Recent discoveries

LHC shut down by a bit of bread

leo731 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:54:54 GMT

A bit of a baguette that was most likely dropped by a passing bird caused some of the magnets to malfunction shutting down the collider.

Some scientists have taken this event as further proof that nature itself is thwarting man's efforts to make this work. Some have even suggested that the bird in question flew through time to drop its load in just the right place to halt the LHC in its tracks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599193737000;_ylt=AoKF.8R0ErD6h8Zm0Pjt3aKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTMzdDkxbGczBGFzc2V0A3RpbWUvMjAwOTExMTEvMDg1OTkxOTM3MzcwMDAEY3BvcwMxMARwb3MDNwRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA2xhcmdlaGFkcm9uYw--

Astronomers use of lasers vs the Air force

ajohnson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:29:01 GMT

Not so much a discovery as just recent news, but the Air Force has apparently upped the restrictions on the use of lasers by Astronomers. Not talking about the ones regular folk use to align their telescope, but the big ones used to measure atmospheric turbulence.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17978-astronomers-clash-with-us-air-force-over-laser-rules.html

Striking Ring Cloud over Moscow

leo731 — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:19:29 GMT

Here is a link to the video of this cloud formation caused by refracting sunlight.

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93092?fp=1

It was quite remarkable and has sent several UFO and Independence Day buffs into a tizzy. For the rest of us it is a beautiful demonstration of the continually surprising things that nature can come up with.

Huge ring discovered around Saturn

ajohnson — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:20:24 GMT

Go figure, right? But this ring is 300x Saturn's diameter.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/10/07/space.saturn.ring/index.html

Followup to the posting involving the discovery of a new Saturn ring

TWriter — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:01:49 GMT

I went to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Spitzer Science Center, where NASA operates the Spitzer Space Telescope with CalTech to get some additional information.

http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2009-19/release.shtml

Discovery of a new ring around Saturn

TWriter — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:01:56 GMT

I was learning to the news on the local college station radio, when they briefly mentioned the discovery of a new ring around Saturn. There was not detail, so I went online and found the following link to a news report:

http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/nasa-telescope-finds-new-ring-around-saturn

Another Jupiter Impact?

Akhenaten — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:56:15 GMT

Perhaps this is a little off topic- but the point deserves to be made. This latest Jupiter Impactor is believes to have been a couple of kilometres in diameter, and to have escaped pre-impact detection. The resulting fireball/scar is comparable in size with the Earth.

Such an event, occurring on Earth., would essentially NOT be survivable by a human civilisation confined to the surface of one planet.

New Long perod comets, some Aten class asteroids, and, still, 10 % of potentially hazaerdous NEOs remain undetected , or are likely to be discovered only a few months before impact/closest passage ( eg Comet Hyakutake).

In this light, proposals to develop and build settlements beyond Earth in coming generations look less like waste and more like life insurance for Humankind?

Water on the Moon

leo731 — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:01:39 GMT

While this story is available on Astronomy News, here is another interesting article about this find:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-moon24-2009sep24,0,791176.story

I guess this means that the following ditty from Futurama is not wholly wrong?

"We're whalers on the Moon, we carry a harpoon. But there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing our whaling tune."

Water water everywhere but nary a drop to drink,

"Galactic bombardment unlikely to destroy Milky Way

Dimeter — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:02:16 GMT

What method did the astronomers use to learn that our galaxy has flared edges?

Suicidal planet

chuck81 — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:49:28 GMT

I saw this on yahoo news and thought some of you might be interested.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/ap_on_sc/us_sci_suicidal_planet

Huge planet orbits wrong way

FlarRekLaw — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:41:13 GMT

Wouldn't it be nice if the article "Huge planet orbits wrong way" had said how the determination of "wrong way orbiting" was made? :-)

Another Jupiter impact?

chipdatajeffB — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:49:09 GMT

An Australian imager has captured what appears to be a fresh impact scar on Jupiter:

As luck would have it, I couldn't make the trip with my 3RF group to McDonald Observatory tonight, but those of us who did make it will shoot for a confirmation using the 82" Struve telescope.

Wouldn't that be cool?

Jupiter's black hole...?

Andrew Flanders — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:35:03 GMT

Did Jupiter have an encounter with a (mini) black hole?

Our forum policies, including no advertising (updated July 8, 2009)

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First planet in Andromeda?

Vlad1980 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:47:09 GMT

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525886,00.html

RNA formation process discovered...

cyberpatzer — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:43:43 GMT

The NYTimes reports today (5-14-09) that British researchers have discovered a possible method for the natural synthesis of two forms of RNA. The process is described as simple and readily possible in the early earth environment.

This discovery increases the likelihood that RNA was the precursor to DNA, and the fundamental beginnings of life here.

We're getting closer...

