blog post 03

Posted on March 22, 2022 by graceward02
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Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion reactions power stars. In nuclear fusion, 2 atoms’ nuclei merge and form a heavier single nucleus. The leftover mass becomes energy. In stars like the Sun, this is generally the transformation of Hydrogen to Helium (proton-proton chain). Other, more massive stars, use the CNO cycle (uses more elements) to accomplish energy transformation. The conversion of mass to energy abides by E = mc^2.

Many wonder why nuclear fusion isn’t commonly used for power and electricity on Earth. Because nuclear fusion occurs at such high temperatures (100 million degrees Celsius). The amount of energy that would need to be used to replicate this high of a temperature on Earth would be more than the energy that would be produced from the fusion reaction, making it an unfeasible option for energy production.

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Kepler Supernova

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Kaitlyn Lane
Supernova

The image above is of Kepler’s Supernova, which Johannes Kepler is credited with discovering with his description of the stellar object in his De Stella Nova. As stars progress through their main sequence lifetime and beyond and use up more of their hydrogen in nuclear fusion, they can fuse heavier and heavier elements. More massive main sequence stars can explode as supernovae when they “die” and undergo supernova nucleosynthesis. Sir Fred Hoyle, an English mathematician and physicist, is credited with developing the theory of supernova nucleosynthesis in the 1950’s. Supernovae explosions can produce high enough energy to fuse nuclei into elements heavier than iron, something not possible in main sequence stars.

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Legacy Survey of Space and Time: The future of astronomical observation is here…. almost!

Posted on March 22, 2022 by alexlitt

Just two years from now, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will commence operations, beginning its mission to image nearly 40 billion celestial objects over 10 years! These observations will be made with the world’s largest digital camera and an enormous 8.4 meter (in diameter) telescope, ensuring that its images will be of the highest quality. This 10-year mission of the Rubin Observatory, called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), will make repeated observations of celestial objects over its duration and the resulting data will comprise an immense dataset hitherto unheard of in the astronomy. This project is the result of decades of innovative scientific thinking that strives to replace the existing model of astronomical observation that emphasized singularly focused observatories that gathered data in hopes of testing existing hypothesis. This new style of thinking, of which LSST is one of the first manifestations, prioritizes grand scope and quantity of observations, and seeks to provide as many scientists with as much data as possible. Once the LSST dataset is up and running, any scientist in the world will be able to access tens of billions of astronomical data-points that can be used to better understand the universe and our place in it. This dataset will allow researches to test (and potentially modify) existing theories, as well as generate (and test) new hypothesis that have never been considered. Are you interested in uncovering the truth of dark matter and dark energy? Curious about why our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate? Interested in better understanding the contents of our own solar system and galaxy? The Vera Rubin Observatory and LSST is our best bet at uncovering those answers. In the meantime, if you desire to be the one that discovers dark matter or finds a new element, go work on your coding (specifically large data analysis) skills… 2024 is just a few years away!

Vera C. Rubin Observatory
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Origins of the Solar System

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Sheila Chau
Photo explaining the Nebular Theory

It’s interesting to think about the formation of the solar system and how the gasses that originally created it are still a part of our solar system. The origins of the solar system can be explained by the nebular theory. The nebular theory suggests that our solar system was formed from the gravitational collapse of an interstellar cloud of gas. This cloud formed the Sun and the planets that then formed around the Sun. 

Going back further, the gas from the solar nebula was the product of galactic recycling. The Big bang produced hydrogen and helium, and then, some heavier elements were produced. These heavier elements were either made by nuclear fusion or nuclear reactions. 

This shows how much of our solar system’s formation was based upon galactic recycling and how old the elements that created us are. 

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The Martian: Scientifically Accurate?

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Brian
The storm scene in The Martian is one of the movie’s few inaccuracies

The Martian is one of my favorite books, and the movie adaptation was fantastic as well (mild spoilers ahead). As someone who enjoys science and science fiction, I loved the realism and accurate technical problems that Mark Watney faces. The fundamentals of life on Mars—the time needed to travel there, delays and difficulties communicating with Earth, the length of martian days, and the weaker gravity—are all portrayed accurately in the novel and the movie. The design of the HAB is accurate as well, and Mark Watney’s idea to grow potatoes on martian soil with human waste as fertilizer is indeed possible. The biggest (and only glaring) inaccuracy in The Martian is one that everyone in this class should know: Mars has a very thin atmosphere, and violent wind storms like the one that blows over the astronauts’ spacecraft at the beginning of the story are not possible. This is what kicks the story off, as the storm forces Mark’s crew mates to leave the surface of Mars without him (believing Mark to be dead). While this inaccuracy is regrettable, the rest of the movie certainly makes up for it.

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Nuclear Fusion

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Kaitlyn Lane
Proton-Proton Chain

Nuclear fusion is a reaction between molecules where nuclei are combined to form different atomic nuclei and particles, releasing energy. This process powers main sequence stars through stellar nucleosynthesis. Stellar nucleosynthesis can only occur at extremely high temperatures in the cores of stars. Depending on the mass of the stars, i.e. the pressure and temperature in the cores, either the proton-proton chain or the CNO cycle (or both) will take place. In the proton-proton chain, hydrogen is combined to produce energy and helium. The CNO cycle essentially does the same thing with the help of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Lower mass stars, including the Sun, primarily do fusion with the proton-proton chain, while more massive stars use the CNO cycle.

