I'm Amber and I'm from Ireland. This is a blog mostly about physics but with some other interesting things thrown in. So if you have an interest (as I do) in astrophysics, particle physics, theoretical physics, mathematics, technology and other science related topics, then I invite you to follow my blog.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Amazing Everyday Objects Seen by a Scanning Electron Microscope
These amazing images are from the book Microcosmos by Brandon Brill, in which a scanning electron microscope takes images of common everyday objects. Above, from left to right, we see:
- An ant holding a microchip.
- Eyelash hairs growing from skin.
- The surface of a strawberry.
- Velcro.
- Household dust, including: cat fur, twisted synthetic and woolen fibers, serrated insect scales, a pollen grain, plant and insect remains.
- A razor blade.
- Rusty metal nail.
- Mushroom spores.
The Flight Deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour
Image Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper (Launch Photography), Spaceflight Now
Neil Degrasse Tyson needs a tumblr.
Simeis 147: Supernova Remnant - It’s easy to get lost following the intricate filaments in this detailed mosaic image of faint supernova remnant Simeis 147 (S147). Also cataloged as Sh2-240, it covers nearly 3 degrees or 6 full moons on the sky. That’s about 150 light-years at the stellar debris cloud’s estimated distance of 3,000 light-years. Anchoring the frame at the right, bright star Elnath (Beta Tauri) is seen towards the boundary of the constellations Taurus and Auriga, almost exactly opposite the galactic center in planet Earth’s sky. This sharp composite includes image data taken through a narrow-band filter to highlight emission from hydrogen atoms tracing the shocked, glowing gas. The supernova remnant has an estimated age of about 40,000 years, meaning light from the massive stellar explosion first reached Earth 40,000 years ago. But the expanding remnant is not the only aftermath. The cosmic catastrophe also left behind a spinning neutron star or pulsar, all that remains of the original star’s core. (via APOD)
How the Density of Exoplanets’ Atmospheres Weighs on the Odds for Alien Life
At this early stage in the search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system and beyond, the emphasis is on liquid water. Where it can exist on a planet’s or moon’s surface, so the thinking goes, life as we know it has a chance. Much of the observational and theoretical work in astrobiology therefore concerns the “habitable zone,” the orbital band around stars where a rocky world’s water neither freezes away nor boils off.
In a new contribution to this effort, a recent study has looked at a little-explored influencer on the ability of water to remain liquid on a world’s surface: atmospheric pressure.
Col. Chris Hadfield: “Safely home - back on Earth, happily readapting to the heavy pull of gravity. Wonderful to smell and feel Spring.”
Read about Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield’s return to Earth following historic five-month mission here: http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/media/news_releases/2013/0513.asp
Photo credits: Mikhail Metzel/AFP/Getty Images/Guardian/space-pics/NASA
Gifs from Chris Hadfield’s Space Oddity [X]
(Source: avengetheangels)
I tend to doodle a lot when I’m bored…
(Source: applepiesfromscratch)
‘Allegiance to Science’ Brooches have arrived at Daisy’s Creations!
Also taking requests for custom brooches!
I NEED!!! *-*
I was going to write an article to go with this gif on why homeopathy is total garbage, but honestly just go research it for 5 minutes and see for yourself how pure bovine excrement it is.
It’s as if saying something has been “Scientifically scienced” is enough to fool people into buying their nonsense.
Anyone else find it hilariously fitting that he gets sprayed with water?
The Super Massive Black Hole of Sagittarius A*
Astronomers using Herschel have spotted a cloud of incredibly hot gas very close to the supermassive black hole that lies at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy.
The supermassive black hole goes by the name of Sagittarius A*, and weighs in at 4 million times the mass of our Sun. It is nearly 30,000 light years away at the very centre of our galaxy, but is still hundreds of times closer than other such black holes, which are usually found at the centres of large galaxies.
Its relative proximity makes it the ideal target for studying these extreme environments in detail, though our view is often obscured by dense clouds of dust draped throughout the Milky Way. By studying it in far-infrared light, Herschel can see through this dust and examine the surroundings of the black hole itself. The black hole is surrounded by a ring of gas around 30 light years across, but right in the centre is a mini spiral of gas flowing inwards.
Herschel observations taken in 2011 and 2012 allowed astronomers to examine the region within around a light year of the black hole itself. The data showed the presence of elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, as well as simple molecules including water, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.
Electromagnetic Spectrum - Range Visible by Humans
The spectrum of sunlight has approximately the spectrum of a black-body radiating at about 6,000 K,
- Electromagnetic waves that are low frequency
have low energy and a long wavelength- Electromagnetic waves that are high frequency
have high energy and a short wavelength.All electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed - the “speed of light” (c = 300,000 km/sec or 186,000 miles/sec).
( source )