Himiko

Callistonian — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:11:29 GMT

Just a bit over 12.9 billion LY away, we have found a cosmic "blob". The blob is belived to be a cloud of gas stretching over 55,000 LY across. The picture they have is very grainy (as anything 12.9 billion LY or roughly 75,836,340,690,000,000,000,000 miles away would be)

Keep an eye out for this, there are gonna be alot more views of "The Blob"

Space.com article

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090422-space-blob.html

Astronomy Newsletter re: Astronomers dissect a giant stellar explosion (vs. SN 2006gy)

bruth — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:23:12 GMT

Hello,

The article mentions that the Integral satellite has captured one of the brightest gamma-ray bursts ever seen during a stellar explosion. The brightness of the event, known as GRB 041219A, has allowed the team to investigate a property known as the polarization of the gamma rays. There was just an article on CNN.com, May 7th, 2007, that stated the Star explosion SN 2006gy as being the brightest ever observed. Just want to be clear that SN 2006gy still remains the brightest Stellar explosion. (Astronomers captured the star's demise using NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and ground- based telescopes at the Lick Observatory in California and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The explosion was estimated about 238 million light years away from Earth).

Thanks,

Bruth

The Solar System floats between two layers of magnetic fields.

muhammed — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:56:38 GMT

The Solar System floats between two layers of magnetic fields. There are some questions about the solar system: 1-What's the reason that makes the solar system float in the space and almost on the same level in spite of its different mass and range? 2-What's the reason that maintains the solar system in this particular part of space and what makes it orbit? 3-What's the reason for the lunar and solar eclipse, the tides and the intercalary year? 4-Could the repulsion power and the gravity be the great power in this space and is it depending on this base? Let's suppose that this universe is just space, does that mean we can place anybody of any mass in this space or there's power that controls the bodies' remain float in the space. The more that power repulses, the more it can maintain bodies of huge mass in the domain that it controls. The only invisible able power to maintain bodies of huge mass in the space is the magnetic power. We can understand what really goes on in the solar system through the impacts those happen to it. In efforts to know a big magnetic body such as the earth, we are going to do this experiment to get to recognize this huge power that we notice when we see the sun and the planets floating in this universe so we are just small bodies comparing to this great universe. Imagine that we make this experiment out of the domain of the earth gravity. Let's suppose that we have an oval-shaped dish that if we have get more magnetic pieces and stick them all together, in a way to have the inside part of the dish is a pole and its outer part the second pole and then we can get small balls similar to the insider part of the dish i.e. repulsive but different mass and volume and place them above the dish, these balls will remain floating above the dish due to repulsion and the distance between the dish and the balls differs according to the mass of the balls. If the dish is flat, the balls would repulse and tumble off the dish and the biggest ball is almost located in the middle of the dish as it has stronger repulsion power with the edge of the dish and the balls repulse with each other taking different places above the dish and they are all gathered due to the repulsion with each other and with the edge of the dish and then we get another repulsive dish with the first dish as well as the balls and put it above the first dish and in efforts to control it above the first dish we put magnetic poles in a circled shape, surrounding the dishes and repulsive with the outer side of the dishes, so these poles will be the controlling power to maintain the second dish which's floating right above the first dish. The second dish will press the balls and make them in one level between the layers and will enter the gravity waves to the poles which are surrounding the dishes between the dishes, so it will affect the balls attracting them and it works with the edge of the dish to prevent the balls from going out of the dishes and this experiment depends on the gravity power, the repulsion as for this magnetic body that we build this experiment upon. If we catch tow repulsed poles and get one of them closer to the other, you would feel the power of repulsion and if we pass a third pole among the other poles, the power of repulsion would get stronger and effect the power of the magnetic fields of that belongs to the poles which don't move because the hands are the controlling power upon the poles. If u let go one of the poles, the power of the magnetic fields of the poles would push it out of the controlled domain because any repulsed bodies in the space would get away from another only if there is a power which is controlling how close the bodies are, they will effect one another by the repulsion power and If there's gravity power between two bodies in the space, these two bodies will move towards one another because the physical rules are unchangeable. The earth gravity holds the bird in the sky though it resists that by the way he moves the wings depending on air in an effort to get rid of the gravity and as a matter of fact the bird is not a magnet and we-as people-are not magnetic poles when we are attracted to the earth but we are just bodies where the magnetic fields of the earth pass through so we are effected by its gravity. The more the substance helps the magnetic fields like metal to pass, the stronger its gravity is. Metal is attracted to both poles because it helps the magnetic fields of the poles to pass through it in a better way, but the metal is not attracted to metal, it repulses. The passing of the magnetic charges through that substance depending on the help of the Atomic of that substance, and the more the substance helps that passing to happen, the heavier mass it gets comparing to the gravity of earth. The metal we find much magnetic charges in it is so called a magnet. We can notice that the charges work according to the magnetic turn as if it comes out of one of the poles and enters the other one. The pole that the charges come out of it repulses with a another pole where the charges come out of it and the pole where the charges goes inside it repulses with another pole where the charges also come inside of it, but the pole that the charges go out of it gravitates to another pole that the charges go inside it. So these charges create a bigger turn depending on its own characteristics and the more we cut this substance, the more we reduce this turn, though it keeps on working the same way but if we heat up this substance, these united charges would discharge and this substance would drop the cohesive charges and the magnetic characteristics. Let's approach the solar system depending on the fact that it's floating between a couple of magnetic fields which are controlling the solar system and keeping it float on the same level between both layers, the solar system in gravitated to gravity waves which are coming out of the both layers and expanded between them. But the edge of the dish functions as an obstacle preventing the system from going out and this outer gravitation and the repulsion with the edge of the dish makes the system orbit this way it effects the dish and the dish effects on the system in return and it's almost like a ball turning. This is just like a ball turning in a dish you are weaving left and right in an effort to make the ball keep orbiting around the dish. The planets of the solar system effect the dish while orbiting. The dishes move and weave and this is something we notice when we press and cause the vertical repulsion as for the solar system on the moon while it's orbiting around the earth where the magnetic fields of the dish press the moon and let it inside the straight line between the sun and the earth, obscuring the sunlight of the earth and this is what we call the solar eclipse. The first dish moves effecting the second one so it moves in fifteen days, the magnetic fields of the second dish press the moon to let it inside the straight line, this way the earth obscures the sunlight off the moon causing the lunar eclipse. After all, we elicit that the moon functions as a serrate when the solar system is exposed to vertical repulsion when it forces the moon to be enter between the earth and the moon in a straight line and behind the earth as for the sun during the lunar and solar eclipse cases. The moon normally orbits under the straight line when it's existed between the sun and the earth and above the straight line when it's existed behind the earth as for the sun. The dishes and their edges are the controlling forces over the solar system. The difference masses of the scheme and its magnetic power makes it control one another and the location of the moon which orbits around the sun constantly except for the existence of the earth, thought it's the place of the earth due to the controlling force which's surrounding the moon and this makes the moon in constant uneven situation, when the controlling power forces the moon to go between the earth and the sun, which's the same as entering a repulsed pole between two poles, the repulsion power intensifies and the force of the magnetic fields which's renascent from the sun, the earth, and the moon crashes into one another effecting each other by the repulsion power which effects every single object on the earth including the tides. The sun proves that it's the strongest in repulsion as it pushes the moon towards the earth, so the moon skims upon the magnetic fields of the earth which also proves that it's stronger than the moon, and it starts to orbit around the earth rising up the straight line because of the repulsion power with the edge of the dish, then the magnetic fields of the edge repulses with moon pushing it towards the earth and the repulsion power between the moon and the earth intensifies again effecting everything on the earth causing the tides once more. The edge of the dish proves that it's the strongest when it pushes the moon towards the earth and it slides upon the magnetic fields of the earth starting to orbit around it. Is there a planet behind the sun of 180 degrees away from the earth and orbits as fast as the earth, which's been impossible to find out and discover so far?.

