world-of-astrophysics

[world-of-astrophysics]

Hi! Could you please explain the process that generates molecular absorption bands?

Absolutely! So if I’m correct in assuming, I think you’re talking about plain old absorption spectroscopy. Fun stuff! Before we get into that, we have to understand that there are two different types of spectroscopy. Emission and absorption. Emission is easy, it’s just when the electrons of an atom get to an excited state, they try their darnedest to get back to the ground state and so they have to get rid of all that energy. They do that bu emitting photons at a certain wavelength, which we can observe using special equipment. Now absorption spectroscopy is a bit trickier, especially when it comes to molecular absorption spectroscopy. The process is quite tough.

First, you have a flame that contains your sample. The flame basically atomizes your sample, giving you the element you want. Behind that you have a hollow cathode lamp which emits photons into the flame. It’s important that your cathode lamp is catered to the same element you want in your flame. So if you have copper, you want a copper hollow cathode lamp. Now in front of the flame, you have a monochrometer, which isolated the particular wavelength you are trying to locate. Then the lights goes into a detector, which determines if any light was absorbed. Depending on where the bands are and how they are spaced out, you can determine which element it was and/or confirm it was that element that was absorbed. 

I hope this helped! If not, feel free to message me with any other questions!

-R

[world-of-astrophysics]

Science Dump: Opportunity Edition (RIP)

Is this a Science Dump, or is it an obituary. Both? Maybe? Anyway, with the recent passing of our dear robot friend Opportunity I decided we should pay our respects with a Science Dump for her. Let’s get started.

Mars Exploration Rover-B (MER-B), better known to us as Opportunity, or Oppy, was a Mars rover part of the Mars Exploration program from NASA to explore Mars and to further our knowledge of the planet. She launched on July 7, 2003 in a Delta II rocket. The little rover landed in Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004, shortly after her twin, Spirit (2004-2010), landed on the other side of the planet. The original plan for Oppy was a 90 sol mission (about 92 Earth days). She ended up operational for 5,352 sols just shy of 15 years! 

Opportunity’s objectives on Mars were:

Find and examine rocks and soil that may hold clues to past water activity on the planet.

Determine the composition of minerals, rocks, and soils around its landing site.

Determine the geological processes that shaped the local terrain and influenced the chemistry (things like water/wind erosion, sedimentation, cratering, etc.).

Search for iron-containing minerals, identify and quantify relative amounts of specific mineral types that contain water or were formed in water.

Characterize the mineralogy and textures of rocks and soils and determine the processes that created them.

Search for geological clues to the environmental conditions that existed when liquid water was present.

In 2016, Oppy achieved its steepest slope going up to 32 degrees. That was so steep, that dust had gone onto the rover and it started to slide backward as it went up. It’s highest elevation it went up was at the summit of “Cape Tribulation” at 135 meters (443 feet). Opportunity drove close to 28 miles on Mars, making it the most miles driven on Mars yet!

Unfortunately, a sudden dust storm wiped out communications with the little rover. The last message we received from her was on June 10, 2018. Over 830 rescue commands were sent to Oppy in hopes of her returning our call. To keep morale up in the mission control center, they would play “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” in an effort to wake her up, but to no avail. On February 13, 2019, she was declared dead and her mission complete. According to a journalist, Oppy’s last message was along the lines of “My battery is low and it’s getting dark”. 

It is sad to see such a wonderful machine die but we have to remember she shattered every expectation and did above and beyond to further our knowledge of Mars. She can now rest in Martian peace.

RIP Opportunity (2004-2018)

[world-of-astrophysics]

Who’s Ready for Some Action?!

Aight guys I’m back for real and I have so much planned for this page, I’m so excited. We’re going to get bigger and better! Got some Science Dumps all queued up, ready to go. Got some fun stuff to do, AND I revamped the desktop website. If you’re on the desktop, or plan to be some time soon, be sure to check out the new and improved website! 

https://world-of-astrophysics.tumblr.com/

Be on the look out for some crazy Science Dumps from now on and let’s get this bread. Yea? Yea! 

