Science It Works Bitches

the-science-llama:

Reflection and Emission Nebulas
— Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex

Credit: Gerald Rhemann // Astrostudio

(Source: expelliarmus)

devilonadinosaur:

Art by Pamela Lee

(Source: weed-l4nd)

Selfie Under the Stars

littlemsbetty:

whovian178:

lanuria:

accio-season-3:

onlyamasterofevil:

MY FUCKING ABHSSDGHJDDD

Anyone else feel like those two would get along really well?

“Beep-woop beep.”

“Really? You’ve hacked into the mainframe just like that? Oh, that’s brilliant!”

“Wee-woo.”

no tumblr you stop that

FANFIC PLEASE

TUMBLR STOP PRESENTING ME WITH AMAZING THINGS IN LIFE THAT WILL NEVER BE.

(Source: super-psychic-paper)

thishush:

Josh, I’m a little confused.

(Source: kinneys)

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is the largest known vortex in the Solar System. It’s big enough to engulf several Earths as shown in this artist’s rendition. — Michael Carroll

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is the largest known vortex in the Solar System. It’s big enough to engulf several Earths as shown in this artist’s rendition. — Michael Carroll

Only reblogging cause its my Gf’s favorite Disney movie…and because of well…cats.

(Source: sleepnir)

(Source: daily-shit-of-my-life)

Biggest Black Hole Blast Ever Could Solve Cosmological Mystery
Astronomers have seen a distant galaxy that blasts away material with two trillion times the energy the sun emits — the biggest such eruption ever seen. That ejection of matter could answer an important question about the universe: why are the black holes in the centers of galaxies so light?
Image: Artist’s impression of the huge outflow ejected from the quasar SDSS J1106+1939 Credit: ESO/L. Calçada
Computer models of the early universe usually produce a virtual cosmos that looks like ours except for one thing. The ratio of the mass of black holes in galaxy centers to the rest of the matter in galaxies is larger in the simulations than in the real universe.
Scientists think somehow galaxies are ridding themselves of much of the mass that would have ended up falling into their central black holes. However, until now researchers have been at a lack for an explanation of how this might happen.
To expel matter from galaxies takes energy. “We needed some input of energy from supermassive black holes,” Nahum Arav, an astrophysicist at Virginia Tech.
Supermassive black holes are obvious candidates, because they are the most energetic objects known. Some galaxies containing active black holes, called quasars, shine more brightly than anything else in the universe. “Our simulations showed that if we allowed the quasar to release a lot of mechanical energy, then the masses of galaxies would match observations,” Arav said.
Arav led a team that observed a quasar, called SDSS J1106+1939, which dates back to when the universe was only 3 billion years old (it is now about 13.7 billion years of age). Most quasars are millions or even billions of light-years distant, which means we see them as they were long ago. As such, they offer a unique window back in time, to when galaxies were young.
Full Article

Biggest Black Hole Blast Ever Could Solve Cosmological Mystery

Astronomers have seen a distant galaxy that blasts away material with two trillion times the energy the sun emits — the biggest such eruption ever seen. That ejection of matter could answer an important question about the universe: why are the black holes in the centers of galaxies so light?

Image: Artist’s impression of the huge outflow ejected from the quasar SDSS J1106+1939 Credit: ESO/L. Calçada

Computer models of the early universe usually produce a virtual cosmos that looks like ours except for one thing. The ratio of the mass of black holes in galaxy centers to the rest of the matter in galaxies is larger in the simulations than in the real universe.

Scientists think somehow galaxies are ridding themselves of much of the mass that would have ended up falling into their central black holes. However, until now researchers have been at a lack for an explanation of how this might happen.

To expel matter from galaxies takes energy. “We needed some input of energy from supermassive black holes,” Nahum Arav, an astrophysicist at Virginia Tech.

Supermassive black holes are obvious candidates, because they are the most energetic objects known. Some galaxies containing active black holes, called quasars, shine more brightly than anything else in the universe. “Our simulations showed that if we allowed the quasar to release a lot of mechanical energy, then the masses of galaxies would match observations,” Arav said.

Arav led a team that observed a quasar, called SDSS J1106+1939, which dates back to when the universe was only 3 billion years old (it is now about 13.7 billion years of age). Most quasars are millions or even billions of light-years distant, which means we see them as they were long ago. As such, they offer a unique window back in time, to when galaxies were young.

Full Article

(Source: ikenbot)

sagansense:

Loss Of The Night (Android App)

Take part in a world-wide citizen science project that measures star visibility and light pollution. Help create a database for research on health, environment and society by telling scientists which stars you can see at your location.

In many parts of the world, the night sky shines with waste artificial light from poorly designed street lamps. This light pollution spoils the beauty of the stars and changes the natural environment.

But light pollution is not only a problem for astronomy. Scientists all over the world are studying how light pollution affects health, society, and the environment. Based on the well-known Google Sky Map, this app is a tool to measure star visibility without expensive equipment. Just look up to the sky, find certain stars, and tell us whether you can see them or not!

Using the Loss of the Night app is fun, educational, promotes citizen science, and is an active contribution to protect the environment.
Stargazing connects you to the universe, especially in places free of light pollution. Find out how many stars you can see, and compare it to other areas on the GLOBE at Night map. Learn about the stars and constellations, and find places where you can still see the Milky Way. If you’re lucky enough to live in such a place, let others know! Counting stars is a great experience and family activity!

Make a change! Most light pollution is caused by bad lamp design, although overly lit areas contribute as well. By finding areas with good lighting design, you will help other communities learn what works. This will keep our bedrooms darker, and the sky full of stars. Proper design also saves energy and money!

Take an active part in science! The Loss of the Night app allows students to measure light pollution and star visibility for their own science projects, and at the same time become part of a global citizen science network. Measurements are sent anonymously to the GLOBE at Night database (www.GLOBEatNight.org), a citizen science project that has monitored light pollution since 2006. GLOBE at Night creates worldwide maps of star visibility and light pollution, which scientists can use to analyse correlations between light pollution and health, biodiversity, life quality, and many more factors.

You are also welcome to get into contact with the light pollution researchers from Verlust der Nacht that built this app, and learn about their other projects (www.verlustdernacht.de). The app provides some basic information on the history, importance, and consequences of artificial light at night.

magnitude: stars in sky
0-1: 2-8
1-2: 8-25
2-3: 25-100
3-4: 100-250
4-5: 250-800
5: thousands

(Use this table to convert the faintest star you saw into an estimate of how many stars you can see at your location)

via International Dark-Sky Association