love is like pi

by andrew le

the closest star

what is the closest star to earth? the sun, of course! here's my latest appearance on the sixty symbols video project. we talk about the sun and the little circle-with-a-dot-inside symbol that astronomers use to represent it.

>

star wars > star trek

the beatles > elvis

neko case > new pornographers

snoopy > marmaduke

cats > dogs

mork > alf

sawyer > jack

snow > rain

milkshake > malt

skyline chili > gold star (shout out to cincinnati!)

yellow bananas > green bananas

birthmonth > birthday

30 > 29

"fringe" > "bangs"

mac > pc

emacs > vi

anything > IRAF

less > more (odd but true)

two wheels > four wheels

no makeup > makeup

herbs > no herbs

homegrown > store-bought

oven > microwave

acoustic > electric

live > recorded

snail mail > email

obama >> bush

barcelona fc > manchester united

liverpool fc > [insert club name here]

belgian beer > any other beer

curiosity > boredom

knowledge > memorization

truth > fallacy

spirituality > religion

the universe > everything

t > 0

v !> c

pluto > plutoid

xkcd !> abstruse goose




ps. the symbol !> means "not greater than"

beer levitation

here's my new favorite installment of the sixty symbols project! what do you get when you put a few drops of beer over a big powerful magnet?? levitating beer! awesome.



science is so fun!

quantum theory of sexual interaction

take a moment to go read a unified quantum theory of the sexual interaction by UK astronomer peter coles. it's just hilarious.

i'll leave you with a hint and let you go explore:

In the simplest theories of the sexual interaction, the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian describing all allowed forms of two-body coupling are identified with the conventional gender states, “Male” and “Female” denoted |M> and |F> in the Dirac bra-ket notation; note that the bra is superfluous in this context so, as usual, we dispense with it at the outset. Interactions between |M> and |F> states are assumed to be attractive while those between |M> and |M> or |F> and |F> are supposed either to be repulsive or, in some theories, entirely forbidden.

Observational evidence, however, strongly suggests that two-body interactions involving either F-F or M-M coupling, though suppressed in many situations, are by no means ruled out in the manner one would expect from the simplest theory outlined above.

snake pit

from mattias inks

exploring space lectures

i've been advertising a lot of local and regional events lately, but luckily, the internet allows everyone to see some events!

the smithsonian national air and space museum in washington DC is hosting a series of lectures by professional astronomers that will be broadcast live as webcasts!!


the next event is scheduled for wednesday, may 27th, 2009 at 7:30pm (eastern time). sara seager, shown in the fabulous promotional image above, will discuss "Are We Alone? Searching for an Exoplanet Like Home."

listen and enjoy!

atlantis says goodbye to hubble

after an incredibly successful servicing mission, the crew of the atlantis shuttle releases the hubble space telescope in this neat video!

scales of the universe

if you are in nottingham wednesday evening, come hear the first installment of our international year of astronomy public lecture series! the official poster pictured below has the full schedule for the rest of the year. i'll be speaking in august.


WHEN: Wednesday, May 20th, 6-7 pm

WHO: Dr. Sebastien Foucaud (University of Nottingham, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy)

TITLE: "Scales of the Universe"

WHERE: Maths & Physics building on the University Park Campus, Lecture Theatre B1

ABSTRACT: I invite you on a journey through space, speeding through the Universe at the "power of ten". From a standard meter on the scale to the edge of the Universe, traveling through distance that encompasses our sun and furthermost galaxies, I would like to show you how minuscule we are in terms of our size, but also how broad our knowledge is in terms of its expanse. I will take this opportunity to explain how through time, since the ancient Greeks to the era of space conquests, astronomers have been measuring distances. To conclude, I will also explain how we think the Universe was formed 13 billion years ago as we travel through time from its earliest stages to present times.

we are astronomers

we are astronomers is a new 360° fulldome digital planetarium show describing what professional astronomers actually do during their working hours! "Today’s astronomer is not the lone observer of past centuries. We are Astronomers reveals the global collaboration, technology and dedication required to answer the unresolved questions of the Universe."

i'm thrilled to have been asked to participate in this project! you can view the film (and my cameo) at several locations around the UK starting 23 may, 2009. let us know what you think if you see it!

here is a beautiful scene of the very large telescope (VLT) in chile, that is included in the film. remember the film will be shown on a full 360°, so this flatscreen projection looks oddly circular!