LESSGO

-R

[world-of-astrophysics]

Wφrld Of Λstrophψsics turned 1 today! I just wanted to say that even though I have been crazy inactive recently (that will soon change) I think all of you are the best and you all have helped me keep this blog up and running for a year. In all honesty it wasn’t even supposed to last that long. It was supposed to be for a few months in between my semesters but y’all came in clutch and blew my world away and now a year later it’s stilll here! You guys opened doors for me, especially with NASA and I cannot thank you enough. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BLOG❤️ Stay tuned for Science Dumps coming SOON!! Stay Nerdy! R.L.

[world-of-astrophysics]

You're cute af but omg stay safe while driving!!!

LOLOL i always forget the reflection in my sunglasses. 😂😂

and thank you😊

[world-of-astrophysics]

Top 10 Most Uncomfortable Physics Facts

While physics can show us amazing things about our universe, it doesn’t always agree with how we think things should work. Sometimes, physics can be very counter-intuitive, and often unsettling. So, here’s my list of physics facts that can be a bit unnerving.

10: Weight doesn’t matter

If it wasn’t for air resistance, everything would fall at exactly the same rate. If you let go of a hammer and a feather from the same height at the same time on the Moon, they would hit the ground simultaneously. 

9: Gyroscopic precession

It doesn’t matter how much you know about physics; gyroscopes are weird. The way they seem to defy gravity makes you rethink everything you know about physics, despite being fairly simple toys. Still, it’s all just Newton’s laws of motion.

8: Neutrinos and dark matter

We like to think that we can interact with most of the world around us, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Neutrinos and dark matter are passing through your body right now, as if you weren’t even there. The fact that 65 billion neutrinos pass through each square centimeter of your body every second is weird enough, who knows what we’ll learn about dark matter.

7: Photons are particles

Light travels like a wave, but can only interact like a particle. It can interfere and have a frequency, but it can only take and give energy in discrete quantities. It behaves like nothing else in our macroscopic world, and can be very difficult to imagine.

6: Electrons are waves

We’ve established how photons act like waves and particles, but surely massive particles act normally. Nope! Even electrons have wave-like properties. In fact, everything acts like a wave! Except these waves come in discrete quantities, which we’ll call particles. This won’t get confusing.

5: E=mc^2

Einstein’s most famous contribution to physics states that matter is simply another form of energy, which has very profound consequences. A wound-up Jack-in-a-box would weigh ever so slightly more than a released Jack-in-a-box, due to the potential energy stored within.

4: Time is relative

The core of special relativity states that time passes differently for different observers. If you took a trip to Alpha Centauri at 99% the speed of light, everyone on Earth would see the trip take 4.4 years, while you would only experience 7.5 months. Time travel is real!

3: The (not so empty) vacuum

Something can be created from nothing, as long as it goes right back to being nothing quickly. In seemingly empty space, particles pop in and out of existence all the time as a result of the uncertainty principle. Not to mention, space is inflating at an accelerated rate due to “dark energy”. To the vacuum, the law of conservation of energy is more of a suggestion.

2: c is the fastest speed

Another important point in special relativity is that nothing could ever go faster than light. This doesn’t sit well with a lot of people, but the math doesn’t lie. To even get something with mass to travel at the speed of light would require infinite energy. Even if you somehow get around this, there are just too many mathematical problems with superluminal travel. Like it or not, the universe has a speed limit.

1: The cat is dead and alive

How could it not be this? The nature of quantum mechanics allows for objects to take on two seemingly contradictory states in a ‘superposition’. An electron can be in two places at once, or in a more extreme example, a cat can be both dead and alive. Of course, this weird property goes away once someone makes an observation. It’s as if there are tiny physics trolls messing with nature whenever we’re not looking.

Of course, there’s plenty more unsettling physics facts, like the space-bending nature of general relativity, or the “spooky action at a distance” that is quantum entanglement, but these are my top 10. I’d like to hear any unsettling physics facts you think I’ve missed, though!

[world-of-astrophysics]

What we don’t know about dark matter:

Dark matter takes up about 84.5% of all mass in the universe, and we practically have no idea what it is. Dark matter doesn’t interact via electromagnetism, meaning that you can’t see it, feel it, or interact with it in almost any way possible. If you held a lump of it in your hand, it would just fall straight through without you ever noticing it was there to start with. So, if it’s almost perfectly invisible, how do we even know it exists at all?

