The Creation and Collision of Galaxies

Watch the video below to see a simulation of the creation of a galaxy. Note the counterclockwise spinning and the gravity that is pulling material towards it. As the galaxy continues to get larger, it absorbs a smaller galaxy and becomes even bigger.

Crashing Galaxies

This simulation is what scientists believe will happen when 2 galaxies collide. The simulation was created by using images provided by the Hubble Telescope and a little imagination. The Simulation details what scientists believe will happen then stop the animation and show actual photos that demonstrate the galaxies in that portion of the simulation and thereby support the theory.

The Universe - Poetry in Motion

The Universe is a great big beautiful place. The clip below talks about the Universe and how truly magnificent it it. It is like Poetry in Motion.

Big Bang and the Creation of the Solar System

The following video shows the big bang through the creation of the universe, then the solar system, and onto the planet Earth and its evolution through 4.6 billion years.

Environmental Science - 3rd simulation - Gases

Gas Properties Worksheet

 Learning Goals: Students to be able to

A. Describe what happens to the measurable  quantities if changes to a gas system are made.

B. Relate the amount of energy of the gases to resulting molecular motion.

C. Explain using physics what is happening on a molecular level when changes are made to a gas system.

D. Use ideas about pressure and temperature to explain some common phenomena.

Directions:

1.      Open the Gas Properties link http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/ gas-properties  - click on Run Now

2.      Familiarize yourself with the different setting. After clicking on some of the possible options, answer these pre-activity questions using prior knowledge:

3.      People who climb the tallest mountains in the world often use oxygen tanks to help them breathe. If a mountain climber asked you to explain the science behind the “thin air”, what would you say to him?

4.      If you are in a building fire, you are supposed to lie on the ground. Why?

5.      If you are hiking in the mountains and find yourself short of breath, do you think if you lie on the ground you could breathe easier? Why?

6.   Be sure that the Gas Properties program is set to NONE as the constant parameter. Make sure HEAVY gas is clicked. Pump the Handle 4 times and put some gas in the chamber. What happens to the molecules?

7.   Slide the gravity to LOTS. What happens to the molecules at first?

8.   What happens to them after a couple of minutes?

9.   Click RESET. Now click on NONE again and pump more molecules into the chamber.

10.  Click on PRESSURE. A handle has appeared on the left – click on the handle and move the box to the right so it is smaller. What happens to the molecules?

11.  Increase the pressure to 3.5 ATM  - what happens to the box when you let go of the mouse?

12.  What pressure does it move to on its own? Why does that happen?

13.  Click on NONE and add heat at the bottom of the chamber. What happens to the molecules?

14.  As you keep adding heat, watch the pressure gauge. What is happening?

15.  What eventually happens to the chamber and the molecules? Why?

16.  Be sure that the Gas Properties program is set to NONE as the constant parameter. Make sure LIGHT gas is clicked. Pump the Handle 4 times and put some gas in the chamber. What happens to the molecules?

17.  How do they react different than the HEAVY gases?

18.  Carbon dioxide is a heavy gas. Explain how does this simulation help you understand how carbon dioxide interacts in our atmosphere?

19.  How  is this simulation similar to what happens in our atmosphere when discussing the heating of our atmosphere and global warming?

20.  Name 3 things that add heat to our atmosphere and write and essay that describes the effect that they have on our atmosphere in detail.

Mysterious Sea Creature

I have absolutely NO IDEA what this is - pretty cool though!!!!

Rare whale vomit found by schoolboy on beach

A schoolboy could make a gross profit after stumbling across a rare piece of whale vomit on a beach - which could by worth as much as £40,000 ($63,000 in the United States).

Charlie Naysmith, 8, discovered the 600 grams solid piece of sick after taking a stroll along Hengistbury Head beach. He came across a big chunk that looked like a yellowish beige rock with a waxy finish and picked it up. With the help of his parents he discovered his find was not a rock, but a substance vomited or excreted by sperm whales.

But it appears that one whale's trash is another person's treasure. Decades of floating and exposure to sun and salt have turned the substance, technically called ambergris, into a smooth lump of compact rock which feels waxy and has a sweet smell.