WAA VLT WIP from NSC Creative on Vimeo.

here's the first trailer for the movie. the narrator of the film is the former doctor who, david tennant!

WAA Trailer 1 from NSC Creative on Vimeo.

my sixty symbols debut - photons

this was recorded a couple weeks ago for the sixty symbols of physics and astronomy project. i talk about photons - little energy packets of light. and why the sky is blue!

the tomatoes are coming!

i'm pretty amazed that these windowsill tomatoes are poking through already. the windows are huge, but theyre north-facing! i hope they survive...

hubble repairs

watching NASA's live footage of the hubble repair spacewalks has been absolutely riveting! i mean, the new star trek movie was pretty entertaining for a couple of hours, but i've been entertained by this mission to hubble for almost a week now! there have been some dramatic moments and clever maneuvers to find solutions, but i'm even mesmerized by the simple task of loosening screws! you can listen to the astronauts help each other accomplish each goal, step by step.... and see how they react when something unexpected happens.... all the while watching the round blue earth spinning below them!

today i heard one of the astronauts say "this is a lot more fun in space!" hahaha!


so far the mission has been a complete success, despite some unexpected challenges. congrats to those spacewalking superheroes!

so if you havent taken any time to watch the astronauts work their well-developed magic in space, you can watch online live, or see highlights at the NASA youtube station! enjoy!

a charming duet

here's a piano duet that is guaranteed to make you smile! when i first started watching, i wondered why they were standing up....

sixty symbols of physics and astronomy

there's a new project by the creator of the fantastically successful series of periodic videos - short youtube films for each element on the periodic table (explosive sodium was my favorite!).

the new project is called sixty symbols and shows scientists at the university of nottingham describing the squiggles and letters that physicists and astronomers regularly use to communicate with each other! if you want to read the youtuber comments, you can also watch the videos at the youtube channel.

there are lots of good videos so far, but my favorites might be the one about mass:



and the one about big numbers:



stay tuned...

seeing other worlds

as you may have noticed from reading this blog, i'm a big fan of astronomy and photography! there is a project (and contest), by the smithsonian photography initiative called click! photography changes everything, that combines the two in an effort to share with each other how our photos can influence "our ability to see people, places, and things ‘unseen’ or ‘unfamiliar’ in honor of the International Year of Astronomy 2009." fantastic!

to enter the contest, read about it here and submit your photos here! i'm curious as to what readers of this blog will contribute, so let us know if you submit anything!

also, the blog of the smithsonian, the bigger picture, will feature astronomy and photography for the next couple months. should be an interesting contest!

good luck!

more orbiting telescopes!

if you enjoyed watching the recent shuttle launch, today you have the opportunity to watch more space telescopes set off for orbit! today the european space agency launches both the planck and hershel telescopes aboard the ariane 5 unmanned rocket.


hershel is an infrared telescope that will look at cool objects around the universe, while planck will view the universe at microwave wavelengths, seeking to study the relics of the big bang.

of course, you can follow either planck or hershel on twitter, watch the launch live from ESA, or read along as orbiting frog live-blogs the event.

launch is scheduled for 13:12 UT, may 14th, 2009.
enjoy!

atlantis launch in infared!

this might be my favorite image yet of the launch of STS-125 yesterday! it was captured by eliot j. schechter using an infared filter on a digital camera, and some fantastic framing!


this gorgeous image came to my attention from astroengine.

atlantis launched successfully!

the shuttle atlantis successfully launched this afternoon - woohoo! the crew will arrive at the hubble space telescope on wednesday afternoon to give the old telescope some much needed love!

here's a view from above of the shuttle atlantis before the 1996 launch of sts-79!


this is a great shot from twitterer mattsimantov.


check out nasa's astrovan that shuttles the crew to the launch pad! every shuttle crew since 1984 has ridden the nine miles to the launch pad in this modified airstream motorhome. sweet :)



here's a hint at the flight plan of the atlantis crew over the next 11 days... they will be busy!!