When looking at a galaxy, you can estimate how much matter is in it by what you see through a telescope, and you can use this to predict how fast the galaxy should be spinning. However, there’s a problem. Galaxies always appear to be spinning much faster than they should be. In order to be spinning as fast as they are, galaxies need a lot more mass than what we’re seeing. Even when we account for things that are a lot harder to see, like planets, dust clouds, neutrinos, and black holes, the numbers just don’t add up. So, this leaves us with two options; either Einstein’s theory of gravitation is wrong, or there is a new, invisible type of matter filling up galaxies.

Since Einstein’s theories seem to be extremely robust under any other circumstance, we are left with the possibility of a new type of matter that can only interact through gravity. Although we can figure out how much dark matter is in the universe, and where it is mainly located, we are nearly clueless on the details. After all, you can’t just look at a clump of dark matter through a microscope.

Since it’s possible that dark matter could also interact via the weak nuclear force, there have been several super-sensitive detectors built to look for extremely rare dark matter interactions, but none have been able to find anything significant yet. If dark matter is a new particle, there’s a chance it could be created at the Large Hadron Collider, or we could at least see its effects on other particles, but the LHC hasn’t seen anything out of the ordinary yet either.

So, although we have a good idea of what dark matter is doing to our universe, we have almost no idea about what it actually is. Whenever we do finally figure out the true nature of dark matter, it will surely be the discovery of the century.

[world-of-astrophysics]

Can I just say THANK YOU for this blog??? (💛💛💛)

Aweeee no thank YOU! If it weren’t for the followers like you I wouldn’t be doing this for as long as I have. Quick secret: When I first started this it was only supposed to be for a few months. Just to kind f pass the time. I started it during one of my breaks from school and I was going to stop after my Christmas break but it got so popular and blew up a bit so I decided to continue! And I’m glad I didn’t stop. I love it so much❤️

[world-of-astrophysics]

numerical analysis is also very important. no use in getting all those numbers if ya don’t know what they mean.

What kind of math should I study beyond calculus for astronomy?

Linear algebra, matrix theory, differential equations, mathematical physics

Topology is also fun but not necessary for Astro

[world-of-astrophysics]

Hello! I really like your blog, it is very helpful. I have a question, if you have the time. What do you do to retain the knowledge you learn? Do you read for example read your notes with certain intervals?

In the context of a semester, you have to test yourself. You can do this based on the curve of forgetting, that is, by studying at certain intervals.

The chart on the left shows the most efficient methods of studying while the right charts show the difference between studying once and studying at certain intervals over several weeks. The popular method for this is to study:

24 hours after lecture

1 week later

2 weeks later

1 month later

I would also recommend reviewing briefly after lecture. But the point is that you don’t need to study something every single day to learn it and keep it. Note that this is different from the effort required to understand something. Once you’ve got it, review it at those intervals.

If what you’re learning can be made into flashcards (which, arguably, at least the concepts for any class can), I recommend Quizlet Learn. It’s the premium version of Quizlet and it’s only $20/year but it spaces out your learning, keeps track of what you know, let’s you add diagrams and pictures, etc. Totally worth it. That can help you in this process, but you could also make a review calendar on your own!

Hope this helps!

[world-of-astrophysics]

Daily Science Dump: Doppler Effect Edition

Alrighty my nerdizzles we are gonna run over the Doppler Effect for today’s edition of Daily Science Dump. It’s a little confusing for some so Imma do my best to break it down. I have my astronomy notes out and my Idiot’s Guide to Astronomy book open so let’s jump right in!

So what exactly is the Doppler Effect? It’s hard to give a clear and easy definition so let’s just start with the dictionary definition: “an increase (or decrease) in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer move toward (or away from) each other”. A common real life example of the Doppler Effect for sound is when an ambulance passes by. When an ambulance is coming towards you, you hear the siren getting louder and louder until it is right next to you. At that point it is at it’s loudest. Then as it moves away from you, the siren gets quieter and quieter. Take a look at this scene from The Big Bang Theory of Sheldon dressing up as the Doppler Effect

So what does this have to do with astronomy? Well let me tell you. In astronomy we use the light waves portion of the Doppler Effect. We use things called red shift and blue shift. I mentioned these in an earlier edition but only briefly. Now we go in depth. When looking at a moving object at a ‘photon level’ you will see either a tint of red, tint of blue, or no tint at all. If there is a tint of red, it means the object is moving away from the observer. If there is a tint of blue, the object is moving towards the observer. If there is no tint, either the object is not moving, or the object is moving perpendicular from the observer.

