Philosophy
There is one object around which all activity in the solar system revolves, both literally and figuratively: that massive nuclear fusion reactor we call the sun. We wouldn't be here without it, so send any complaints its way :) In today's visually spectacular documentary from the BBC, Professor Brian Cox travels to some of the best locations in the world to experience and share with us the magnificence and the effects that this great ball of fire produce on our planet.
If you're wondering what kind of awesomeness awaits, let me just mention a full solar eclipse, some incredible time lapse photography of waterfalls at night with the (appearance of the) Milky Way rotating in the background, the magnitude of the magnetic field that protects us from the violence of the Sun, and a mystifying sequence of Northern Lights.
And if you want the simpler audio version, explained in ordinary language by two self-confessed non-scientists, Josh and Chuck from the Stuff You Should Know podcast, give this a listen:
And if you still can't get enough, you should watch the documentary Secrets of the Sun.
.
- Wonders Of The Solar System - Order Out Of Chaos
Taken as a whole, the solar system is a remarkable display of patterns and order: the sun sits at the center, planets rotate around it in regular and predictable orbits, and moons do the same around the planets. The very look of it superficially resembles...
- Earth Rotating Time Lapse
Apropos of Foucault's pendulum and the illusion it produces (namely, that it's the pendulum that rotates, when in fact it's the Earth rotating below it), I came across a video that has just emerged on the interwebs, and which helps with this...
- Human Planet Trailer
We're probably all familiar with the spectacular documentaries the BBC has put together over the years exploring the incredible wildlife populating the most interesting and remote corners of the planet. Now it seems the've decided to explore the...
- Space Odyssey - Voyage To The Planets
I recently posted an entry featuring author Mary Roach talking about the science and logistics of manned space exploration. As you will remember (and as it applies to the rest of her awesome books), her focus is primarily on the interesting circumstances...
- Good Luck...nasa's Servers Clogged For Eclipse Event
It appears that a lot of people are interested in this astronomical event--the total solar eclipse. NASA servers are clogged. Total Solar Eclipse of 2008 on August 1st...from China ...
Philosophy
Wonders of the Solar System - Empire of the Sun
There is one object around which all activity in the solar system revolves, both literally and figuratively: that massive nuclear fusion reactor we call the sun. We wouldn't be here without it, so send any complaints its way :) In today's visually spectacular documentary from the BBC, Professor Brian Cox travels to some of the best locations in the world to experience and share with us the magnificence and the effects that this great ball of fire produce on our planet.If you're wondering what kind of awesomeness awaits, let me just mention a full solar eclipse, some incredible time lapse photography of waterfalls at night with the (appearance of the) Milky Way rotating in the background, the magnitude of the magnetic field that protects us from the violence of the Sun, and a mystifying sequence of Northern Lights.
And if you want the simpler audio version, explained in ordinary language by two self-confessed non-scientists, Josh and Chuck from the Stuff You Should Know podcast, give this a listen:
And if you still can't get enough, you should watch the documentary Secrets of the Sun.
.
- Wonders Of The Solar System - Order Out Of Chaos
Taken as a whole, the solar system is a remarkable display of patterns and order: the sun sits at the center, planets rotate around it in regular and predictable orbits, and moons do the same around the planets. The very look of it superficially resembles...
- Earth Rotating Time Lapse
Apropos of Foucault's pendulum and the illusion it produces (namely, that it's the pendulum that rotates, when in fact it's the Earth rotating below it), I came across a video that has just emerged on the interwebs, and which helps with this...
- Human Planet Trailer
We're probably all familiar with the spectacular documentaries the BBC has put together over the years exploring the incredible wildlife populating the most interesting and remote corners of the planet. Now it seems the've decided to explore the...
- Space Odyssey - Voyage To The Planets
I recently posted an entry featuring author Mary Roach talking about the science and logistics of manned space exploration. As you will remember (and as it applies to the rest of her awesome books), her focus is primarily on the interesting circumstances...
- Good Luck...nasa's Servers Clogged For Eclipse Event
It appears that a lot of people are interested in this astronomical event--the total solar eclipse. NASA servers are clogged. Total Solar Eclipse of 2008 on August 1st...from China ...