The Moon Has a Fluid Outer Core

Posted on 2011/01/09 by Carl Robitaille

slashdot.org: The Moon Has a Fluid Outer Core

The new research confirms the existence of a solid inner core and liquid outer layer, similar to Earth’s. Unlike Earth, the moon also has a partly melted, mushy layer over that.

Seismic Detection of the Lunar Core

Abstract:
Despite recent insight regarding the history and current state of the Moon from satellite sensing and analyses of limited Apollo-era seismic data, deficiencies remain in our understanding of the deep lunar interior. We reanalyzed Apollo lunar seismograms using array processing methods to search for the presence of reflected and converted seismic energy from the core. Our results suggest the presence of a solid inner and fluid outer core, overlain by a partially molten boundary layer. The relative sizes of the inner and outer core suggest that the core is ~60% liquid by volume. Based on phase diagrams of iron alloys and the presence of partial melt, the core likely contains less than 6 weight % of lighter alloying components, which is consistent with a volatile-depleted interior.

Farewell, Pioneer Anomaly?

Posted on 2011/01/02 by Carl Robitaille

Cosmic Variance : Farewell, Pioneer Anomaly?

Five years have passed. Using the telemetry data, the two scientists created an extremely elaborate “finite element” 3-D computer model of each Pioneer spacecraft, in which the thermal properties of 100,000 positions on their surfaces are independently tracked for the duration of the 30-year mission.

But according to Toth, “You can take it to the bank that whatever remains of the anomaly after accounting for that thermal acceleration, it will at most be much less than the canonical value of 8.74 x 10-10 m/s2, and then, mind you, all those wonderful numerical coincidences people talk about are destroyed.”

Waterdrop shot in 10000 frames a second

Posted on 2010/12/14 by Carl Robitaille

Via: likecool.com: Waterdrop shot in 10000 frames a second

A water droplet make impact on water, when viewing at 10,000 frames per second, you can see the droplet deposit half of itself into the pool it hits, then bounce up, then repeat until it’s gone.

Homemade Spacecraft

Posted on 2010/10/02 by Carl Robitaille

Via: dvorak.org: Video – Homemade Spacecraft

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

Dudes in metal suits blasted by a Tesla Coil playing Iron Man

Posted on 2010/09/22 by Carl Robitaille

Via: digg.com: Dudes in metal suits blasted by a Tesla Coil playing Iron Man

A Visual History of the Atomic Bomb

Posted on 2010/08/21 by Carl Robitaille

Via: neuraldump.com: A Visual History of the Atomic Bomb

The Tiny Proton

Posted on 2010/07/25 by Carl Robitaille

neuraldump.com: The Tiny Proton

First of all, that’s five standard deviations off of the expected value. On a practical level, that means that of all the variability in every single measurement made of the size of the proton in the history of time, this new measurement is so damned far off that the guys doing the experiment didn’t even notice it the first two times (2003 and 2007) they measured it.

Anyhow, something is amiss. Most likely, this is not the sign that everything we know is wrong, or that the powerful equations of quantum mechanics are all wrong (as evidenced by the 20th century). Rather, this is probably a sign of some new interaction between muons and protons we haven’t seen before. That means new particles, and new physics. Wahoo!