That seems easy enough. But how do we actually measure it? We use the rainbow! No seriously. We do! We use something called the absorption line spectrum (we will go over later). In short, an absorption line is created when photons from a hot, broad spectrum source pass through a cold material. The intensity of light, over a narrow frequency range, is reduced due to absorption by the material and re-emission in random directions. Looks something like this

I know what you’re thinking… how does missing pieces in a rainbow thing tell you if it’s red shift or blue shift. Actually, it’s quite simple. You just compare the positions of the lines. If the lines start in the middle, and begin moving towards the blue side, that is an indicator of blue shift, meaning it’s moving towards you. If the lines are moving towards the red side, it’s an indicator of red shift, so it’s moving away from you. That’s how astronomers can tell if there is a binary system.

Next, we can determine the speed using the Doppler Effect. If you look at the regular absorption line spectrum above, at the bottom there are numbers. Those are the wavelengths of the colors in the spectrum. When looking at stars, an important number on the absorption line is 656nm. That is when a star is at rest and that is where we compare other stars to see if they are moving. If the wavelength of a star is lower than 656nm, it is blue shifted. If the wavelength is higher than 656nm, it is red shifted. The farther away from 656nm it is, the faster is it moving towards or away from you.

So that’s really it for the Doppler Effect for light emission. As you can see, it’s not really that complicated. It just kind of seems more difficult than it actually is. But if you break it down, it can be very simple!

I hope you enjoyed this Edition of Daily Science Dump! Check in tomorrow for the first Edition of Saturday’s Are For the Scientists as we pay tribute to my idol, Jocelyn Bell Burnell (who I had the amazing opportunity to meet!).

Stay Nerdy!

R.L.

[world-of-astrophysics]

Science Dump: Parker Solar Probe Edition

Another Science Dump within 24 hours? Whaaat? That’s right my nerdizzles. I’m on a ROLL. I decided I am going to post a Science Dump in honor of today’s Parker Solar Probe launch. Not many knew that this was even a thing, let alone an important thing. But alas, it was launched and it will do great things. Let’s get started.

Parker Solar Probe:

Well first off, what is it? Well, simply put, it’s a solar probe that’s going to the Sun to answer some 60 year old questions. The whole journey with all 24 orbits around the Sun and 7 Venus gravity assist flybys will take about 7 years. Each orbit around the Sun will gradually shrink in distance from the Sun, getting as close as 3.8 million miles away from the surface of the Sun!

Well that’s all fine and dandy, but why are they even doing this? Well as much as we think we know about our own little star, we know close to nothing about it. Plus, this is the closest star we can study, so studying our own star will unlock loads of secrets about how other stars operate. Remember, our star is one of the most common stars in our galaxy, so learning about ours will helps us understand others. 

Basically, the Parker Solar Probe will travel through the Sun’s atmosphere, closer to the surface than any other spacecraft. There are three primary science goals that the probe will tap into: it will trace how heat and energy move through the solar corona, it will explore what accelerates the solar wind as well as solar energetic particles, and it will determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of solar winds. Why is all of this important? Well if you noticed, most of what it will be observing is solar wind patterns and sources.  “Parker Solar Probe will provide new data on solar activity and make critical contributions to our ability to forecast major space-weather events that impact life on Earth”. The Sun affects everything on Earth, so it would make sense to learn as much as we can about the thing that gives life and that can potentially destroy life. 

I said before that the probe will get as close as 3.8 million miles away from the surface of the Sun. Well what does that even mean? 4 million miles, that’s a long way away. Sure, in the strictest sense, that’s a lot of miles. But think of it this way, imagine a football field and the Sun was on one end-zone and the Earth was on the opposite end-zone. That would place the Parker Solar Probe at the 4 yard line on the Sun’s side of the field. That is extremely close. Now you may be thinking, if the probe is going to be that close to the Sun, wouldn’t it get SUPER hot? The answer is yes! The front part of the probe will reach temperatures at about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,377 degrees Celsius). With that being said, the spacecraft’s payload on the inside will remain near room temperature. How?! We’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s cover how fast this thing will go. This thing, is FAST. At closest approach, the solar probe will reach to speeds around 430,000mph (700,000kph). That’s fast enough to get from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. in just 1 second. 

