- Phy
- Chem
- Life/Envi
- Earth
- Space
- Nature of Science
Unit Plans
Videos
Resources
Science in the News
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- Rader’s Physics4kids!
- Great introductory website that covers all the basics and includes quizzes to test understanding (question are not trivial which is nice). While the site does cover a wide range of topics, the attention to detail does not equal that of a decent high school physics text book.
- HyperPhysics
- A wonderful page for learning how all the different parts of physics connect to each other. The explanations given for the topics are at the high school level or above. This however does not mean it cannot provide some useful knowledge. I highly recommend at least checking out the front page as it shows a wonderful flowchart of all the interconnections in physics.
- Eric Weisstein's World of Science
- From webpage “Eric Weisstein's World of Science contains budding encyclopedias of astronomy, scientific biography, chemistry, and physics.”
- Great for wide range of topics, however explanations are technical.
- The Physics Hypertextbook
- From webpage “The Physics Hypertextbook™ exists! Read it if you want to learn more about physics. Read it if you need to learn more about physics to achieve some other end. Read it if you are curious about physics or enjoy science in general. It's an interesting diversion and you just might learn something in the process. Certainly no harm can come from any of these objectives.”
- I have not had the opportunity to look through this resource; however it seems to be a nice online physics textbook. However as the author points out there could be mistakes within it. I would not however allow this to deter you from using it as a resource when trying to learn more about any physics topic.
- Learn Physics Today
- This is a physics tutorial webpage which goes over introductory physics concepts. Integrated into the tutorials are problems with the solutions that allow you to check your understanding of the material. This is good way review physics.
- The Particle Adventure
- Site concentrates on particle physics, keeps explanation general. This site is nice because it provides understandable tutorial of a large section of modern physics. Considering the Department of Energy spent $750 million on the area of high energy physics/particle physics last year alone, this may be a topic of interest.
- The ABC's of Nuclear Science
- Provides introduction to Nuclear Physics.
- Physics 2000
- Provides interactive tour of modern physics. The best part is the interactive applets which allow you the opportunity of a “hands on experience”.
- Provides interactive tour of modern physics. The best part is the interactive applets which allow you the opportunity of a “hands on experience”.
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LETAS admin said...
"Official prototype of kilogram mysteriously losing weight"
I would like to make two comments about this article. The first deals with the use of scientific terminology in popular science. The second deals with standards used to define the meter, second, and kilogram.
When talking about scientific concepts it is essential that the correct terminology is used. In this article (especially in the title) weight and mass are used interchangeably. However, they are not the same. Weight is actually mass times gravity, so weight is a force with units of Newton’s. Mass has units of kilograms. This is a very important difference, especially for this article. I read several comments dealing with this article and I found several people attributed the problem to gravity, which would be a plausible explanation if the weight change was the issue. However, I believe the mass change was the issue, in which case gravity plays no part. If the title was more specific this ambiguity would not have arisen.
Secondly, it is interesting that the unit of mass, the kilogram, is defined by a physical object which could gain/lose mass over time. Work is being done to define the kilogram on more fundamental terms, like the meter and second are. The meter is no longer defined by a metal rod, but rather the distance light travels in a particular period of time. The second is defined by the oscillation of a Cesium atom.
Questions, thoughts, difference of opinion? Please post.
October 3, 2007 8:33 PM
LETAS admin said...
The preceding article gives a brief outline of this years’ Nobel Prize in physics. This is a great example of a discovering in physics leading to a direct application in our everyday lives. This may be used as an opportunity to see how hard drives and physics are related. As usual if you are interested in more information or clarification, just ask.
October 9, 2007 8:08 AM
LETAS admin said...
Here is an article on this years’ Nobel Prize in chemistry. This work seems to have some important practical applications. As usual if you are interested in more information or clarification, just ask.
October 11, 2007 2:58 PM
LETAS admin said...
The replacement of 120-watt incandescent street lights with the 56-watt light-emitting diodes.
Additional Link
There are two advantages to switching lights from incandescent to LED (light-emitting diode). One, LED last longer (no need to have someone go replace them); according to this report up to 5 times as long. Two, they will use less energy.
