Sunday, February 29, 2004
Well its Sunday, not much happened this weekend. I took the telescope out of the city, drove about 2 hours, and lone and behold, still get light pollution from the city. Not like back home, that’s for sure.
I think I going to catch another flick tonight… oh yeah for those of you who care, William is back tomorrow night, special performance….lol
So I got an interesting letter from one of my fellow friends back home on Friday. I must say it moved me. She too is moving away, opposite direct then what I took. I guess it is the year for change for everybody. Well if your listening, I wish you all the best my friend, do keep in touch. *smiles * . And yes I will send you a card at Christmas, and I will send more pictures as per your request.
I think I going to catch another flick tonight… oh yeah for those of you who care, William is back tomorrow night, special performance….lol
So I got an interesting letter from one of my fellow friends back home on Friday. I must say it moved me. She too is moving away, opposite direct then what I took. I guess it is the year for change for everybody. Well if your listening, I wish you all the best my friend, do keep in touch. *smiles * . And yes I will send you a card at Christmas, and I will send more pictures as per your request.
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Scientists Find Ozone-Destroying Molecule
Using measurements from a NASA aircraft, Harvard University scientists have made the first observations of a molecule that researchers believe has a key role in destroying the ozone layer.
Ozone is destroyed when it reacts with one of a variety of chemicals in the stratosphere such as chlorine, nitrogen, bromine or hydrogen.
Analysis of these measurements was conducted using a computer simulation of atmospheric chemistry developed by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Scientists call the molecule "chlorine monoxide dimer," because it is made up of two identical molecules of chlorine monoxide, which are bonded together.
The dimer has been created and detected in the laboratory, but in the atmosphere it is thought to exist only in the cold stratosphere over Polar Regions when chlorine monoxide levels are relatively high.
"We knew, from observations dating from 1987, that the high ozone loss was linked with high levels of chlorine monoxide, but we had never actually detected the chlorine peroxide before," said Harvard scientist and lead author of the paper, Rick Stimpfle.
The abundance of chlorine peroxide was measured using an instrument that had previously been used to measure levels of chlorine monoxide in the Antarctic and Arctic stratosphere.
"We've observed chlorine monoxide in the Arctic and Antarctic for years and from that inferred that this dimer molecule must exist and it must exist in large quantities," said Ross Salawitch, a co-author on the paper and a researcher at JPL. "But until now, we had never been able to see it."
Chlorine monoxide and its dimer originate primarily from molecules created by humans for industrial uses like refrigeration.
Chlorine peroxide triggers ozone destruction when the molecule absorbs sunlight and breaks into two chlorine atoms and an oxygen molecule. Free chlorine atoms are highly reactive with ozone molecules, thereby breaking them up and reducing ozone. Within the process of breaking down ozone, chlorine peroxide forms again, restarting the process of ozone destruction.
"You are now back to where you started with respect to the chlorine peroxide molecule. But in the process, you have converted two ozone molecules into three oxygen molecules. This is the definition of ozone loss," Stimpfle concluded.
You can find more information on this topic at the following link:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Nasa
Using measurements from a NASA aircraft, Harvard University scientists have made the first observations of a molecule that researchers believe has a key role in destroying the ozone layer.
Ozone is destroyed when it reacts with one of a variety of chemicals in the stratosphere such as chlorine, nitrogen, bromine or hydrogen.
Analysis of these measurements was conducted using a computer simulation of atmospheric chemistry developed by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Scientists call the molecule "chlorine monoxide dimer," because it is made up of two identical molecules of chlorine monoxide, which are bonded together.
The dimer has been created and detected in the laboratory, but in the atmosphere it is thought to exist only in the cold stratosphere over Polar Regions when chlorine monoxide levels are relatively high.
"We knew, from observations dating from 1987, that the high ozone loss was linked with high levels of chlorine monoxide, but we had never actually detected the chlorine peroxide before," said Harvard scientist and lead author of the paper, Rick Stimpfle.
The abundance of chlorine peroxide was measured using an instrument that had previously been used to measure levels of chlorine monoxide in the Antarctic and Arctic stratosphere.
"We've observed chlorine monoxide in the Arctic and Antarctic for years and from that inferred that this dimer molecule must exist and it must exist in large quantities," said Ross Salawitch, a co-author on the paper and a researcher at JPL. "But until now, we had never been able to see it."
Chlorine monoxide and its dimer originate primarily from molecules created by humans for industrial uses like refrigeration.
