Physics in the News

Monday August 18, 2014

Rubbish explodes in space

Astronaut Alexander Gerst captured the moment from his home aboard the ISS. (Credit: Alexander Gerst)
Astronaut Alexander Gerst captured the moment from his home aboard the ISS. (Credit: Alexander Gerst)
via theregister

Spacewalking cosmonaut tosses tiny satellite into space for Peru

Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev looks on after he released a small Peruvian satellite into space during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Aug. 18, 2014. (Credit: NASA TV)
Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev looks on after he released a small Peruvian satellite into space during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Aug. 18, 2014.
(Credit: NASA TV)
via space

Novel technique to record quantum mechanical behavior of an electron within a nanoscale defect

Part of the optical apparatus used to direct pulses of light to control the quantum state of a single electronic spin in diamond. (Credit:  UPenn)
Part of the optical apparatus used to direct pulses of light to control the quantum state of a single electronic spin in diamond. (Credit: UPenn)
via azoquantum

Image overload:  NASA requests help to sort it all out

North Korea is barely lit when juxtaposed with neighboring South Korea and China. (Credit NASA)
North Korea is barely lit when juxtaposed with neighboring South Korea and China. (Credit NASA)
via cnn

Set your alarm: Venus and Jupiter will light up the pre-dawn sky

A panoramic view of the Venus Jupiter Conjunction on August 17, 2014, taken from the Cairns Esplanade in Queensland Australia. (Credit: Joseph Brimacombe.)
A panoramic view of the Venus Jupiter Conjunction on August 17, 2014, taken from the Cairns Esplanade in Queensland Australia. (Credit: Joseph Brimacombe)
via bbc

Black Holes? I’ll take a medium, please

To celebrate the NASA-ESA Hubble Space Telescopes 16 years of success, NASA and the European Space Agency are releasing this mosaic image of the starburst galaxy, Messier 82 (M82),  made in March 2006. It is the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained of M82, a galaxy remarkable for its webs of shredded clouds and flame-like plumes of glowing hydrogen blasting out from its central regions. Located 12 million light-years away, it is also called the "Cigar Galaxy" because of the elongated elliptical shape produced by the tilt of its starry disk relative to our line of sight. (AP Photo/NASA-ESA)
To celebrate the NASA-ESA Hubble Space Telescopes 16 years of success, NASA and the European Space Agency are releasing this mosaic image of the starburst galaxy, Messier 82 (M82), made in March 2006. It is the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained of M82, a galaxy remarkable for its webs of shredded clouds and flame-like plumes of glowing hydrogen blasting out from its central regions. Located 12 million light-years away, it is also called the “Cigar Galaxy” because of the elongated elliptical shape produced by the tilt of its starry disk relative to our line of sight. (AP Photo/NASA-ESA)
via time

Quantum computing methodology a gigantic leap for next gen development

Quantum computing Adiabatic quantum computer component array: methodology is certainly going to be a gigantic leap for next gen development.

via nvonews

Fascinating rhythm: Light pulses illuminate a rare black hole

This image of the galaxy Messier 82 is a composite of data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The intermediate-mass black hole M82 X-1 is the brightest object in the inset, at approximately 2 o'clock near the galaxy's center. (Credit: NASA/H. Feng et al.)
This image of the galaxy Messier 82 is a composite of data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The intermediate-mass black hole M82 X-1 is the brightest object in the inset, at approximately 2 o’clock near the galaxy’s center. (Credit: NASA/H. Feng et al.)
via phys

Physics in the News

Saturday, July 26, 2014

NASA just made it possible to 3D-print your own asteroid

Model of Mars' Gale crater.  NASA has released STL files so you can 3D print your own scale models of space probes, asteroids and the surface of the moon. (Credit: NASA)
Model of Mars’ Gale crater. NASA has released STL files so you can 3D print your own scale models of space probes, asteroids and the surface of the moon. (Credit: NASA)

via cnet

Voyager scientists disagree on whether craft has reached interstellar space

This artist’s concept shows the Voyager 1 spacecraft entering the space between stars. Interstellar space is dominated by plasma, ionized gas (illustrated here as brownish haze), that was thrown off by giant stars millions of years ago. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
This artist’s concept shows the Voyager 1 spacecraft entering the space between stars. Interstellar space is dominated by plasma, ionized gas (illustrated here as brownish haze), that was thrown off by giant stars millions of years ago. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
via forbes

Earth survived near-miss from 2012 solar storm: NASA

A solar flare erupted on the far side of the sun on June 4, 2011, and sent solar neutrons out into space. Solar neutrons don't make it to all the way to Earth, but NASA's MESSENGER, orbiting Mercury, found strong evidence for the neutrons, offering a new technique to study these giant explosions. (Credit:  NASA/STEREO/Helioviewer)
A solar flare erupted on the far side of the sun on June 4, 2011, and sent solar neutrons out into space. Solar neutrons don’t make it to all the way to Earth, but NASA’s MESSENGER, orbiting Mercury, found strong evidence for the neutrons, offering a new technique to study these giant explosions. (Credit:
NASA/STEREO/Helioviewer)

via phys.org

Physicists discuss quantum pigeonhole principle

An image of pigeons in holes. Here there are n = 10 pigeons in m = 9 holes. Since 10 is greater than 9, the pigeonhole principle says that at least one hole has more than one pigeon. (Credit: SA 3.0, McKay)
An image of pigeons in holes. Here there are n = 10 pigeons in m = 9 holes. Since 10 is greater than 9, the pigeonhole principle says that at least one hole has more than one pigeon. (Credit: SA 3.0, McKay)

via phys.org

Quantum computing and the value of storytelling in science(VIDEO)

via readwrite

The internet of things & MindMeld

The Internet of Things, recently nicknamed the Internet of Everything, describes a future where all objects are linked together.
The Internet of Things, recently nicknamed the Internet of Everything, describes a future where all objects are linked together. (Credit: CISCO)

via expectlabs

Robotics, research and resupply round out week for station crew

Images of panels from the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA Ames Research Center)
Images of panels from the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA Ames Research Center)
via spacefellowship

The war in Gaza as seen from space: Astronaut shares wrenching photo

"If we ever will be visited by another species from somewhere in the universe, how would we explain to them what they might see as the very first thing when they look at our planet? How would we explain to them the way we humans treat not only each other but also our fragile blue planet, the only home we have?" Astronaut Alexander Gerst (Credit: (Alexander Gerst / European Space Agency)
“If we ever will be visited by another species from somewhere in the universe, how would we explain to them what they might see as the very first thing when they look at our planet? How would we explain to them the way we humans treat not only each other but also our fragile blue planet, the only home we have?” Astronaut Alexander Gerst (Credit: (Alexander Gerst / European Space Agency)

via latimes