Wednesday 31 July 2013

Surprising result discovered when looking into effects of carbon nanotubes and soil sorption of toxicants

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When it comes to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the soil, recent research shows that the new materials do not affect the sorption of the toxic part of oil called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

via Science Daily

Spitzer Discovers Young Stars with a 'Hula Hoop'

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Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have spotted a young stellar system that "blinks" every 93 days. Called YLW 16A, the system likely consists of three developing stars, two of which are surrounded by a disk of material left over from the star-formation process.

via Science Daily

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NASA's Cassini sees forces controlling Enceladus jets

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The intensity of the jets of water ice and organic particles that shoot out from Saturn's moon Enceladus depends on the moon's proximity to the ringed planet, according to data obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

via Science Daily

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Universal law for light absorption in 2-D semiconductors

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Researchers have demonstrated a universal law of light absorption for 2-D semiconductors. This discovery not only provides new insight into the optical properties of 2-D semiconductors and quantum wells, it should also open doors to exotic new optoelectronic and photonic technologies.

via Science Daily

Researchers discover universal law for light absorption in 2D semiconductors

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From solar cells to optoelectronic sensors to lasers and imaging devices, many of today's semiconductor technologies hinge upon the absorption of light. Absorption is especially critical for nano-sized structures at the interface between two energy barriers called quantum wells, in which the movement of charge carriers is confined to two-dimensions. Now, for the first time, a simple law of light absorption for 2D semiconductors has been demonstrated.



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Guided growth of nanowires leads to self-integrated circuits

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Researchers working with tiny components in nanoelectronics face a challenge similar to that of parents of small children: teaching them to manage on their own. The nano-components are so small that arranging them with external tools is impossible. The only solution is to create conditions in which they can be "trusted" to assemble themselves.



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NASA TV Coverage Set for Japanese Cargo Ship Destined for Space Station

The launch of a Japanese cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station and its arrival at the orbiting laboratory will be broadcast on NASA Television Aug. 3 and Aug. 9.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-tv-coverage-set-for-japanese-cargo-ship-destined-for-space-station

Saturn's Mimas and Pandora: Two moons passing in the night

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The Saturn moons Mimas and Pandora remind us of how different they are when they appear together, as in this image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Pandora's small size means that it lacks sufficient gravity to pull itself into a round shape like its larger sibling, Mimas. Researchers believe that the elongated shape of Pandora (50 miles, or 81 kilometers across) may hold clues to how it and other moons near Saturn's rings formed.

via Science Daily

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NASA Completes First Internal Review of Concepts for Asteroid Redirect Mission

NASA has completed the first step toward a mission to find and capture a near-Earth asteroid, redirect it to a stable lunar orbit and send humans to study it.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-completes-first-internal-review-of-concepts-for-asteroid-redirect-mission

NASA Invites Media to Preview Pollution-Climate Science Flights

For a behind-the-scenes look at NASA's upcoming airborne campaign to study how air pollution from wildfires and other sources affects our climate, NASA will host a media day from 8-11 a.m. CDT Wednesday, Aug. 21, in Houston.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-invites-media-to-preview-pollution-climate-science-flights

Tiny, brightly shining silicon crystals could be safe for deep-tissue imaging

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Tiny silicon crystals caused no health problems in monkeys three months after large doses were injected, marking a step forward in the quest to bring such materials into clinics as biomedical imaging agents, according to a new study.



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Towards a global quantum network: Photoelectron trapping in double quantum dots

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(Phys.org) —While the journey from today's fledgling quantum computers to a global quantum information network may seem daunting, researchers are continually, and at an accelerating pace, making progress towards that goal. One key element essential to that progress is the transfer of quantum information between single photons and solid-state quanta – and the properties of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) make them excellent candidates for photon-electron quantum coupling. One historical stumbling block has been that although quantum circuits require nondestructive transfer between separate dots, using single QDs usually fails due to destructive transfer in which photoelectrons are immediately lost upon measurement.



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Miniaturized ultra-small platinum cylinders weaken when their constituents reduced in number

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Miniaturizing microscopic metallic objects while enhancing their strength is critical to developing high-performance devices that integrate transistor-like electronics with mechanical components. When these objects consist of small crystals, or grains, such as polycrystalline nanopillars, their mechanical behavior is difficult to predict because the grains vary in size and orientation. Researchers from the California Institute of Technology, USA, and A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), Singapore, have now determined how miniaturization and intrinsic granular structure impact the deformation of ultra-small platinum cylinders.



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Astronaut Mp3 Speakers

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Whether you space out listening to music; or you just listen to space music these are the speakers for you.A blue and purple fractal image resembling an astronaut's helmet and shoulders on a starfield background.
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Tuesday 30 July 2013

NASA Invites Reporters and Public to Curiosity First Anniversary Event

NASA officials and crew members aboard the International Space Station will observe the first anniversary of the Curiosity rover's landing on Mars at a public event in Washington from noon-1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 6.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-invites-reporters-and-public-to-curiosity-first-anniversary-event

NASA Selects Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center Contract

NASA has selected the University of Colorado Boulder for the management and operations of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-selects-snow-and-ice-distributed-active-archive-center-contract

Planetary 'runaway greenhouse' more easily triggered, research shows

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It might be easier than previously thought for a planet to overheat into the scorchingly uninhabitable "runaway greenhouse" stage, according to new research.

via Science Daily

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NASA Extends Contract for Supercomputing Support Services

NASA will exercise the fifth one-year option on a contract with Computer Sciences Corp. of Lanham, Md., for supercomputing support services at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-extends-contract-for-supercomputing-support-services

NASA Awards Construction and Engineering Services Contract

NASA has selected Gilbane Building Company of Houston to provide Construction Management and Professional Engineering Services (CoMPES) at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-awards-construction-and-engineering-services-contract

Protostar Herbig-Haro 34 Happy Anniversay Darling Greeting Cards

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Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series

A fantastic greetings card showing a three-colour composite of the young object Herbig-Haro 34 (HH-34), now in the protostar stage of evolution. It is based on CCD frames obtained with the FORS2 instrument in imaging mode, on November 2 and 6, 1999.

This object has a remarkable, very complicated appearance that includes two opposite jets that ram into the surrounding interstellar matter. This structure is produced by a machine-gun-like blast of "bullets" of dense gas ejected from the star at high velocities (approaching 250 km/sec). This seems to indicate that the star experiences episodic "outbursts" when large chunks of material fall onto it from a surrounding disc.

HH-34 is located at a distance of approx. 1,500 light-years, near the famous Orion Nebula, one of the most productive star birth regions. Note also the enigmatic "waterfall" to the upper left, a feature that is still unexplained.The composite of three images was taken through three different filters : B (wavelength 429 nm; Full-Width-Half-Maximum (FWHM) 88 nm; exposure time 10 min; here rendered as blue), H-alpha (centered on the hydrogen emission line at wavelength 656 nm; FWHM 6 nm; 30 min; green) and S II (centrered at the emission lines of inonized sulphur at wavelength 673 nm; FWHM 6 nm; 30 min; red) during a period of 0.8 arcsec seeing. The field shown measures 6.8 x 4.5 arcmin and the images were recorded in frames of 2048 x 2048 pixels, each measuring 0.2 arcsec. North is up; East is left.

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Image code: prstrhh34

ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

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Accreditation Open for Launches, Hurricane Study Media Day at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

Media accreditation now is open for two launches and a media viewing opportunity in September from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The media activities are associated with the launch of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer mission, the agency's Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel Mission research flights and the launch of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s demonstration mission to the International Space Station.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/accreditation-open-for-launches-hurricane-study-media-day-at-nasas-wallops-flight

Water clears path for nanoribbon development

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A tiny meniscus of water makes it practical to form long graphene nanoribbons less than 10 nanometers wide.

via Science Daily

Researchers create sub-10-nanometer graphene nanoribbon patterns

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New research at Rice University shows how water makes it practical to form long graphene nanoribbons less than 10 nanometers wide.



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Station astronauts remotely control planetary rover from space

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On June 17 and July 26, NASA tested the Surface Telerobotics exploration concept, in which an astronaut in an orbiting spacecraft remotely operates a robot on a planetary surface.

via Science Daily

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Beam me up, Scotty! Would teleporting humans into space be possible?

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In the science fiction show, Star Trek, teleportation is a regular and significant feature. But how much time and power is required to send the data needed to teleport a human being?

via Science Daily

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Planetary 'runaway greenhouse' more easily triggered, research shows

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(Phys.org) —It might be easier than previously thought for a planet to overheat into the scorchingly uninhabitable "runaway greenhouse" stage, according to new research by astronomers at the University of Washington and the University of Victoria published July 28 in the journal Nature Geoscience.



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Chocolate covered diamonds-Fractal Flame Poster

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Like most art the interpretation of Fractal Flames is left to the imagination of the viewer. I see splashes of chocolate with diamonds in their centers. What do you see? This poster is available in portfolio, small, large, and huge sizes.
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Teal Crab Nebula Tags For Luggage

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A mosaic image of the Crab Nebula in intense shades of turquoise, teal, yellow and orange, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Dark Rose Shadow Dust Clouds Personalized Invite

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"These dense knots of cosmic dust and gas are absorbing light in the center of the nearby emission nebula and star-forming region, NGC 281." - HubbleSiteA lovely, soft dark rose color speckled by brilliant flecks of diamond stars.
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Great Clouds of the Corina Nebula Custom Announcements

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A detailed closeup of the region of the Corina Nebula known as 'the Great Clouds'. Bringing to mind the vibrant colors and dreamlike quality of Maxfield Parrish's work, one can get lost in the heavens captured here by the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Capturing black hole spin could further understanding of galaxy growth

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Astronomers have found a new way of measuring the spin in supermassive black holes, which could lead to better understanding about how they drive the growth of galaxies.

via Science Daily

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How does hydrogen metallize?

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Hydrogen is deceptively simple. It has only a single electron per atom, but it powers the sun and forms the majority of the observed universe. As such, it is naturally exposed to the entire range of pressures and temperatures available in the whole cosmos. But researchers still struggle to understand even basic aspects of its various forms under high-pressure conditions. New work makes significant additions to our understanding of this vital element's high-pressure behavior.

via Science Daily

Capturing black hole spin could further understanding of galaxy growth

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Astronomers have found a new way of measuring the spin in supermassive black holes, which could lead to better understanding about how they drive the growth of galaxies.



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Monday 29 July 2013

Chandra sees eclipsing planet in X-rays for first time

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For the first time since exoplanets, or planets around stars other than the sun, were discovered almost 20 years ago, X-ray observations have detected an exoplanet passing in front of its parent star.



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Pulsating star sheds light on exoplanet

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Astronomers have devised a way to measure the internal properties of stars —- a method that offers more accurate assessments of their orbiting planets.

via Science Daily

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NASA's Chandra sees eclipsing planet in X-rays for first time

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For the first time since exoplanets, or planets around stars other than the sun, were discovered almost 20 years ago, X-ray observations have detected an exoplanet passing in front of its parent star. An advantageous alignment of a planet and its parent star in the system HD 189733, which is 63 light-years from Earth, enabled NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM Newton Observatory to observe a dip in X-ray intensity as the planet transited the star.

via Science Daily

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Desiderata - Eagle Nebula, Messier 16, NGC 6611 Print

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Inspirational Guidance series

The full Desiderata by Max Ehrmann: Go placidly amidst the noise and haste... With an inspiring colour image showing the spectacular star-forming region, the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16, or NGC 6611). At the centre, the so-called “Pillars of Creation” can be seen.

The poem has inspired young adults who are coming of age since the 1920's and is as popular today as it ever was. It's been given as a gift by loving parents, grandparents, godparents and aunts and uncles as essential life-wisdom ever since it was written.

They've found it to be one of the few ways for such wisdom to get past those raging hormones, giving support to the upcoming generation through their rebellious years and beyond...

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Image code: eglneb

ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

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Desiderata - North American and Pelican Nebulae Posters

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Inspirational Guidance series The full Desiderata by Max Ehrmann: Go placidly amidst the noise and haste... featuring the North American and Pelican emission nebulae in the constellation of Cygnus, The Swan. The red, green and yellow areas all highlight the cloud of interstellar ionized hydrogen.

The poem has inspired young adults who are coming of age since the 1920's and is as popular today as it ever was. It's been given as a gift by loving parents, grandparents, godparents and aunts and uncles as essential life-wisdom ever since it was written.

They've found it to be one of the few ways for such wisdom to get past those raging hormones, giving support to the upcoming generation through their rebellious years and beyond...

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image code: nanpn
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

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Desiderata - The Crab Nebula in Taurus Poster

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Inspirational Guidance series

The full Desiderata by Max Ehrmann: Go placidly amidst the noise and haste... Featuring a three colour composite of the well-known Crab Nebula (also known as Messier 1).

The poem has inspired young adults who are coming of age since the 1920's and is as popular today as it ever was. It's been given as a gift by loving parents, grandparents, godparents and aunts and uncles as essential life-wisdom ever since it was written.

They've found it to be one of the few ways for such wisdom to get past those raging hormones, giving support to the upcoming generation through their rebellious years and beyond...

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Image code: crbneb

ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

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A Surprisingly Bright Superbubble

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This composite image shows a superbubble in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way located about 160,000 light years from Earth. Many new stars, some of them very massive, are forming in the star cluster NGC 1929, which is embedded in the nebula N44, so named because it is the 44th nebula in a catalog of such objects in the Magellanic Clouds. The massive stars produce intense radiation, expel matter at high speeds, and race through their evolution to explode as supernovas. The winds and supernova shock waves carve out huge cavities called superbubbles in the surrounding gas. X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue) show hot regions created by these winds and shocks, while infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (red) outline where the dust and cooler gas are found. The optical light from the 2.2-m Max-Planck-ESO telescope (yellow) in Chile shows where ultraviolet radiation from hot, young stars is causing gas in the nebula to glow. A long-running problem in high-energy astrophysics has been that some superbubbles in the LMC, including N44, give off a lot more X-rays than expected from models of their structure. These models assume that hot, X-ray emitting gas has been produced by winds from massive stars and the remains of several supernovas. A Chandra study published in 2011 showed that there are two extra sources of N44's X-ray emission not included in these models: supernova shock waves striking the walls of the cavities, and hot material evaporating from the cavity walls. The Chandra observations also show no evidence for an enhancement of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in the cavities, thus ruling out this possibility as a third explanation for the bright X-ray emission. Only with long observations making full use of the capabilities of Chandra has it now become possible to distinguish between different sources of the X-rays produced by superbubbles. Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/U.Mich./S.Oey, IR: NASA/JPL, Optical: ESO/WFI/2.2-m Caption credit: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

via Chandra X-ray Observatory Images

X-rays From A Young Supernova Remnant

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More than fifty years ago, a supernova was discovered in M83, a spiral galaxy about 15 million light years from Earth. Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to make the first detection of X-rays emitted by the debris from this explosion. Named SN 1957D because it was the fourth supernova to be discovered in the year 1957, it is one of only a few located outside of the Milky Way galaxy that is detectable, in both radio and optical wavelengths, decades after its explosion was observed. In 1981, astronomers saw the remnant of the exploded star in radio waves, and then in 1987 they detected the remnant at optical wavelengths, years after the light from the explosion itself became undetectable. A relatively short observation - about 14 hours long - from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in 2000 and 2001 did not detect any X-rays from the remnant of SN 1957D. However, a much longer observation obtained in 2010 and 2011, totaling nearly 8 and 1/2 days of Chandra time, did reveal the presence of X-ray emission. The X-ray brightness in 2000 and 2001 was about the same as or lower than in this deep image. This new Chandra image of M83 is one of the deepest X-ray observations ever made of a spiral galaxy beyond our own. This full-field view of the spiral galaxy shows the low, medium, and high-energy X-rays observed by Chandra in red, green, and blue respectively. The new X-ray data from the remnant of SN 1957D provide important information about the nature of this explosion that astronomers think happened when a massive star ran out of fuel and collapsed. The distribution of X-rays with energy suggests that SN 1957D contains a neutron star, a rapidly spinning, dense star formed when the core of pre-supernova star collapsed. This neutron star, or pulsar, may be producing a cocoon of charged particles moving at close to the speed of light known as a pulsar wind nebula. If this interpretation is confirmed, the pulsar in SN 1957D is observed at an age of 55 years, one of the youngest pulsars ever seen. The remnant of SN 1979C in the galaxy M100 contains another candidate for the youngest pulsar, but astronomers are still unsure whether there is a black hole or a pulsar at the center of SN 1979C. Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/STScI/K.Long et al., Optical: NASA/STScI

via Chandra X-ray Observatory Images

Black Hole Outburst

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NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has discovered an extraordinary outburst by a black hole in the spiral galaxy M83, located about 15 million light years from Earth. Using Chandra, astronomers found a new ultraluminous X-ray source, or ULX. These objects give off more X-rays than most normal binary systems in which a companion star is in orbit around a neutron star or black hole. Image Credit: NASA/CXC/Curtin University/R.Soria et al.

via Chandra X-ray Observatory Images

Like water for batteries: Water 'likeability' plays role in battery-charged objects

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Objects made from graphite -- such as lithium-ion batteries -- are "hydrophobic," meaning that they "dislike" water. For decades this lack of likeability has presented significant challenges in terms of building more durable technological devices made with graphite -- until now.

via Science Daily

NASA's Chandra Sees Eclipsing Planet in X-rays for First Time

Pulsating star sheds light on exoplanet

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A team of researchers has devised a way to measure the internal properties of stars—a method that offers more accurate assessments of their orbiting planets.



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NASA Welcomes New Chief Scientist

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named planetary geologist Ellen Stofan the agency's chief scientist, effective Aug. 25.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-welcomes-new-chief-scientist

Tetrapod nanocrystals light the way to stronger polymers

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Fluorescent tetrapod nanocrystals could light the way to the future design of stronger polymer nanocomposites. A team of researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed an advanced opto-mechanical sensing technique based on tetrapod quantum dots that allows precise measurement of the tensile strength of polymer fibers with minimal impact on the fiber's mechanical properties.



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NASA and Korean Space Agency Discuss Space Cooperation

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the president of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), Seung Jo Kim, met in Washington Monday to discuss collaboration in aeronautics research and space exploration, including KARI's robotic lunar mission and NASA's asteroid initiative.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-and-korean-space-agency-discuss-space-cooperation

Scientists realize quantum bit with a bent nanotube

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One of the biggest challenges in quantum science is to build a functioning quantum bit, the basic element for the quantum computer. An important theoretical candidate for such a quantum bit is using a bent carbon nanotube. Scientists at the Delft University of Technology and the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), led by Professor Leo Kouwenhoven, have succeeded for the first time to create a working quantum bit using a carbon nanotube. On July 28 they published their results in Nature Nanotechnology.



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When fluid dynamics mimic quantum mechanics

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In the early days of quantum physics, in an attempt to explain the wavelike behavior of quantum particles, the French physicist Louis de Broglie proposed what he called a "pilot wave" theory. According to de Broglie, moving particles—such as electrons, or the photons in a beam of light—are borne along on waves of some type, like driftwood on a tide.



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Earth's gold came from colliding dead stars

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We value gold for many reasons: its beauty, its usefulness as jewelry, and its rarity. Gold is rare on Earth in part because it's also rare in the universe. Unlike elements like carbon or iron, it cannot be created within a star. Instead, it must be born in a more cataclysmic event - like one that occurred last month known as a short gamma-ray burst (GRB).



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Friday 26 July 2013

NASA Selects Eight Physical Science Research Proposals

NASA's Physical Science Research Program will fund eight proposals to help investigate how complex fluids and macromolecules behave in microgravity. The investigations will be conducted aboard the International Space Station.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-selects-eight-physical-science-research-proposals

Hubble eyes a mysterious old spiral

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A striking cosmic whirl is the center of galaxy NGC 524, as seen with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy is located in the constellation of Pisces, some 90 million light-years from Earth.

via Science Daily

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Removing complexity layers from the universe's creation

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Understanding complexity in the early universe may require combining simpler models to interpret cosmological observations. Complicated statistical behavior observed in complex systems such as early universe can often be understood if it is broken down into simpler ones. Physicists have just published results pertaining to theoretical predictions of such cosmological systems’ dynamics.

via Science Daily

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Astrophysicist determines occurrence rate of giant planets around M-dwarfs

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A study led by Notre Dame astrophysicist Justin Crepp has for the first time definitively determined how many of the lowest-mass stars in the galaxy host gas giant planets. The researchers' paper, "The Occurrence Rate of Giant Planets around M-dwarfs," was posted to arXiv this week and submitted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.



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Gadget genius

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University of Akron researchers have developed new materials that function on a nanoscale, which could lead to the creation of lighter laptops, slimmer televisions and crisper smartphone visual displays.



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NASA Sees Enthusiastic Response to Asteroid Call for Ideas

NASA has received more than 400 responses to its request for information (RFI) on the agency's asteroid initiative, Deputy Administrator Lori Garver announced Friday.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-sees-enthusiastic-response-to-asteroid-call-for-ideas

Gold nanoparticles improve photodetector performance

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The mineral molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which, when solid, behaves in many ways like grease, has semiconducting properties that make it a promising alternative to silicon or graphene in electronic devices. It also strongly absorbs visible light, and so it has been widely employed in light-sensing photodetectors, which are used in a wide range of technologies, such as environmental sensing, process control in factories, and optical communication devices.



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The largest magnetic fields in the universe

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An ultradense ("hypermassive") neutron star is formed when two neutron stars in a binary system finally merge. Its short life ends with the catastrophic collapse to a black hole, possibly powering a short gamma-ray burst, one of the brightest explosions observed in the universe.



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Congratulations, enlarged area of The Omega Nebula Greeting Card


Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series Like the fury of a raging sea, this bubbly ocean of glowing hydrogen, oxygen, and sulphur gas lies in the extremely massive and luminous molecular nebula Messier 17.
This Hubble photograph captures a small region within Messier 17 (M17), a hotbed of star formation. M17, also known as the Omega or Swan Nebula, is located about 5500 light-years away in the Sagittarius constellation.
Ultraviolet radiation is carving and heating the surfaces of cold hydrogen gas clouds and the warmed surfaces glow orange and red. The intense heat and pressure causes some material to stream away from the surface, creating the glowing veil of even hotter green-coloured gas that masks background structures. The colours in the image represent various gases. Red represents sulphur; green, hydrogen; and blue, oxygen.

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image code: eroton
Image credit: NASA, the ACS Science Team


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Seeing Red: Hunting Herschel's Garnet Star

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Quick, what's the reddest star visible to the naked eye?



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Discoveries from Planck may mean rethinking how the universe began

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This spring, humanity was shown its most detailed map of the early universe ever created. Generated by observations from the Planck spacecraft, the map revealed fluctuations in temperature in the relic radiation left over from the Big Bang—what we call the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).



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Chocolate covered diamonds-Fractal Flame Mousepad



Like most art the interpretation of Fractal Flames is left to the imagination of the viewer. I see splashes of chocolate with diamonds in their centers.

What do you see? This fractal mousepad adds style to any desk.
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Welcome to the Space Skin For Laptop



Waiting for clearance in geostationary orbit to leave the home planet and explore new worlds in outer space. Digital artwork by Liz Molnar. Planets, stars, space clouds, lights were made with basic Photoshop effects and brushes, planets' surfaces created from photos.


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Thursday 25 July 2013

Image of sun-approaching comet ISON

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In this Hubble composite image taken in April 2013, the sun-approaching Comet ISON floats against a seemingly infinite backdrop of numerous galaxies and a handful of foreground stars.

via Science Daily

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Scientists discover surprising importance of 'I Love Q' for understanding neutron stars

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Scientists can learn a tremendous amount about neutron stars and quark stars without understanding their internal structure in detail, according to two Montana State University scientists who published their findings in the July 26 issue of "Science."



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NASA's IRIS telescope offers first glimpse of sun's mysterious atmosphere

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The moment when a telescope first opens its doors represents the culmination of years of work and planning -- while simultaneously laying the groundwork for a wealth of research and answers yet to come. It is a moment of excitement and perhaps even a little uncertainty. On July 17, 2013, the international team of scientists and engineers who supported and built NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, all lived through that moment. As the spacecraft orbited around Earth, the door of the telescope opened to view the mysterious lowest layers of the sun's atmosphere and the results thus far are nothing short of amazing. The data is crisp and clear, showing unprecedented detail of this little-observed region.

via Science Daily

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NASA's Van Allen Probes discover particle accelerator in the heart of Earth’s radiation belts

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Scientists have discovered a massive particle accelerator in the heart of one of the harshest regions of near-Earth space, a region of super-energetic, charged particles surrounding the globe called the Van Allen radiation belts. Scientists knew that something in space accelerated particles in the radiation belts to more than 99 percent the speed of light but they didn't know what that something was. New results from NASA's Van Allen Probes now show that the acceleration energy comes from within the belts themselves. Particles inside the belts are sped up by local kicks of energy, buffeting the particles to ever faster speeds, much like a perfectly timed push on a moving swing.

via Science Daily

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Bad night's sleep? The moon could be to blame

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Many people complain about poor sleep around the full moon, and now a report offers some of the first convincing scientific evidence to suggest that this really is true. The findings add to evidence that humans -- despite the comforts of our civilized world -- still respond to the geophysical rhythms of the moon, driven by a circalunar clock.

via Science Daily

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NASA Mission Discovers Particle Accelerator in Heart of Van Allen Radiation Belts

Using data from a NASA satellite, scientists have discovered a massive particle accelerator in the heart of one of the harshest regions of near-Earth space, a region of super-energetic, charged particles surrounding the globe and known as the Van Allen radiation belts.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-mission-discovers-particle-accelerator-in-heart-of-van-allen-radiation-belts

IRIS Mission Gets First Look at Sun's Mysterious Interface Region

NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft has captured its first observations of a region of the sun that is now possible to observe in detail: the lowest layers of the sun's atmosphere.

via NASA Breaking News

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/iris-mission-gets-first-look-at-suns-mysterious-interface-region

Galaxies, Comets, and Stars! Oh My!



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In this Hubble Space Telescope composite image taken in April 2013, the sun-approaching Comet ISON floats against a seemingly infinite backdrop of numerous galaxies and a handful of foreground stars. The icy visitor, with its long gossamer tail, appears to be swimming like a tadpole through a deep pond of celestial wonders.




via HubbleSite NewsCenter -- Latest News Releases

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2013/31/

Physicists publish solution to the quantum measurement problem

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(Phys.org) —Quantum mechanics is a highly successful theory, but its interpretation has still not been settled. In their recent opus magnum, Theo Nieuwenhuizen (Institute of Physics, UvA) and colleagues claim to have found a solution to the so-called quantum measurement problem.



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What if quantum physics worked on a macroscopic level?

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Quantum physics concerns a world of infinitely small things. But for years, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have been attempting to observe the properties of quantum physics on a larger scale, even macroscopic. In January 2011, they managed to entangle crystals, therefore surpassing the atomic dimension. Now, Professor Nicolas Gisin's team has successfully entangled two optic fibers, populated by 500 photons. Unlike previous experiments which were carried out with the fiber optics of one photon, this new feat (which has been published in Nature Physics) begins to answer a fundamental question: can quantum properties survive on a macroscopic level?



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Carina Nebula Dust Pillar Custom Invitation



Like a scene from a desert dreamscape, ephemeral stars peek through the pastel curtains of dust over deep ocher brown pillar formations in the Carina Nebula, as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.


via Zazzle Outer Space market place

Welcome to the Space Wallclock



Waiting for clearance in geostationary orbit to leave the home planet and explore new worlds in outer space. Digital artwork by Liz Molnar. Planets, stars, space clouds, lights were made with basic Photoshop effects and brushes, planets' surfaces created from photos.


via Zazzle Outer Space market place

In Transit Birthday Card


A birthday card for sci-fi fans.Having exited the wormhole at Sigma Lotan the astrogation team has set course for the Nokalor system. A digital rendering of a spacecraft in flight. The background fractal image is primarily blue on black.

via Zazzle Outer Space market place