Flight Day 6

DATE/EDT.......DD...HH...MM...EVENT
05/16/09
Sat 03:26 AM...04...13...25...HST: SSR engineering playback
Sat 04:31 AM...04...14...30...Crew wakeup
Sat 05:46 AM...04...15...45...EVA-3: Preparations begin
Sat 07:16 AM...04...17...15...EVA-3: Spacesuit purge
Sat 07:26 AM...04...17...25...EVA-3: Spacesuit pre-breathe
Sat 08:06 AM...04...18...05...EVA-3: Airlock depressurization
Sat 08:16 AM...04...18...15...EVA-3: Spacesuits to battery power
Sat 08:21 AM...04...18...20...EVA-3: Airlock egress and setup
Sat 08:46 AM...04...18...45...EVA-3: Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
Sat 10:46 AM...04...20...45...HST: COS aliveness test
Sat 11:36 AM...04...21...35...EVA-3: ACS repair (part 1)
Sat 02:01 PM...05...00...00...EVA-3: Cleanup and airlock ingress
Sat 02:46 PM...05...00...45...EVA-3: Airlock repressurization
Sat 02:46 PM...05...00...45...HST: COS functional test
Sat 02:56 PM...05...00...55...Spacesuit servicing

see the full schedule here.

beautiful day for space travel!

good luck to the crew that launches today aboard the atlantis shuttle! we thoroughly appreciate all your efforts to pimp our favorite space telescope!


right now, 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are flowing into atlantis' external fuel tank.

you can follow along from NASA TV, or the official facebook page, or Hubble PAO on twitter, or regular old television, i imagine ;)

launch is scheduled for 2pm EDT.
enjoy!

yooouuutuuube

i dont entirely understand what http://www.yooouuutuuube.com is, but its visually stunning and even thought the music is relaxing, watching is a slightly intense experience! check it out, then tell me what you think!

happy songkran! (best waterfight ever.)

we arrived in thailand in mid-april, 2009, on the first day of the 3-day new years celebration called songkran! i was told this multi-day celebration focuses on cleaning, cleansing, and restoring. everyone spends some time cleansing their bodies, they clean their entire house, they clean up images and statues of buddha, and they visit their elders to spend some time together. the whole process sounds lovely, but the most memorable part for most visitors, i think, is the self-cleansing period... which essentially means having a country-wide water fight where you not only dump water on yourself, but you make sure every other person that comes within your vicinity is also "cleansed" with refreshing water!!


we crossed the cambodia-thailand border around noon, having seen no evidence of the purported water fights in cambodia. almost immediately as we rode south along the quiet two lane roads in thailand, the taxi was pummeled with buckets of water by kids, and sometimes entire families, that stood along the side of the road, dancing to music, and laughing together waiting for more people to drive past! our excitement rose as we headed toward koh chang island!


we packed ourselves and our backpacks into a taxi which drove us along the single road that went around the island. the driver rudely motioned to the twelve taxi riders that we should hide our electronics (i realized from hindsight), but we got annoyed because it just seemed like he was yelling at us loudly in thai, pointing and waving his arms wildly! we began the 45-minute journey complaining about the driver, until it hit us - icy cold water from buckets and warm fountains of water from hoses and waterguns!! we screamed and scrambled and begged in vain for people to take mercy on us and all of our stuff. we got wet. were were sitting ducks trapped in the back of the taxi!


we found ourselves needlessly angry about getting refreshingly soaked with water, and i felt a bit silly after we made it to the bungalow and i realized not much got wet inside my bag!


