Astrophysics – Page 8

Discovery of an Exoplanet within habitable zone around the star closest to Earth.

Posted on February 15, 2017February 14, 2017 by GlamSci

Astronomers involved in The Pale Dot Project found a potentially habitable planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. Named Proxima Centauri b, the planet orbits its parent star Proxima Centauri in around 11 days, with surface temperature favourable for the presence of liquid water on its surface. This rocky world has a slightly bigger mass than Earth, and … Continue reading Discovery of an Exoplanet within habitable zone around the star closest to Earth.

Introduction to Special Relativity

Posted on January 23, 2017January 22, 2017 by GlamSci

It is fair to say that absolutely everybody knows who Albert Einstein is. What many people don't know is why he is regarded as a genius. Einstein's theories of Special and General Relativity have transformed our notion of reality and these theories are central to modern physics. They govern the laws of nature and our … Continue reading Introduction to Special Relativity

2016 – A Year of Science.

Posted on January 3, 2017January 3, 2017 by mw5868

Coming to the end of 2016, I thought I would use my last post of the year, to reflect on some of the amazing physics and space/astronomy stories that have infused this year with so much excitement and intrigue. From the confirmation of the detection of gravitational waves (100 years after the famous general relativity … Continue reading 2016 – A Year of Science.

Electrons, Quarks, The Higgs Field and The Building Blocks of the Universe

Posted on December 26, 2016January 3, 2017 by GlamSci

So far, we have focused on the grandeur and scale of the heavenly bodies and how they were formed in the Primordial Era of our Universe following the Big Bang. Visible matter i.e. stars, galaxies, planets, nebulae, interstellar dust, comets and asteroids only accounts for 5% of what the universe is actually made of. In … Continue reading Electrons, Quarks, The Higgs Field and The Building Blocks of the Universe

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast – The Physics of Alice in Wonderland

Posted on December 19, 2016December 19, 2016 by coffeeandquasars

Around the middle of the 19th century, mathematics was undergoing a revolution. Certain Classical notions were being overturned and in their place, something altogether stranger was beginning to appear. Where previously it had been based around observations in reality, maths was now becoming its own language which it was hoped could describe and even anticipate … Continue reading Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast – The Physics of Alice in Wonderland

Relativity and Gravity

Posted on December 1, 2016November 30, 2016 by GlamSci

General relativity could be regarded as being one of the greatest achievements of science in human history. As early as the 1600’s Isaac Newton was considering the causes and effects of gravity. He formulated his famous equation of the gravitational force; Figure 1 - Newtonian Gravity – Wikipedia It states that the force between two … Continue reading Relativity and Gravity

Mind Blowing. The Great Acceleration. Dark Energy.

Posted on November 28, 2016August 7, 2016 by GlamSci

We have come along way you and I. From the first instant of space and time right up to now. In 4 blog posts we have travelled 13.8 billion years through time to get where we are now. Through life we learn that nothing lasts forever, this unfortunately includes our universe. There are supernova remnants … Continue reading Mind Blowing. The Great Acceleration. Dark Energy.

Is There Life on Mars?

Posted on November 23, 2016November 23, 2016 by GlamSci

In this article I would like to discuss the conditions that enabled life to evolve on Earth, and the possibility of such conditions existing elsewhere within the Universe. First of all let us focus on the position of Planet Earth around the Sun. Earth is the third planet in a succession of the rocky planets within the inner Solar … Continue reading Is There Life on Mars?

Cosmology – What’s That All About?

Posted on November 4, 2016 by GlamSci

So, Cosmology is my current field of study (along with Astrophysics) but I think that it is somewhat of a mysterious subject to most. What do Cosmologists do? What is involved in Cosmology? What is the point? Well hopefully I shall try to shed some of the mystery….. What IS Cosmology? So, the Oxford English … Continue reading Cosmology – What’s That All About?

The Gravity of Some Dark Matters…

Posted on October 31, 2016August 7, 2016 by GlamSci

The night sky is literally full of stars, planets, galaxies, comets, asteroids, gas clouds, subatomic particles, photons, neutrons, moons and supernova remnants scattered in every direction. Despite the amount of visible matter that our own eyes and telescopes can pick up, this is only around 5% of the total matter in space. So where is … Continue reading The Gravity of Some Dark Matters…