As repulsive as it my sound, the substance is highly sought after with perfume makers as it helps prolong the scent of perfume. A pound of the whale waste sells for as much as £6,300 (over $10,000 a pound).

While perfumes can still be found with ambergris around the world, many perfumers usually avoid it because it is associated with whaling and the sperm whale is a vulnerable species.

Charlie is not the only one to discover the foul - if lucrative - find.

Beachcombers Sean Kane and, 24, and Ian Foster, 39, discovered a 110lb of whale vomit washed up on the beach in 2008. Known as 'floating gold', because of its high value, the waxy haul was estimated to be worth £500,000 (over $1 million!).

However, in recent times the perfume industry has largely switched to synthetic versions instead of using the vomit as it is seen as a by-product of the whaling industry.

Constellation Hercules in the Summer Night Sky

With the bright moon out of the late evening sky, stargazers will be treated to views of the constellation Hercules. Although it is the 5th largest constellation, it is difficult to see since many of the stars are dim. To spot Hercules, look to the west in the summer months at around 10pm. See the Big Dipper low to the horizon towards the North West. Now look overhead at your position and look for an outline of the letter H. That is the constellation Hercules. 

Hercules is named for the son of Zeus who defeated the lion Leo and the multi-headed beast Hydra. While fighting with Hydra, Hercules also killed the little crab called Cancer.


The picture of the constellation should be shown upside down. The Alpha star is the head of Hercules and the Gamma star would be the end of the club. M13 is located on the lower back of Hercules.

Within Hercules is quite possibly the most celebrated object in the summertime skies - The Great Cluster in Hercules which is also known as M13. The Great Cluster is 25,000 light years away, 160 light years across, and is made of tens of thousands of stars. The M represents the initial of the comet observer, Charles Messier (1730-1817) who first noted the cluster in 1764 while looking for comets.

But it was actually Edmund Halley who first noticed it 50 years earlier in 1715 – same Edmund Halley who discovered the comet of the same name.

To locate Messier 13, look toward the four stars, known as the "Keystone," which forms the body of Hercules. It is between the two western stars of the keystone that you can find the Great Globular Cluster of Hercules.

It Seems Clams Like Salt

Unites States Heat Wave July 2012

The United States Heat Wave of July 2012 has been near-unprecedented for several major cities according to NBC News.

*In Chicago, the temperature reached 100 degrees for three consecutive days from Wednesday      through Friday, July 4-6, which ties t he records of July 3-5, 1911, and August 4-6, 1947.

*St Louis' streak of 10 consecutive days of 100 or higher (June 28 through July 7) has only been topped by the Dust Bowl year of 1825 when the streak was 13 days.

*In Minneapolis, the mercury hit triple-digits on Wednesday and Friday, July 4 and 6, at the Twin Cities International Airport; the last year there were at least two 100-degree high temperatures in the Twin Cities was 1988, when there were four.

*Washington DC hit 100 on Sunday, July 8, for the fourth consecutive day, tying a record set July 19-22, 1930.

Forecasters warned that a new round of record highs could soon bake the Western states. This western heat wave will start tomorrow, Monday, July 9, where the Rockies are bracing to receive this kind of heat.

Factors behind the Heat Wave

The positioning of the jet stream (an area of maximum winds high above the ground) is the major player in heat waves. The jet stream "ribbon" swirls up and down as it circles the globe. If you are on the north side of the "ribbon" you experience cooler air. Conversely, when you are on the southern side of the "ribbon" you experience hotter air. Meteorologists call this a "ridge" in the jet stream. The areas that lie under that ridge can experience heat waves. 

Batch of Dinosaur Eggs Found

UPDATE: The so called "dinosaur eggs" whose find was announced by Chechen scientists in April, have since turned out to be a pile of stones reports RIA Novosti on Wednesday, citing the Senior Research Fellow of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Science Academy, Kirill Es'kov.
"We have done research and have found that these are not dinosaur eggs - eggs cannot be that size. The samples have geologic origins and there are no continental deposits of such age in Chechnya."

