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Posts Tagged ‘physics’

Double the Fun!

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on July 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A friend who knows I like rainbows and Star Wars sent this my way, and it is fascinating!

In case you’ve ever wondered what difference two suns would make:)

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Double rainbow but only one sun. Photo by Coralie Meurice on Unsplash

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A Red Sun Rises

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »

My trip to the mailbox this morning began peacefully enough, a quiet stroll through a slowly brightening day. Then I looked up. The sun hung in a hazy sky, its light filtered by particulates from fires in Quebec, leaving a visible disk that looked like a second moon. The smoke changed the usual morning light from bright yellow to a darker, ruddier hue. Very dramatic.

Today’s forecast? Thunderstorms, which brought to mind the old adage about skies and sailors. “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.” It turns out to be based on atmospheric science, and while the logic doesn’t hold up everywhere all the time (and yes, smoke can interfere with its accuracy), it can be useful. 

Red Sky at Night: Is the Sailor’s Saying Really True?

The folklore lines up with two pieces of plain physics: how air moves and how light scatters. Low pressure pulls air together and lifts it, which builds clouds and brings rain. High pressure does the opposite. Air sinks and spreads out, which keeps the sky clear and traps dust and fine particles near the ground. Sailors learned the shorthand long before anyone measured a millibar: low pressure for foul weather, high pressure for fair.

Happily, forewarned is forearmed (to use another old adage). Now I wait, and watch for the coming storm.

A red sun rises.

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Photo by Red Dot on Unsplash

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Accomplish This

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on May 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

We’re heading into the end of the week and I don’t know about you, but I’m usually looking at my to do lists and wondering where the time has gone. (Also? I’m now convinced that meetings exist primarily to spawn more meetings.)

So, fine, maybe I haven’t accomplished everything I wanted to, but it’s not like I haven’t earned a little time for fun.

You too? Then consider taking a few minutes off to read about why The Phony Physics of Star Wars Are a Blast.

You can also read more about the Science Behind Science Fiction: The Physics of Star Wars from the Connecticut Science Center.

An extra bit of fun: And if you’ve always wondered how quickly you’d react to a lightsaber in the dark, or a TIE fighter arrowing out from behind a canyon wall, maybe you should try testing your Reaction Time. (That big blue bar at the top? Click that:)

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Photo by Nicholas Fuentes on Unsplash

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Time to Go Back in Time?

Posted in Entertainment, Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 29, 2024| 1 Comment »

For those of you who enjoy time travel, thought exercises, physics, Doctor Who, or just hate bad time travel concepts (me!), here’s a fun and informative article.

The invisible dangers of travelling through time

The mishaps caused by time travellers exploring the past are a staple of science fiction. But what does physics think?

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Photo by Andy Beales on Unsplash

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Get Your Lightsaber On

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on October 19, 2016| Leave a Comment »

While we wait to see if the European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission and its Schiaparelli lander makes it to the Martian surface intact, here is Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, taking on that most important of questions: are lightsabers physically possible?

Curious? I know I am!

 

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Orbital Derby

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Mwahaha, now this is fun:) SuperPlanetCrash is a little online game by Stefano Meschiari that lets you build your own solar system and learn something about orbital physics along the way. The goal is to keep your planets orbiting for 500 years. Click to add planets, ice giants, brown dwarfs and stars, then watch as gravity undermines your best intentions! Use the game to simulate that system you sketched out for your epic sci-fi space opera. Ponder the effects of gravity and motion while earning points for the longevity of your system.

And if you just want to add Super-Earths until the whole crazy house of cards comes crashing down? Go for it:)

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Another Thought After Iain Banks, or, Origins and Destiny

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Now might be a good time to spend a little time with everyone’s favorite physicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, as he revisits the origins of the atoms that make up the human body.

From stars we came and to the stars we must return.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Where Our Atoms Came From

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