Tuesday 9 June 2015

Slip sliding away: Graphene and diamonds prove a slippery combination

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Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have found a way to use tiny diamonds

The post Slip sliding away: Graphene and diamonds prove a slippery combination has been published on Technology Org.

 
#materials 
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New tool could predict large solar storms more than 24 hours in advance

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Large magnetic storms from the Sun, which affect technologies such as GPS and utility grids, could soon be predicted more than 24 hours in advance.
via Science Daily
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LightSail Spacecraft Sends Back a Selfie Showing Its Sail Stretched Out

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The photograph, somewhat garbled, confirms that the experimental spacecraft succeeding in deploying its solar sail.








via New York Times

Nebula Space Poster

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


tagged with: space posters, stars and space posters, galaxy and space, space exploration, astronomy gifts, astronomy posters for students, astronomy and science, outer space, galaxies, starfields

Space Poster featuring the horses head Nebula, a full colour stunning galaxy inspired poster of space and star phenomenon.

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How bad would the ozone hole be if we did nothing?

Science Focus

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The “hole” in the ozone layer is sometimes invoked by those who downplay environmental concerns as an example of “sky is falling” warnings that never came to pass. It's an odd example. There's a simple reason ozone problems didn't come to pass: the world came together and agreed to phase out key ozone-depleting chemicals.

It’s a major success story, and one that should be remembered. As we consider the cost of dealing with ongoing environmental problems, it's worth considering: how much better off are we for the action we did take to preserve the ozone layer? Some scientists have now tackled this question.

Ozone gas in the stratosphere is enormously important for life on Earth. Ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation emitted by the Sun, greatly reducing the amount that reaches the surface. It’s sunscreen for the planet, as UV causes skin cancer and sunburns. In the 1970s and early 1980s, it was discovered that compounds called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), commonly used as refrigerants and in aerosol sprays, were breaking down stratospheric ozone.

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#science 
 » see original post http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/science/~3/LnDKfQ0fp38/
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Black Silicon Solar Cells Reach Record-Breaking 22.1% Efficiency

Science Focus

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Even though recently solar energy has been steadily becoming cheaper and more easily extractable, the dramatic drop in

The post Black Silicon Solar Cells Reach Record-Breaking 22.1% Efficiency has been published on Technology Org.

 
#physics 
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechnologyOrgPhysicsNews/~3/hSD_YCt389g/
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Medieval city 'detected' with no dig

Science Focus

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A detailed plan of a medieval city near Salisbury in Wiltshire is produced by experts without the need for a single archaeological dig. 
#science 
 » see original post http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-30300837#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Monogram - Crab Pulsar Time Lapse - Neutron Star Classic Round Sticker

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


tagged with: stars, galaxies, astronomy, envelope sealers, crbplsr, crab pulsar, time lapse astronomy, neutron star, matter and antimatter, near light speed, monogram initials, monograms

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series Multiple observations made over several months with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope captured the spectacle of matter and antimatter propelled to near the speed of light by the Crab pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star the size of Manhattan.

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image code: crbplsr

Image credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope

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Researchers characterize mysterious ultraluminous X-ray sources

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(Phys.org)—Many black holes are believed to have surrounding accretion disks of matter trapped by gravity and spiraling toward the event horizon. Supercritical accretion disks (SCADs) are those with mass accretion rates exceeding the Eddington limit—this describes the maximum possible luminosity of an energetic body when the outward force of radiation is in equilibrium with gravitation. Masses that exceed the Eddington luminosity to produce SCADs emit extremely intense stellar winds from their outer layers.

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Ultrasensitive magnetoplasmonic sensors

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Systems allowing label-free molecular-level detection are expected to have enormous impact on biochemical sciences. Research focuses on materials and technologies based on exploiting the coupling of light with electronic charge oscillations, the so-called localized surface plasmon resonances, in metallic nanostructured antennas. The reason for this focused attention is their suitability for single-molecule sensing, arising from the intrinsically nanoscopic sensing volume and the high sensitivity to the local environment. Usually the metals used to build such nanoantennas are gold or silver. To couple light effectively into localized plasmons with ferromagnetic metals like nickel or cobalt was for a long time considered in practice impossible.