Remember a watt is a unit a power (1 watt = 1 Joule/second). A joule is a unit of energy, so 120-watt light uses 120 Joules of energy every second. Side note: Our electricity bills are in kilowatt-hours, which is essentially a measurement of the energy being used.
Now why are LED’s using less power? The main problem with incandescent light bulbs is that they lose a lot of energy through thermal heat. Incandescent bulbs work by passing a current through a resistive element (the small wire seen in light bulbs is typically made of the element tungsten, symbol W and atomic number 74). When ever current is passed through a resistive element, the element heats up (like toasters and electric stoves). The heated wire emits light with a continuous spectrum. Most up the energy passed through the wire is dissipated away as heat, the infrared part of the light spectrum (this can be over 90 %). For light bulbs only a couple of percent is turned into visible light. So we can see here incandescent bulbs are not efficient.
LED’s emit light at a specific frequency (a discrete spectrum), this is why they can come in colors (red, blue, green, ...). This is also one of the main reasons there is not a thermal energy loss problem. This leads to better efficiency. LED’s are more expensive and have other usage problems, but they can produce the same luminescent as incandescent bulbs while using less energy. And that is a good thing.
As usual please post follow up questions, or even question what I have said. This is the best why to increase our understanding of the world.
October 29, 2007 9:24 AM
LETAS admin said...
This article titled "Sweden Turns to a Promising Power Source, With Flaws" appeared in the business section of the New York Times on 11/23/07. It is an interesting read.
There were two sections that may lead to nice classroom discussions.
The first deals with the random nature of wind.
The article states "For starters, the wind does not blow all the time. When it does, it does not necessarily do so during periods of high demand for electricity. That makes wind a shaky replacement for more dependable, if polluting, energy sources like oil, coal and natural gas." But later on the article presents a great solution, even if it will not work in all areas. "Wind power ..., which it uses ... to pump underground water into elevated reservoirs. The water is later released during periods of peak electric demand to drive hydroelectric stations."
This is a great example of potential energy and kinetic energy. Water at high elevations is potential energy. When it goes through a dam it falls, (changes to kinetic energy) turning turbines and generating electricity. By using wind power to move water back to a higher altitude, one is essentially charging a battery for later use.
The second is more of a debate about "not in my back yard". This deals with peoples need for energy, but their unwillingness to deal with its possible effects. For example, wind energy can provide a great alternative/supplementary form of energy. However, who wants giant wind turbines to disrupt their scenic views. Another example is nuclear energy and the placement of waste or coal and strip mining. These are all questions that have to be dealt with.
November 27, 2007 7:01 AM
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Unit Plans
Videos
Resources
Science in the News
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- Rader’s Chem4kids!
- Great introductory website that covers all the basics and include quizzes to test understanding (question are not trivial which is nice).
- HyperPhysics' Chemistry
- This is hosted by HyperPhysics and again provides a wonderful flowchart of all the interconnections in chemistry.
- Basic Chemistry Concepts
- Provides a reasonable introduction to basic chemistry. It covers most of the common terms used in chemistry. There is however only a limited amount of information on this website.
- Chemistry Tutorial
- Provides an overview of basic chemistry at the college level. The idea is to provide the necessary chemistry in order to do biology.
- Introductory Chemistry
- Another webpage going over introductory chemistry.
- General Chemistry: Q & A
- Contains large quantity of general chemistry level information. Questions on site cover basic to detailed.
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LETAS admin said...
The following article, which can be found on many news sites, deals with the current shortage of helium gas in a America. The article touches on the important fact that helium is a non-renewable resource. Much like natural gas and oil when the underground supplies are gone, there will be no more accessible helium on earth. This is not to say we are in the midst of crisis, there is still large reserves of helium around the world. The main problem, as the article points out, is that the recovery of helium is not as important as natural gas. There is little financial incentive for gas companies to capture helium gas when they drill for gas, so most just escapes into the atmosphere. (See article to find out where we currently get helium).
Helium is a very special element. It is the only on which does not become a solid when cooled at atmospheric pressure. It is the coldest liquid, having a boiling temperature of 4.2 Kelvin. It is has several other interested properties, including the ability to become a superfluid or a supersolid. It is used in universities around the world to
perform experiments at ultra-low temperatures (where really cool things happen). Most universities have a means to capture the gas and reuse it but not all.
Want to know more about helium? Please post a comment.
