By Joshua Hill Thursday, May 8, 2008
December 2005 saw a small solar storm disrupt satellite to ground communications and GPS navigation signals for 10 minutes. However just under a hundred and fifty years earlier, a much larger solar flare caused much greater influences than a small communications black out.
Did Earth Once Have Multiple Moons?By Joshua Hill Thursday, May 8, 2008
The history of planet Earth is a fascinating story, involving catastrophic collisions with other small planets and a veritable plethora of asteroid impacts. What we see around us today has been here for a relatively short amount of time, and what came before is of great interest to many of us. So I was immediately intrigued by the possibility that, in our past, we had more than one moon.
Mammoth Black Hole Hightailing it Outta There!By Joshua Hill Saturday, May 3, 2008
Galaxies weighing in at the size of our own Milky Way or larger are all presumed to harbor a supermassive black hole at their center. These monstrosities weigh millions or even billions of times as much as our own Sun.
The End of Dead Space EquipmentBy Joshua Hill Monday, April 28, 2008
We’ve all seen the movie Apollo 13, where Tom Hanks and co. end up having to repair their spacecraft using … even I cannot finish that analogy. What I should say is that when the crewmembers of Apollo 13 in 1970 were confronted with a dead spacecraft, they had to make makeshift repairs using very basic and, at times, crude materials.
The Big Bang in SecondsBy Joshua Hill Monday, April 28, 2008
Whether you believe in a Creator-God or not, the Big Bang is oftentimes the explanation for how our universe began. Why? Because that’s what science has pointed to, and science is smarter than you!
The Moon Not so Inactive as First ThoughtBy Joshua Hill Monday, April 21, 2008
Our moon has long been our interstellar companion, protecting us from meteor hits and directing the tides. From a glance, it would seem dead and lifeless; a slow-motion world fit for movies about tragic discoveries and losses.
Black Hole at Center of Milky Way’s Turbulent PastBy Joshua Hill Monday, April 21, 2008
Astronomical time is one of those things hard to get your head around. Some of us (ok, me) have enough trouble working out what day it is they are currently residing in. So when someone asks me to assume millions of years is nothing more than an astronomical blip, I get worried.
Mars Moons Doomed
By Joshua Hill Tuesday, April 15, 2008
One of the greatest sites on the internet today is NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. Each day a new astronomical picture is featured, boggling the mind with the stunning beauty and scope of the universe. The photo for the 14th of April was of one of Mars’ moons, Phobos.
What Came Before the Big Bang Might Have Been Eerily SimilarBy Joshua Hill Monday, April 14, 2008
The Big Bang has long been the realm of religious contention. However of late, there has been a rising group of Christian’s (amongst others) who have allowed for the possibility that God used the Big Bang as his creation tool.
Hibernation and Space Travel: Science Fiction or Science Reality?By Joshua Hill Monday, April 7, 2008
Science Fiction is awash with space travel, not surprisingly, and not a fair few involve a form of hibernation, stasis, etc, in their form of long distance travel. And, as with much of science fiction, it is there because it has a certain place in reality as well.
Alpha Centauri Should Contain Earth-like PlanetsBy Joshua Hill Tuesday, March 11, 2008
It’s been the destination of interstellar travelers in science fiction writing for so long now that one would almost be forgiven for thinking we’d already colonized. But Alpha Centauri, the three-star system closest to our own Sun, is now the center of real science.
Planet-X ResurfacesBy Joshua Hill Saturday, March 1, 2008
Scientists at Kobe University, Japan, announced Thursday that they believe another planet is orbiting within our solar system, up to two-thirds the size of the Earth. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Planet-X is back!
Did a Big Bang in Our Own Solar System Create Venus as we know it?By Joshua Hill Friday, February 29, 2008
Over the past several years the formation of our own solar system has been of high importance in scientific circles. Many scientists have focused their attention on the inner four planets, and found that we bounced around like a ball in a pinball mission in our early formative years.
The Earth to be Vaporized by the SunBy Joshua Hill Monday, February 25, 2008
We all had such high hopes that our planet would survive the ultimate destruction of our Sun. Alas, thanks to new research it has been shown that when our Sun does go to wherever dead stars go to, the planet Earth will follow.
First Stars May Have Been Dark Matter PoweredBy Joshua Hill Thursday, February 14, 2008
When scientists look at what makes a star and what makes it burn, they turn to fusion. However, according to new research, this may not have been the case for the stars termed “Population 3” stars.
