Partial Solar Eclipse Graces Skies on Thursday

North Americans will watch the moon take a bite out of the sun.

partial-solar-eclipse_84918_990x742 — The next total solar eclipse occurs over the remote northern Atlantic on March 20, 2015. But this week’s partial event in North America will be a great warmup for the much anticipated total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, when a 37-mile-wide (60 kilometers) total eclipse, a “zone of totality,” will run from North Carolina through Oregon. (Credit: T. Ruen, NASA, Andrew Fazekas)

via National Geographic

Physics in the News

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Leaky galaxies lead researchers to better understand the universe

This is Sanchayeeta Borthakur, assistant research scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Johns Hopkins University. (Photo Credit: JHU) — Sanchayeeta Borthakur, an assistant research scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the university’s Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, reports in a paper published online Oct. 9 in the journal Science that an indicator used for studying star-forming galaxies that leak radiation is an effective measurement tool for other scientists to use. (Credit: JHU)

via sciencecodex

L.A. Museum Adds the Last Payload to Shuttle Endeavour

141010-shuttle_c92e33917bf64aaa38d9790b47f34c7f.nbcnews-ux-1240-800 — During an event titled “Go for Payload,” the California Science Center in Los Angeles hoisted a Spacehab module into the open hold of the retired space shuttle Endeavour. The logistics module’s addition, together with several other real and replica parts, marked a major milestone towards the center’s plans to display the NASA winged orbiter in a vertical, launch-ready configuration. (Pearlman, CollectSpace.com)

Topological defects in the fabric of space and time

A cosmic string is a very long (possibly as long as the diameter of the visible universe), very thin (less than the width of a proton) high-density object formed during the early moments of the big bang. (Credit: Stae Trek, Paramount Pictures)

The Moon and the Oh-My-God Particle

Close up artist rendition. Image of the Australian SKA LFAA (Low Frequency Aperture Array) instrument. These dipole antenna which will number in their hundreds of thousands will survey the radio sky in frequencies as low at 50Mhz (Credit: SKA Organisation)

via popularmechanics

On the front lines of the Higgs boson search

Prof. Butterworth, leading physicist on the ATLAS experiment at CERN and head of physics and astronomy at University College London, said the two colliding proton beams at CERN were the highest energy particle beams ever used in a laboratory. In order for the high momentum beams to be bent into a circle, its curvature had to be gentle enough for superconducting magnets to be able to control the beams. (Credit: hep.ucl.ac.uk/~jmb/publications) — Prof. Butterworth, leading physicist on the ATLAS experiment at CERN and head of physics and astronomy at University College London, said the two colliding proton beams at CERN were the highest energy particle beams ever used in a laboratory. (Credit: hep.ucl.ac.uk/~jmb/publications)

Peering backward to the big bang with the CTC and COSMOS

(NASA, Shellard,) — Recent analysis of CMB observations confirm predictions that a period of enormously fast exponential expansion, which cosmologists call inflation, occurred in the early universe. During inflation, very small changes, or quantum fluctuations, were imprinted into the fabric of space-time. (NASA, Shellard,)

Answers to questions posed by cosmology to philosophy

the philosophy of cosmology. He commented that the field is not well formulated yet, and proposed that one way to build a sound foundation for the field would be to identify the key questions worthy of its attention. Carroll nominated 10 such questions. Credit: Carroll) — Sean Caroll purposes 10 questions regarding the ‘not well formulated’ Philosophy of Cosmology. (Credit: Carroll)

via sciencenews

Getting sharp images from dull detectors

Coherent light passes through a pair of slits (top center). The two resulting concentric trains of waves will interfere, resulting in a fixed pattern when measured by a detector (top right). Non-coherent thermal light passes through slits and meets with a beam splitter (green plane), which reflects half the waves toward one detector and the other half toward a second detector (lower left). Each of the detectors records a temporary interference pattern (lower right). (Credit: JQI/Kelley )

via umd

NASA: More spacewalks for ISS crew

via floridatoday

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, October 10 – 18

The waning Moon and Orion tip to the southwest as dawn brightens. (The Moon in these scenes is always shown three times its actual apparent size.. (Credit: Sky and Telescope)

via skyandtelescope

Physics in the News

Friday, October 10, 2014

Nearby galaxy might explain what tore apart universe’s hydrogen

Ultraviolet light (orange) pours out of a galaxy in this image from NASA’s GALEX satellite. New Hubble observations reveal this galaxy might mimic the earliest galaxies in the universe. (Credit: NASA; ESA; R. Overzier/ON/MCT; T. Heckman/JH)

via sciencenews

A comet is about to come very close to Mars, and NASA is ready

An artist's concept shows comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) heading toward Mars. (Credit: NASA) — An artist’s concept shows comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) heading toward Mars. (Credit: NASA)

