There’s a giant planet right here, hiding in our Solar System. One that nobody has ever seen, even while it is four times larger than Jupiter and has rings and moons orbiting it. At least, that’s what two astrophysicists say. More »
Peter Jalowiczor is a gas worker from South Yorkshire, England. He’s also the discoverer of four giant exoplanets, according to the University of California’s Lick-Carnegie Planet Search Team. But he’s not an astronomer and he doesn’t even have a telescope. More »
It’s kind of hard to accept, Pluto has always been our favorite underdog, but the truth is that the Solar System‘s ninth planet was never really significant enough to earn that designation. Such is the coldly logical reason given for its removal from the planetary annals by a man who had a lot to do with its demise. Caltech astronomer Mike Brown discovered Eris, what he’d hoped was the tenth planet, back in 2005, but its extreme distance from the Sun and diminutive (by planetary standards) dimensions disqualified it from consideration. Unfortunately, its discovery is what doomed Pluto to be downgraded to a “dwarf planet,” though Mike’s not shedding too many tears over it. In fact, he’s gone and written a book about the whole thing, the smug planet destroyer that he is. You don’t have to buy it to learn more, however, as the source link has an interview with Mike all ready and waiting.
Why did Pluto lose its planet status? Because it never mattered enough originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Antikythera Mechanism is what you call truly old school technology. Argued to be the world’s oldest known computer, this ancient Greek invention was used some time circa 100BC to calculate and “predict celestial events and eclipses with unprecedented accuracy.” Skipping past the two millennia in which it lay lost on a sea floor somewhere, the Mechanism has now been recreated by an Apple software engineer by the name of Andrew Carol, who has lovingly pieced 1,500 Lego Technic blocks together, creating 110 gears and four gearboxes in total. Each box is responsible for performing one piece of arithmetic, and when the resulting machine is fed with appropriate calendar data, it spits out a (hopefully accurate) prediction for the next time a solar eclipse should occur. All well and good, but we’re really just amazed by the beauty of those gears working. Check them out after the break.
Apple engineer uses Lego to rebuild ancient Greek mechanism, will surely try to patent it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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NASA Goddard Space Flight Center scientists have created a new material that is ten times blacker than the blackest black paint in the world. It’s made of carbon nanotubes grown on titanium. Why does NASA need this material? More »
It’s no secret: I’m a space nerd. A rocket fetishist. I’m not ashamed. At least I don’t wear space underpants when I watch The Right Stuff. Know someone like me? I can help you get them an awesome present. More »
It’s no secret: I’m a space nerd. A rocket fetishist. I’m not ashamed. At least I don’t wear space underpants when I watch The Right Stuff. Know someone like me? I can help you get them an awesome present. More »
Contrary to popular legend, Pulsar wristwatches don’t use the light of dying stars to keep time. However, if researchers at the University of Manchester are correct, the strobe-like effect generated by a collapsed star’s spin may indeed be the most accurate clock (sorry, atoms) available to mankind. While pulsars have long been studied for insight into the nature of time and gravity, their patterns weren’t as regular as scientists would like, but the U of M team believe that’s because the stars are actually swapping between two different states, each with their own rotation speed. By correcting for the difference when the hunk of burning gas puts on the brakes, they can make measurements far more precise — meaning a greater understanding of the fabric of space-time for the brainiacs, and if we’re lucky, reliable pulsar clocks within our lifetime.
Pulsar clocks spin closer to reality originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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