Tag Archives: Astrophysics

Books & Reading, Science & Health

Astronomers Gear Up to Grapple with the High-Tension Cosmos – Scientific American

A debate over conflicting measurements of key cosmological properties is set to shape the next decade of astronomy and astrophysics

By Anil Ananthaswamy, April 18, 2022

Atacama Cosmology Telescope at Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Credit: Giulio Ercolani/Alamy Stock Photo

How fast is the universe expanding? How much does matter clump up in our cosmic neighborhood? Different methods of answering these two questions—either by observing the early cosmos and extrapolating to present times, or by making direct observations of the nearby universe—are yielding consistently different answers.

The simplest explanation for these discrepancies is merely that our measurements are somehow erroneous, but researchers are increasingly entertaining another, more breathtaking possibility: These twin tensions—between expectation and observation, between the early and late universe—may reflect some deep flaw in the standard model of cosmology, which encapsulates our knowledge and assumptions about the universe.

Finding and fixing that flaw, then, could profoundly transform our understanding of the cosmos.

Source: Astronomers Gear Up to Grapple with the High-Tension Cosmos – Scientific American

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‘Science Needs Better Marketing’ Says Neil deGrasse Tyson – YouTube

From YouTube…

‘Science Needs Better Marketing’ Says Neil deGrasse Tyson

8,623 views • Dec 30, 2021

• Hayden Planetarium director and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses with Nicolle Wallace the year in science and what lies ahead in the new year.

Source: ‘Science Needs Better Marketing’ Says Neil deGrasse Tyson – YouTube

Books & Reading, Film & Movies, Science & Health, Web & Technology

Take Math to Mars and Beyond With NASA’s Pi Day Challenge – Teachable Moments | NASA/JPL Edu

This artist’s concept shows what Deep Space Station-23, a new antenna dish capable of supporting both radio wave and laser communications, will look like when completed at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone, California, complex. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image

Teachable Moments| March 5, 2021

By Lyle Tavernier

Learn about pi and the history of Pi Day before exploring some of the ways the number is used at NASA. Then, try the math for yourself in our Pi Day Challenge.

Source: Take Math to Mars and Beyond With NASA’s Pi Day Challenge – Teachable Moments | NASA/JPL Edu

Science & Health

Remembering Vera Rubin, Who Made Dark Matter Matter : NPR

Scientist Vera Rubin made the theory of dark matter a reality and, many say, created modern astrophysics. NPR’s Ari Shapiro discusses Rubin’s passing with fellow astrophysicist Risa Wechsler.

Source: Remembering Vera Rubin, Who Made Dark Matter Matter : NPR

Current Affairs, Science & Health

Ninth Planet May Exist Beyond Pluto, Scientists Report – The New York Times

An artist’s impression of a possible ninth planet. It would be quite large — at least as big as Earth — with a thick atmosphere around a rocky core. California Institute of Technology

There might be a ninth planet in the solar system after all, and it is not Pluto.Two astronomers reported on Wednesday that they had compelling signs of something bigger and farther away — something that would satisfy the current definition of a planet, where Pluto falls short.

Source: Ninth Planet May Exist Beyond Pluto, Scientists Report – The New York Times

Editor’s note: Don’t miss the comments’ area, fun and interesting.. Why nothing like this has been found, odd, for 21st Century, but a 10,000-20,000 year orbit ? could mean it’s never been near (yet) …