Science talk weekly
Solar power, as we know, is an important renewable energy source that is constantly being researched and improved. What are the limits of to where we can use solar power? During the long summer days where skies are clear, solar power is great as we can harness a lot of the sun's energy, but what if you live in a place that has low light or overcast weather? You just can't make enough energy for it to be a reasonable and viable option. Using solar technology to sustain powered seems impossible then, doesn't it? The Solar Impulse is the name of large solar powered aircraft that is currently attempting to navigate around the world. The project’s main aim is to demonstrate that alternate energy sources and new technologies can do what people think is impossible. Its purpose isn’t to revolutionise the aviation industry, but with all scientific ventures, there always is the possibility that this can pave the way for future research and adaptation, where solar technology may be incorporated into future aviation technology. It's such a high risk venture, yet human endeavor, the driving force of science, seems to be making this possible. The Solar Impulse team are maintaining an up to date website, documenting and displaying their journey. Check out www.solarimpulse.com to follow the progress of this modern day feat of science.
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Lightning. It is a force of nature, and spectacular to look at, what is happening during a lightning strike? A natural force of nature, lightning is the build-up of static charge between clouds, and the ground. Scientists today still don’t fully understand what is happening in the process of lightning, but with better technology, they are learning more with time. Check out this video about lightning: When viewed in super slow motion, you can see how a lightning bolt is sending electricity in multiple directions, many times in the one flash: I hope you have heard of a galaxy, but if you haven’t, a galaxy is made up of many millions of stars, and the universe has many millions of galaxies! We are part of the Milky Way galaxy, but what is the brightest galaxy?
Scientists in California using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer satellite, or the WISE satellite have discovered the brightest galaxy in the sky. The centre of the galaxy has a black hole, which is surrounded by a blazing hot disk of gas. This gas heats the surrounding dust, which then glows and sends infrared light (that’s the type of light that comes out of your remote control to change the television) back to the WISE satellite. Unlike the Milky Way, this galaxy doesn’t have a name like Snickers, Picnic or Mars, but it has the name W2246-0526. When a galaxy displays such hot temperatures, and is surrounded by dust, they are known as Hot Dust Obscured Galaxies, or, HotDOGs! For more information on this discovery, you can check out: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/brightest-galaxy-discovered or for the super enthusiastic, some information from the scientist who discovered it: http://wise5.ipac.caltech.edu/talks/Tsai.pdf As we have been talking about light this semester, this latest story comes from Tasmania. Along the Derwent River, blooms (or rapidly growing amounts) of a single celled organism called dinoflagellates have filled the waters. They are special and relate to light, because when they are physically moved, they light up, and emit a blue colour. When a living thing does this, it is referred to as bioluminescence, which means life (bio) lighting up (luminescence). It is unknown as to why this phenomenon occurs, yet with time, and usually money, scientists may figure out the reasons why it does.
If you want to know more, visit these website for more images, video and information. ABC Australian Geographic |
How this beganWhat started out as a quick weekly Q&A in my school's paper newsletter has grown into an online multimedia science spot. Archives
October 2015
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