Posted by Simon on March 14, 2010 under It Is Believable, Really interesting! | 
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The Eagle Nebula, associated with open star cluster M16 of the Milky Way, was named for its dramatic similarity to the appearance of an eagle. Located 7000 light years from Earth, it is a component of the constellation Serpens (for Serpent). It was discovered in 1746 by P.L. de Cheseaux but it was not until twenty years later that the famous astronomer Charles Messier discovered it nebulosity. Not naked to the naked eye, it can be seen under the power of a low-to-moderate power telescope.
The Eagle Nebula is what is categorized as an emission nebula. An emission nebula is created when electrons are stripped away from molecules through the process of ionization and then recombine with protons emitting quanta of light. Usually the photons emitted lie in the red end of the spectrum creating a red-looking nebula. This is largely true for the Eagle Nebula with much of its glory being due to a brilliant display of red colors in addition to blue and white light. The Eagle Nebula is a heavenly wonder.
The source of the ionization in emission nebula is energetic ultraviolet light created from hot stars shining on a cloud of hydrogen gas. In the case of the Eagle Nebula, the ultraviolet energy comes from the blue and white stars of the M16 cluster. These stars are interesting in that they are only approximately two million years old compared with our own sun’s age of four billion year. However, they are considerably heavier which is responsible for the shortening their lifetime to the order of a few million years.
The resemblance of an eagle is due to the presence of three tall dark pillars of EGG’s, or evaporating gas globules. EGG’s are composed of hydrogen gas and dust and are so dense that their constituents actually condense under the force of gravity to form new stars. These pillars are light years in length. The dust referred to absorbs much of the pillars’ light, giving it a dark appearance. These dust particles are not like ordinary household dust due to being both microscopic and asymmetrical in shape. Very little is known about them, as they have never been viewed first hand. However this interstellar dust makes up a large component of the universe.
Although somewhat complicated, the scientific origin of the Eagle Nebula is both rich and fascinating. The nebula itself is breathtaking, and any chance to view it should be undertaken if at all possible. There are many different types of classifications of nebulas with as many different visible manifestations as the number of identifiable nebulas themselves. Many beautiful images of the Eagle Nebula have been captured by the Hubble telescope, and like all images of nebulas are wonders of nature.
1) Bill Schoening/NOAO/AURA/NSF
About the Author:
My name is Simon and I am a Blogger. As the title of this blog it is as expected: A Tech Blog. I find so many things fascinating that I just have to write about them sharing my fascination with that particular item or technical bit of information. I ask that If you do read an article, that you would take a moment and comment saying good job, alright! or that it just sucked. Let me know, for it is important. Most of all, if you do enjoy my articles, please subscribe to my articles through the RSS feed by clicking on the RSS button on the blog page. Thank You for visiting and, Good Day!
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Posted by Simon on March 7, 2010 under Free eBooks, Really interesting!, This Really Makes You Think . . . |
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Understanding the scientific method and how to follow it is critical to building a good reputation in the technical community. In regards to science fairs, as a student progresses in grade levels the judges are going to demand more and more focus on using the scientific method.
Here is my seven step description of the scientific method.
1. Define the question 2. Gather information and resources 3. Form hypothesis 4. Perform experiment and collect data 5. Analyze data 6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypotheses 7. Publish results
In science fair competitions, if you can show that you are following the scientific method, you are well on your way to impressing the judges.
Basically, start out by defining your question and topic. After that, form a hypothesis and perform your experiments. Step 6 is where you use that data to make any new hypotheses or theories about your science topic. If you want, you can take that new hypothesis you just developed and start again from step 3, then move your way back to 6. Follow this cycle as much as you want. The more focused your information and experiments the better.
Would you like an example to clarify how to use the scientific method?
Imagine you are doing your project on “Hot water” and we are going to follow the scientific method steps.
1. Define your question.
How about something silly, like “Will boiling water burn a person’s hand?”
2. Find lots of information about hot water and learn everything you can about it.
3. Now form a hypothesis based on your research. Our hypothesis is, “A person will not suffer any burns due to contact with boiling water.” Hopefully you are smart enough to know this isn’t true, but let’s pretend we aren’t just for the sake of the example.
4. Now we do perform our experiements. In real life we know we will burn ourselves with boiling water, and we should never touch it! But, suppose the experimenter has no idea. They run tests to see if contact with boiling water burns a person. BAD IDEA!
5. Now look at your data. Probably everyone in the experiments burned their skin during the tests. Looks like boiling water does cause burns! DUH!
6. Interpret the data. Hmm…our hypothesis was completely wrong. Our experiments showed that boiling water can cause burns.
7. Publish your results. I certainly hope you never make a project just like this, but here’s your chance to show the world what happens when you touch boiling water!
Keep in mind, don’t change your hypothesis because your final data did not agree with it. You don’t get more credit for having a correct hypothesis. You get credit for following the scientific method and coming to a correct conclusion based on your data.
Don’t forget to include possible reasons for experimental error.
If you follow these steps your project or experiment will make sense to anyone who views it and you have a good chance of succeeding!
About the Author:
My name is Simon and I am a Blogger. As the title of this blog it is as expected: A Tech Blog. I find so many things fascinating that I just have to write about them sharing my fascination with that particular item or technical bit of information. I ask that If you do read an article, that you would take a moment and comment saying good job, alright! or that it just sucked. Let me know, for it is important. Most of all, if you do enjoy my articles, please subscribe to my articles through the RSS feed by clicking on the RSS button on the blog page. Thank You for visiting and, Good Day!
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