January 18, 2008 3:04 PM
LETAS admin said...
The following article titled "Edible 'Antifreeze' Prevents Unwanted Ice Crystals In Ice Cream And Frozen Foods" talks about how chemistry is being used to improve the quality of frozen foods; specifically ice cream. The article states "preventing the formation of large ice crystals is a major challenge for frozen food manufacturers and consumers who store packages in home freezers" and that the solution maybe to use "gelatin hydrolysate, a protein known to act as a natural antifreeze".
I bring this article up to show the wide impact of chemistry. Hopefully, if students begin to understand stand all of its uses, they may be more inclined to understand it.
February 6, 2008 6:32 AM
LETAS admin said...
Today's article comes from the New York Times and is entitled "Scientists Would Turn Greenhouse Gas Into Gasoline". The article talks about a method for capturing carbon dioxide and turning it back into gasoline.
While the idea is currently not practical, it seems feasible. The important part of the article is that one comes away with the sense that problems of this nature are going to need scientist skilled in many fields (chemistry, physics, engineering...) and will most likely have to be tacked by your students in the coming decades.
Want to know more about this article? Please post a comment.
February 23, 2008 3:30 PM
LETAS admin said...
This article is a cross between biology and chemistry.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23638483/
The article discusses research on how DEET works to repel insects. The main result is that the DEET keeps insects from being able to smell human body odor, by blocking specific receptors in the insects olfactory system. Scientist hope to use this result to find a chemical that performs the same function as DEET, while having a lesser adverse health effect.
Questions, please ask.
March 17, 2008 5:32 PM
LETAS admin said...
Here is an article about the importance of teachers who are enthusiastic about science.
March 17, 2008 5:35 PM
LETAS admin said...
Did you know that oxygen is a paramagnetic substance? This means oxygen should be attracted by a magnetic field.
Why do we not see the behavior in gaseous oxygen? While gaseous oxygen is paramagnetic, the molecules move to fast to be affected by a magnetic field. However the effect can be seen in liquid oxygen.
The following link leads to a video on the paramagnetism of liquid oxygen.
A couple of facts about liquid oxygen:
Boils at 90K (-183 Celsius)
Powerful oxidizing agent, organic materials burn rapidly in liquid oxygen.
Used as propellant in rockets, including space shuttle.
So why is oxygen paramagnetic?
Basically, because the oxygen molecule has two unpaired electrons. Actual answer more detailed, see Molecular Orbital Theory.
Do you have questions or comments about anything in this post? Please post so everyone can learn.
February 14, 2008 8:04 AM
LETAS admin said...
Absolute Zero
Recently NOVA (on PBS) aired a program called absolute zero. The program chronicles sciences attempt to reach every lower temperatures, in the ultimate pursuit of reaching absolute zero; the temperature at which all motion should cease to exist.
By clicking the watch online link, you can choose which part of the program to watch. I highly recommend Chapter 8 because it shows videos of superconductivity and superfluidity; effects that most people will never encounter.
From a chemistry stand point Chapter 9 is interesting because it talks about a different state of matter, one unlike the states of normal experience: gas, liquid, and solids.
As the last two post demonstrate, I like low temperature experiments and demonstrations. It is unfortunate young children do not have more interaction with the phenomenon’s that occur at low temperature. I strongly encourage teachers to make an attempt to acquire or show such demonstrations.
Do you have questions or comments about anything in this post? Please post so everyone can learn.
February 17, 2008 2:50 PM
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Unit Plans
Videos
Resources
Science in the News
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- Science Daily
- In addition to listing the most up to date science research news, this website, under the tab entitled “Articles”, provides definitions and explanations for many regularly used terms used in the science field, the majority of which are taken from the website Wikipedia. Overall, the site is very well organized and easy to navigate.
- Science News for Kids
- This website features science news articles targeted at and written for school age children. There are also puzzle and lab “Zones” with science based activities for children to enjoy as well as a “Teacher Zone” providing science materials and resources for teachers and parents. This website is suitable for children to explore on their own or with a teacher for guidance. Although not extensive the website shows potential.
- Biology Online
- A website that provides information on the life sciences in the form of tutorials, references and an online dictionary of biology terms.
