Shortstack's Scribblings

ikenbot: How Mars and Jupiter Formed from Space Rock Crashes The violent space rock collisions that gave birth to Mars appear to be surprisingly different from those thought to form the rocky core of Jupiter, scientists say. Image: An artist rendition of the interior of Mars. A new study suggests Mars formed from the collision of smaller space rocks than those that created the rocky core of Jupiter. Image added April 30, 2013. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The difference comes from variations in the disc of dust, ice and other particles that swirled around the sun in the early years of the solar system. Researchers said there was a “gradient” in the size of planetesimals — an early stage of planet formation — that orbited the young sun. Planets that were further away from the sun were more likely to grow larger than worlds closer in, they added. “This difference can be explained by the snow line,” said Hiroshi Kobayashi, a researcher at Nagoya University in Japan, referring to the zone in the solar system where it was cold enough for icy compounds to condense 4.5 billion years ago. “If we consider terrestrial planets, this is close to the sun, this means the temperature was very high, and the main component of the solid was rock, or something like that,” Kobayashi added. “But if we consider the outer disc — in this case, the main component is ice — it probably was ice planetesimals [that formed Jupiter].” View Larger

ikenbot:

How Mars and Jupiter Formed from Space Rock Crashes

The violent space rock collisions that gave birth to Mars appear to be surprisingly different from those thought to form the rocky core of Jupiter, scientists say.

Image: An artist rendition of the interior of Mars. A new study suggests Mars formed from the collision of smaller space rocks than those that created the rocky core of Jupiter. Image added April 30, 2013. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The difference comes from variations in the disc of dust, ice and other particles that swirled around the sun in the early years of the solar system.

Researchers said there was a “gradient” in the size of planetesimals — an early stage of planet formation — that orbited the young sun. Planets that were further away from the sun were more likely to grow larger than worlds closer in, they added.

“This difference can be explained by the snow line,” said Hiroshi Kobayashi, a researcher at Nagoya University in Japan, referring to the zone in the solar system where it was cold enough for icy compounds to condense 4.5 billion years ago.

“If we consider terrestrial planets, this is close to the sun, this means the temperature was very high, and the main component of the solid was rock, or something like that,” Kobayashi added. “But if we consider the outer disc — in this case, the main component is ice — it probably was ice planetesimals [that formed Jupiter].”

Reblogged 2 weeks ago from scinerds (Originally from ikenbot) 246 notes

'Groundwater Inundation' Doubles Previous Predictions of Flooding With Future Sea Level Rise →

climateadaptation:

Salt water will mix and spoil freshwater supplies as sea-levels rise. This is called “groundwater inundation.” Recent study shows that rates of inundation are much higher than previously projected. This will become very problematic for cities, ecosystems, and forests near coastlines that depend on freshwater from the ground.

“With groundwater tables near the ground surface, excluding groundwater inundation may underestimate the true threat to coastal communities,” said Rotzoll, lead author of the study.

“This research has implications for communities that are assessing options for adapting to SLR. Adapting to marine inundation may require a very different set of options and alternatives than adapting to groundwater inundation,” states Fletcher, Principle Investigator on the grant that funded the research.

Groundwater inundation is localized coastal-plain flooding due to a simultaneous rise of the groundwater table with sea level. Groundwater inundation is an additional risk faced by coastal communities and environments before marine flooding occurs because the groundwater table in unconfined aquifers typically moves with the ocean surface and lies above mean sea level at some distance from the shoreline.

Rotzoll and Fletcher combined measurements of the coastal groundwater elevation and tidal influence in urban Honolulu with a high-resolution digital elevation model. With this, they were able to assess vulnerability to groundwater inundation from SLR.

Via ScienceDaily

Reblogged 1 month ago from climateadaptation 48 notes
runjimmyrun: I’m amazed at the lengths of research National Geographic senior graphics editor, Fernando Baptista, goes through to depict his illustrations.  Every minutiae is taken into consideration, from clothing to vegetation to seasonal conditions.  But at the end, his painstaking research pays off as beautiful and accurate depictions, worthy of study many years from now. runjimmyrun: I’m amazed at the lengths of research National Geographic senior graphics editor, Fernando Baptista, goes through to depict his illustrations.  Every minutiae is taken into consideration, from clothing to vegetation to seasonal conditions.  But at the end, his painstaking research pays off as beautiful and accurate depictions, worthy of study many years from now. runjimmyrun: I’m amazed at the lengths of research National Geographic senior graphics editor, Fernando Baptista, goes through to depict his illustrations.  Every minutiae is taken into consideration, from clothing to vegetation to seasonal conditions.  But at the end, his painstaking research pays off as beautiful and accurate depictions, worthy of study many years from now. runjimmyrun: I’m amazed at the lengths of research National Geographic senior graphics editor, Fernando Baptista, goes through to depict his illustrations.  Every minutiae is taken into consideration, from clothing to vegetation to seasonal conditions.  But at the end, his painstaking research pays off as beautiful and accurate depictions, worthy of study many years from now.

