science | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘science’

Monday on Mars

Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, inspiration, Mars, MarsCuriosity, NASA, science, space, Thoughts on January 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

It’s Monday, I’m back at work, and while things are moving along fine I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder what a day in space would be like instead.

Let’s take a little break and go to Mars, shall we?

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Captures a Martian Day, From Dawn to Dusk – NASA Mars Exploration

Rover drivers normally rely on Curiosity’s Hazcams to spot rocks, slopes, and other hazards that may be risky to traverse. But because the rover’s other activities were intentionally scaled back just prior to conjunction, the team decided to use the Hazcams to record 12 hours of snapshots for the first time, hoping to capture clouds or dust devils that could reveal more about the Red Planet’s weather.

NASA

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The Strange Phenomenon That Is Saint Nick

Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, children, Christmas, creativity, science, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Christmas Eve, when Santa is racing around the world distributing presents, seems like an excellent time to think back to the experience of the holiday as a young child. If Christmas was part of your family tradition, do you remember what it was like to believe in Santa Claus?

I do, and despite the ever-present pressures of reality, that sense of wonder is part of why I write.

Making Sense of Santa, as a Science Reporter and a Parent ‹ Literary Hub

“When I was a kid, did you try to get me to believe in Santa?” I recently asked my parents. My father, a mathematician, scoffed. “Of course not,” he said. “We told you he was a mythological being that represented generosity and good cheer.”

Still, every December, my mother hung stockings above the chimney with care. And every Christmas Eve, she made sure cookies were left on a festively decorated plate, as though she truly believed St. Nick would soon be there.

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Life Skills

Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, science, skills on December 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I spent a lot of time as a kid learning skills that were technically unnecessary for me, but would have been essential to my ancestors. Skills like weaving, making cough syrup or dyeing wool using local herbs, flint knapping, bow making, that sort of thing (yes, my parents were very tolerant!). One of the skills I never did manage (and I bet the local fire department was grateful) was making a fire using only friction.

If you’ve seen Tom Hanks try this in Castaway, you’ll know that it isn’t as easy as it looks.

If this is the sort of thing that catches your attention, as it does mine, this article might interest you.

Lighting a fire using friction requires an understanding of some physics principles − but there are ways to make the process easier

Fire by friction is a testament to human ingenuity, contributing to the development of early technology and a later understanding of physics, chemistry and heat transfer.

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Purr-fect

Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, NASA, science, space cats on December 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Oh look, NASA just sent the first Ultra-HD video through deep space using a laser communications system.

NASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space via Laser

Me: Cool cool cool. It’s a test, right?

Other Me: That’s right.

Me: So this experiment marks the progress humanity has made in reaching out to the stars. I wonder which video NASA used?

Other Me: This one. I think it perfectly encapsulates the usefulness of laser technology in general, and where we are as a species right now in particular.

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Rare Event

Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, inspiration, Orion, science, sky on December 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Want to see a rare astronomical event tonight? (And really, why wouldn’t you?)

The extremely rare Betelgeuse occultation by asteroid (319) Leona

For a very short time, we will see the legendary Orion constellation without its famous, orange shoulder, as it will be in the distant future, once Betelgeuse will have exploded as a supernova and faded to black.

Hey, I like Orion! What’s this all about?

Watch an asteroid eclipse the puzzling red giant star Betelgeuse tonight live online

At at 8:17 p.m. EST Monday (Dec. 11) (0117 GMT, Dec. 12), an asteroid will pass in front of the curious red star Betelgeuse, eclipsing it from our vantage point here on Earth and blocking it from view for up to 15 seconds in an event known as an occultation. The asteroid is known as 319 Leona, a main belt object that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Shaped roughly like an egg, 319 Leona measures some 50 by 34 miles (80 x 55 kilometers) in size.

Here’s a link to live coverage of the event.

So Orion’s loss is temporary, and will also help scientists better understand both the asteroid’s shape and the star’s characteristics. No Tim Burton movie required!

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*via Microsoft Image Creator: graphic illustration stamp of a star over mountains in winter, with a passing asteroid*

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Worlds That Never Were

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, inspiration, science, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.
— Carl Sagan

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Sound in Space, Alien and Otherwise

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, inspiration, learn-astronomy, science, space, studying-space on December 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Why isn’t there any sound in space? An astronomer explains why in space no one can hear you scream

In space, no one can hear you scream.

You may have heard this saying. It’s the tagline from the famous 1979 science fiction movie “Alien.” It’s a scary thought, but is it true? The simple answer is yes, no one can hear you scream in space because there is no sound or echo in space.

I’m a professor of astronomy, which means I study space and how it works. Space is silent – for the most part.

University of Arizona Distinguished Professor of Astronomy Chris Impey explains the science behind the Alien tagline, showcases slinkies as sound waves, and discusses why humans can’t speak across space but phenomena like galaxies and black holes can.

Also, a fun fact I did not know: “The word vacuum comes from the Latin word for empty.”

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Methane, Man

Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, climate change, co2, greenhouse-gases, methane, science, Thoughts on December 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »

What’s the fastest way to slow global warming? Bill Nye has the answer. | Environmental Defense Fund

We asked Bill Nye The Science Guy to create a quick, easy-to-understand lesson on the fastest way to slow global warming: cutting methane emissions.

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Nights on Earth

Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, cool tools, curling it's a thing!, NASA, science, space on December 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

What’s happening in the night skies this month? I have no idea, actually, but this calendar does!

Astronomy Calendar for December, 2023 for Ottawa, Canada

Welcome to NightsOnEarth.com, a customizable, free astro-calendar to help you plan your stargazing, created by photographer Phil Mosby.

Click on any day and then on Settings to specify your location.

What’s this? The Pheonicid Meteor Shower will be visible starting tomorrow night and showcases meteors seemingly coming from the Phoenix constellation?

Cool cool cool. And what’s the Phoenix constellation? (Clicks on “learn more” and voila: Pheonicid meteor shower 2023).

Although that particular arrangement of stars isn’t saying phoenix to me so much as… curling stone.

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