March 03, 2018 “I’ll believe it when I see it” could be the motto of the empiricist. His not unreasonable belief is that reasonable belief in an idea should be governed by tests that give results which can be sensed. His concern is that beliefs not anchored to what…
Apr 2, 2018 Even the coldest dust radiates light. The European Space Agency launched the Herschel Space Observatory on May 14, 2009 with the largest spaceborne mirror ever constructed. Herschel was sent into orbit around LaGrange point L2 in order to protect its helium-cooled infrared detectors. Its coolant system lasted…
Mar 30, 2018 Ask anyone who has even a modest knowledge of mythology to name the Egyptian sun god and they will probably point to Ra. And why not? Is that not what we have been taught by historians and archeologists? Dwardu Cardona (1937‑2016) authored many books about comparative…
March 29, 2018 Ionic disturbances through electrically charged regolith shaped the Martian surface. Craters, canyons, dunes and many other features do not readily correspond to contemporary theories about their evolution. Dunes on Mars often do not align with prevailing winds, and do not indicate any movement after years of…
Mar 28, 2018 Earth and the Sun share an electric circuit. “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” — Charles Dudley Warner The Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites were launched March 12, 2015 on a mission to study Earth’s electromagnetic fields. The MMS constellation, as well as the…
Mar 23, 2018 Kristian Birkeland’s work is often overlooked. Oh, it was wild and weird and wan, and ever in camp o’ nights We would watch and watch the silver dance of the mystic Northern Lights. And soft they danced from the Polar sky and swept in primrose haze; And…
March 22, 2018 Phenomena on Earth, as well as in deep space, share similar characteristics. “I have always believed that astrophysics should be the extrapolation of laboratory physics, that we must begin from the present Universe and work our way backward to progressively more remote and uncertain epochs.” —…
Mar 21, 2018 What causes the cloud bands and high winds on Jupiter? NASA launched the Juno mission on August 5, 2011. Its primary science goals include analysis of Jupiter’s massive plasmasphere, along with electromagnetic influences throughout the Jovian system. Jupiter radiates more energy than it receives from the Sun,…
March 20, 2018 Computer simulations cannot correctly model supernova explosions. Contemporary astrophysical models of stellar evolution rely on the mechanical action of cold gas collapsing from gravitational impetus. Stars are seen as whirling vortices of compressed matter heated to fusion temperatures by pressure, alone. Clouds of gas and dust…
Mar 19, 2018 Does gravity bind the edges of galaxies into a disk? Galaxies should be denser in their nuclei and gradually fade into hazy boundaries, yet many of them exhibit rims of tightly knit stars. Some galaxies possess coherent structures like arms or bars that are almost solid-looking….
