Friday 15 July 2016

NGC 2736: The Pencil Nebula

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Moving from top to bottom in the frame near the center of this sharply detailed color composite, thin, bright, braided filaments are actually long ripples in a cosmic sheet of glowing gas seen almost edge-on. The shock wave plows through interstellar space at over 500,000 kilometers per hour. Cataloged as NGC 2736, its elongated appearance suggests its popular name, the Pencil Nebula. The Pencil Nebula is about 5 light-years long and 800 light-years away, but represents only a small part of the Vela supernova remnant. The Vela remnant itself is around 100 light-years in diameter, the expanding debris cloud of a star that was seen to explode about 11,000 years ago. Initially, the shock wave was moving at millions of kilometers per hour but has slowed considerably, sweeping up surrounding interstellar material. In the narrowband, wide field image, red and blue-green colors track the characteristic glow of ionized hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
Tomorrow's picture: star trail marathon
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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'Rivet graphene' proves its mettle

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"Rivet graphene" has enhanced electronic properties and the ability to be transferred from one surface to another without contaminating polymers, according to scientists.
via Science Daily

New milestone in printed photovoltaic technology

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Researchers have achieved an important milestone in the quest to develop efficient solar technology as an alternative to fossil fuels. They have investigated a new molecule that can be used to increase the lifetime of organic solar cells considerably -- while also making them more efficient. In their new technology the researchers succeeded in combining the factors that the energy market considers the most important for producing sustainable energy: module efficiency, lifetime and cost per watt.
via Science Daily