40 counted so far at construction site; paleontologists to determine species that laid them

Geologists in Russia's volatile Chechnya region have discovered what they believe to be fossilized dinosaur eggs laid by one of the huge extinct reptiles that roamed the Earth more than 60 million years ago.
"We've found about 40 eggs so far, the exact number has not been established," said Said-Emin Dzhabrailov, a geologist at the Chechen State University.
"There could be many more laying under the ground."
The find was uncovered when a construction crew was blasting through a hillside to build a road near the region's border with former Soviet Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains.
A team of geologists stumbled across the smooth, oval rock-like forms, which range from 25 cm to one meter coincidentally on a recent trip to the area, said Dzhabrailov.
He said paleontologists were needed to determine which species of dinosaur had laid them.

Yosemite National Park

The Firefall Photograph from Glacier Point is shown in Yosemite National Park. A window of time just opened in Yosemite National Park when nature photographers wait, as if for an eclipse, until the moment when the sun and earth align to create a fleeting phenomenon. This marvel of celestial configuration happens in a flash at sunset in mid-February _ if the winter weather cooperates. On those days the setting sun illuminates one of the park's lesser-known waterfalls so precisely that it resembles molten lava as it flows over the sheer granite face of the imposing El Capitan. Merely, an optical illusion.

A youngster walks along the banks of the Merced River, in view of El Capitan (L), and Bridalveil Fall (R) in Yosemite National Park, California May 17, 2009.

Taiwan Landslide January 2012

This is the photo of the landslide immediately after it happened.


If you look at a picture of Google Earth from almost 1 year ago, you can see the outline of the land that will be sliding within the year.

Australia unearths country's largest pink diamond

A 12.76-carat pink diamond has been unearthed in an Australian mine called Argyle Mine. The stone is the the largest ever found in the country and was named the Argyle Pink Jubilee. The Argyle mine is the world's largest producer of pink diamonds and generates more than 90% of the global market supply of pink diamonds.

It has taken 26 years of Argyle production to unearth this stone, and there may never be one like this again. It will take ten days to cut and polish the diamond into a single stone. The finished stone will be offered for sale later this year and the diamond is expected to be worth at least $1.07 million US dollars.

Just for Fun - Bears in the Woods

A motion detection camera is set up in the woods. See what happens at night.


Even bears practice their dance moves when they think no one is looking.

Just for Fun - Dog Learn Physics the Hard Way

Just for Fun - Dog Plays Dead While Playing with Other Dog

Just for Fun - Owls

This is the most INCREDIBLE footage of an owl that I have ever seen.




Some cute baby screech owls - odd, but cute!

More footage of owls

Art in Earth Science - Ice Crystals

Bitter Cold Grips Europe February 2012

As temperatures in the United States seem set at 40 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperatures in Eastern Europe continuously drop to 10 degrees below zero. See below for some pictures of the event.

Snow lined streets

Ice covered car near the water

Frozen waterfalls

Cloud Tsunami over Panama City Beach, Florida

February 5, 2012 fog rolls up from the ocean in Florida to create some spectacular fog effects.

Cool air offshore was very nearly at the saturation point, with a temperature near 20ºC and a dew point of about 19.5ºC. The air at this temperature can only hold a certain amount of water vapor, and how much it can hold depends heavily on the temperature. If you add more water into the air, a cloud will form, but you can also get a cloud to form by cooling the air. Drop the temperature, and it can no long hold as much water vapor, so some of it will condense out and a cloud will form.

Earth Science Cartoon

Coastal California road slides toward sea after rainfall

A landslide after Sunday's heavy rainstorm collapsed a section of a coastal bluff road in San Pedro, seen Monday Nov. 21, 2011. There were no injuries or property damaged. A Los Angeles official says the stretch of road that collapsed is likely irreparable and a new route for the scenic roadway will have to be considered.

Cool Sun and Moon Photos

Take a look at some interesting placement of people in a photo!

You can hand in photos like this for extra credit - BE INNOVATIVE!! Do not recreate what you have already seen.