REAL SCIENCE

[Cmdr JFarrington 0]

SWIFT SATELLITE DETECTS UNUSUAL COSMIC EXPLOSION

 

The Swift satellite, which has a mission control center near Penn State's University Park campus, has detected a cosmic explosion that has sent scientists around the world scrambling to telescopes to document this startling event. Gamma-ray radiation from the source, detected on Feb. 18 and lasting about half an hour, appears to be a precursor to a supernova, which is the death throes of a star much more massive than the sun. "The observations indicate that this is an

incredibly rare glimpse of an initial gamma-ray burst at the beginning of a supernova," said Peter Brown, a Penn State graduate student and a member of the Swift science team.

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/16350

[WxMurray 0]

Hmm...I wonder where the control center is. I heard over in the Earth-Engineering Sciences Building. B)

[Cmdr JFarrington 0]

Another chapter is written . . .

 

GASES IN ONE DIMENSION AREN'T THE TYPICAL DESK TOY

Physicists at Penn State have performed the first laboratory experiment with a system of many colliding particles whose motion never becomes chaotic. The achievement provides a deeper understanding of conditions that govern the boundary between order and chaos in physical systems. The research also has the potential to improve the accuracy of modern communication and navigation systems, which rely on high-precision gyroscopes or force sensors. The research will be published in the April 13 issue of the journal Nature. "A fascinating thing about this system is the remarkable stability of its momentum profile, which does not change even after each atom in the system has collided thousands of times," said David Weiss, professor of physics and leader of the research team. Unlike everyday experiences with colliding atoms -- for example, a small heater that eventually warms the air in an entire room -- Weiss's system does not reach the state physicists call thermal equilibrium, even after a long time. "We are not really making time stand still in our system, but it does look that way," Weiss said.

 

Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/index.php?sec=vs&story=17261

[Pneuma 0]

I gotta say this is quite interesting considering I live near the Penn state campus.

So I think this is awesome.

[WxMurray 0]

Yay for Old State. :lol: