Friday 20 February 2015

Orion Nebula Case For iPad Mini

Here's a great iPad case from Zazzle featuring a Hubble-related design. Maybe you'd like to see your name on it? Click to personalize and see what it's like!


tagged with: orion, nebula, rust, aqua, green, space, cosmic, astronomy, images, nasa, hubble

A lovely image of the Orion Nebula thanks to NASA/Hubble Space Telescope.

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The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

Turing also present at the nanoscale

original post »

In the world of single atoms and molecules governed by chaotic fluctuations, is the spontaneous formation of Turing

The post Turing also present at the nanoscale has been published on Technology Org.

 
#materials 
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Vintage Astronomy Star Chart ~ Taurus Print

Here's a great poster featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: bull, astrology, zodiac, constellations, decor, fine art, universe, old, world, star maps, signs, space, map, maps, world maps, vintage maps, antique map, antique maps, ancient, ancient maps, history, ancient history, artwork, vintage artwork, vintage art, unique, unusual, neat, cool, room decor, wall decor, den decor, framed prints, framed posters, framed art, canvas, the vintage vamp, thevintagevamp

A wonderful antique star chart depicting the constellation Taurus. Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac. This wonderful old constellation chart would be perfect for your home wall decor. Add a frame and it would make the perfect retro decoration in your bar, cafe, restaurant, home theater, office or kitchen. Framed canvas prints also make an exceptional gift for any occasion or holiday.

At The Vintage Vamp we obtain high quality images of vintage artwork. Then we use state of the art technology and editing to bring back to life the most compelling images from the past. Unlike a lot of reproductions sold on the Internet, ours have been refurbished to bring out the original colors and fix as many imperfections as possible. We use only PNG format and the largest PPI (pixels per inch) possible, which is the very best for printing. This assures that your image will print with the highest quality possible, no matter what size you choose. Credit: Library of Congress & Wikipedia




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An Evening Sky Conjunction

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Eight years ago, an evening sky held this lovely pairing of a young crescent Moon and brilliant Venus. Seen near the western horizon, the close conjunction and its wintry reflection were captured from Bolu, Turkey, planet Earth on February 19, 2007. In the 8 Earth years since this photograph was taken Venus has orbited the Sun almost exactly 13 times, so the Sun and Venus have now returned to the same the configuration in Earth's sky. And since every 8 years the Moon also nearly repeats its phases for a given time of year, a very similar crescent Moon-Venus conjunction will again appear in planet Earth's evening skies tonight. But the February 20, 2015 version of the conjunction will also include planet Mars. Much fainter Mars will wander even closer to Venus by the evening of February 21.
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Why combining Mentos and Coke creates a sugary volcano, and other cool candy tricks

Science Focus

original post »

How to make sparks fly in your mouth

We're issuing a science-based exception to the "don't chew with your mouth open" rule for this one. If you crunch Wint-O-Green Life Savers with your mouth open in the dark in front of a mirror, you should see some sparks start to fly. The light you see is due to a phenomenon called "triboluminescence."

When you chomp down on a mint, your teeth are fracturing crystals of sugar. This fracturing happens all the way down at the molecular level, where chemical bonds are broken. Because of the structure of the sugar crystal, the breaking of these chemical bonds causes a build-up of electrons that creates a miniature electrical field. Eventually, the electrons glom onto molecules like oxygen or nitrogen in the air, and emit a bit of light in the process. Usually we can't see this light because it's in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. But wintergreen candies contain a compound called methyl salicylate that fluoresces, converting that UV light into visible blue light.

(More from World Science Festival: Remembering polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk)

Why do Pop Rocks pop?

Carbon dioxide gas is the chemical key to making Pop Rocks crackle in your mouth. Pop Rocks are made by heating a mixture of carbon dioxide and candy (a combination of sugar, corn syrup, lactose, and flavoring) to temperatures above 320 degrees Fahrenheit inside a pressurized chamber. While there's still 600 pounds per square inch of pressure on the mixture, the candy-carbon dioxide combination is cooled. After cooling, the pressure is released and the candy shatters into pieces full of tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide gas.

When you stick some Pop Rocks in your mouth, the candy melts and the carbon dioxide bubbles escape from their sugary prisons with satisfying pops.

And, despite any rumors you might have heard, eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda together won't cause your stomach to explode. That urban legend seems to have spread based on the false notion that pop rocks and soda would combine like an acid and a base and react violently — but since they both just get their fizz from carbon dioxide, the worst thing that would happen to you would be a really big burp.

Why do Mentos and Diet Coke create a geyser?

While you won't get much of a thrill from mixing Pop Rocks and Coke, if you pop some Mentos mints into a bottle of Diet Coke, you'll get to see an impressive geyser:

In some ways, the reaction looks like a science fair volcano. But unlike a baking soda-vinegar geyser, the candy isn't combining with the Coke in an acid-base reaction (none of the ingredients in Mentos are basic). Instead, the Mentos serves as a little factory and launchpad for carbon dioxide bubbles — supercharging the normal bubble-formation process in the Coke. The mint's rough surface has thousands of tiny pores, an ideal landscape for lots of bubbles to form (a process called nucleation). As the bubbles grow they become more buoyant and float up to the top of the soda. The process keeps chugging along, creating more and more bubbles until it explodes out the top of the bottle in a foamy overflow.

Certain ingredients in Mentos, like aspartame and potassium benzoate, also speed the process by acting as surfactants — chemicals that lower the surface tension of the soda. This makes it even easier for bubbles to form on the candy. Too much surface tension in a liquid doesn't allow for much bubble formation — the attractions between molecules in the liquid are strong enough that the molecules at the surface resist moving up and away. Adding a surfactant, like Mentos in Coke or soap in water, loosens the liquid molecules' hold on each other a little bit, allowing for bubbles to form.

Appalachian State University physicist Tonya Coffey wrote an in-depth paper on the science behind the Coke-Mentos reaction published in the American Journal of Physics in 2008. Coffey found that combining Diet Coke and Fruit Mentos yielded the most impressive horizontal spray distance, flinging the soda nearly 17 feet from the bottle.

Making candy dance

For a less explosive demonstration of the powers of carbon dioxide fizziness, you can drop a few pieces of various kinds of candy or food into a glass of clear soda and see what happens. Anything with a rough surface — like raisins, or Valentine's Day conversation hearts — should provide a good surface for bubbles to form, as we saw with the Mentos. If the candy (or raisin) is light enough, the carbon dioxide bubbles should be able to buoy it up to the surface; when the bubble pops, the candy (or raisin) falls back down again. This up-and-down "dance" should last until the soda goes flat.

See the spectrum in black jellybeans

Plunk a wet black jellybean down on a piece of filter paper, and you'll be able to see that its blackness is actually made from a combination of hues. The various dyes in the bean will travel different distances away from the jellybean on the filter paper due to their different properties. Some shades of dye are more water-soluble, meaning they dissolve more easily and can be carried along the paper further. Some colors will be more attracted to the paper. The resulting rings of colors are called a separation pattern — something chemists use all the time to figure out what different chemical ingredients are in a mixture. You can try this same experiment with other colors of jellybeans and with other candies as well.

(More from World Science Festival: Getting sleep in the wild)

How to grow giant gummy bears

If you leave gummy bears in tap water for a while, they'll swell up into something more like Gummy Grizzlies. The reason for this is the process of osmosis — the tendency for water to perform a balancing act where it flows from a solution with fewer molecules dissolved into it into a solution that has more molecules in it (provided the two solutions are accessible to each other through a semipermeable membrane that allows certain molecules to cross its border, but which screens out others).

Gummy bears are actually a solution of water. These candies start out as a liquid mixture of water and gelatin, which is heated and then cooled, a process that draws water out of the bear and hardens it into a chewier texture. But there's still some water trapped in the matrix of gelatin that forms the bear. When you stick a gummy bear in water, osmotic pressure forces water molecules into the gummy bear, making the candy swell up like a sponge.

How to take the M off an M&M

If you leave an M&M or a Skittle in water for a little while, the 'M' or 'S' should peel off and float up to the surface. That's because the letters on the candy are made out of white edible ink that doesn't dissolve, unlike the dyes that color the candy shell.

Making soap bubbles with candy corn

This is one experiment you won't be able to do at home, unless you happen to live in a low-gravity environment:

NASA astronaut Don Pettit used his special stash of candy corn on the International Space Station to model how soap works. Soap molecules have a hydrophobic (water-hating) end and a hydrophilic (water-loving) end. When you scrub something with soap, the hydrophobic ends of the soap molecules automatically point towards little globules of grease and oil on your clothes (or your dishes, or your skin); eventually, the particles of grease are encased in little bubbles of soap and can be rinsed off with water.

(More from World Science Festival: How fear happens)

With his candy corn experiment, Pettit did the same trick, but in reverse: He coated one end of his candy corn pieces with oil, making it hydrophobic, then started adding kernels to a floating sphere of water. The hydrophobic ends naturally oriented themselves away from the center. After Pettit added enough candy corn, the sphere reached what's known as the "critical micelle concentration." The candy corn sphere wasn't mushy anymore, but behaved like a solid ball — or like a soap-coated grease globule ready to be rinsed off and away.

Why microwaved marshmallows puff up

Put a couple marshmallows in the microwave for about a minute, and you'll see them puff up. This is because the heat from the microwave softens the sugar in the marshmallow, and also causes the air pockets inside the sweet to expand. Because the sugary walls of the marshmallow are softer, the marshmallow puffs up. When cooled, the marshmallow shrinks down again — but is usually a bit crunchier than before, probably because some of the water inside it evaporated in the heat of the microwave.

 
#science 
 » see original post http://theweek.com/articles/442667/combining-mentos-coke-creates-sugary-volcano-other-cool-candy-tricks
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ht to +Laston Kirkland for this great find. We're developing a biological programming language...

Science Focus

original post »
ht to +Laston Kirkland for this great find. We're developing a biological programming language for DNA / RNA and biological systems in general as a result. Here they describe the genesis of a DNA search and replace function - thanks to microbes.

 #forwidersharing #science

Laston Kirkland originally shared:

This is one of the reasons why the next ten years will not look like the last ten years.


http://www.businessinsider.com/the-biggest-biotech-discovery-of-the-century-is-about-to-change-medicine-forever-2015-2?IR=T
attached video

 » see original post https://plus.google.com/116000959328274308893/posts/EWe7eo7XEbC
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Pen draws flexible circuits using half-meter long carbon nanotube fibers

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(Phys.org)—While it may look like researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing are sketching out an idea for a circuit on a piece of paper, they're actually using a special pen that draws real circuits using carbon-nanotube-based ink.



Zazzle Space market place

Crab Nebula in Taurus - Our Awesome Universe Sticker

Here's a great sheet of stickers featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: crbneb, astronomy, messier 1, neutron stars, star ejecta, pulsars, supernovae explosions, heavens, european southern observatory, supernova, eso, vista

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A great outer space picture featuring a three colour composite of the well-known Crab Nebula (also known as Messier 1), as observed with the FORS2 instrument in imaging mode in the morning of November 10, 1999.

It's the remnant of a supernova explosion at a distance of about 6,000 light-years, observed almost 1,000 years ago, in the year 1054. It contains a neutron star near its center that spins 30 times per second around its axis (see below).

In this picture, the green light is predominantly produced by hydrogen emission from material ejected by the star that exploded. The blue light is predominantly emitted by very high-energy ("relativistic") electrons that spiral in a large-scale magnetic field (so-called synchrotron emission). It's believed that these electrons are continuously accelerated and ejected by the rapidly spinning neutron star at the centre of the nebula and which is the remnant core of the exploded star.

This pulsar has been identified with the lower/right of the two close stars near the geometric center of the nebula, immediately left of the small arc-like feature, best seen in ESO Press Photo eso9948.

Technical information: ESO Press Photo eso9948 is based on a composite of three images taken through three different optical filters: B (429 nm; FWHM 88 nm; 5 min; here rendered as blue), R (657 nm; FWHM 150 nm; 1 min; green) and S II (673 nm; FWHM 6 nm; 5 min; red) during periods of 0.65 arcsec (R, S II) and 0.80 (B) seeing, respectively. The field shown measures 6.8 x 6.8 arcminutes and the images were recorded in frames of 2048 x 2048 pixels, each measuring 0.2 arcseconds. North is up; East is left.

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

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World-leading SuperSTEM microscope that can see single atoms is unveiled

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A new super powerful electron microscope that can pinpoint the position of single atoms was unveiled today at the Science and Technology Research Council's Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire. The microscope will help scientists push boundaries even further in fields such as advanced materials, healthcare and power generation.



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Nano switch could store memory using coordinated 'dance' of atoms

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(Phys.org) —In one of the tiniest switches ever made, five atoms appear to "dance" around each other in a complex choreographic sequence, with their final arrangement corresponding to one of two stable states. This concerted motion of multiple atoms is unlike that in other nano switches, which typically involve movement of only a single atom or molecule. The motion of multiple atoms gives the switch a major advantage: due to its stability, it is one of the few atomic-scale switches capable of operating at room temperature instead of cryogenic temperatures.



Zazzle Space market place

Star GL 490 Green Cluster Space Room Stickers

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: star photo, star cluster, nebula, star formation, green sky, nasa, universe, outer space, spitzer telescope, cool astronomy, astronomy, glowing, cosmos, cosmic, astronomical, astrophotography, cosmology, deep space, space, nature, natural, science, abstract, space picture, photo, image, stars, picture, light, sparkling, sparkly, starry, twinking, stellar, cool space

This is a NASA space photograph from the GLIMPSE360 survey, showing the star GL 490 (the bright orange star in the centre-right of the photo) and its surroundings. The cloudy green gaseous area is the result of hydrogen and carbon compounds that are used in the formation of new stars. This is a composite image that uses data from the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS).

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/2MASS/B. Whitney (SSI/University of Wisconsin)

You can personalise the design further if you'd prefer, such as by adding your name or other text, or adjusting the image - just click 'Customize it' to see all the options. IMPORTANT: If you choose a different sized version of the product, it's important to click Customize and check the image in the Design view to ensure it fills the area to the edge of the product, otherwise white edges may be visible.

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Colorful Explosion in Space Wall Decor

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: galaxy, gasses, planets, astronomy, cosmos, burst, explosion, science, nebula, outerspace, space, artsy, home decor

Love the vibrant colors in this photo of space

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Precision Growth of Light-emitting Nanowires

original post »

A novel approach to growing nanowires promises a new means of control over their light-emitting and electronic properties.

The post Precision Growth of Light-emitting Nanowires has been published on Technology Org.

 
#materials 
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A novel approach for high performance field emission electron sources

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Enhancing the electron emission of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) is key for applications ranging from cold cathodes used in high-resolution electron microscopes to portable X-ray imaging systems. Scientists have reported an original approach for the development of novel graphenated-MWCNTs with enhanced field electron emission properties.

via Science Daily

Vintage Astronomy Star Chart Planisphaeri Coeleste Posters

Here's a great poster featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: historian, maps, travel, old, world, decor, fine art, art, history, geography, panoramic, vintage map, vintage maps, antique map, antique maps, ancient, ancient maps, old world, historic, historical, ancient history, artwork, vintage artwork, vintage art, framed prints, framed posters, framed art, canvas, travel posters, vintage travel, antique travel, room decor, wall decor, den decor, vamp, the vintage vamp, thevintagevamp

A wonderful antique star chart depicting the constellations titled Planispaeri Coeleste This wonderful old constellation chart would be perfect for your home wall decor. Add a frame and it would make the perfect retro decoration in your bar, cafe, restaurant, home theater, office or kitchen. Framed canvas prints also make an exceptional gift for any occasion or holiday.

