A New Island Is Currently Being Created By Volcanic Activity In Nishinoshima, Japan.

Eight Things to Know About Our Flying Observatory

Our flying observatory, called SOFIA, is the world’s largest airborne observatory. It is a partnership with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). SOFIA studies the life cycle of stars, planets (including Pluto’s atmosphere), how interstellar dust can contribute to planet formation, analyzes the area around black holes, and identifies complex molecules in space.

1. A Telescope in an Airplane

SOFIA stands for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. It is a Boeing 747SP aircraft that carries a 100-inch telescope to observe the universe while flying between 38,000 and 45,000 feet – the layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the stratosphere.

2. The Short Aircraft Means Long Flights

SP stands for “special performance.” The plane is 47 feet shorter than a standard 747, so it’s lighter and can fly greater distances.  Each observing flight lasts 10-12 hours.

3. It Flies with A Hole in the Side of the Plane…

The telescope is behind a door that opens when SOFIA reaches altitude so astronomers on board can study the universe. The kind of light SOFIA observes, infrared, is blocked by almost all materials, so engineers designed the side of the aircraft to direct air up-and-over the open cavity, ensuring a smooth flight.

4. …But the Cabin is Pressurized!

A wall, called a pressure bulkhead, was added between the telescope and the cabin so the team inside the aircraft stays comfortable and safe. Each flight has pilots, telescope operators, scientists, flight planners and mission crew aboard.

5. This Telescope Has to Fly

Water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere blocks infrared light from reaching the ground. Flying at more than 39,000 feet puts SOFIA above more than 99% of this vapor, allowing astronomers to study infrared light coming from space. The airborne observatory can carry heavier, more powerful instruments than space-based observatories because it is not limited by launch weight restrictions and solar power.

6. Studying the Invisible Universe

Humans cannot see what is beyond the rainbow of visible light. However, many interesting astronomical processes happen in the clouds of dust and gas that often surround the objects SOFIA studies, like newly forming stars. Infrared light can pass through these clouds, allowing astronomers to study what is happening inside these areas.

7. The German Telescope

The telescope was built our partner, the German Aerospace Center, DLR. It is made of a glass-ceramic material called Zerodur that does not change shape when exposed to extremely cold temperatures. The telescope has a honeycomb design, which reduces the weight by 80%, from 8,700 lb to 1,764 lb. (Note that the honeycomb design was only visible before the reflective aluminum coating was applied to the mirror’s surface).

8. ZigZag Flights with a Purpose

The telescope can move up and down, between 20-60 degrees above the horizon. But it can only move significantly left and right by turning the whole aircraft. Each new direction of the flight means astronomers are studying a new celestial object. SOFIA’s flight planners carefully map where the plane needs to fly to best observe each object planned for that night.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti took this snap of cyclone Bansi whilst on board the international space station.

Cyclone Bansi was travelling across the Indian Ocean on January 16th when this perfectly timed photo was taken just as the eye of the storm was lit up by a lighting strike. 

(Via Nat Geo)

The above is a mesocyclone. It’s a vortex of air within a convective storm. It is air that rises and rotates around a vertical axis, usually in the same direction as low pressure systems in a given hemisphere. 

Japan has a high-resolution satellite that takes a photo of Earth every 10 minutes to create a living portrait of our planet and its evolving weather systems. 

Source

TESS: The Planet Hunter

So you’re thinking…who’s TESS? But, it’s more like: WHAT is TESS? 

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is an explorer-class planet finder that is scheduled to launch no later than June 2018. This mission will search the entire sky for exoplanets — planets outside our solar system that orbit sun-like stars.

In the first-ever space borne all-sky transit survey, TESS will identify planets ranging from Earth-sized to gas giants, orbiting a wide range of stellar types and orbital distances.

The main goal of this mission is to detect small planets with bright host stars in the solar neighborhood, so that we can better understand these planets and their atmospheres.

TESS will have a full time job monitoring the brightness of more than 200,000 stars during a two year mission. It will search for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. These transits occur when a planet’s orbit carries it directly in front of its parent star as viewed from Earth (cool GIF below).

TESS will provide prime targets for further, more detailed studies with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as well as other large ground-based and space-based telescopes of the future.

What is the difference between TESS and our Kepler spacecraft?

TESS and Kepler address different questions: Kepler answers “how common are Earth-like planets?” while TESS answers “where are the nearest transiting rocky planets?”

