Science and Exploration

mariamma · 08-21-2012, 11:04 PM

BY FAR, the coolest thing I've seen in days! I enjoyed this waaaay more than the Mars rover landing.
http://myscienceacademy.org/2012/08/...space-station/

Midnight · 08-29-2012, 07:52 PM

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/w...red-motorbike/

Corkey · 08-29-2012, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midnight

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/w...red-motorbike/

Oh shit, sorry couldn't resist...

Midnight · 08-30-2012, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corkey

Oh shit, sorry couldn't resist...

Yeah it was a crappy story :P

Hollylane · 09-01-2012, 12:00 AM

On this date in 1859, a massive solar superstorm took place. It's sometimes called the "perfect space storm" or the Carrington Event, after British astronomer Richard Carrington. He reported witnessing a massive white-light solar flare: a bright spot suddenly appearing on the surface of the Sun. At the same time, the Sun produced a coronal mass ejection, or CME: a large eruption of magnetized plasma. CMEs usually take three to four days to reach Earth, but the magnetic burst from the superstorm of 1859 reached us in just under 18 hours.

People were growing accustomed to rapid communication over the telegraph, which had been in use for 15 years. Within hours of the CME, telegraph wires began shorting out, starting fires and disrupting communication in North America and Europe. Compasses were useless because the Earth's magnetic field had gone haywire. The northern lights were seen as far south as Cuba and Hawaii, and the southern lights — aurora australis — were seen in Santiago, Chile. People in the northeastern United States could read the newspaper by the light of the aurora, and the Sun itself was twice as bright during the event.

Subsequent solar storms have caused satellites, broadcast stations, and cell phones to malfunction; they've disrupted GPS systems on airplanes and have even knocked out entire power grids; in 1989, a storm much weaker than the superstorm of 1859 brought down the Hydro-Quebec power grid for more than nine hours. While scientists cannot predict the storms with any degree of confidence, some speculate that the Sun is expected to reach a period of peak activity in 2013, and the large flares often follow the peak periods. They're monitoring the Sun's activity closely, because with a little advance warning, power grids could be taken offline and satellites put in "sleep" mode for the duration of the storm, averting a global catastrophe from which it could take a decade and trillions of dollars to recover.

puddin' · 09-02-2012, 10:06 AM

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...an-climb-walls

mariamma · 09-02-2012, 02:20 PM

http://myscienceacademy.org/2012/09/...tum-tunneling/
Quantum tunneling illuminated in about a minute.

Midnight · 09-11-2012, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puddin'

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...an-climb-walls

Great article. It seems that with this superfluid you could make a perpetual engine for power (once all the leaks are resolved!) Mind you that means the world economies would crash!

08-29-2012, 07:52 PM	#2
Midnight Member How Do You Identify?: stone butch Preferred Pronoun?: she, her Relationship Status: Married to the most beautiful girl in the world Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: The back of beyond Posts: 304 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 579 Thanked 482 Times in 176 Posts Rep Power: 5305540	poopmobile! http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/w...red-motorbike/

09-02-2012, 10:06 AM	#6
puddin' Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: a genderqueer nuisance Preferred Pronoun?: bitchboi Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: new zealand Posts: 7,120 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,467 Thanked 7,962 Times in 2,340 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	dang... http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...an-climb-walls __________________ be true, be you, be brave.

08-21-2012, 11:04 PM	#1
mariamma Member How Do You Identify?: femme Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: single Join Date: May 2011 Location: Oregon Posts: 352 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,458 Thanked 1,115 Times in 281 Posts Rep Power: 9628891	BY FAR, the coolest thing I've seen in days! I enjoyed this waaaay more than the Mars rover landing. http://myscienceacademy.org/2012/08/...space-station/

09-01-2012, 12:00 AM	#5
Hollylane Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: . Preferred Pronoun?: . Relationship Status: . Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: . Posts: 11,495 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 34,694 Thanked 26,362 Times in 5,875 Posts Rep Power: 21474862	On this date in 1859, a massive solar superstorm took place. It's sometimes called the "perfect space storm" or the Carrington Event, after British astronomer Richard Carrington. He reported witnessing a massive white-light solar flare: a bright spot suddenly appearing on the surface of the Sun. At the same time, the Sun produced a coronal mass ejection, or CME: a large eruption of magnetized plasma. CMEs usually take three to four days to reach Earth, but the magnetic burst from the superstorm of 1859 reached us in just under 18 hours. People were growing accustomed to rapid communication over the telegraph, which had been in use for 15 years. Within hours of the CME, telegraph wires began shorting out, starting fires and disrupting communication in North America and Europe. Compasses were useless because the Earth's magnetic field had gone haywire. The northern lights were seen as far south as Cuba and Hawaii, and the southern lights — aurora australis — were seen in Santiago, Chile. People in the northeastern United States could read the newspaper by the light of the aurora, and the Sun itself was twice as bright during the event. Subsequent solar storms have caused satellites, broadcast stations, and cell phones to malfunction; they've disrupted GPS systems on airplanes and have even knocked out entire power grids; in 1989, a storm much weaker than the superstorm of 1859 brought down the Hydro-Quebec power grid for more than nine hours. While scientists cannot predict the storms with any degree of confidence, some speculate that the Sun is expected to reach a period of peak activity in 2013, and the large flares often follow the peak periods. They're monitoring the Sun's activity closely, because with a little advance warning, power grids could be taken offline and satellites put in "sleep" mode for the duration of the storm, averting a global catastrophe from which it could take a decade and trillions of dollars to recover.

09-02-2012, 02:20 PM	#7
mariamma Member How Do You Identify?: femme Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: single Join Date: May 2011 Location: Oregon Posts: 352 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,458 Thanked 1,115 Times in 281 Posts Rep Power: 9628891	http://myscienceacademy.org/2012/09/...tum-tunneling/ Quantum tunneling illuminated in about a minute.