runjimmyrun:

I’m amazed at the lengths of research National Geographic senior graphics editor, Fernando Baptista, goes through to depict his illustrations.  Every minutiae is taken into consideration, from clothing to vegetation to seasonal conditions.  But at the end, his painstaking research pays off as beautiful and accurate depictions, worthy of study many years from now.

Reblogged 1 month ago from scientificillustration (Originally from runjimmyrun) 492 notes
scinerds: A road map: High efficiency bulk-micromegas based neutron imaging detector To increase the neutron detection efficiency of Bulk-Micromegas (MICRO-MEsh GAseous Structure) neutron detectors, researchers from Lanzhou University (China), IRFU-CEA (France), and the University of Tennesse-Knoxville (USA) have proposed three novel converters (Fig. 1). When validated using Monte Carlo simulations, the design shown in Fig.1 C results in a threefold increase in neutron detection efficiencies. This work is described in detail in SCI CHINA: Tech. Sci. 2013, 43（3）. The team have now made a Bulk-Micromegas based neutron imaging detector with a traditional thin-film neutron convertor. The dimensions of the detector’s sensitive area is 57.4 mm × 88.6 mm, which is composed of 1,728 rectangular pads (36 pads in the X direction and 48 pads in the Y direction). Each pad has an area of 1.50 mm × 1.75 mm (http://mpgd.lzu.edu.cn/research.html). Although the detector has a relatively low neutron detection efficiency, very good mask images are obtained (Fig. 2). Without any modification, the detector can be used as a 2D neutron beam monitor for projects that require low detection efficiency (detectors with high detection efficiency cannot operate with high intensity neutron beams). At the IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, CA, USA (2012), Dr. Xiaodong Zhang presented this work on behalf of the FNI collaboration. The team is currently collaborating with companies to make detectors using micro-machining and new printed circuit board techniques. Additionally, the novel detectors can be used to improve thermal neutron, cold neutron and ultra-cold neutron efficiencies, through simply changing the detection conversion material from polyethylene to boron-10, or lithium-7. Dr. Zhang is optimistic about the impact of these detectors in different research fields: “By choosing different conversion materials I envisage that at least a 10% detection efficiency can be achieved for thermal neutron detection. Our detectors can be used to replace the current neutron detectors which use helium-3, and hence reduce the demand for helium-3.” Currently, his team is developing this technique at Spalation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Image: This shows; A) Micro-channel plate B) Parallel micro-pillar 2D array C) Oblique micro-pillar 2D array.

scinerds:

A road map: High efficiency bulk-micromegas based neutron imaging detector

To increase the neutron detection efficiency of Bulk-Micromegas (MICRO-MEsh GAseous Structure) neutron detectors, researchers from Lanzhou University (China), IRFU-CEA (France), and the University of Tennesse-Knoxville (USA) have proposed three novel converters (Fig. 1). When validated using Monte Carlo simulations, the design shown in Fig.1 C results in a threefold increase in neutron detection efficiencies. This work is described in detail in SCI CHINA: Tech. Sci. 2013, 43（3）.

The team have now made a Bulk-Micromegas based neutron imaging detector with a traditional thin-film neutron convertor. The dimensions of the detector’s sensitive area is 57.4 mm × 88.6 mm, which is composed of 1,728 rectangular pads (36 pads in the X direction and 48 pads in the Y direction). Each pad has an area of 1.50 mm × 1.75 mm (http://mpgd.lzu.edu.cn/research.html). Although the detector has a relatively low neutron detection efficiency, very good mask images are obtained (Fig. 2). Without any modification, the detector can be used as a 2D neutron beam monitor for projects that require low detection efficiency (detectors with high detection efficiency cannot operate with high intensity neutron beams). At the IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, CA, USA (2012), Dr. Xiaodong Zhang presented this work on behalf of the FNI collaboration.