Rare ‘baby rattle’ molecules reveal new quantum properties of H2O and H2

Protons tunnel across a series of hydrogen bonds between hydronium ions and water molecules. (Credit: Wiki)

via sciencedaily

Rattlesnake repertoire boosts snake-like robot’s skills

Researchers on Thursday said they conducted experiments to learn precisely how sidewinder rattlesnakes are able to climb sandy hills, then applied the reptiles’ repertoire to an existing snake robot so it could do the same thing. (Credit: Chaohui Gong, Reuters/Chaohui Gong)

Physics fundamentals confirmed: Testing Einstein’s time dilation, Quantum Electrodynamics

Results confirm the time dilation predicted for high velocities in the theory of relativity with an accuracy that has never before been achieved. Furthermore, the team provided the first direct proof of a spectral line in highly charged bismuth ions. (Credit: Technische Universität Darmstadt )

via scientificcomputing

Hubble sees influence of a jetstream on a hot, Jupiter-sized exoplanet

The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged light from a hot Jupiter called WASP-43b, detecting temperature differences between the planet's day and night sides. The results suggest that the planet has an eastward jet stream that redistributes some of the heat from its host star, but otherwise there's very little circulation of heat. (Credit: Hubble, Timmer) — The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged light from a hot Jupiter called WASP-43b, detecting temperature differences between the planet’s day and night sides. The results suggest that the planet has an eastward jet stream that redistributes some of the heat from its host star, but otherwise there’s very little circulation of heat. (Credit: Hubble, Timmer)

A brief history of scientists hunting for time travelers

Making sci-fi teleportation sound less bizarre

If you ever wanted to see a sci-fi plot that expertly applied advanced physical concepts so that with a bit of imagination teleporting a human was not as unbelievable as most of the teleportation scenarios we see in the movies, read this articel. The above is a Cosmic Treadmill, as it appears in Flash #196. (Credit: Paul Winslade, Hmmmjenia) — If you ever wanted to see a sci-fi plot that expertly applied advanced physical concepts so that with a bit of imagination teleporting a human was not as unbelievable as most of the teleportation scenarios we see in the movies, read this article. The above is a Cosmic Treadmill, as it appears in Flash #196. (Credit: Paul Winslade, Hmmmjenia)

via quantumfrontiers

Synopsis: Milky Way’s center stays in the dark (PDF)

Galactic Center Gamma-Ray Excess from Dark Matter Annihilation: Is There a Black Hole Spike? (Credit: NASA)

via aps

New nature journal to highlight spaceflight research

A new journal, Microgravity, is dedicated to publishing research that uses space exploration and research enabled by spaceflight. It will also publish research utilizing ground-based models of spaceflight. (Credit: NASA, Caspermeyer)

Physics in the News

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

NuSTAR telescope discovers shockingly bright dead star

Astronomers have found a pulsating dead star beaming with the energy of about 10 million Suns, which is the brightest pulsar ever recorded.. A rare and mighty pulsar (pink) can be seen at the center of galaxy M82 in this new multi-wavelength portrait. NASA's NuSTAR mission discovered the "pulse" of the pulsar — a type of dead star — using is high-energy X-ray vision. — Astronomers have found a pulsating dead star beaming with the energy of about 10 million Suns, which is the brightest pulsar ever recorded.. A rare and mighty pulsar (pink) can be seen at the center of galaxy M82 in this new multi-wavelength portrait. NASA’s NuSTAR mission discovered the “pulse” of the pulsar — a type of dead star — using is high-energy X-ray vision.

Hypothetical new cosmological model known as Higgsogenesis (PDF)

The term Higgsogenesis refers to the first appearance of Higgs particles in the early universe, just as baryogenesis refers to the appearance of baryons (protons and neutrons) in the early moments after the big bang. While baryogenesis is a fairly well understood process, Higgsogenesis is still very hypothetical. (Credit: CERN/Lucas Taylor, Koberlein)

Dark matter half what we thought, say scientists (PDF)

A new measurement of dark matter in the Milky Way has revealed there is half as much of the mysterious substance as previously thought. The above is an artist's impression of the Milky Way and its dark matter halo (shown in blue, but in reality invisible). Credit: ESO/L. Calçada — A new measurement of dark matter in the Milky Way has revealed there is half as much of the mysterious substance as previously thought. The above is an artist’s impression of the Milky Way and its dark matter halo (shown in blue, but in reality invisible). (Credit: ESO/L. Calçada)

via sciencedaily

Astronomers see right into heart of exploding star

(Credit: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF) — An international team of astronomers has been able to see into the heart of an exploding star, by combining data from telescopes that are hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart. (Credit: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Among the artian hills: Curiosity Rover peers at rocks of Mount Sharp

After a couple of years of racing towards Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons), now it’s time for the Curiosity rover to get a better look at its Martian surroundings. Rover tracks and Martian sand as seen from the rear hazcam of NASA’s Curiosity rover. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

via universetoday

Two new strange and charming particles appear at LHC

Two new particles have been discovered by the LHCb experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. One of them has a combination of properties that has never been observed before. : Dave Stock) — Two new particles have been discovered by the LHCb experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. One of them has a combination of properties that has never been observed before. (Credit: Dave Stock)

via newscientist

The cosmic signal that might have changed human civilization

The image above shows a graphic which was produced by the SETI from the data of the Wow signal. A signal (Gaussian, triplet or pulse) arises only in a single narrowband channel. All other channels contain noise. Up to now we do not know cosmic phenomena which would generate such signals. It would seem improbable that they have no artificial origin. The picture shows a computer generated example of a strong Gaussian signal.