we took some time to plan before we left to explore the town: we didnt mind getting wet, but we needed to waterproof our wallets! i have a waterproof case for my little digital camera, and this experience made the investment unbelievably worth it!!

we were warmly welcomed with buckets of water not more than 20 feet from our bungalow!


this kid got me with his ice water and face paste :(


we enjoyed our brief encounter with the water rituals that night, but they ended in the evening as the sun set. the next day we headed to the beach for a swim in the ridiculously warm water before fully joining in the songkran fun! remember these watery hair dos? haha!


after a quick bite to eat, there was no avoiding the fun.


we dropped everything, bought some beers, grabbed some buckets, and took our places with the people dancing along the side of the only road!




welcome to the party...


scooter drivers had no chance of staying dry!




when the traffic was slow...


everyone participated!


i realized that people stuck in the back of taxis really were the best targets. i got my undeserved revenge ;)


truck loads of families and friends would drive by...




... usually with their own water supply to dump on us!


and occasionally, someone would come along and cover us all with some type of powder or paste!




we were the last ones left with buckets in our hands as the sun began to set ;)


best. waterfight. ever.



more (high-res) photos of koh chang island and thailand: here.

Veritas Vos Liberabit

here's an excellent scene from the abstruse goose comic series!


the whole comic...


it's tough to tell if the comic is mocking religious folks or scientists? or both? come to think of it, i've never had someone come to my door trying to convert me to their religion in any country other than the US. does this phenomenon occur in other countries?

in my opinion, the comic makes fun of any fundamentalist view and the people who feel they need to convert everyone else to believe whatever they do. anyone can believe whatever they want... i only get annoyed and angry when people hurt others because of differing beliefs, or force their opinions and beliefs on others.


ps. in no way am i trying to relate science to religion here.

atlantis ready to visit hubble!

NASA's atlantis shuttle sits in wait as the crew prepares to go to the hubble space telescope for the final servicing mission (SM4)! launch is scheduled for 2:01 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 11, 2009!!

see high-res image

to gain insight as to what astronauts do during the days before a missions, you can follow astronaut mike massimino on twitter! people seem to love or hate twitter, but i've found his posts very interesting because he's described the activities he and the crew have done since going into quarantine about 4 days ago. they are getting prepared for the strange sleeping pattern they will endure during the mission so their quarters are now blasted with really bright light to help them wake up!

you might recall that SM4 was canceled in 2004, which was met by a loud public outcry and the beginning of a petition to save the hubble. i remember being a graduate student in shock at the announcement, but then i was thrilled to see how strongly people responded since the telescope has made such a huge impact in our visions of the universe! in 2006, the high-ups in NASA announced that SM4 had been added back to the launch schedule, much to the relief of many people all over the world!

this mission will last for 11 days. during that time, the astronauts will make 5 spacewalks in order to fix two instruments, install two new instruments and tidy things up so that hubble will function until 2014 (if all goes well).

i'm excited!!!!

ʎʇɹıɥʇ ɹoɟ ƃuıʇıɐʍ

¿ti tndluow ˛sraey wef a rof sdrawkcab ega ot ecin yllaer eb dluow ti ˛gnikniht tsuj saw I

crimes against galaxies

many things can happen to a galaxy throughout its lifetime. trying to identify, understand, and quantify the underlying physics and resulting appearance of the possible events, in order to describe the huge variety of galaxy shapes we observe in the nearby universe, is what we loosely call the field of galaxy evolution.

most large galaxies merge together with other large galaxies between 2 and 5 times (on average) during their lifetimes. when mergers occur between galaxies of roughly equal mass, we call them "major mergers." we see evidence of galaxies merging together, as shown in the collage below of 6 different merging systems observed with the hubble space telescope. major mergers completely destroy the appearance of both systems as their stars and gas mix up completely and transform into a new single galaxy, having roughly spherical shape.


we can only see one snapshot of real merging systems because the timeframe for merging is so long. if you observe any of the above systems in 30 years, they will look nearly identical! but several research groups have been largely successful in simulating galaxy mergers using known physics and powerful computers, so we have a decent understanding of the process of major mergers, even if we don't understand all the details.

