You might think simulating the entire Universe is difficult, and it is, but not for the reasons you would think. The Physics is actually somewhat straightforward. We know the math behind star formation, Gravity, and fluid dynamics, and throwing in a few other effects is not too bad. The hard part is finding a computer powerful enough to do the calculations in a reasonable amount of time. Think about it. Imagine having a universe of 100 Billion ‘particles’ used for a simulation. Each particle has a starting point, and that it pretty easy to do. But then for every...
You may know that the Universe is much more complex than we know. If you look at nearly anything in a different wavelength of light, new details can pop up that you’d never expect. Astronomers today use all the wavelengths of light to study the Universe. Even the most seemingly boring objects can come to life in different wavelengths. As a prime example, take the Moon. Now I don’t find the Moon boring at all, in fact it’s quite interesting and has a lot of influence on the Earth, so its fun to talk about. But when we look at...
Hey, it matters to us humans! A new year, a new start, new goals, dreams, desires, and most of all, hope. Hope that the year ahead will be as good as or better than the one before. The new year is pretty astronomically insignificant though. The Sun orbits the Earth in 365.25 days. We’re just in a different place in space!
I really need to start doing this some day. As you watch the night time movements, remember that the stars are not moving, but the Earth is in fact turning with the camera (and all of us) on it. Feel the motion of the Earth. Also there’s a mind-shredding guitar solo near the end. And have a safe and Happy New Year’s Eve!
Pictures can say a thousand words, and the Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA usually does. Today’s photo shows massive perspective, from the ground a pretty large observatory is visible, yet it pales in comparison to the vast mountain range in the background. Further still is the structure that makes all human experience seem minuscule: The Milky Way Galaxy.
Fitting it should fall on a Monday – so we should call this a motivation Monday post. This won’t be about me per se. I’m not going to spend two hours writing about my life, expecting you to read every minute detail and be captivated. The truth is, even though its been interesting and even hilarious at times, I haven’t really lived a life that’s any more captivating than anyone else’s. I’ve had fun, and I’ve taken risks, and I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve loved and lost time and time again. Even though every single person can say the same,...
The Astronaut recently came back down to Earth after a standard 6 month stay on the International Space Station. This incredible footage of Earth really puts things into perspective.
From our Sun to Planets to Galaxies and the deep Universe, the top space photos of the year are truly jaw-dropping. Check it out here! Pretty busy this holiday season – will be back to full length posts soon!
I think he’s had to upgrade his sleigh for space operations in order to reach the three space station astronauts living 400 Km above the surface of the Earth. Realistically, at 7 Km/s, it may be the fastest anyone has ever moved to celebrate Christmas.
This is one of the best Space photos ever, the Earth as viewed from the Apollo 8 craft, snapped by the Astronauts as they orbited the Moon. You’re looking at the location of every thing that has ever happened in human history. Happy Holidays! See you on December 26th!