- Science: How Stuff Works
- This website explore a wide range of topics from animal profiles to genetics and conservation and provides detailed and well written explanations of “how things work” for teachers to draw from when presenting new topics to students. The website provides information and topic ideas for teachers wishing to add to their background knowledge and classroom lessons.
- Science Master: Life Science
- The goal of this website is to provide science resources for teachers and parents by providing links to other sites home to science content information, research news, lesson plans, activities, and project ideas. The website is not that well organized but has the potential to offer content knowledge.
- Teacher’s Domain: Life Sciences
- A nice website designed to “broaden teachers’ knowledge of science content”. This site is very well organized, and covers a wide range of life science topics, even listing the student age group they are targeted at.
- National Geographic
- A great website providing extensive science information and news. A great resource for teachers wanting to learn more about, amongst other things, current life and environmental science topics and provide up to date and exciting examples to their students.
- Kiddyhouse
- The intention of this website is to provide life science resources for students and teachers. It lists large number of links to websites dealing with a wide variety of science based topics.
- Federal Resources for Education Excellence
- This website hosts and provides links to science based information from federal agencies.
- Backyard Nature
- A fun website introducing students to nature and ecology in their own back yards. A useful website for teachers who want to provide examples to their students that they can go home and potentially see with their won eyes.
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- Here is a link to an interesting and fun story about competition between two squirrel species in the United Kingdom. The article is particularly relevant to the topic of population growth.
If you have any comments or questions about the article, or would like to discuss it with others, please feel free to post to the blog.
- Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently jointly won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to raise awareness of the threat of climate change. This link is for a series of articles in the Washington Post that deal with the topic and how others are confronting our changing climate.
If you have any questions regarding the articles or would like to discuss them further please submit a comment via the blog.
- How can a "panel" win a Nobel Peace Prize? I thought that was reserved for a limited number of scientists.
It does at first seem unusual that a "panel" might win the Nobel Peace Prize. However, according to the nomination criteria, the prize may be awarded to "persons or organizations that are in the process of resolving a conflict or creating peace". This year the award was presented jointly to an individual, Al Gore, and an organization, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the conflict being global warming.
- Below are some links for articles relating to photosynthesis. The article published by BBC news is a little older but I wanted to include it as it contains some interesting and useful information.
Let me know if you have any questions.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/23434
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3321819.stm
- This first article is just for fun. It details how animals are being used to take pictures of some of the places in the world it is hard for humans to go and to video some of the wildlife behaviors rarely seen. Take a look at the National Geograpic video link on the left of the page too.
This next article is related to carbon cycling and how plankton might be used to remove some of the excess carbon dioxide causing global warming from the atmosphere.
- Below are a few news stories I have selected that might be of interest.
The first is more for fun and looks at an experiment involving cockroaches. It is an example of the unusual research and experiments people think up.
The second is another story related to the issue of carbon cycling and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
The last relates to the topic of populations and the potential importance of abiotic factors in maintaining these populations.
- This article from National Wildlife Magazine examines some of the adaptations the black-capped chickadee, a small bird seen in the northern half of the U.S., has to cold winter weather. The article relates directly to the training module on adaptations.
- This article highlights how predator-prey relationships can be more complex than they at first appear.
- An article for the New Year which talks about the near extinction of a bird known as the kiwi in New Zealand and the gradual recovery populations of the species are now making.
- There was a question this week on the Q&A webpage about seeds and their fertilization. The web link below is for an article that discusses seeds and their formation which many of you may find useful.
The website this article comes from covers many science topics you might be interested in learning more about. If you have any questions regading the content of any of the pages feel free to post them on the blog.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/seed.htm
- This week an article related to genes, which we know can play a very important role in determining how a person looks and behaves. A question regarding the role genes play in determining a person's eye color was raised recently on the Q&A blog. This article looks at how an individual's genes may affect their sleep patterns.
- Scientists have made an interesting discovery regarding the nervous systems of naked mole rats which may prove useful in treating pain in humans. Take a look at the article that discusses this.
- A couple of articles today that might be of interest.
The first takes a look at how global warming may be causing spring to arrive earlier and the effects this might be having on plants and animlas, including humans.
The next article discusses how gecko's are able to use their tails to save themselves from falling. A possible adaptation?
- Today, a couple of articles to take a look at.