That’s a lot of stuff this spacecraft is doing and enduring. The probe itself is actually one hell of a feat. Like I said before, the probe will have to withstand the Sun’s heat and will be pelted with 2,500 degrees of heat. Well, won’t that melt? Not on this one no! To withstand the Sun’s heat, the spacecraft instruments will be protected by a 4.5 inch-thick carbon composite shield. Well, it’s a solar powered spacecraft, so wouldn’t it get too much energy if it’s that close to the Sun? In the word’s of NASA, “The compact, solar-powered probe will house solar arrays that will retract and extend as the spacecraft swings toward or away from the Sun during several loops around the inner solar system, making sure the panels stay at proper temperatures and power levels. At it’s closest passes the spacecraft must survive solar intensity of about 475x what spacecraft experience while orbiting Earth”. But because of the engineering ingenuity NASA made, they can protect the spacecraft itself but more importantly, keep the instruments inside at a safe temperature. 

What are the instruments inside anyway? Let’s take a look! There are 4 main instruments in the probe that will be used for observation and study. 

The first being the Field Experiment. Basically what this will do is make direct measurements of electric and magnetic fields and waves, poynting flux, absolute plasma density and electron temperature. 

Next we have the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun. This will make observations of energetic electron, protons, and heavy ions that are accelerated to high energies in the Sun’s atmosphere and inner heliosphere. It then correlates them with solar wind and coronal structures.

Next we have the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe. These telescopes will take images of the solar corona and inner heliosphere at the closest distance possible!

Finally we have the Solar Wind Electrons, Alphas, and Protons (SWEAP) Investigation. This will count the most abundant particles in solar wind and measure their properties such as velocity, density, and temperature.

This is probably one of the most exciting probes to be launched into space because of the importance of the questions that will be answered. Also, not to brag but I did sign up to have my name on a hard drive that is now currently on its way to the Sun soooooo. BOOM. My name is also going to Mars soon LOL.

I hope you learned a lot about this exciting probe that launched today! I know I am. As always, if you have any questions shoot my a message or send an ask so I can answer to the best of my abilities for everyone to see. 

STAY NERDY!

R.L.

[world-of-astrophysics]

Free Astronomy Resources

Astronomy

Astronomy Lecture Powerpoints

Astronomy Lecture Notes (Textbook-Like)

Astronomy Notes

Astronomy Lecture Notes (Alaska)

Astronomy Lecture Powerpoints (Trinity)

Astronomy Lecture Notes (MIRA)

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Modern Astronomy Lecture Notes

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Time Systems Lecture Notes

Earth and Sky Notes

Galactic Structure and Stellar Populations Lecture Notes

Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Lecture Notes

Astronomical Techniques

Essential Radio Astronomy

Introduction to Astronomy 

Physics

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Essential Physics Equations

MCAT Physics Equations

Frequently Used Physics Equations

General Physics Notes

Physics Lecture Notes (MIT) 

University Physics (Textbook-Like)

General Physics I

Physics Lecture Notes (Colorado)

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Physics Lecture Notes (Cabrillo)

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Physics Notes

Physics Videos (Flipping Physics)

Physics Ch 1 to 8 Lecture Notes

Feynman Physics Lecture Notes

Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism Lecture Notes

Feynman Electromagnetism and Matter Lecture Notes 

Mechanics

Mechanics (Physics) Lecture Notes

Mechanics (Physics) Powerpoint Slides

Feynman Quantum Mechanics Lecture Notes 

Physics and Astronomy

Physics of the Interstellar Medium Lecture Notes

Physics for Astronomy Lecture Notes (Textbook-Like)

Radio Astronomy (Physics 728)

Physics: Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Cosmology

Inorganic Chemistry

Inorganic Chemistry Chapter Notes

Inorganic Chemistry Lecture Notes

Inorganic Chemistry 2 Lecture Notes

Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Lecture Notes

Calculus

Formulas and Equations

Calculus Cheat Sheet

AP Calculus Basic Formulas and Properties

Calculus 1 Formulas

Basic Calculus: Rules and Formulas (Video)

Differential Formulas

Integral Calculus Formulas

The Basics

Basic Calculus Refresher

Single Variable Calculus

Multivariable Calculus (Textbook-like)

Basics of Calculus (Textbook-like)

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Calculus 1

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Calculus 1 Video Lectures

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Introduction to Calculus Lecture Notes

Calculus 2

Calculus 2 Lecture Notes

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Calculus 3

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Notes for Calculus 3

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Other Calculus

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Differential and Integral Calculus (Textbook)

Differential and Integral Calculus (Lecture Notes & Old Exams)

Computer Science Calculus Lecture Notes

Calculus for Physics C

Analytic Geometry and Calculus 2

History

Notes on the History of Astronomy

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Space Agencies

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Italian Space Agency

Norwegian Space Center

Korea Aerospace Research Institute

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UK Space Agency

Australian Space Agency

[world-of-astrophysics]

Science Dump: Mars Edition

Guess who’s back and betta than eva. It’s yo girl R, let’s go. 

