Astronomy

String Theory and the Multiverse-Do we share our universe?

Posted by DR. NURVUS on April 6, 2016
Posted in: Astronomy, Science News. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 Comments

A very nicely written paper concerning the possibility of our universe as a multiverse, as well as a nice brief overview of multiverse theory and why it came to be following the introduction of string theory.

 

The Quantum Thought

*This is a paper I wrote for my Writing 340 course with Dr. Ashley Karlin at USC. It aims to summarize how seriously the concept of a multiverse should be taken, based off of theoretical, mathematical, and experimental evidence. In a time when humanity is coming to garner vast amounts of often surprising information, it’s important to know how to rationally come to turns with new knowledge that challenges the way we think of nature. We should not be scared to reassess our convictions; bold open-mindedness may well be a foundational quality for groundbreaking scientific discoveries or paradigm shifts. 

Some assumptions in science seem to integrate so harmoniously with our existence that we rarely question their validity. It is particularly challenging to think of truths, for example, that contradict the presence of three spatial dimensions, the unidirectional flow of time, or the law of conservation of matter. Daily experience underlies these conclusions while scientific experiments faithfully…

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The Halloween Asteroid

Posted by DR. NURVUS on October 31, 2015
Posted in: Astronomy, Science News. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

What is being dubbed the “Halloween Asteroid”, Asteroid 2015 TB145, is some 400 meters across and will pass safely by at around 17:00 GMT (18:00 CET) on the 31st of October. The space rock was discovered in Hawaii on October 10th. On the 11th of October, just 12 hours after its discovery, the object was confirmed by ESA from its observatory in Tenerife, Spain (full report via ESA web).

If you want to see it with your telescope you will need to calculate it’s coordinates in reference to your location on Earth using JPL Horizons. It will most likely be visible mainly to astronomers from western Europe. Since it is an asteroid it will be difficult to spot due to lack of illumination, its small size, and its trajectory. One would need a decent telescope and a little experience to get a good image. You will not be able to see it with your naked eye, and it is highly doubtful you would be able to spot it with binoculars.

Here is an up close and personal Radar image from NASA:

Asteroid 2015 TB145

This animated GIF was generated using radar data collected by the National Science Foundation’s 1,000-foot (305-meter) Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The six radar images used in the animation were taken on Oct. 30, 2015, and the image resolution is 25 feet (7.5 meters) per pixel. Credits: NAIC-Arecibo/NSF

Happy Halloween everyone! Be safe and enjoy your holiday!

WATCH: The Perseid Meteor Shower -NASA to host live broadcast

Posted by DR. NURVUS on August 13, 2015
Posted in: Astronomy, Science News. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Time Lapse of Sky [image credit:Dominic’s pics/Flickr]

With the new moon the way it is tonight, the Perseid meteor shower could be the best in years. Be sure to look outside to catch glimpse of the shower. You can also check out the links below. Turns out the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama is doing a live broadcast program over the shower. It’ll be like a front row seat! Show starts at 10 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 12 to 2 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13. The program will also air on NASA TV and NASA’s UStream channel.

NASA’s websites say that anyone can join in the conversation by tweeting questions to @NASA_Marshall with the hashtag #askNASA. Social media users may also post questions to Marshall’s Facebook page by replying to the Aug. 12 Perseid Q/A post.

  • The NASA ScienceCast video on the 2015 Perseid meteor shower can be found here.
  • Information on NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office can be found here.
  • Latest in “Watch the Sky” news, is here:

An interesting factoid, the ISS was supposed to capture some high resolution media of the Perseid shower using a camera NASA had built just for the occasion, however, it and its back-up perished in the Antares and SpaceX rocket explosions. Talk about bad luck.

The Perseids meteor shower happens when the Earth passes through the dust and gravel left by the Swift–Tuttle comet which travels through the inner solar system every 133-134 years. The shower occurs as Earth passes through this field of left over debris. Look for it every August.