The first examines the role bats play in controlling insect pests on plants, reducing the need for the use of pesticides.
The second article is something completely different and looks at the ability of the eyes and brain to process change in something being looked at.
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Unit Plans
Videos
Resources
Science in the News
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- NASA for Educators
- Has an amazing array of resources: podcasts, activities, games, and general teaching materials. For all grade levels.
- NASA (General)
- Great for current events, and these stories can likely be paired with materials from the Educators site.
- Sky & Telescope
- It is advertised as “the essential magazine for astronomy,” and it is an excellent resource. Current events articles on a general level, also more in-depth articles can be found. Also provides ample resources for amateur star-gazing – sky maps, calendars, etc.
- Astronomy Magazine: Welcome to Astronomy
- A great intro to the field, addressing both the science and the hobby of astronomy. Many activities for kids. At the parent site, current events stories are also good.
- A great intro to the field, addressing both the science and the hobby of astronomy. Many activities for kids. At the parent site, current events stories are also good.
- Heavens Above
- Ever seen a moving speck in the night sky and wondered what it was? This site will tell you. Descriptions and maps for all satellites passing over your location, including manmade ones like the International Space Station, and natural phenomena like comets.
- Ever seen a moving speck in the night sky and wondered what it was? This site will tell you. Descriptions and maps for all satellites passing over your location, including manmade ones like the International Space Station, and natural phenomena like comets.
- Discover Magazine: Space News
- More current events in space news. Perhaps not as comprehensive of the entire field as some of the sites dedicated solely to astronomy, but the stories are just as good, and often go into several pages of detail.
- More current events in space news. Perhaps not as comprehensive of the entire field as some of the sites dedicated solely to astronomy, but the stories are just as good, and often go into several pages of detail.
- Nature News
- Nature itself is one of the premier academic journals for new science results in all fields, not just astronomy. Most of the formal articles require subscriptions, but the Nature News section recaps some of the top stories in a more accessible format. Also offers podcasts, which are one way to get a nice summary of the news for the week.
- Nature itself is one of the premier academic journals for new science results in all fields, not just astronomy. Most of the formal articles require subscriptions, but the Nature News section recaps some of the top stories in a more accessible format. Also offers podcasts, which are one way to get a nice summary of the news for the week.
- National Geographic: Science & Space
- Polished easy-to-use site with current news. Has some kids’ activities, but most relate to earth-based sciences.
- Polished easy-to-use site with current news. Has some kids’ activities, but most relate to earth-based sciences.
- Google Sky
- Much like the viewable maps of Google Earth, these allow you to explore upwards and outwards instead. You can roam around freely or examine some of the highlights of various space missions. Many of the regions and objects are well-annotated with the scientific information.
- Much like the viewable maps of Google Earth, these allow you to explore upwards and outwards instead. You can roam around freely or examine some of the highlights of various space missions. Many of the regions and objects are well-annotated with the scientific information.
- WorldWide Telescope
- Similar to Google Sky, displays the images gathered by many of earth’s ground-based and space-based telescopes in spatial context. Has to be downloaded (vs. used over the internet like Google Sky) and only works on PCs (not Macs) at this point.
- Similar to Google Sky, displays the images gathered by many of earth’s ground-based and space-based telescopes in spatial context. Has to be downloaded (vs. used over the internet like Google Sky) and only works on PCs (not Macs) at this point.
- Ask an Astronomer
- Video answers to commonly asked questions about astronomy. Also available in podcast form.
- Astronomy Picture of the Day
- A great daily-updated site with a glamorous astronomy picture (or sometimes video) with a paragraph explaining the scientific relevance, with links to definitions for all uncommon or jargon-type words & phrases.
- A great daily-updated site with a glamorous astronomy picture (or sometimes video) with a paragraph explaining the scientific relevance, with links to definitions for all uncommon or jargon-type words & phrases.
- Bad Astronomy
- Just how fictional are movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon? Find out with the authors of Bad Astronomy, who debunk common myths and misconceptions about the field, as well as popular conspiracy theories (like the moon landing occurring on a sound stage).
- Just how fictional are movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon? Find out with the authors of Bad Astronomy, who debunk common myths and misconceptions about the field, as well as popular conspiracy theories (like the moon landing occurring on a sound stage).
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This article tells about the largest meteoritic impact found in the United Kingdom. The large object is thought to have hit Scotland about 1.2 billion years ago. Evidence of the impact is found in rocks that were ejected from the impact area, as far as 25 kilometers away.
High levels of iridium in the area also provide evidence of extraterrestrial origin, since this is an element that is not very abundant on earth, but highly abundant in some asteroids and meteoroids.
A sizable iridium layer at several (~100) different sites around the world, due to a much more recent impact on the Yucatan peninsula 65 million years ago, helped to suggest that it was such a dramatic impact that caused many species (including many dinosaurs!) to go extinct. That is, fossils of many species found below the iridium layer (the older rock) are not found above the iridium layer (the newer rock), suggesting that these species no longer existed after the impact event.
This article lists the top ten favorite views of the Earth, taken from space, from the astronauts at the International Space Station. (Happy Earth Day!)
Views include a dramatic ash plume from an erupting volcano, the green glow of the aurora borealis (also known as the Northern Lights), the mountain peaks surrounding and including Mt. Everest, and several others.
"The X PRIZE Foundation and Google, Inc. today announced the first ten teams to register for the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a robotic race to the Moon to win a remarkable $30 million in prizes. This international group of teams will compete to land a privately funded robotic craft on the Moon that is capable of roaming the lunar surface for at least 500 meters and sending video, images and data back to the Earth."
This contest, sponsored by The X Prize Foundation and Google, Inc., is an exciting challenge to privately funded space explorers. The challenge is to land a robot on the surface of the Moon, have it travel 500 meters, and transmit data and images back to Earth. Nearly all space exploration up to this point has been government-funded, so it will be interesting to see if civilian missions will be any more successful or efficient. This article describes the 10 teams chosen for the competition.
In a related story, NASA is still planning on returning to the Moon as well. Science goals should drive the mission, and these are still uncertain. Still, some of the issues for investigation and the tools to perform the studies are described here, for example, looking for deposits of frozen water and trying to determine how to extract the water.
“In getting back to the moon, NASA space planners face overwhelming challenges: The shuttle is scheduled for retirement in 2010, the Ares rocket will not be ready until at least four years later, there is tepid support from all sides in the looming presidential election, and current estimates put the cost of getting humans back to the moon at $100 billion. (Rumors of scrapping the moon base and sending humans to asteroids instead continue to surface.) “The vision of the next 50 years,” NASA administrator Michael Griffin says, requires “a logical, incremental, stable, sustainable plan that can be executed with realistically attainable budgets.” He believes “we really can celebrate the 100th anniversary of Sputnik with the 20th anniversary of the first human landing on Mars.” But long before Mars, NASA faces tough budget and engineering battles to make sure its suits, capsules, and SUVs even get off the ground.”
Article 5**:
The search for planets around stars other than our sun is a rapidly expanding field right now. There are several ways to find planets, and they all involve clever techniques that find a way around the main problem: while stars are very big and hot, and therefore bright, planets are comparatively small, cold, and dark, and are therefore much harder to see.
One way to find planets indirectly is to look at dusty disks that often orbit stars with young planetary systems. Gaps or rings in the dust disk can imply the presence of a planet, and this is thought to be the case for the star in this article, AB Aurigae.
“The star is about 470 light years away and, being only about one million to three million years old, is still surrounded by the dusty detritus out of which it formed. In the picture, which shows the intensity of so-called polarized light scattered off dust particles, there is a gap about nine billion miles from the star, roughly three times the distance from Earth to Neptune.”
** this site may require you to log in, but registration for the NY Times site is free
This is a fantastic way to explore the sky conveniently, in the classroom or at home. Plus, one of the nice things about such a program is that it's composed of real scientific research quality data, not just artist's renderings. I'll be exploring this myself in the coming days and weeks, and I'd encourage you all to as well!
“Microsoft has launched WorldWide Telescope, a free tool that stitches together images from some of the best ground- and space-based telescopes.
Collections include pictures from the Hubble and Spitzer telescopes, as well as the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
The web-based tool also allows users to pan and zoom around the planets, and trace their locations in the night sky.