Chlorine peroxide triggers ozone destruction when the molecule absorbs sunlight and breaks into two chlorine atoms and an oxygen molecule. Free chlorine atoms are highly reactive with ozone molecules, thereby breaking them up and reducing ozone. Within the process of breaking down ozone, chlorine peroxide forms again, restarting the process of ozone destruction.
"You are now back to where you started with respect to the chlorine peroxide molecule. But in the process, you have converted two ozone molecules into three oxygen molecules. This is the definition of ozone loss," Stimpfle concluded.
You can find more information on this topic at the following link:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Nasa
Friday, February 27, 2004
Well even with all the changes I have done to my life in the last little while, I am founding myself still in the same situation, just different scene that’s all. Although the responsibilities have shifted slightly, I am still finding myself questioning why I ever left? I mean life was all right, same old same old. I figured by removing myself from the situation all together the problems associated with it would gradually disappear. I have learned one thing of value, no matter where you go, if you don’t deal with the problems as they happen they WILL come back to bite you in the ass.
So my problem now: How do I go back and solve the problems that haunt me daily? Is it too late too say, “I’m sorry”? Why do these problems still lean on me so hard I feel like I’m being pushed over the edge?
Too bad there wasn’t this spell you could cast that would make everything return too normal. LOL…. Oh if it were that easy :)
Well I guess its time to do some serious thinking now isn’t it…………..
So my problem now: How do I go back and solve the problems that haunt me daily? Is it too late too say, “I’m sorry”? Why do these problems still lean on me so hard I feel like I’m being pushed over the edge?
Too bad there wasn’t this spell you could cast that would make everything return too normal. LOL…. Oh if it were that easy :)
Well I guess its time to do some serious thinking now isn’t it…………..
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
X-Rays Indicate Star Ripped Up by Black Hole-
I found a cool picture of that Black hole "eating" the star.
Enjoy
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040224.html
I found a cool picture of that Black hole "eating" the star.
Enjoy
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040224.html
Beyond the Rainbow
Astronomers have opened new windows on the universe by studying the kinds of "light" we can't see with our eyes.
by James B. Kaler
It's everywhere around you. It pervades Earth, the sky, the universe, and is bouncing off and passing through you at this very moment. It can be highly destructive yet is utterly necessary for life. For astronomers, it's by far the most important way of unlocking the secrets of the cosmos.
We know it best as light. But the light we see with our eyes is just a tiny sliver of a vast electromagnetic spectrum produced by everything from comets to quasars. We can understand little about the universe without an understanding and appreciation of visible light and its invisible partners in the electromagnetic spectrum: radio waves, infrared light, ultraviolet light, x rays, and gamma rays. All these different forms of light are fundamentally the same thing.
Scientists now know that light can be described as a train of waves that carries energy. These waves are in fact the universe's principal means for transmitting energy. Unlike water and sound waves, however, light does not need a substance through which to travel. Instead, it consists of waves of alternating electric and magnetic fields that move through a vacuum at the cosmic speed limit of 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second. The different kinds of light are waves that have different lengths between consecutive crests or troughs.
You can find the rest of the article at the following link;
www.astronomy.com/content/static/beginners/basics/beyondtherainbow.asp
Astronomers have opened new windows on the universe by studying the kinds of "light" we can't see with our eyes.
by James B. Kaler
It's everywhere around you. It pervades Earth, the sky, the universe, and is bouncing off and passing through you at this very moment. It can be highly destructive yet is utterly necessary for life. For astronomers, it's by far the most important way of unlocking the secrets of the cosmos.
We know it best as light. But the light we see with our eyes is just a tiny sliver of a vast electromagnetic spectrum produced by everything from comets to quasars. We can understand little about the universe without an understanding and appreciation of visible light and its invisible partners in the electromagnetic spectrum: radio waves, infrared light, ultraviolet light, x rays, and gamma rays. All these different forms of light are fundamentally the same thing.
Scientists now know that light can be described as a train of waves that carries energy. These waves are in fact the universe's principal means for transmitting energy. Unlike water and sound waves, however, light does not need a substance through which to travel. Instead, it consists of waves of alternating electric and magnetic fields that move through a vacuum at the cosmic speed limit of 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second. The different kinds of light are waves that have different lengths between consecutive crests or troughs.
You can find the rest of the article at the following link;
www.astronomy.com/content/static/beginners/basics/beyondtherainbow.asp
As you might have guessed I went and saw “The Butterfly Effect” last night. It was the first time I ever went to the movies by myself in my thirty something years. And you know what, I quite enjoyed myself.