Listening for Black HolesBy Joshua Hill Sunday, February 10, 2008
What requires 80 computers, a total of 320 CPU’s of power, 640 GB of RAM and 96 terabytes of hard drive space? No, it isn’t a joke, but rather the specifications for Syracuse University’s Department of Physics new supercomputer, SUGAR (SU Gravitational and Relativity Cluster).
Saturn’s Moon Continues to Reveal SurprisesBy Joshua Hill Thursday, February 7, 2008
Ever since the Cassini–Huygens satellite mission flew past Saturn’s moon Enceladus, it has been one of the hot topics in astronomy. It has continued to reveal itself in strange and unusual ways that have provided quandaries for researchers to puzzle over.
String Theory slightly preferred… or at least, not disfavored!By Joshua Hill Wednesday, January 30, 2008
To listen to people speak about string theory is a lesson in ambiguity. No one is willing to commit to a solid opinion, on either side of the coin, and they dance upon the fence as if they were auditioning for a Garfield strip.
Race to the Moon or Race to MarsBy Joshua Hill Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Bush Government has of late been redirecting NASA’s efforts towards heading back to the Moon. But to many people, the term ‘heading back’ is exactly the problem. We’ve been there, and while everyone wants to get to Mars, the Moon is not the place to visit on the way.
Black Holes spinning near the Speed of LightBy Joshua Hill Wednesday, January 16, 2008
We’ve dedicated a lot of attention to black holes of late, with rogue holes roaming the universe and other holes shooting energy at harmless nearby galaxies. So it is not a surprise that the research keeps coming.
Another Inconvenient TruthBy Joshua Hill Tuesday, January 15, 2008
But this time, this inconvenient truth has nothing to do with our planet or how we’re treating it. According to results that were presented to the American Astronomical Society meeting in Austin, Texas last Tuesday, a spiral galaxy has been confirmed to have a pair of arms that are winding in the opposite direction from most galaxies.
Solar Cycle 24 Heats UpBy Joshua Hill Thursday, January 10, 2008
Looking to our skies is the job of your local weatherman, and for the most part, we thank them for it (despite the fact it still seems they don’t know what they’re doing). But our planet is affected by more than just terrestrial weather. Space weather also affects us here on planet Earth, and the driving force behind that, is the solar cycle.
The Dust that Formed us Has a HomeBy Joshua Hill Thursday, January 3, 2008
Dust is all the rage at the moment, thanks to Phillip Pullman’s widely popular His Dark Materials trilogy. But what of the dust that formed what we know and love today; the dust that, for all intents and purposes, we are all made from.
Feasible Impact Risk DetectedBy Joshua Hill Wednesday, January 2, 2008
It seems a bit of a wonder that movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon made such an impact on humanity, considering the source of their storyline. One would imagine that the end of all humankind is not necessarily a story built for the masses.
Twin Satellites to make Study of the MoonBy Joshua Hill Thursday, December 20, 2007
It has played a significant part in our planets history, both geographical and historical. But our moon has been ultimately unexplored, except for a few locations where humanity has left their footprints. So an MIT study costing $375 million will attempt to rectify that matter, by conducted a study using a pair of satellites.
Replacing the Shuttle NASA’s big DilemmaBy Joshua Hill Friday, December 14, 2007
Most of you will be well aware by now that NASA’s fleet of space shuttle’s will be retired 2010. After nearly 30 years of (semi-)regular trips to space, NASA is mothballing the Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavor space shuttles.
No Federation or Empire for Our UniverseBy Joshua Hill Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Whether you’re a Sci-Fi fan or not, you will have probably watched at least an episode of Star Trek, or one of the Star Wars movies. The former’s Federation of Planets is the utopia of many, including myself, and the latter’s Galactic Empire definitely doesn’t do anything for one’s self esteem in a universe. Across the realm of science fiction mediums, great galactic groups of people come together to wage war or preserve peace.
Sols Solar System SquashedBy Joshua Hill Tuesday, December 11, 2007
December 2004 saw the Voyager 1 spacecraft exit our solar system. It was the first manmade object to do so, and has been an unqualified success from its launch date, September 5, 1977. Its sister ship, Voyager 2 has also made it outside the solar system, and in doing so, provided us with invaluable information about our home.
The Ugly Duckling of the US Space ProgramBy Joshua Hill Monday, December 3, 2007
The Great Nothing may be something…
By Joshua Hill Monday, December 3, 2007
Earlier this year astronomers from the University of Minnesota discovered a massive void of space that measured nearly a billion light years across. It was a real discovery, in a universe that is filled with numerous objects, cramming up the space.