"Users can see the X-ray view of the sky, zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then cross-fade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago," explained Roy Gould, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
"[It's] a beautiful platform for explaining and getting people excited about astronomy, and I think the professional astronomers will come to use it as well," said Roy Williams of the California Institute of Technology.”
“About a century ago, the light from the explosion of a star within our galaxy swept past Earth.
No one noticed.
Such explosions, called supernovas, can shine brightly in the night sky. But this dying star was close to the center of the galaxy, where thick dust and gas blocked most of the light, and astronomers of the era saw nothing.”
This is the youngest, i.e. most recently seen by us on earth, supernova. Light from this supernova first could have reached us only 140 years ago (the blink of an eye on astronomical timescales), but the star generating this supernova exploded about 26,000 years ago. This source is 26,000 light-years away from us in the Milky Way galaxy, and so it takes that many years for light (moving at the speed of light) to reach us.
Still, the supernova wasn't seen immediately because the optical light, the same light our eyes can see, was blocked by dust in the galaxy. Longer and shorter wavelengths of light, like radio and x-ray wavelengths, can penetrate the dust though, and that's where we see this supernova remnant now.
“...most Americans are unable to see the Milky Way in the sky above the place where they live, and those who can see it are sometimes baffled by its name.
The stars have not become dimmer; rather, the Earth has become vastly brighter, so that celestial objects are harder to see. Air pollution has made the atmosphere less transparent and more reflective, and high levels of terrestrial illumination have washed out the stars overhead...”
An interesting review of how our skies have become light-polluted, preventing us from seeing most celestial objects that should be visible to the naked eye. Still, some dark sky preservation groups are working hard to help communities reduce their light pollution levels.
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Unit Plans
Videos
Resources
Science in the News
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- Exploratorium: The museum of science, art and human perception
at the Palace of Fine Arts
- From website “Online since 1993, the Exploratorium was one of the first science museums to build a site on the World Wide Web. Our site now contains over 18 thousand award-winning Web pages exploring hundreds of different topics. We currently serve 20 million visitors a year. That makes us one of the most visited museum Web sites in the world. Learn more about our Web site.”
- Learn Physics Today and other Science Fields
- This site contains Learn Physics Today webpage. It also links to several other fields of science.
- Newton BBS
- This is from the about section of the webpage “The NEWTON BBS, operated by the Division of Educational Programs (DEP) of Argonne National Laboratory [Argonne, Illinois which is located about 40 km (25 miles) southwest of downtown Chicago]. NEWTON BBS was started in November of 1991 to provide K-12 science, math and computer teachers (and their students) a place to practice telecommunications, to retrieve useful information in a wide variety of subjects, to contact research scientists from all over the world and to open communications between classroom teachers. NEWTON is associated with the Argonne Community of Teachers (ACT) and operated by the staff at the Division of Educational Programs.”
- This webpage covers the entire spectrum of science. The “ask a scientist” archive contains a wealth of questions and answers. One negative to the “ask a scientist” section is a lack of graphics to accompany the explanations. With thousands of questions and answers I highly recommend looking here for solutions to common questions that arise about every day science
- How Things Work Home Page
- This page contains approximately 1500 questions and answers. The questions cover a wide spectrum of difficulty. As with many webpage’s the lack of graphics make some explanations a little more difficult to understand. There is also no general order to the questions on this webpage. All 1500 are listed on the same page, so you have to search through to find something relevant.
- HowStuffWorks – Learn how everything works!
- Provides simple answers to common science related questions. The use of graphics helps provide clearer answers. In general, however the answers tend to be rather elementary and others may not be completely accurate. Still this is a nice website to gain a rudimentary knowledge of a wide range of topics.
- Virtual Middle School Library
- Just found this site, it has ~50 links to other science sites
- Wikipedia
- For the most part I do not trust what I read in Wikipedia. However, in the region of science I have found it a useful steppingstone when searching for information on topics I am not familiar with. Often times I will find more frequently used terms for the topic I am searching for or a more reliable resource under the reference section of the wiki entry. I, however, will not use this as a reference nor will I allow it to be my only source of information on a topic.
- Science NetLinks
- This site contains a resource section with a large quantity of links to different science based websites that are categorized by difficulty and the sites are given short reviews.
- This site contains a resource section with a large quantity of links to different science based websites that are categorized by difficulty and the sites are given short reviews.