but the majority of interactions between galaxies are not major mergers. it is much more common for massive galaxies to be invaded by smaller, orbiting "satellite" galaxies! or for individual galaxies to fall into large clusters of many galaxies, only to be affected by the hot gas that lives between all the galaxies in the cluster. the challenge is that these events are much more difficult to observe with telescopes than major mergers, because less massive galaxies are much fainter, and gas is more challenging to detect than starlight!

at the conference i recently attended in malaysia, there was much discussion about the effects of galaxy interactions... from computer model predictions, to actual evidence as detected by observations of the universe.

i find it interesting that the terms used by professional astronomers to describe the different effects of galaxy interactions are so surprisingly violent! some examples: harassment, strangulation, suffocation, starvation, (ram-pressure) stripping!! not only are these terms violent, but for some reason, astronomers use several different brutal terms to describe the same type of event!?

a clever astronomer, aeree chung, created cute little caricatures of each of these processes to illustrate their definitions, differences and similarities.

according to her pictorial, the image to the left shows a contented, normal, unperturbed, spiral galaxy! the solid yellow portion shows where the stars live, while the blue fuzzy areas show where the galaxy's gas lives. there is a round bulge in the center of the galaxy which is surrounded by a flat disk - just like our milky way galaxy.

the image to the right shows two galaxies of similar mass undergoing a major merger! they are each clearly disturbed the by presence of the other ;) the central bulges of the galaxies dominate the gravitational potentials and are quickly pulled toward each other while the stars and gas in the disk are stretched out to great distances at the beginning of their encounter (close to image 3 in the collage above).

when small galaxies fall onto a larger galaxy, they "harass" the more massive galaxy by slightly perturbing its shape and mixing up its contents, but not to the point of complete discombobulation! when the ratio of masses of the galaxies that merge are 4:1 or more extreme, we call it a "minor merger," which often results in the harassment of the more massive galaxy.

when an individual galaxy falls into the gravitational potential of a galaxy cluster (that contains tens to hundreds of galaxies), the result is usually that the infalling galaxy suffers from ram-pressure stripping. this is when the hot gas that lives between the cluster galaxies (pink arrows) strips off and removes the cold gas that lives in the disk of the infalling galaxy (blue dots).

from what i've read and heard, i think galaxy starvation == strangulation == suffocation! after a galaxy falls into a cluster and has all of its cold gas stripped away, it no longer has cold gas remaining with which to form new stars. since the galaxy has no more fuel (=cold gas), it is (apparently) starving, or suffocating, or being strangled since it is unable to produce new stars! so you can pick your favorite term for "out of fuel."

a less aggressive, but often used term is tidal truncation. this occurs when the interactions between a galaxy and its surroundings strip away the gas and the stars towards the outskirts of the galaxy.

another pleasantly non-violent term is thermal evaporation, which occurs in massive galaxies in clusters. the hot gas that lives between the cluster galaxies heats up the cold gas in the particular massive galaxy in question. in this case, the the galaxy keeps its gas, but the gas gets so hot that it can no longer form stars.

its probably true that each of these terms describes a different stage in the process of galaxy merging. the strength and timescale of any particular stage is dependent on the ratio of the two galaxies involved in a merger, or in the case of a galaxy falling onto a cluster, its dependent on the mass of the incoming galaxy and its distance from the gravitational center of the cluster at the time of observation. but any particular galaxy probably does not go thru every one of these phases.

i still have a hard time remembering which of these aggressive terms describe which specific process, but i'm glad that i have a full list now! what is certainly clear is that we humans seem to think that galaxies regularly commit horrible crimes against each other!!

squeez bacon

i used to say that i was a vegetarian who experienced the occasional pleasure of a good piece of bacon. but this is just wrong.


i hope squeez bacon is a joke, but i cant really tell.

wow.

thanks sara... i think!