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Time Dilation

Posted on March 22, 2022 by jadonroy
Lumen Learning – Time Dilation

As with most impressionable children growing up, the fascination of space and the many wonders it holds stems from watching certain movies or television shows that help portray these wonders. I was no exception to this as I was completely awestruck when I watched Christopher Nolan’s brilliant film, Interstellar. Despite containing a masterfully crafted story and amazing acting performances, this space adventure depicted these wonders with high levels of scientific accuracy. While I could drone on for hours regarding the films plot and emotional scenes, I will instead focus on one particular part of the movie that got me interested in the cosmos.

IMDB – Interstellar

This particular phenomenon that intrigued me is time dilation. The film shows a scene involving time dilation and how only an hour spent on a planet that revolved around a black hole, equated to over 20 years back on the space craft’s orbit and on Earth. As a 13-year-old boy watching this scene, I do not think any movie scene has ever peaked my curiosity more. Time dilation as shown in Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity, is the “slowing down” of time on a clock by an observer who is in motion relative to the clock. In the movie, since the planet the astronauts landed on was orbiting a black hole, its gravity warped time to such an extent that almost every second equated to a day on Earth. This is interesting in that it can almost be seen as a form of time travel. When the main character reunited with those living on Earth, he was even younger than his daughter due to time dilation. This idea of time dilation and watching it unfold on a screen is what caused my own interest in learning more about the universe around us.

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The Likelihood of Getting Hit with a Gamma-Ray Burst

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Karan Bhardwaj

A gamma ray burst is expected to hit Earth every 10,000 years to 1,000,000 years. How would this affect human society as we know it, why are gamma rays so dangerous, and can we do anything to stop it?

Gamma ray bursts are extremely energetic spouts of energy, and similar to visible light, are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Unlike visible light however, gamma rays have significantly higher energy — a single gamma ray photon is more energetic than 1,000,000 photons from the visible light spectrum. This makes gamma rays a form of ionizing radiation: radiation that is strong enough to break chemical bonds.

Gamma rays were first discovered by a satellite sent into space by DARPA, with an original use-case of detecting Soviet nuclear space tests. While no bombs were detected, slight gamma bursts were, and a few years later they were found to be coming from distant galaxies.

There are two sources of gamma ray bursts. The first releases a ‘long gamma ray burst’ when the core of a massive star collapses to create a supernova. The second ‘short gamma ray burst’ occurs when a pair of neutron stars merge. Gamma ray bursts occur in jets as the magnetic fields of the objects forces material into cone like jets, and if the Earth were in one’s path, it would devastate the current state of life on the planet. With our current technology, we could do little to nothing to stop one from obliterating through the atmosphere, but the likelihood of getting hit with a jet-like stream is slim.

A black hole being formed releases a gamma-ray burst.

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Cool Parts of the Atmosphere of Venus

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Charles Littleton
Venus captured by NASA

Composition of Venus’ Atmosphere

96.5% Carbon Dioxide

3.5% Nitrogen

Venus lacks a magnetic field. Its ionosphere separates it from outer space and the sun’s wind.

4 Billion Years Ago it is assumed that the atmosphere of Venus was a lot like earth’s atmosphere. There could have been liquid water. The area 50-65 km above the surface of Venus is the most Earth-like place in the solar system with breathable air that is like helium.

Troposphere

The troposphere is the densest part of the atmosphere. The troposphere has an atmospheric pressure strong enough that carbon dioxide turns into a supercritical fluid. A large amount of carbon dioxide and water vapor help create a strong greenhouse effect. This traps solar energy and increases the temperature.

Venus has an ionosphere. The ionosphere is related to temperature. The high ionization occurs on the dayside of the planet.

Venus has an induced magnetosphere. It is caused by the sun carrying solar wind.

Sources:Venus on Wikipedia

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Nuclear Fusion

Posted on March 22, 2022 by jadonroy
DOE Explains Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion is an incredibly interesting topic by which one of the most important parts of our solar system and cosmos utilizes constantly. In the core of our very own sun, hydrogen is converted into helium in a process known as nuclear fusion. In the sun and other stars, Nuclear Fusion reactions power this process by making the two lighter nuclei form into a single heavier nucleus. This then releases energy since the total mass of the resulting single nucleus becomes less than the mass of the two original nuclei. Albert Einstein’s famous equation (E=mc^2) helps to explain why and how this process happens. His equations partly states that energy and mass can be converted into one and other which further shows how this occurs. Nuclear fusion is also incredibly important in that it could be the future form and method that we utilize energy here on Earth. It is a far cleaner energy option than that of oil as it emits no greenhouse gases and could be a bright step in the future to taking care of our Earth. By safely using fusion reactions we can eliminate toxins and pollutants from our atmosphere and take care of our wonderful planet.

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