The movie was, well, all right. Nothing fantastic. It entertains you for the two hours you are in there. I found it “flipped flopped” a lot. Yet if you are into the psychological thrillers, this is a movie you must see.
The movie was, well, all right. Nothing fantastic. It entertains you for the two hours you are in there. I found it “flipped flopped” a lot. Yet if you are into the psychological thrillers, this is a movie you must see.
Monday, February 23, 2004
Any movie critics out there?
I have decided I need to get out of my place; this cabin fever is going to kill me. I miss going out, so I have been thinking about going to the movies
Yet I don’t know what’s good?????
I have read a few of the summaries and I have narrowed it down to 2 choices:
The Butterfly Effect
The Passion of the Christ
Has anyone seen these two movies? Any suggestions…. please L
I have decided I need to get out of my place; this cabin fever is going to kill me. I miss going out, so I have been thinking about going to the movies
Yet I don’t know what’s good?????
I have read a few of the summaries and I have narrowed it down to 2 choices:
The Butterfly Effect
The Passion of the Christ
Has anyone seen these two movies? Any suggestions…. please L
Giant Black Hole Rips Apart Unlucky Star In Cosmic Reality Show
As You all know I am a big NASA buff, I found this at their site - very cool, you can find the full story at th following link.
Enjoy
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/feb/HQ_04061_black_hole.html
Thanks to two orbiting X-ray observatories, astronomers have the first strong evidence of a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star and consuming a portion of it.
The event, captured by NASA's Chandra and ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories, had long been predicted by theory, but never confirmed.
Astronomers believe a doomed star came too close to a giant black hole after being thrown off course by a close encounter with another star. As it neared the enormous gravity of the black hole, the star was stretched by tidal forces until it was torn apart. This discovery provides crucial information about how these black holes grow and affect surrounding stars and gas.
"Stars can survive being stretched a small amount, as they are in binary star systems, but this star was stretched beyond its breaking point," said Stefanie Komossa of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany, leader of the international team of researchers. "This unlucky star just wandered into the wrong neighborhood."
While other observations have hinted stars are destroyed by black holes (events known as "stellar tidal disruptions"), these new results are the first strong evidence. Evidence already exists for super massive black holes in many galaxies, but looking for tidal disruptions represents a completely independent way to search for black holes. Observations like these are urgently needed to determine how quickly black holes can grow by swallowing neighboring stars.
Information and images about the event are available on the Internet at:
http://chandra.harvard.edu
and
http://chandra.nasa.gov
As You all know I am a big NASA buff, I found this at their site - very cool, you can find the full story at th following link.
Enjoy
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/feb/HQ_04061_black_hole.html
Thanks to two orbiting X-ray observatories, astronomers have the first strong evidence of a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star and consuming a portion of it.
The event, captured by NASA's Chandra and ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories, had long been predicted by theory, but never confirmed.
Astronomers believe a doomed star came too close to a giant black hole after being thrown off course by a close encounter with another star. As it neared the enormous gravity of the black hole, the star was stretched by tidal forces until it was torn apart. This discovery provides crucial information about how these black holes grow and affect surrounding stars and gas.
"Stars can survive being stretched a small amount, as they are in binary star systems, but this star was stretched beyond its breaking point," said Stefanie Komossa of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany, leader of the international team of researchers. "This unlucky star just wandered into the wrong neighborhood."
While other observations have hinted stars are destroyed by black holes (events known as "stellar tidal disruptions"), these new results are the first strong evidence. Evidence already exists for super massive black holes in many galaxies, but looking for tidal disruptions represents a completely independent way to search for black holes. Observations like these are urgently needed to determine how quickly black holes can grow by swallowing neighboring stars.
Information and images about the event are available on the Internet at:
http://chandra.harvard.edu
and
http://chandra.nasa.gov
http://members.cox.net/realtordon/fallonasHung2.wmv
for fun check it out if you are a fan
www.williamhung.biz
for fun check it out if you are a fan
www.williamhung.biz
Well they say winter is almost over can't wait. I miss being able to sit outside and have the sun in my face. I am suffering from what they call "cabin fever". I guess these days I am just feeling a little alone, I miss my old life, the way things use to be. They felt so "normal". I guess I was sadly mistaken. Its amazing... one minute your happy, the next your wondering what the hell happened. Well this day isn't over yet:)
