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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
The Science Thread
- Thread starter pahoffm
- Start date
Yes, big news. For those unaware,
The Higgs boson, a subatomic particle believed to be key to the formation of stars, planets and eventually life after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.
It is the last missing piece of the Standard Model, the theory that describes the basic building blocks of the universe.
The Standard Model is to physics what the theory of evolution is to biology. It is the best explanation physicists have of how the building blocks of the universe are put together. But the universe is a big place and the Standard Model only explains a small part of it.
In the beginning there was Sir Isaac Newton, then Albert Einstein and, now, the CERN research centre near Geneva, Switzerland.
The Higgs boson, a subatomic particle believed to be key to the formation of stars, planets and eventually life after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.
It is the last missing piece of the Standard Model, the theory that describes the basic building blocks of the universe.
The Standard Model is to physics what the theory of evolution is to biology. It is the best explanation physicists have of how the building blocks of the universe are put together. But the universe is a big place and the Standard Model only explains a small part of it.
In the beginning there was Sir Isaac Newton, then Albert Einstein and, now, the CERN research centre near Geneva, Switzerland.
U2Tigers said:
Scientists find diamond planet
"The planet's orbit around its star is lightning fast - a year lasts just 18 hours, compared to the 365 days of an Earth year. And because it is so close to its star, the surface temperatures average 2,148 degrees Celsius, rendering it completely inhospitable to life.
...
In comparison, the Earth's interior is rich in oxygen and very poor in carbon...In fact, this is not the first diamond planet ever discovered, but it is the first found orbiting a sun-like star and whose chemical makeup has been specified.
The discovery means that distant rocky planets can no longer be assumed to have chemical constituents, interiors, atmospheres, or biologies similar to those of Earth."
Methane is an extremely important energy source with a great abundance in nature and plays a significant role in planetary physics, being one of the major constituents of giant planets Uranus and Neptune. The stable crystal forms of methane under extreme conditions are of great fundamental interest. Using the ab initio evolutionary algorithm for crystal structure prediction, we found three novel insulating molecular structures with P2(1)2(1)2(1), Pnma, and Cmcm space groups. Remarkably, under high pressure, methane becomes unstable and dissociates into ethane (C(2)H(6)) at 95 GPa, butane (C(4)H(10)) at 158 GPa, and further, carbon (diamond) and hydrogen above 287 GPa at zero temperature. We have computed the pressure-temperature phase diagram, which sheds light into the seemingly conflicting observations of the unusually low formation pressure of diamond at high temperature and the failure of experimental observation of dissociation at room temperature. Our results support the idea of diamond formation in the interiors of giant planets such as Neptune
From
Dissociation of methane under high pressure.
By Gao et al.
From
Dissociation of methane under high pressure.
By Gao et al.
As amazing as it is from a human centric perspective, this would have to be expected, would it not?
With the prevalence of carbon in the universe, and the extreme temperatures and pressures around stars, wouldn't this be something that occurs fairly commonly?
Is there like, a 'goldilocks zone' for diamond formation? Or is it just, more carbon, more pressure, more diamond?
With the prevalence of carbon in the universe, and the extreme temperatures and pressures around stars, wouldn't this be something that occurs fairly commonly?
Is there like, a 'goldilocks zone' for diamond formation? Or is it just, more carbon, more pressure, more diamond?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Oq2Xl7oiws
Interesting discussion with my mother, this evening, about Felix Baumgartner's incredible space jump feat.
What does the Earth look like from where Felix jumped?
What was his maximum speed?
How hot did he get descending through the atmosphere?
How did he survive?
Have you discussed these questions with your students / children?
Interesting discussion with my mother, this evening, about Felix Baumgartner's incredible space jump feat.
What does the Earth look like from where Felix jumped?
What was his maximum speed?
How hot did he get descending through the atmosphere?
How did he survive?
Have you discussed these questions with your students / children?
Gravity never ends. There is an attraction between two masses at any distance, but as the distance gets greater, the attraction is weaker. F=Gm1m2/(r^2) where r is the distance between the objects.
So yes, at the stratosphere the gravity would be slightly weaker, but still there and working.
Gravity is not unique to planets, any two masses have a force of gravity between them.
So yes, at the stratosphere the gravity would be slightly weaker, but still there and working.
Gravity is not unique to planets, any two masses have a force of gravity between them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19950923
Astronomers have found a planet whose skies are illuminated by four different suns - the first known of its type.
The distant world orbits one pair of stars which have a second stellar pair revolving around them.
The discovery was made by volunteers using the Planethunters.org website along with a team from UK and US institutes; follow-up observations were made with the Keck Observatory.
A planet with four suns?
Well, that alters our perception of the natural order of things.
Astronomers have found a planet whose skies are illuminated by four different suns - the first known of its type.
The distant world orbits one pair of stars which have a second stellar pair revolving around them.
The discovery was made by volunteers using the Planethunters.org website along with a team from UK and US institutes; follow-up observations were made with the Keck Observatory.
A planet with four suns?
Well, that alters our perception of the natural order of things.
Phantom said:
Terry Wallace has put his hand up for the coaching job as soon as the AFL puts a team there.
Phantom said:
1. The world is flat.
2. Okay, the world may be round, but it's the centre of the universe.
3. Fine. It's not the centre of anything. Planets revolve around the sun.
4. UGh, Planets revolve around one or more suns which may have their own suns revolving around them. Geez, only melbournes recruiting policy is more complicated.
