Sunday, January 10, 2010
Venus
We won't be vacationing on Venus any time soon either, even though it has almost exactly the same size, internal structure and chemical makeup as Earth. Its atmosphere is a choking, smoggy mixture of carbon dioxide and thick, fast-moving clouds suffused with deadly sulphuric acid, making it the hottest planet in the solar system- as hot as 482 degrees C or 900 degrees F.A long time ago, some people believed that Venus might have been a kind of tropical paradise, but know better. Some people called it earth's evil twin, but we know that it is the morning star. It is the third brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon is also known as morning star....
Some Image links: Venus1, Venus2, Venus3, Venus4, Venus5, Venus6, Venus7, Venus8, Venus9, Venus10.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Neutron Stars and Black Holes
Neutron Star:
A neutron star is a type of remnant that can result from the gravitational collapse of a massive star during a Type II, Type Ib or Type Ic supernova event. Such stars are composed almost entirely of neutrons, which are subatomic particles without electrical charge and roughly the same mass as protons. Neutron stars are very hot and are supported against further collapse because of the Pauli exclusion principle. This principle states that no two neutrons (or any other fermionic particle) can occupy the same place and quantum state simultaneously.
A typical neutron star has a mass between 1.35 and about 2.1 solar masses, with a corresponding radius of about 12 km if the Akmal-Pandharipande-Ravenhall (APR) Equation of state (EOS) is used. In contrast, the Sun's radius is about 60,000 times that. Neutron stars have overall densities predicted by the APR EOS of 3.7×1017 to 5.9×1017 kg/m3 (2.6×1014 to 4.1×1014 times the density of the sun), which compares with the approximate density of an atomic nucleus of 3×1017 kg/m3. The neutron star's density varies from below 1×109 kg/m3 in the crust increasing with depth to above 6×1017 or 8×1017 kg/m3 deeper inside. This density is approximately equivalent to the mass of the entire human population compressed into the size of a sugar cube.
In general, compact stars of less than 1.44 solar masses, the Chandrasekhar limit, are white dwarfs; above 2 to 3 solar masses (the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit), a quark star might be created, however this is uncertain. Gravitational collapse will always occur on any compact star over 5 solar masses, inevitably producing a black hole.
Black Hole:
According to the general theory of relativity, a black hole is a region of space from which nothing, including light, can escape. It is the result of the deformation of spacetime caused by a very compact mass. Around a black hole there is an undetectable surface which marks the point of no return, called an event horizon. It is called "black" because it absorbs all the light that comes towards it, reflecting nothing, just like a perfect black body in thermodynamics. Under the theory of quantum mechanics black holes possess a temperature and emit Hawking radiation.
Despite its invisible interior, a black hole can be observed through its interaction with other matter. A black hole can be inferred by tracking the movement of a group of stars that orbit a region in space. Alternatively, when gas falls into a stellar black hole from a companion star, the gas spirals inward, heating to very high temperatures and emitting large amounts of radiation that can be detected from earthbound and earth-orbiting telescopes.
Astronomers have identified numerous stellar black hole candidates, and have also found evidence of supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies. After observing the motion of nearby stars for 16 years, in 2008 astronomers found compelling evidence that a supermassive black hole of more than 4 million solar masses is located near the Sagittarius A* region in the center of our own Milky Way galaxy.
Some Image links: NS1, NS2, NS3, NS4 NS5, NS6.
BH1, BH2, BH3, BH4, BH5, BH6.
International Space Station
As large as two football fields and weighing 1 million pounds is this International Space Station. It is visible in the night sky as a small and slowly moving point of light. In addition to many international working astronauts, so far four tourists have visited this station. Several plans are on the drawing board for a space hotel for tourists to go on vacation. The space station can help us for preparations needed to go to another planet.
It is currently being assembled in Low Earth orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by 2011, with operations continuing till 2015. The ISS serves as a long-term research laboratory in Space.
Some Image links: ISS1, ISS2, ISS3, ISS4, ISS5, ISS6, ISS7, ISS8, ISS9, ISS10.
The Spiral Galaxy
This is an example of a spiral Galaxy in the shape of a dish. About 200 billion stars reside in such a Galaxy. The stars revolving in orderly circular orbits around the centre of this Galaxy. Huge amounts of gas and dust cloud inside the spiral arms of these Galaxies are giving rise to many new stars. This is why the spiral Galaxies look brightest in the Space. These Galaxies resemble in their appearance the Hurricanes on Earth.....
Some Image links: Spiral1, Spiral2, Spiral3, Spiral4, Spiral5, Spiral6, Spiral7, Spiral8, Spiral9, Spiral10.
The Hubble Telescope
The amazing Hubble telescope in space. It is as large as a bus and moving with a velocity of 17,000 miles per hour, in an orbit 400 miles above Earth. Still, it can keep its focus trained on a dime from 2000 miles afar. Many historic discoveries in Space have been made possible with the unique telescope. It can show us how the Universe was like 13 billion years ago. Using the Hubble Telescope, scientists estimate that there are at least 125 billion Galaxies in the whole Universe. It was carried into orbit by the space shuttle in April, 1990. It was named after the American Astronomer Edwin Hubble.
Some Image links: Hubble1, Hubble2, Hubble3, Hubble4, Hubble5, Hubble6, Hubble7, Hubble8, Hubble9, Hubble10.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Rahul Dravid- the wall
Rahul Sharad Dravid (Kannada: ರಾಹುಲ್ ಶರದ್ ದ್ರಾವಿಡ, Marathi: राहुल शरद द्रविड) pronunciation (help·info) (born 11 January 1973) is one of the most experienced cricketers in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honored as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000. Dravid was also awarded the ICC Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year at the inaugural awards ceremony held in 2004.
Known as the Wall due to his ability to bat for long durations, Dravid holds multiple world cricketing records. He is the second Indian batsman, after Sachin Tendulkar, and the fifth international player to have scored more than 11,000 runs in Test cricket. On 14 February 2007, he became the sixth player in the history of world cricket and the third Indian, after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, to score 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. He is the first and the only batsman to score a century in all ten Test playing nations. With more than 185 catches, Dravid currently holds the world record for the highest number of catches in Test cricket. Dravid has also been involved in more than 80 century partnerships with 18 different partners — a world record.
Some Image links: Dravid 01, Dravid 02, Dravid 03, Dravid 04, Dravid 05, Dravid 06, Dravid 07, Dravid 08, Dravid 09, Dravid 10.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls are voluminous waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.
Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, the majority of which lies on the Canadian side of the border, and American Falls on the American side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island.
Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than 6 million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.
The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.
Some Image links: Niagara 01, Niagara 02, Niagara 03, Niagara 04, Niagara 05, Niagara 06, Niagara 07, Niagara 08, Niagara 09, Niagara 10.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)