MARS! Mars is pretty cool. I mean it’s no Saturn or anything but it’s the closet to Earth and it’s hella similar to Earth in many ways. So I decided I’m gonna do a Science Dump about Mars in honor of the recent ESA discovery in their Mars Express shingdig. Let’s dig in shaaaaaall we?

MARS FACTS

Distance from the Sun: 141.6 million miles

Distance from the Earth: 54.6 million kilometers

Average orbital speed: 24.007 km/s (86,430 km/h = 53,700 mph)

Mean radius: 3,389.5 +/- 0.2 km (2,106 +/- 0.1 miles)

Mass: 6.4171x10^23 kg (0.107 Earths)

Surface Gravity: 3.711 m/s^2

Escape Velocity: 5.027 km/s (18,100 km/h or 11,250 mph)

Axial tilt:25.19 degrees

Surface temp: min: 130K = -143C = 1226F max: 308K = 35C = 95F

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, right behind Earth. It is also the second smallest planet, behind Mercury. Often called the Red Planet, Mars gets its distinct and famous reddish appearance from the abundance of iron oxide. It has a thin atmosphere, so asteroids constantly make contact, creating crater features all over the planet. One feature, Borealis basin, is thought to be a cite of a long ago impact, covering about 40% of the planet. Just like Earth, Mars has mountains, valleys, deserts, polar ice caps, and even a volcano! Olympus Mons is the largest volcano and the second highest known mountain in the solar system! Mars also has one of the largest canyons called Valles Marineris. Phobos and Deimos is Mars’ only two moons. The moons themselves are actually pretty interesting. Both were discovered in 1877 by Asaph Hall and were named for the Greek Mythological twin characters, Phobos, the god of fear and panic, and Deimos, the god of terror and dread. In mythology, Phobos and Deimos joined their father, Ares, into battle. To the Romans, Ares was also called, wait for it....... MARS. Interesting right?!..........................

Well what about the atmosphere of Mars? What is that like? Let’s take a look. The atmosphere of Mars is very thin, much thinner than Earth’s. It consists of 95% of carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 2% milk I mean argon, and just trace amounts of oxygen, carbon monoxide, and water vapor. That’s almost completely opposite of Earth’s (78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon, and 0.05% carbon dioxide and other gasses). Not an ideal living situation for us humans.

What about the water? Ah YES! The Water! Almost all the water on Mars exists as ice. But scientists believed, up until recently, that liquid water was so plentiful, that the planet actually had widespread flooding. Evidence of liquid water from the past exists in the channels and dried up river crevasses that scar the entire planet. But recently, the ESA’s Mars Express detected liquid water hidden under the plant’s south pole. Well, how did they do that if the water is below the surface? Straight from the ESA themselves, they said, “Ground-penetrating radar uses the method of sending radar pulses towards the surface and timing how long it takes for them to be reflected back to the spacecraft and with what strength”. So basically, by using this method, they were able to determine that the south polar region of Mars is made up of many layers of ice and dust. Below that there was a particularly bright radar reflection which, under further analysis, was determined to most likely be a stable body of liquid water. The detection looks a little bit like this

Pretty neat, right?

Now the last time I did a Science Dump on a planet, I added the sounds of Saturn which are very eerie and creepy. Now I give to you the Sounds of Mars.

Sounds of Mars 

This does sound creepy, doesn’t it. The sounds mostly come from the winds just like the sounds of Earth come from winds and the hustle and bustle of human activities. Similarly, Mars has rovers to add to it’s own hustle and bustle!