What do we hope will come out of the TESS mission?

The main goal is to find rocky exoplanets with solid surfaces at the right distance from their stars for liquid water to be present on the surface. These could be the best candidates for follow-up observations, as they fall within the “habitable zone” and be at the right temperatures for liquid water on their surface.

TESS will use four cameras to study sections of the sky’s north and south hemispheres, looking for exoplanets. The cameras would cover about 90 percent of the sky by the end of the mission. This makes TESS an ideal follow-up to the Kepler mission, which searches for exoplanets in a fixed area of the sky. Because the TESS mission surveys the entire sky, TESS is expected to find exoplanets much closer to Earth, making them easier for further study.

Stay updated on this planet-hunting mission HERE.

Want to learn more? Join our Twitter Q&A on May 18 at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Use #AskTESS for questions!

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Peacock Ore (Bornite)

The one where the physicist tries to shoots himself!

Physicist can go to varying extends to convince themselves/ others that Physics works!

And this physicist certainly knew what he was doing when he tried to shoot himself underwater.

Albeit, this video had mixed response from the community, I personally loved it!

Drag

Had the demonstration been done in the ground, it would have fatally punctured him for sure. But underwater, its a whole new story.

When an object tries to move through a medium, it is constantly bombarded by molecules present in the medium. Thereby, exerting an opposing force known as Drag.

PC: howthingsfly

This also has nothing to do with the type of bullet being used. Guns functionality is not altered in air or water. The bullet exits the gun with the same force as it would in air.

But its just that once it is propelled from the barrel, the drag that water offers is about 800 times that of air consequently quickly decelerating it!

Physics works !

Ergo, diving underwater when being chased by the bad guys is probably a good idea and movies were right all along!

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

But to a ballistic engineer, that’s not great news and paved the way for underwater arms ( How do you fire arms underwater? )

TOP TEN RAREST GEMSTONES

Note: This list is in reverse order, unlike most of my top ten lists.

1. Tanzanite - Found only in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, it is expected than tanzanite will be mined out within the next twenty to thirty years. Market value: $600-$1000 per karat.

2. Taaffeite - Pronounced ‘tar-fite’ and found in colors ranging from nearly colorless to lavender, mauve and violet, only a handful of these gems have ever been found, mostly in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Market value: $1500-$2500 per karat.

3. Black opal - Almost all black opal comes from a single mine in New South Wales, Australia. Market value: $2355 per karat.

4. Benitoite - Benitoite is the official state gem of California due to the fact that it is found almost exclusively near the San Benito River, which flows through California. A few specimens have been found in Arkansas and Japan, but its only commercial mine is located in California. It also glows when placed under UV light (picture). Market value: $3000-$4000 per karat.

5. Red beryl - Also known as ‘bixbite’ or ‘Scarlet emerald’, red beryl is found exclusively in the American states of Utah and New Mexico. Market value: $10,000 per karat.

6. Alexandrite - Named for Tsar Alexander II of Russia, Alexandrite has color-changing properties which makes it both unique and rare among gemstones. When exposed to incandescent light (such as candlelight), it appears to have a pink hue; but when exposed to daylight, its color changes from pink to green. You can watch a video of it changing color here (video). Market value: $12,000 per karat.

7. Jadeite - Although its name resembles the semi-precious gemstone jade, jadeite is actually many times more valuable than its less common counterpart. Jadeite is found only in limited quantities in Myanmar. Market value: $20,000 per karat.

8. Musgravite - A precious gem in the same family as taaffeite, this mineral’s color ranges from purple to a brilliant greenish grey. Although very small quantities have recently been found in Greenland, Antarctica, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Madagascar, for several decades there were only eight known specimens of this rare gem. Market value: $35,000 per karat.

9. Painite - Only a handful of these reddish-brown crystals have ever been discovered, and only in Myanmar. Up until a few years ago, only two specimens had ever been found. Market value: $50,000-$60,000 per karat.

10. Pink Star diamond - The Pink Star diamond is a “fancy vivid pink” diamond that was mined in South Africa in 1999. Weighing in at 59.6 karats, it was sold by Sotheby’s for a record $83 million - more than any other gem ever sold. That’s about $1,395,761 per karat.

On its maiden flight, the Shuttle Challenger hurtles toward space, April 4, 1983.

Baryte and Berthierite

No. 5 Mine, Baia Sprie (Felsöbánya), Maramures Co., Romania