At The Vintage Vamp we obtain high quality images of vintage artwork. Then we use state of the art technology and editing to bring back to life the most compelling images from the past. Unlike a lot of reproductions sold on the Internet, ours have been refurbished to bring out the original colors and fix as many imperfections as possible. We use only PNG format and the largest PPI (pixels per inch) possible, which is the very best for printing. This assures that your image will print with the highest quality possible, no matter what size you choose. Credit: Library of Congress & Wikipedia




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Scientists identify mineral that destroys organic compounds, with implications for Mars Curiosity Mission

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Scientists have discovered that the mineral jarosite breaks down organic compounds when it is flash-heated, with implications for Mars research. Jarosite is an iron sulphate and it is one of several minerals that NASA’s Curiosity Mission is searching for, as its presence could indicate ancient habitable environments, which may have once hosted life on the red planet.

via Science Daily

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Mars exploration: NASA's MAVEN spacecraft completes first deep dip campaign

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NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution has completed the first of five deep-dip maneuvers designed to gather measurements closer to the lower end of the Martian upper atmosphere.

via Science Daily

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Giving shape to black holes' intense winds

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By looking at the speed of ambient gas spewing out from a well-known quasar, astronomers are gaining insight into how black holes and their host galaxies might have evolved at the same time.

via Science Daily

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Star Cluster NGC 346 Hubble Space Wall Skins

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: space, hubble telescope, stars, nasa, nebula, universe, outer space, space image, nature, cool astronomy, star cluster, astronomy, cosmos, cosmic, astronomical, astrophotography, cosmology, space picture, deep space, natural, science, abstract, space photo, pink sky, glowing, sparkling, starry, sparkly, gas clouds, fuzzy, hazy, space gifts, astronomy gifts, space products, astronomy products, bright, pink, cool space, pretty, beautiful

This is a Hubble Space Telescope photograph of the star forming region NGC 346. This is located in the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy, about 210,000 light years from Earth. In this image, the gas clouds have a pink and purple appearance, and are studded with many sparkling stars.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA and A. Nota (ESA/STScI, STScI/AURA)

You can personalise the design further if you'd prefer, such as by adding your name or other text, or adjusting the image - just click 'Customize it' to see all the options. IMPORTANT: If you choose a different sized version of the product, it's important to click Customize and check the image in the Design view to ensure it fills the area to the edge of the product, otherwise white edges may be visible.

See more in my shop
If you like this product, you can find more like it in my store:

Click here to view all the other items with this design.

Click here to see a wide range of other astronomy & space designs.

»visit the AstronomyGiftShop store for more designs and products like this
Click to customize.
via Zazzle Astronomy market place

Star GL 490 Green Cluster Space Room Sticker

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: star photo, star cluster, nebula, star formation, green sky, nasa, universe, outer space, spitzer telescope, cool astronomy, astronomy, glowing, cosmos, cosmic, astronomical, astrophotography, cosmology, deep space, space, nature, natural, science, abstract, space picture, photo, image, stars, picture, light, sparkling, sparkly, starry, twinking, stellar, cool space

This is a NASA space photograph from the GLIMPSE360 survey, showing the star GL 490 (the bright orange star in the centre-right of the photo) and its surroundings. The cloudy green gaseous area is the result of hydrogen and carbon compounds that are used in the formation of new stars. This is a composite image that uses data from the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS).

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/2MASS/B. Whitney (SSI/University of Wisconsin)

You can personalise the design further if you'd prefer, such as by adding your name or other text, or adjusting the image - just click 'Customize it' to see all the options. IMPORTANT: If you choose a different sized version of the product, it's important to click Customize and check the image in the Design view to ensure it fills the area to the edge of the product, otherwise white edges may be visible.

See more in my shop
If you like this product, you can find more like it in my store:

Click here to view all the other items with this design.

Click here to see a wide range of other astronomy & space designs.

»visit the AstronomyGiftShop store for more designs and products like this
Click to customize.
via Zazzle Astronomy market place