Speaking of Rovers! Has anyone heard about Mars Rover Opportunity? Funny story, it’s been 62 days since Opportunity’s black out as a result of a Martian dust storm, and scientists and engineers are getting antsy and nervous. The dust storm in May was “a dust storm to end all dust storms” which took over the entire planet and even blocked all sunlight. Opportunity hasn’t given any signal since June 10th, which has NASA very worried. To boost morale, however, NASA engineers resurfaced an old tradition. Every morning, mission staff at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab hoped to inspire the rover to turn back on by playing Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” in the control room! They did something similar 15 years ago when the rover first landed on Mars, but when the 90 day mission turned to be much longer, the tradition faded. Now, 5,166 days later, they begin each morning hoping to wake up Opportunity and get back to the work grind!

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 

Well that’s it for this edition of Science Dump!! If you have any questions feel free to send me a message or send an ask! 

Stay Nerdy!

R.L.

[world-of-astrophysics]

(I'm so sorry for you recent losses, I'm sure they loved you and I hope you have many great memories of them!) You can answer all my questions or as many as you like! Who is your favourite historical figure from astrophysics/related fields? What is your favourite current astrophysics question/mystery? What would you like to see achieved/confirmed/debunked in the next fifty years in astrophysics/related fields?

Awe thank you. They were my babies and I miss them so much bit it’s all better now. :)

My favorite historical figure in astrophysics would have to be Stephen Hawking. I know, so cliche lol. He just really inspired me to pursue astrophysics and helped me understand that astrophysics was what I wanted to do. For a long while, all I knew was that I wanted to do something in astronomy but I had no clue what exactly. He helped me understand that there was more to astronomy than just the planets and stars. There was the chemistry of the stars, the physics of how they work, and so many other things that barely scratch the surface. He really inspired me to dig deeper in the universe and not settle for the surface.

My current favorite mystery is definitely Tabby’s Star. I did a Science Dump on it once, I’ll link it below, but in a nutshell, there is a distant star that astronomers have been keeping their eye on that has unbelievably large and irregular light curves. Meaning something big and something funky is orbiting that star. No one knows exactly what is it, some believe it’s a massive planet with rings, some think it’s just a massive planet with orbital debris before and after it, some even think there is an alien dyson sphere orbiting the star. A bit far-fetched for my taste, but, to each their own.

Tabby’s Star Science Dump

This last question is a toughie. There is a lot I want to see achieved in the field of astrophysics. I think there are two that are tied for number one so let me explain. The first is one I think everyone in science wants to see; life outside of Earth. Now I don’t mean E.T. alien stuff, although that would be AWESOME. I’m just talking about bacteria and small life forms that could mean that life can evolve into something more complex or that maybe complex life used to be there but for whatever reason was wiped out and all that remains is bacterial life forms. I think that would open a whole new series of questions not only in the field of science, but think of the philosophical implications. We now have to include the concept of other life forms and not just us. Philosophy rarely sticks out beyond Earth life. But if life outside of Earth was found, that would force us to think of things other than ourselves. And I believe that would be life changing.

The second thing I would like to see would be the finding of the last piece of Quantum Theory. Things like String Theory and Loop Quantum Gravity fit in this category. I would love to see if we ever find that missing piece and what ends up being the correct Theory. My personal theory, and I think many agree, is that the Quantum Theory isn’t either/or (String Theory OR Loop Quantum Gravity) but a mix of both. That its’ String Theory AND Loop Quantum Gravity. Maybe even a splash of other theories. Of course it’s still a bit in the early stages of Quantum Theory but I don’t necessarily think it’s either one or the other. 

Thank you for these questions!!! These were fun questions to answer and made me think about where I personally want to be in the next 50 or so years. :)

Also, to all my followers, I will be posting a Science Dump today, I know it’s been soooooooooo long. But my summer semester is over so I can get back to posting as much as I can! 

Stay Nerdy!

R.L.

[world-of-astrophysics]

Why have you been slacking

Loads of things. I took 3 accelerated summer courses so I could finish up my general education requirements. I visited a lot of family in the first half of the summer. I also, sadly, lost both of my animals within a 7 week time frame. My kitty, Puddin (11), and my doggo (7). So it’s been kind of a wild ride this summer and I never had the chance to write Science Dumps as much as I would have liked to. But I’m getting back into it before I start the fall semester!

[world-of-astrophysics]

HEY MY LOVELIES

I’ve been slacking on posting I know.... but to signify the return of me and the posts, SEND ME ALL YOUR ASKS AND QUESTIONS!!!! I’ll answer all of them!!!

R.L.