Imaging of Exoplanets

TeleNoob — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:34:47 GMT

Exoplanets finally come into view

The first pictures of planets outside our solar system have been taken, two groups report in the journal Science.

Visible and infrared images have been snapped of a planet orbiting a star 25 light-years away.

The planet is believed to be the coolest, lowest-mass object ever seen outside our own solar neighbourhood.

In a separate study, an exoplanetary system comprising three planets, has been directly imaged, circling a star in the constellation Pegasus.

-------

Was reading about this today and found a picture on the BBC news website.

Check out the pic... I know it's a long shot but to me the planet in the upper right corner seems to have a ring around it. When I copied it onto my photo editor and darkend the background, it became even more evident. But it could just be an artifact.

Truly amazing image... and it's only the beginning!

Dwarf planet near Pluto is named.

John_3489 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:49:36 GMT

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1935449620080719?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews

how to see an electron?

wildwinter — Fri, 07 Nov 2003 21:56:34 GMT

I think that we can see the electrons if we accelerate them to the maximum velocity 0.999 999 999 95C,and by letting these electrons to pass through the center of an evacuated hemisphere of negatively charged surface.
Now if the repulsive force of such surface to the electrons is equal to the force of their energy,they will be localised at the center of the sphere (if the hemisphere is completed to sphere),at this moment we close the connection between the accelerator tube and the hemisphere,then we send a beam of photons to these electrons with an angle of incidence is equal to 90 ,the electrons are in the highest energy state so they can't absorb more energy ,also the electrons are fundamental particles so they can't be destroyed by the extraenergy.
I think we can obtain a live photo to these vibrating electrons via the reflected photons,but we must make the surface which is behind the electrons to be very black in color to absorb the photons that hit it.
The electron is a real problem,when we deal with it as a mass we discover it is a wave and vice versa,however I think the electron is a surprise.

Smallest exoplanet in space discovered (USAToday.com)

Tim Eggers — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:20:36 GMT

News today:

Smallest exoplanet in space discovered

The LHC fired the first time today at 10:00AM Swiss time.

Primordial — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:15:29 GMT

See at: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/10/first-protons-whiz-around-the-large-hadron-colliders-track/

Methane on Mars

Oliver Tunnah — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:15:14 GMT

So methane has been found on Mars. NASA already believes it comes from Microbes burried under the surface.

Whats your thinking on this?

There is plenty of ways to create methane without life. Look at Titan for instance. Why has NASA jumped to this conclusion without fully ruling out other methods. Am I being to logical or does the Methane really come from Farting microbes?