Category Archives: Physics in the News

Physics in the News

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Science and spacewalks on Space Station

This might look like a routine scientific experiment, but you’re actually looking at European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst as he sets fire to samples of various solids aboard the International Space Station to see how they burn. This man truly has a wonderful job. (Credit: ESA)

via phys.org

 

Universe Shouldn’t Be Here, According to Higgs Physics

The BICEP2 telescope at twilight, which occurs only twice a year at the South Pole. The MAPO observatory (home of the Keck Array telescope) and the South Pole station can be seen in the background.
The BICEP2 telescope at twilight, which occurs only twice a year at the South Pole. The MAPO observatory (home of the Keck Array telescope) and the South Pole station can be seen in the background.
via livescience

 

SpaceX puts Falcon 9 rocket launch on hold until July

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of Orbcomm communications satellites is seen at launch complex 40 after an attempted launch was scrubbed due to technical issues at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of Orbcomm communications satellites is seen at launch complex 40 after an attempted launch was scrubbed due to technical issues at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
via csmonitor

 

Magic Island on Saturn’s Moon Performs Mysterious Vanishing Act

Magic-Island-on-Saturns-Moon-Performs-Mysterious-Vanishing-Act

via guardianlv.com

 

Satellite Swarm Spots North Pole Drift

Swarm measurements of Earth’s magnetic field from June 2014. Blue areas show where it has weakened. (Credit ESA/DTU Space)
via discovery

 

Greetings from Earth! NASA Spacecraft to Carry Message for Aliens

The Golden Record carried a message from Earth on board NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 missions. (Credit: NASA)
The Golden Record carried a message from Earth on board NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 missions.
(Credit: NASA)

via SPACE.com

Physics in the News

Monday, June 23, 2014

Mystery patch found floating on Titan’s seas

A bright patch (right, circled) on one of Titan’s northern methane seas, shown as dark areas, appeared in a Cassini spacecraft image taken on July 10, 2013. The patch disappeared by July 16, 2013 and was not visible in earlier images (left).
A bright patch (right, circled) on one of Titan’s northern methane seas, shown as dark areas, appeared in a Cassini spacecraft image taken on July 10, 2013. The patch disappeared by July 16, 2013 and was not visible in earlier images (left).
via sciencenews.org

 

The Supermassive Black Hole Smokescreen

(Credit: NASA)
(Credit: NASA)
via thedailybeast

 

SpaceX satellite launch postponed for third time, until Tuesday

An exterior of the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California May 29, 2014. (Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)
An exterior of the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California May 29, 2014. (Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)
via reuters

 

Interesting Facts About Quasars

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via buzzle

 

Sending astronauts one million miles into space to build world’s most-powerful telescope in hunt for alien life

The Atlast telescope will be the most powerful telescope ever made and up to four times larger than the Hubble Telescope
The Atlast telescope will be the most powerful telescope ever made and up to four times larger than the Hubble Telescope
via independent

Physics in the News

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Scientists Have Simulated Time Travel With Photons

Space-time structure exhibiting closed paths in space (horizontal) and time (vertical). A quantum particle travels through a wormhole back in time and returns to the same location in space and time. Credit: Martin Ringbauer
Space-time structure exhibiting closed paths in space (horizontal) and time (vertical). A quantum particle travels through a wormhole back in time and returns to the same location in space and time. Credit: Martin Ringbauer

via topinfopost

 

Stars’ Chemistry Key to Their Planets’ Ability to Support Life

Artist's conception of a protoplanetary disc. Credit: University of Copenhagen/Lars Buchhave
Artist’s conception of a protoplanetary disc. (Credit: University of Copenhagen/Lars Buchhave)

via space.com

 

Nobel Lecture Series: Data, Computation and the Fate of the Universe

via insidehpc

 

OPALS – A Laser Message From Space

At left: Illustration showing the 2.5 watt OPALS laser beaming video to Earth. At right, the laser beam arrives from the ISS as seen on the computer monitor at Table Mountain Observatory. (Credit: NASA)
At left: Illustration showing the 2.5 watt OPALS laser beaming video to Earth. At right, the laser beam arrives from the ISS as seen on the computer monitor at Table Mountain Observatory. (Credit: NASA)

via .redorbit

 

Is it Written in the Maths?

