC 6914. It is a complex of nebulae. It lies toward the northern constellation Cygnus and the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, about 6,000 light-years away. Within the 1/2 degree wide field shown, both reddish hydrogen emission nebulae and dusty blue reflection nebulae can be seen. This view spans about 50 light-years. The region's atomic hydrogen gas is ionized by ultraviolet radiation from the massive, hot, young stars. This produces the red glow seen. The dusty blue color is formed by blue starlight reflected by the dusty clouds. This amazing picture was processed to reveal both colors!
APOD 3.6
NGC 4449: Close-up of a Small Galaxy
This is an image of NGC 4449, also called the small island galaxy, which is about 12 million light-years away. It is a fairly small galaxy. It has a width of less than 20,000 light-years, which makes it similiar in size to our Milky Way's satellite galaxy. This picture, taken by Hubble Space Telescope, has been reprocessed to show reddish glow of hydrogen gas. The reddish glow highlights the regions where stars are forming within the galaxy. It has several short-lived, massive stars. NGC 4449 is one of many galaxies found in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Its interactions with its nearby galaxies are thought to have influenced the star formation within NGC 4449. So, although large spiral galaxies usually get all the attention, NGC 4449 is a prime example of a small galaxy that can form beautiful stars as well.
This is an image of NGC 4449, also called the small island galaxy, which is about 12 million light-years away. It is a fairly small galaxy. It has a width of less than 20,000 light-years, which makes it similiar in size to our Milky Way's satellite galaxy. This picture, taken by Hubble Space Telescope, has been reprocessed to show reddish glow of hydrogen gas. The reddish glow highlights the regions where stars are forming within the galaxy. It has several short-lived, massive stars. NGC 4449 is one of many galaxies found in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Its interactions with its nearby galaxies are thought to have influenced the star formation within NGC 4449. So, although large spiral galaxies usually get all the attention, NGC 4449 is a prime example of a small galaxy that can form beautiful stars as well.
Friday, March 18, 2011
APOD 3.5
Planetary Nebula Project
In this picture, there are 9 pictures of planetaries: 3 Messier objects (M27- the Dumbell Nebula, M76- the Little Dumbell, and M57- the Ring Nebula), NGC 6543 (the Cat's Eye Nebula), the Medusa, and the Bug. Each image was made with detailed narrow band data and they all have the same angular scale- 20 arc minutes (1/3 degree). There is a faint grey circle in the middle of the picture. This represents the apparent size of the full moon at the same angular scale. Planetary nebulae are a part of stellar evolution. It is the process when the core is rapidly shrinking because the star runs out of fuel for nuclear fusion. This picture represents what will eventually happen to our Sun. Luckily, it will probably be in another 5 billion years.
In this picture, there are 9 pictures of planetaries: 3 Messier objects (M27- the Dumbell Nebula, M76- the Little Dumbell, and M57- the Ring Nebula), NGC 6543 (the Cat's Eye Nebula), the Medusa, and the Bug. Each image was made with detailed narrow band data and they all have the same angular scale- 20 arc minutes (1/3 degree). There is a faint grey circle in the middle of the picture. This represents the apparent size of the full moon at the same angular scale. Planetary nebulae are a part of stellar evolution. It is the process when the core is rapidly shrinking because the star runs out of fuel for nuclear fusion. This picture represents what will eventually happen to our Sun. Luckily, it will probably be in another 5 billion years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)