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Galaxy NGC 7714 After Collision

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Zazzle Space Gifts for young and old

Orion Nebula iPad Air Cover

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, space, image, nasa, hubble, astronomy, pink

A lovely detail of an image of the Orion Nebula thanks to NASA/Hubble.

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

Defects Can “Hulk-Up” Materials

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In the story of the Marvel Universe superhero known as the Hulk, exposure to gamma radiation transforms scientist

The post Defects Can “Hulk-Up” Materials has been published on Technology Org.

 
#materials 
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Saturn Solar Eclipse Posters

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


tagged with: space, astronomy, saturn, stars, planets, earth, cassini, sun, exploration, rings, moons

You may think that this is a fake image, but it is actually a real photo taken from the Cassini space craft of Saturn eclipsing the Sun. The rings glow brightly as the light filters through them and the reflect that light all the way around to the back of the planet creating a surreal effect. A special surprise in the photo is that, just to the left of the rings, that bright blue dot is Earth, where you're sitting right now. This is truly a fascinating and beautiful image. Courtesy of NASA and JPL.

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Martian glass: Window into possible past life

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Researchers have found large deposits of glass formed by impactors on the surface of Mars. On Earth, impact glasses have been shown to sometimes preserve signatures of ancient life. That makes these deposits potentially interesting places to look for signs of past life on the Red Planet.
via Science Daily
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Exoplanets: Atmospheric signs of volcanic activity could aid search for life

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Planets with volcanic activity are considered better candidates for life than worlds without such heated internal goings-on. Researchers have found a way to detect volcanic activity in the atmospheres of exoplanets when they transit, or pass in front of their host stars.
via Science Daily
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Stellar Nursery R136 in the Tarantula Nebula Rectangular Sticker

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


tagged with: galaxies, dorneblmc, stellar nursery, 30 doradus nebula, large magellanic cloud, amazing hubble images, tarantula nebula, r136, star cluster, astronomy pictures, massive stars

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series Hundreds of brilliant blue stars wreathed by warm, glowing clouds in appear in this the most detailed view of the largest stellar nursery in our local galactic neighborhood. The massive, young stellar grouping, called R136, is only a few million years old and resides in the 30 Doradus (or Tarantula) Nebula, a turbulent star-birth region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way.
There is no known star-forming region in our galaxy as large or as prolific as 30 Doradus. Many of the diamond-like icy blue stars are among the most massive stars known. Several of them are over 100 times more massive than our Sun. These hefty stars are destined to pop off, like a string of firecrackers, as supernovas in a few million years. The image, taken in ultraviolet, visible, and red light by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, spans about 100 light-years.
The movement of the LMC around the Milky Way may have triggered the massive cluster's formation in several ways. The gravitational tug of the Milky Way and the companion Small Magellanic Cloud may have compressed gas in the LMC. Also, the pressure resulting from the LMC plowing through the Milky Way's halo may have compressed gas in the satellite. The cluster is a rare, nearby example of the many super star clusters that formed in the distant, early universe, when star birth and galaxy interactions were more frequent.
The LMC is located 170,000 light-years away and is a member of the Local Group of Galaxies, which also includes the Milky Way. The Hubble observations were taken Oct. 20-27, 2009. The blue color is light from the hottest, most massive stars; the green from the glow of oxygen; and the red from fluorescing hydrogen.

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image code: dorneblmc

Image credit: Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3

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Orion Nebula iPad Air Cover

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, space, image, nasa, hubble, astronomy, green

A lovely detail of an image of the Orion Nebula thanks to NASA/Hubble.

»visit the annaleeblysse store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!