A magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Seattle two weeks prior to the start of the APS March Meeting caused sidewalks to crack, building facades to fall, and even the Olympia capital dome to crack. Fortunately, because the earthquake was about 30 miles below the Earth's surface, there was less major structural damage than anticipated. There was no issue with the meeting's … [Read more...] about Zero Gravity: The Lighter Side of Science
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The night the stars fell from the sky
Adolf Vollmy created this famous engraving of the 1833 Leonid meteor shower for the Adventist book Bible Readings for the Home Circle. It is based on a painting by Swiss artist Karl Jauslin, which was based on a first-person account of the 1833 storm by a minister, Joseph Harvey Waggoner, who witnessed the storm while traveling from Florida to New Orleans. Hundreds of … [Read more...] about The night the stars fell from the sky
James Brunt creates elaborate cairns and mandalas out of leaves and rocks
James Brunt makes intricate ephemeral artworks out of natural materials found in forests, parks, and beaches near his home in Yorkshire, England. This type of land art, popularized and often associated with fellow Brit Andy Goldsworthy, consists of intricate patterns, textures, and shapes formed from multiples of the same material. Brunt collects twigs, rocks, and leaves and … [Read more...] about James Brunt creates elaborate cairns and mandalas out of leaves and rocks
Photographer captures electrifying images from the Grand Canyon’s rim
Using long exposures, photographer Rolf Maeder managed to capture multiple lightning strikes hitting the Grand Canyon under atmospheric stormy skies. Sometimes an opportunity comes very unexpectedly. On August 30th, Maeder and two friends were driving from Sedona to the Grand Canyon to get some sunset shots. Maeder explains: After a short time … [Read more...] about Photographer captures electrifying images from the Grand Canyon’s rim
Spacecraft Protection And Hypervelocity Impacts
The consequences of meteoroid and debris impacts on spacecraft can range from small surface pits due to micrometre-size impactors and clear-hole penetrations for millimetre-size objects, to mission-critical damage for projectiles larger than 1 cm. Any impact of a 10 cm catalogue object on a spacecraft or orbital stage will most likely entail a catastrophic disintegration … [Read more...] about Spacecraft Protection And Hypervelocity Impacts