M.C. Escher works © Cordon Art-Baarn-the Netherlands.
M.C. Escher works © Cordon Art-Baarn-the Netherlands.

via maths.org

 

Swarm mission makes magnetic maps

A field snapshot in June. Reds are strong; blues are weak. The view is dominated by the core contribution
A field snapshot in June. Reds are strong; blues are weak. The view is dominated by the core contribution

via bbc.com

Physics in the News

Friday, June 20, 2014

Classic space science: UD physicist’s findings about space plasma become ‘classics’

Energy Arc, central electrode of a Plasma Lamp.
Energy Arc, central electrode of a Plasma Lamp.
via udel

New Observatory Takes Highest-Energy Particle Research to New Heights

As cosmic-ray particles are accelerated by a black hole in this artist's interpretation, they stream toward Earth as very-high-energy gamma-rays. Upon hitting the atmosphere, they produce a shower of particles that rain down on Earth. Most of these particles run out of energy before they hit sea level. Credit: Aurore Simonnet, Sonoma State University
As cosmic-ray particles are accelerated by a black hole in this artist’s interpretation, they stream toward Earth as very-high-energy gamma-rays. Upon hitting the atmosphere, they produce a shower of particles that rain down on Earth. Most of these particles run out of energy before they hit sea level. (Credit: Aurore Simonnet, Sonoma State University)
via space.com

New test may provide ‘smoking gun’ for modified gravity

A schematic picture of how researchers can observe galaxy peculiar velocities, “a cosmic dance of galaxies.” (Credit: Wojciech A. Hellwing)
A schematic picture of how researchers can observe galaxy peculiar velocities, “a cosmic dance of galaxies.” (Credit: Wojciech A. Hellwing)
via phys.org

Supermassive Black Hole Shows Strange Gas Movements

A Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 5548. (Credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA. Davide de Martin)
A Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 5548. (Credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA. Davide de Martin)
via universetoday

Slowly rotating neutron star paired with a red-giant star reveals properties that conflict with existing theory

An artist’s impression of an x-ray binary system. The matter that a neutron star (blue) sucks from a regular star (red) leads to the emission of intense x-ray beams. (Credit: NASA)
An artist’s impression of an x-ray binary system. The matter that a neutron star (blue) sucks from a regular star (red) leads to the emission of intense x-ray beams. (Credit: NASA)
via phys.org
Slowly rotating neutron star paired with a red-giant star reveals properties that conflict with existing theoryRead more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-slowly-rotating-neutron-star-paired.html#jCp
Slowly rotating neutron star paired with a red-giant star reveals properties that conflict with existing theoryRead more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-slowly-rotating-neutron-star-paired.html#jCp

Physics in the News

Friday, June 20, 2014

Nasa Picks Out Prime Targets For Asteroid Grab

An artist's conception of two possible views of asteroid 2011 MD. (Image courtesy NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
An artist’s conception of two possible views of asteroid 2011 MD. (Image courtesy NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
via nau

 

Some Highly Scientific Data 🙂 Physics Invents the Emoticon

The end of an era: Just 18 percent of survey respondents report using the full-faced emoticon.
The end of an era: Just 18 percent of survey respondents report using the full-faced emoticon. (Credit
via theatlantic

 

If Spacetime Were a Superfluid, Would It Unify Physics—or Is the Theory All Wet?

Light from the Crab Nebula (shown here in a Hubble Space Telescope photo) limits the possibilities for fluid spacetime. NASA/ESA/ASU/J. Hester
Light from the Crab Nebula (shown here in a Hubble Space Telescope photo) limits the possibilities for fluid spacetime. (Credit:NASA/ESA/ASU/J. Hester)
via scientificamerican
 

Swiftly Moving Gas Streamer Eclipses Supermassive Black Hole

This is an illustration of the physical, spatial and temporal picture for the outflows emanating from the vicinity of the super massive black hole in the galaxy NGC 5548. The behavior of the emission source in five epochs is shown along the time axis. The obscurer is situated at roughly 0.03 light years (0.01 parsecs) from the emission source and is only seen in 2011 and 2013 (it is much stronger in 2013). Outflow component 1 shows the most dramatic changes in its absorption troughs. Different observed ionic species are represented as colored zones within the absorbers. Credit: Ann Feild/Space Telescope Science Institute
This is an illustration of the physical, spatial and temporal picture for the outflows emanating from the vicinity of the super massive black hole in the galaxy NGC 5548. The behavior of the emission source in five epochs is shown along the time axis. The obscurer is situated at roughly 0.03 light years (0.01 parsecs) from the emission source and is only seen in 2011 and 2013 (it is much stronger in 2013). Outflow component 1 shows the most dramatic changes in its absorption troughs. Different observed ionic species are represented as colored zones within the absorbers. Credit: Ann Feild/Space Telescope Science Institute
via hubblesite
 

Dr. Ed Dowdye: Solar gravitation and solar plasma wave propagation on interaction – EU 2014

via thewatchers

 

Confirmed, finally: D-Wave quantum computer is sluggish

Jeremy Hilton, D-Wave's vice president of processor development, with one of the company's quantum computers. Screenshot by Nick Statt/CNET
Jeremy Hilton, D-Wave’s vice president of processor development, with one of the company’s quantum computers. Screenshot by Nick Statt/CNET
via cnet