The team is currently collaborating with companies to make detectors using micro-machining and new printed circuit board techniques.

Additionally, the novel detectors can be used to improve thermal neutron, cold neutron and ultra-cold neutron efficiencies, through simply changing the detection conversion material from polyethylene to boron-10, or lithium-7. Dr. Zhang is optimistic about the impact of these detectors in different research fields: “By choosing different conversion materials I envisage that at least a 10% detection efficiency can be achieved for thermal neutron detection. Our detectors can be used to replace the current neutron detectors which use helium-3, and hence reduce the demand for helium-3.” Currently, his team is developing this technique at Spalation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA.

Image: This shows; A) Micro-channel plate B) Parallel micro-pillar 2D array C) Oblique micro-pillar 2D array.

Reblogged 1 month ago from scinerds 39 notes
scinerds: Men and women get sick in different ways Recent research in laboratory medicine has revealed crucial differences between men and women with regard to cardiovascular illness, cancer, liver disease, osteoporosis, and in the area of pharmacology At the dawn of third millennium medical researchers still know very little about gender-specific differences in illness, particularly when it comes to disease symptoms, influencing social and psychological factors, and the ramifications of these differences for treatment and prevention. Medical research conducted over the past 40 years has focused almost exclusively on male patients. A new article titled “Gender medicine: a task for the third millennium” presents research on gender-related differences conducted by Giovannella Baggio of Padua University Hospital and her team. The article, which appears in the Journal “Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine” (CCLM), highlights evidence for considerable differences between the sexes in five domains – cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver diseases, osteoporosis, and pharmacology. Typically perceived as a male illness, cardiovascular disease often displays markedly different symptoms among women. While a constricted chest and pain that radiates through the left arm are standard signs of heart attack in men, in women the usual symptoms are nausea and lower abdominal pain. Although heart attacks in women are more severe and complicated, when complaining of these non-specific symptoms women often do not receive the necessary examination procedures, such as an ECG , enzyme diagnostic tests or coronary angiography. Colon cancer is the second most common form of cancer among men and women. However, women suffer this illness at a later stage in life. Furthermore, colon tumors typically have a different location in women, and they respond better to specific chemical treatments. Gender also has an impact on the patient’s responsiveness to chemotherapy administered to treat cancer, such as colon, lung, or skin cancer. In this way, gender impacts the course of the disease and the patient’s chances for survival. Primary biliary cirrhosis is a liver disease that primarily affects women. The authors of the study provide clear evidence that for this disease and chronic hepatitis C, the genetic makeup and differing hormone levels of females are a primary risk factor. This finding also applies to osteoporosis. While typically viewed as a female disease because of the much higher rate of female patients, osteoporosis also strikes men. The study contends that osteoporosis is too often overlooked in male patients, and it documents a higher mortality rate among men suffering bone fractures. Baggio and her team also show variation between men and women in the pharmacology of aspirin and other substances. Differences in action and side effects are attributable to different body types, varying reaction times in the absorption and elimination of substances, and a fundamentally different hormonal status. Thus, to administer medication safely and effectively, the dosage and duration of treatment must take the patient’s gender into account. The study concludes that additional and more far-reaching clinical investigations of gender differences are needed in order to eliminate fundamental inequalities between men and women in the treatment of disease. View Larger

scinerds:

Men and women get sick in different ways

Recent research in laboratory medicine has revealed crucial differences between men and women with regard to cardiovascular illness, cancer, liver disease, osteoporosis, and in the area of pharmacology

At the dawn of third millennium medical researchers still know very little about gender-specific differences in illness, particularly when it comes to disease symptoms, influencing social and psychological factors, and the ramifications of these differences for treatment and prevention. Medical research conducted over the past 40 years has focused almost exclusively on male patients.

A new article titled “Gender medicine: a task for the third millennium” presents research on gender-related differences conducted by Giovannella Baggio of Padua University Hospital and her team.

The article, which appears in the Journal “Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine” (CCLM), highlights evidence for considerable differences between the sexes in five domains – cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver diseases, osteoporosis, and pharmacology.

Typically perceived as a male illness, cardiovascular disease often displays markedly different symptoms among women. While a constricted chest and pain that radiates through the left arm are standard signs of heart attack in men, in women the usual symptoms are nausea and lower abdominal pain. Although heart attacks in women are more severe and complicated, when complaining of these non-specific symptoms women often do not receive the necessary examination procedures, such as an ECG , enzyme diagnostic tests or coronary angiography.

Colon cancer is the second most common form of cancer among men and women. However, women suffer this illness at a later stage in life. Furthermore, colon tumors typically have a different location in women, and they respond better to specific chemical treatments. Gender also has an impact on the patient’s responsiveness to chemotherapy administered to treat cancer, such as colon, lung, or skin cancer. In this way, gender impacts the course of the disease and the patient’s chances for survival.

Primary biliary cirrhosis is a liver disease that primarily affects women. The authors of the study provide clear evidence that for this disease and chronic hepatitis C, the genetic makeup and differing hormone levels of females are a primary risk factor. This finding also applies to osteoporosis. While typically viewed as a female disease because of the much higher rate of female patients, osteoporosis also strikes men. The study contends that osteoporosis is too often overlooked in male patients, and it documents a higher mortality rate among men suffering bone fractures.

Baggio and her team also show variation between men and women in the pharmacology of aspirin and other substances. Differences in action and side effects are attributable to different body types, varying reaction times in the absorption and elimination of substances, and a fundamentally different hormonal status. Thus, to administer medication safely and effectively, the dosage and duration of treatment must take the patient’s gender into account.

The study concludes that additional and more far-reaching clinical investigations of gender differences are needed in order to eliminate fundamental inequalities between men and women in the treatment of disease.

Reblogged 1 month ago from scinerds 440 notes
atomstargazer: What Glows Green In Space? Image 1 | The Wreath Nebula (Barnard 3) glows green in space in this Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLAWhile a quest for green beer in space would be difficult, we’re happy to report there are other ways you can celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day while looking at the night sky. Just check out the nebulae and aurorae in these pictures!A word of caution, these pictures are taken by cameras that expose light for a very long time, sometimes using different filters, to bring out the colors. A nebula, for example, seen with our own eyes does not look quite as stunning.The picture above shows the Wreath Nebula, which apparently is filled with warm dust bitsthat are about the same composition as smog. Image 2 | RCW 120. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechHere’s a picture of a “Green Ring” Nebula; the NASA press release is worth a read for the hilarious Green Lantern references. But besides the science fiction, there is some neat science in action here: “The green color represents infrared light coming from tiny dust grains called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,” NASA writes. “These small grains have been destroyed inside the bubble. The red color inside the ring shows slightly larger, hotter dust grains, heated by the massive stars.” Image 3 | A portion of the Lagoon nebula imaged by the Gemini South telescope with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph. Credit: Julia I. Arias and Rodolfo H. Barbá Departamento de Física, Universidad de La Serena (Chile), and ICATE-CONICET (Argentina).You can even see hints of green in the Lagoon Nebula picture above. Using a filter that picks up green (sulfur) emission, the astronomers ferreted out a bit of emerald. Image 4 | An October 2012 picture from Jason Arhns in Alaska, which he calls a “ghost flame.” Credit: Jason ArhnsIf you live far enough north or south, you occasionally get to see aurorae dancing across the sky. These events, sometimes known as the Northern Lights or Southern Lights, occur due to interactions between the sun’s particles and the Earth’s upper atmosphere. We had some green stunners in October 2012 after a solar flare pushed a bunch of these particles in Earth’s direction. Most of the light you see in auroras comes from oxygen atoms being “excited” from the interaction with the sun’s particles; green occurs at higher altitudes, and red at lower ones. Image 5 | Light curve of different stars.One object that can’t glow green in space, however, is a star. Stellar colors depend on the surface of the star. Blue stars, the hottest ones, are at about 12,000 Kelvin and red stars, the coolest ones, are less than 3,500 Kelvin. (The sun is about in the middle, at 6,800 Kelvin, as it emits white light.)As Universe Today publisher Fraser Cain pointed out in a past post, the only way a green star could be possible is if the light curve peaks at green. That doesn’t work, however: “If you make the star hotter, it just gets bluer,” he wrote. “And if you make a star cooler, it just becomes orange and then redder. There’s no way to have a light curve that makes a star look green.” Check out more details here. atomstargazer: What Glows Green In Space? Image 1 | The Wreath Nebula (Barnard 3) glows green in space in this Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLAWhile a quest for green beer in space would be difficult, we’re happy to report there are other ways you can celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day while looking at the night sky. Just check out the nebulae and aurorae in these pictures!A word of caution, these pictures are taken by cameras that expose light for a very long time, sometimes using different filters, to bring out the colors. A nebula, for example, seen with our own eyes does not look quite as stunning.The picture above shows the Wreath Nebula, which apparently is filled with warm dust bitsthat are about the same composition as smog. Image 2 | RCW 120. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechHere’s a picture of a “Green Ring” Nebula; the NASA press release is worth a read for the hilarious Green Lantern references. But besides the science fiction, there is some neat science in action here: “The green color represents infrared light coming from tiny dust grains called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,” NASA writes. “These small grains have been destroyed inside the bubble. The red color inside the ring shows slightly larger, hotter dust grains, heated by the massive stars.” Image 3 | A portion of the Lagoon nebula imaged by the Gemini South telescope with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph. Credit: Julia I. Arias and Rodolfo H. Barbá Departamento de Física, Universidad de La Serena (Chile), and ICATE-CONICET (Argentina).You can even see hints of green in the Lagoon Nebula picture above. Using a filter that picks up green (sulfur) emission, the astronomers ferreted out a bit of emerald. Image 4 | An October 2012 picture from Jason Arhns in Alaska, which he calls a “ghost flame.” Credit: Jason ArhnsIf you live far enough north or south, you occasionally get to see aurorae dancing across the sky. These events, sometimes known as the Northern Lights or Southern Lights, occur due to interactions between the sun’s particles and the Earth’s upper atmosphere. We had some green stunners in October 2012 after a solar flare pushed a bunch of these particles in Earth’s direction. Most of the light you see in auroras comes from oxygen atoms being “excited” from the interaction with the sun’s particles; green occurs at higher altitudes, and red at lower ones. Image 5 | Light curve of different stars.One object that can’t glow green in space, however, is a star. Stellar colors depend on the surface of the star. Blue stars, the hottest ones, are at about 12,000 Kelvin and red stars, the coolest ones, are less than 3,500 Kelvin. (The sun is about in the middle, at 6,800 Kelvin, as it emits white light.)As Universe Today publisher Fraser Cain pointed out in a past post, the only way a green star could be possible is if the light curve peaks at green. That doesn’t work, however: “If you make the star hotter, it just gets bluer,” he wrote. “And if you make a star cooler, it just becomes orange and then redder. There’s no way to have a light curve that makes a star look green.” Check out more details here. atomstargazer: What Glows Green In Space? Image 1 | The Wreath Nebula (Barnard 3) glows green in space in this Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLAWhile a quest for green beer in space would be difficult, we’re happy to report there are other ways you can celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day while looking at the night sky. Just check out the nebulae and aurorae in these pictures!A word of caution, these pictures are taken by cameras that expose light for a very long time, sometimes using different filters, to bring out the colors. A nebula, for example, seen with our own eyes does not look quite as stunning.The picture above shows the Wreath Nebula, which apparently is filled with warm dust bitsthat are about the same composition as smog. Image 2 | RCW 120. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechHere’s a picture of a “Green Ring” Nebula; the NASA press release is worth a read for the hilarious Green Lantern references. But besides the science fiction, there is some neat science in action here: “The green color represents infrared light coming from tiny dust grains called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,” NASA writes. “These small grains have been destroyed inside the bubble. The red color inside the ring shows slightly larger, hotter dust grains, heated by the massive stars.” Image 3 | A portion of the Lagoon nebula imaged by the Gemini South telescope with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph. Credit: Julia I. Arias and Rodolfo H. Barbá Departamento de Física, Universidad de La Serena (Chile), and ICATE-CONICET (Argentina).You can even see hints of green in the Lagoon Nebula picture above. Using a filter that picks up green (sulfur) emission, the astronomers ferreted out a bit of emerald. Image 4 | An October 2012 picture from Jason Arhns in Alaska, which he calls a “ghost flame.” Credit: Jason ArhnsIf you live far enough north or south, you occasionally get to see aurorae dancing across the sky. These events, sometimes known as the Northern Lights or Southern Lights, occur due to interactions between the sun’s particles and the Earth’s upper atmosphere. We had some green stunners in October 2012 after a solar flare pushed a bunch of these particles in Earth’s direction. Most of the light you see in auroras comes from oxygen atoms being “excited” from the interaction with the sun’s particles; green occurs at higher altitudes, and red at lower ones. Image 5 | Light curve of different stars.One object that can’t glow green in space, however, is a star. Stellar colors depend on the surface of the star. Blue stars, the hottest ones, are at about 12,000 Kelvin and red stars, the coolest ones, are less than 3,500 Kelvin. (The sun is about in the middle, at 6,800 Kelvin, as it emits white light.)As Universe Today publisher Fraser Cain pointed out in a past post, the only way a green star could be possible is if the light curve peaks at green. That doesn’t work, however: “If you make the star hotter, it just gets bluer,” he wrote. “And if you make a star cooler, it just becomes orange and then redder. There’s no way to have a light curve that makes a star look green.” Check out more details here. atomstargazer: What Glows Green In Space? Image 1 | The Wreath Nebula (Barnard 3) glows green in space in this Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLAWhile a quest for green beer in space would be difficult, we’re happy to report there are other ways you can celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day while looking at the night sky. Just check out the nebulae and aurorae in these pictures!A word of caution, these pictures are taken by cameras that expose light for a very long time, sometimes using different filters, to bring out the colors. A nebula, for example, seen with our own eyes does not look quite as stunning.The picture above shows the Wreath Nebula, which apparently is filled with warm dust bitsthat are about the same composition as smog. Image 2 | RCW 120. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechHere’s a picture of a “Green Ring” Nebula; the NASA press release is worth a read for the hilarious Green Lantern references. But besides the science fiction, there is some neat science in action here: “The green color represents infrared light coming from tiny dust grains called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,” NASA writes. “These small grains have been destroyed inside the bubble. The red color inside the ring shows slightly larger, hotter dust grains, heated by the massive stars.” Image 3 | A portion of the Lagoon nebula imaged by the Gemini South telescope with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph. Credit: Julia I. Arias and Rodolfo H. Barbá Departamento de Física, Universidad de La Serena (Chile), and ICATE-CONICET (Argentina).You can even see hints of green in the Lagoon Nebula picture above. Using a filter that picks up green (sulfur) emission, the astronomers ferreted out a bit of emerald. Image 4 | An October 2012 picture from Jason Arhns in Alaska, which he calls a “ghost flame.” Credit: Jason ArhnsIf you live far enough north or south, you occasionally get to see aurorae dancing across the sky. These events, sometimes known as the Northern Lights or Southern Lights, occur due to interactions between the sun’s particles and the Earth’s upper atmosphere. We had some green stunners in October 2012 after a solar flare pushed a bunch of these particles in Earth’s direction. Most of the light you see in auroras comes from oxygen atoms being “excited” from the interaction with the sun’s particles; green occurs at higher altitudes, and red at lower ones. Image 5 | Light curve of different stars.One object that can’t glow green in space, however, is a star. Stellar colors depend on the surface of the star. Blue stars, the hottest ones, are at about 12,000 Kelvin and red stars, the coolest ones, are less than 3,500 Kelvin. (The sun is about in the middle, at 6,800 Kelvin, as it emits white light.)As Universe Today publisher Fraser Cain pointed out in a past post, the only way a green star could be possible is if the light curve peaks at green. That doesn’t work, however: “If you make the star hotter, it just gets bluer,” he wrote. “And if you make a star cooler, it just becomes orange and then redder. There’s no way to have a light curve that makes a star look green.” Check out more details here. atomstargazer: What Glows Green In Space? Image 1 | The Wreath Nebula (Barnard 3) glows green in space in this Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLAWhile a quest for green beer in space would be difficult, we’re happy to report there are other ways you can celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day while looking at the night sky. Just check out the nebulae and aurorae in these pictures!A word of caution, these pictures are taken by cameras that expose light for a very long time, sometimes using different filters, to bring out the colors. A nebula, for example, seen with our own eyes does not look quite as stunning.The picture above shows the Wreath Nebula, which apparently is filled with warm dust bitsthat are about the same composition as smog. Image 2 | RCW 120. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechHere’s a picture of a “Green Ring” Nebula; the NASA press release is worth a read for the hilarious Green Lantern references. But besides the science fiction, there is some neat science in action here: “The green color represents infrared light coming from tiny dust grains called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,” NASA writes. “These small grains have been destroyed inside the bubble. The red color inside the ring shows slightly larger, hotter dust grains, heated by the massive stars.” Image 3 | A portion of the Lagoon nebula imaged by the Gemini South telescope with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph. Credit: Julia I. Arias and Rodolfo H. Barbá Departamento de Física, Universidad de La Serena (Chile), and ICATE-CONICET (Argentina).You can even see hints of green in the Lagoon Nebula picture above. Using a filter that picks up green (sulfur) emission, the astronomers ferreted out a bit of emerald. Image 4 | An October 2012 picture from Jason Arhns in Alaska, which he calls a “ghost flame.” Credit: Jason ArhnsIf you live far enough north or south, you occasionally get to see aurorae dancing across the sky. These events, sometimes known as the Northern Lights or Southern Lights, occur due to interactions between the sun’s particles and the Earth’s upper atmosphere. We had some green stunners in October 2012 after a solar flare pushed a bunch of these particles in Earth’s direction. Most of the light you see in auroras comes from oxygen atoms being “excited” from the interaction with the sun’s particles; green occurs at higher altitudes, and red at lower ones. Image 5 | Light curve of different stars.One object that can’t glow green in space, however, is a star. Stellar colors depend on the surface of the star. Blue stars, the hottest ones, are at about 12,000 Kelvin and red stars, the coolest ones, are less than 3,500 Kelvin. (The sun is about in the middle, at 6,800 Kelvin, as it emits white light.)As Universe Today publisher Fraser Cain pointed out in a past post, the only way a green star could be possible is if the light curve peaks at green. That doesn’t work, however: “If you make the star hotter, it just gets bluer,” he wrote. “And if you make a star cooler, it just becomes orange and then redder. There’s no way to have a light curve that makes a star look green.” Check out more details here.

atomstargazer:

What Glows Green In Space?

Image 1 | The Wreath Nebula (Barnard 3) glows green in space in this Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
While a quest for green beer in space would be difficult, we’re happy to report there are other ways you can celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day while looking at the night sky. Just check out the nebulae and aurorae in these pictures!
A word of caution, these pictures are taken by cameras that expose light for a very long time, sometimes using different filters, to bring out the colors. A nebula, for example, seen with our own eyes does not look quite as stunning.
The picture above shows the Wreath Nebula, which apparently is filled with warm dust bitsthat are about the same composition as smog.

Image 2 | RCW 120. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Here’s a picture of a “Green Ring” Nebula; the NASA press release is worth a read for the hilarious Green Lantern references. But besides the science fiction, there is some neat science in action here: “The green color represents infrared light coming from tiny dust grains called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,” NASA writes. “These small grains have been destroyed inside the bubble. The red color inside the ring shows slightly larger, hotter dust grains, heated by the massive stars.”

Image 3 | A portion of the Lagoon nebula imaged by the Gemini South telescope with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph. Credit: Julia I. Arias and Rodolfo H. Barbá Departamento de Física, Universidad de La Serena (Chile), and ICATE-CONICET (Argentina).
You can even see hints of green in the Lagoon Nebula picture above. Using a filter that picks up green (sulfur) emission, the astronomers ferreted out a bit of emerald.

Image 4 | An October 2012 picture from Jason Arhns in Alaska, which he calls a “ghost flame.” Credit: Jason Arhns
If you live far enough north or south, you occasionally get to see aurorae dancing across the sky. These events, sometimes known as the Northern Lights or Southern Lights, occur due to interactions between the sun’s particles and the Earth’s upper atmosphere. We had some green stunners in October 2012 after a solar flare pushed a bunch of these particles in Earth’s direction. Most of the light you see in auroras comes from oxygen atoms being “excited” from the interaction with the sun’s particles; green occurs at higher altitudes, and red at lower ones.

Image 5 | Light curve of different stars.
One object that can’t glow green in space, however, is a star. Stellar colors depend on the surface of the star. Blue stars, the hottest ones, are at about 12,000 Kelvin and red stars, the coolest ones, are less than 3,500 Kelvin. (The sun is about in the middle, at 6,800 Kelvin, as it emits white light.)
As Universe Today publisher Fraser Cain pointed out in a past post, the only way a green star could be possible is if the light curve peaks at green. That doesn’t work, however: “If you make the star hotter, it just gets bluer,” he wrote. “And if you make a star cooler, it just becomes orange and then redder. There’s no way to have a light curve that makes a star look green.” Check out more details here.

Reblogged 1 month ago from atomstargazer 614 notes