via dailygalaxy

World’s longest neutrino beam will explore why the universe still exists

This quirk of subatomics could have huge implications for our understanding of the universe, specifically how the current inequality between matter and antimatter came to be. Answering that could, in turn, provide a better insight as to why reality did not simply blink out of existence immediately after the Big Bang as a universe's worth of matter and antimatter negated one another's existences ( — This quirk of subatomics could have huge implications for our understanding of the universe, specifically how the current inequality between matter and antimatter came to be. Answering that could, in turn, provide a better insight as to why reality did not simply blink out of existence immediately after the Big Bang as a universe’s worth of matter and antimatter negated one another’s existences (Credit: Tarantola, Fermilab, )

What a difference a neutron makes

For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that modified hydrogen bonding is sufficient to switch solid-state electronic properties. (Credit: University of Tokyo. ,Tan)

via asianscientist

Physics in the News

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

UW fusion reactor concept could be cheaper than coal

The UW’s current fusion experiment, HIT-SI3. It is about one-tenth the size of the power-producing dynomak concept. (Credit: U of Washington)

via washington.edu

Researchers achieve quantum teleporting

Tipping the spherical cow: The initial conditions of star formation

Gas column density 5 Myr after stars begin forming in the “real” Clouds (left panels) and corresponding Spheres (right panels). The Spheres begin forming stars 5-6 Myr after t=0, so the figure shows simulations at a similar stage of star formation. Clouds show more widespread star formation, and alignment of their major gas filaments along the larger-scale structures present in the galaxy. Part of Figure 2 from Rey-Raposo, Dobbs & Duarte-Cabral 2014. — Gas column density 5 Myr after stars begin forming in the “real” Clouds (left panels) and corresponding Spheres (right panels). The Spheres begin forming stars 5-6 Myr after t=0, so the figure shows simulations at a similar stage of star formation. Clouds show more widespread star formation, and alignment of their major gas filaments along the larger-scale structures present in the galaxy. (Credit: Rey-Raposo, Dobbs & Duarte-Cabral 2014)

Breakthrough allows researchers to watch molecules “wiggle”

Difference electron density maps showing the comparison of control and HATRX data for thaumatin. (Credit: University of Leeds)

Monster galaxies resort to cannibalism to keep growing

Larger galaxies are unable to create new stars at a rapid enough pace so they start to “eat” stars in neighboring galaxies. (Photo By Nasa/Getty Images)

via cbs

Aliens may be too distant for contact

The SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is hunting for radio signals from hypothetical intelligent alien life in our galaxy. (Credit: SETI) Institute — The SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is hunting for radio signals from hypothetical intelligent alien life in our galaxy. (Credit: SETI) Institute

How NASA plans to utilize lasers in order to draw 3D maps of the earth’s forests

NASA has a new project underway called GEDI. The sole purpose of GEDI is to point a laser-based device at Earth from the International Space Station in order to map out forests in 3D, eventually determining the amount of carbon in Earth’s forests. (Credit: NASA's Goddard Space) — NASA has a new project underway called GEDI. The sole purpose of GEDI is to point a laser-based device at Earth from the International Space Station in order to map out forests in 3D, eventually determining the amount of carbon in Earth’s forests. (Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space)

via industrytap

Sierra Nevada protest halts production of SpaceX and Boeing s pace taxis

The Wait For Space A look through the open hatch of SpaceX's Dragon V2 capsule, one of two designs chosen for NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program. Both Boeing and SpaceX have been told to halt production of their space taxi designs until a protest filed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation has been resolved. (Credit: NASA) — A look through the open hatch of SpaceX’s Dragon V2 capsule, one of two designs chosen for NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program. Both Boeing and SpaceX have been told to halt production of their space taxi designs until a protest filed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation has been resolved. (Credit: NASA)

Three win Nobel for super-zoom microscopes

German winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry Stefan Hell gestures at a small party with his colleagues in Goettingen, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. Hell shares the prize with Americans Eric Betzig and William E. Moerner for developing ways to dramatically improve the resolution of optical microscopes. Hell developed the underlying technology for R&D 100 Awards-winning super-resolution microscopes from Leica. (Credit AP/dpa, Swen Pfoertner)

Newly discovered letter gives a rare glimpse into Einstein’s personal views on life

he Einstein Papers Project, a group of scholars devoted to collecting and transcribing Einstein’s works and publishing The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein both online and in printed format, have collected thousands of Einstein’s letters, both those from him and to him. But this exchange is new. (Credit: The Telegraph) — The Einstein Papers Project, a group of scholars devoted to collecting and transcribing Einstein’s works and publishing The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein both online and in printed format, have collected thousands of Einstein’s letters, both those from him and to him. But this exchange is new. (Credit: The Telegraph)