Science thread [merged]

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Now to find the elusive white hole. Predicted by quantum physics and only theoretical at the moment.

[one-eyed]

A census of baryons in the Universe from localized fast radio bursts
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2300-2


After an intergalactic search lasting more than two decades, an Australian-led team of scientists say they have finally found the universe's "missing matter", solving a mystery that has long stumped astronomers.

Since the mid-90s, scientists have been trying to locate half of the universe's ordinary matter. They believed it was out there because of clues left over from the Big Bang, but it had never been seen.

"What we're talking about here is what scientists call baryonic matter, which is the normal stuff that you and I are made of," said Associate Professor Jean-Pierre Macquart, from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research.

Astronomy is full of missing stuff. Most of the universe is understood to be "dark matter" and "dark energy", which nobody has ever directly seen. But even more of a mystery for astronomers was that they couldn't find about half the ordinary matter in the universe.

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-28/astronomers-find-universe-missing-matter/12291788

[one-eyed]

10-year time-lapse video of the Sun: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/watch-a-10-year-time-lapse-of-sun-from-nasa-s-sdo

NASA also found the tail of the Earth's magnetosphere acts like a 'wind-sock' in the Solar wind. So the Moon even when it's behind the Earth isn't always protected from the high-energy particles of the Solar wind. This will be important for the timing of future lunar missions.




This simulation shows how the shock wave event seen by NASA’s spacecraft moved the tail of Earth’s magnetosphere, exposing the Moon. Credits: Q.Q. Shi, Shandong Univ.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/NASA-Spacecraft-Helps-Identify-Solar-Radiation-Patterns-That-Expose-the-Moon/

[mightytiges]

Look into the sky tonight and you'll see something that hasn't happened since 1623.

The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn where they'll appear just 0.1 degree apart in the night sky.


---

You’ll have the best luck at seeing this year’s conjunction if you can find an area relatively free of light pollution with an unobstructed view of the horizon.

The actual conjunction is due to take place at 11.20pm AEDT and will appear close to the horizon in the west.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/how-to-watch-the-christmas-star-created-by-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn/news-story/eeb9cc0813062b79a6c75f595ad7a12c

[mightytiges]

The James Webb Space Telescope has been launched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rARTOhbLDg

-----------------------------------------

The Webb telescope won't be orbiting the Earth – instead we will send it almost a million miles out into space to a place called "L2."

L2 is short-hand for the second Lagrange Point, a wonderful accident of gravity and orbital mechanics, and the perfect place to park the Webb telescope in space. There are five so-called "Lagrange Points" - areas where gravity from the sun and Earth balance the orbital motion of a satellite. Putting a spacecraft at any of these points allows it to stay in a fixed position relative to the Earth and sun with a minimal amount of energy needed for course correction.



In the case of L2, this happens about 930,000 miles away from the Earth in the exact opposite direction from the sun. The Earth, as we know, orbits the sun once every year. Normally, an object almost a million miles farther out from the sun should move more slowly, taking more than a year to complete its orbit around the sun. However, at L2, exactly lined up with both the sun and Earth, the added gravity of the two large bodies pulling in the same direction gives a spacecraft an extra boost of energy, locking it into perfect unison with the Earth's yearly orbit. The Webb telescope will be placed slightly off the true balance point, in a gentle orbit around L2.



Read more here: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/webb-l2.html

[mightytiges]

Jupiter will be at its closest approach to the Earth in decades next week. Its 4 largest moons should even been visible using binoculars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS3gwXeJFGc&t=49s

https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/tag/jupiter/

[mightytiges]

On Dec. 5, 2022, a team at LLNL's @lasers_llnl conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history to achieve fusion ignition. Also known as scientific energy breakeven, the experiment produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it.

https://twitter.com/Livermore_Lab/status/1602679745287700483

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-12-14/nuclear-fusion-reaction-net-gain-clean-energy-explainer/101765634

Exciting news .

[mightytiges]

The First Room-Temperature Ambient-Pressure Superconductor

https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.12008

Superconductor Pb10-xCux(PO4)6O showing levitation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and mechanism.

https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2307/2307.12037.pdf

Yet to be confirmed I believe, but if this LK-99 material result can be replicated independently and the paper(s) published, then this would be a significant tech advancement.

As someone on twitter tweeted:

1. 100 billion kWh of electricity are wasted on transmission losses each year in the US alone. That's equivalent to 3 of our largest nuclear reactors running 24/7. Superconductivity enables lossless electricity transmission at high voltages and currents.

2. According to the authors, the LK-99 material can be prepared in about 34 hrs with extremely basic lab equipment (a mortar & pestle, basic vacuum, and furnace). These results could replicate within days-weeks.

3. Nuclear fusion reactors rely on superconductors for plasma confinement. Modern designs use RBCO/YBCO superconductors cooled with LN2 or Liquid He, creating a huge temperature gradient and challenging operation. Ambient superconductors enable a whole host of new reactor designs.

4. Quantum computers use superconductors to preserve coherence in qubits. Small changes in temperature and pressure can cause the entire QC to fail during operation.  Imagine a room temperature quantum computer on your desktop - now possible.

5. Superconductors might be the best batteries out there. Simply inject a current and keep it in the coil until you need it. Previously, too costly to maintain. Now, totally feasible.

6. Your iPhone won't overheat when playing subway surfer with a youtube video in the corner anymore! Ultra-efficient computer chips will have 0 resistive losses during operation with superconductors. No need for cooling fans!!

7. And, the common ones: super-cheap MRI machines, MagLev trains everywhere, and a super efficient electric grid.

https://twitter.com/alexkaplan0/status/1684044616528453633

[one-eyed]

India becomes the fourth country ever to land a spacecraft on the moon and the first at the South Pole.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/india-becomes-the-fourth-country-ever-to-land-a-spacecraft-on-the-moon/56d1ecf1-d29f-42ba-9a91-26cbaab1742b

[one-eyed]

Australia launching its first moon rover on NASA Artemis mission as soon as 2026.



https://www.space.com/australia-moon-rover-2026-nasa-artemis

[Andyy]

Not sure we should be the nation doing this tbh unless we are getting significant assistance from USA.

Surely we have other priorities.

Although my understanding is that our position on earth gives us unique and beneficial launch time/location opportunities due to the position of various satellites and the atmosphere/climate etc.

[Damo]

What a waste of money

[mightytiges]

Scientist Adelbert Ames created the mind boggling ‘Ames Window’ (1951).

Watch here: https://twitter.com/historyinmemes/status/1741942272080650369


The last bit with the pen is just a freaky illusion.

[JP Tiger]

Scientist Adelbert Ames created the mind boggling ‘Ames Window’ (1951).

Watch here: https://twitter.com/historyinmemes/status/1741942272080650369


The last bit with the pen is just a freaky illusion.

Yeah, freaky illusion!   I loved this show as a kid. 
The Ames window also explains why so many journos think that Dusty will join Gold Coast next year ...