25 YEARS OF THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
The Hubble Space Telescope has completed 25 years of astronomical observation since its launch on 24 April 1990.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32433839
Nasa Administrator Charlie Bolden said 'A quarter of a century later, Hubble has fundamentally changed our understanding of our Universe and our place in it'.
An early problem was a flaw found in the telescope's primary mirror that blurred its images A smart fix was installed by spacewalking astronauts in 1993 that allowed its instruments to correct for the aberration in the reflecting surface.
Engineers expect the observatory to keep operating for at least another five years. Its successor , the much bigger James Webb Space Telescope, is due for launch in 2018.
The scientific contribution of Hubble is enormous. Before Hubble, astronomers did not know whether the Universe was 10 billion or 20 billion years old. Hubble's study of pulsating stars narrowed the uncertainty. The age of the Universe is now known to be 13.8 billion years. Hubble also played a part in revealing the expansion of the Universe, and provided definitive evidence for the existence of super-massive black holes at the centre of galaxies, among many other discoveries.
Comment: The images received from Hubble have been truly breathtaking, and often stunningly beautiful. Hubble in many ways has revolutionised astronomy and cosmology.
Thursday, 30 April 2015
Tuesday, 31 March 2015
DARK MATTER AND GALACTIC COLLISIONS
New observations on collisions of clusters of remote galaxies have shed further light on the nature of dark matter, enabling some theories to be ruled out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32066013
Astrophysicists studied 72 collisions between galactic clusters. Visible light was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope, and x-rays by the Chandra Observatory. The researchers tracked the movement of the three main components of galaxies: stars, clouds of gas, and dark matter.
Although dark matter, which makes up 85% of the matter in the universe, does not emit or absorb light, it does have gravity and its presence can be detected by its bending effect on light passing nearby.
Dr Richard Massey of Durham University and colleagues were able to map the dark matter during the galactic collisions. Unlike the gas clouds which interact strongly, and stars which glide past, the dark matter passes through everything and emerges unscathed.
The strongest result from the study was further evidence that dark matter really is present in the galactic clusters. Further, many theories of dark matter can now be ruled out, for example that dark matter is a 'dark version' of ordinary matter, made of 'dark atoms'.
Comment: Dark matter and energy are slowly yielding their mysteries to these astrophysical observations. It's difficult not to feel that one day there will be a major breakthrough in our understanding.
New observations on collisions of clusters of remote galaxies have shed further light on the nature of dark matter, enabling some theories to be ruled out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32066013
Astrophysicists studied 72 collisions between galactic clusters. Visible light was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope, and x-rays by the Chandra Observatory. The researchers tracked the movement of the three main components of galaxies: stars, clouds of gas, and dark matter.
Although dark matter, which makes up 85% of the matter in the universe, does not emit or absorb light, it does have gravity and its presence can be detected by its bending effect on light passing nearby.
Dr Richard Massey of Durham University and colleagues were able to map the dark matter during the galactic collisions. Unlike the gas clouds which interact strongly, and stars which glide past, the dark matter passes through everything and emerges unscathed.
The strongest result from the study was further evidence that dark matter really is present in the galactic clusters. Further, many theories of dark matter can now be ruled out, for example that dark matter is a 'dark version' of ordinary matter, made of 'dark atoms'.
Comment: Dark matter and energy are slowly yielding their mysteries to these astrophysical observations. It's difficult not to feel that one day there will be a major breakthrough in our understanding.
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
REMEMBERING FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR DISASTER
There are several events in London next month marking the fourth anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and opposing nuclear power. August this year will see the seventieth anniversary of the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I'm speaking at SOAS University of London on Tuesday 3 March, and also at the rally in Parliament Square at 2.30 pm on Saturday 14 March.
There are several events in London next month marking the fourth anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and opposing nuclear power. August this year will see the seventieth anniversary of the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I'm speaking at SOAS University of London on Tuesday 3 March, and also at the rally in Parliament Square at 2.30 pm on Saturday 14 March.
LARGE HADRON COLLIDER SEARCH FOR GLUINO
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is due to restart next month after an energy-boosting upgrade, following the crucial discovery of the Higgs boson:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31476337
Doubling the LHC collision energy may take it into the domain of dark matter particles, as predicted by Supersymmetry, which is a theoretical addition to the Standard Model of particle physics. Most of the matter in the Universe is believed to be in the form of dark matter. There may be many dark matter particles, partners to the ordinary matter particles. Initial candidates for discovery by the LHC are the gluino (the partner of the gluon which holds the quarks together inside protons and neutrons) and the neutralino.
Professor Beate Heinemann of the University of California at Berkley, a spokeswoman for the Atlas experiment at the LHC, says: 'We hope that we're just now at this threshold that we're finding another world, like antimatter for instance. We found antimatter in the beginning of the last century. Maybe we'll now find supersymmetric matter.'
Dr Michael Williams of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said: 'Finding any particle that could be a dark matter candidate is nice because we could start to understand how it affects the galaxy and the evolution of the universe, but it also opens the door to whatever is on the other side, which we have no idea what is there.'
Comment: These are adventurous and exciting times for particle physics and cosmology. A feeling that we may be just on the verge of major new discoveries that could change our view of the universe.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is due to restart next month after an energy-boosting upgrade, following the crucial discovery of the Higgs boson:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31476337
Doubling the LHC collision energy may take it into the domain of dark matter particles, as predicted by Supersymmetry, which is a theoretical addition to the Standard Model of particle physics. Most of the matter in the Universe is believed to be in the form of dark matter. There may be many dark matter particles, partners to the ordinary matter particles. Initial candidates for discovery by the LHC are the gluino (the partner of the gluon which holds the quarks together inside protons and neutrons) and the neutralino.
Professor Beate Heinemann of the University of California at Berkley, a spokeswoman for the Atlas experiment at the LHC, says: 'We hope that we're just now at this threshold that we're finding another world, like antimatter for instance. We found antimatter in the beginning of the last century. Maybe we'll now find supersymmetric matter.'
Dr Michael Williams of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said: 'Finding any particle that could be a dark matter candidate is nice because we could start to understand how it affects the galaxy and the evolution of the universe, but it also opens the door to whatever is on the other side, which we have no idea what is there.'
Comment: These are adventurous and exciting times for particle physics and cosmology. A feeling that we may be just on the verge of major new discoveries that could change our view of the universe.
Sunday, 1 February 2015
COSMIC INFLATION MEASUREMENTS ERROR
A new study of cosmic inflation involving the BICEP2 team of scientists has concluded that results announced last year were in error due to light emission from dust in our own galaxy:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31058529
BICEP2 used extremely sensitive detectors in an Antarctic telescope to study light coming to Earth from the edge of the observable universe - the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR).
It was looking for swirls in the polarisation of the light, called B-modes, which are an imprint of the waves of gravitational energy that would have accompanied the early inflation of the universe fractions of a second after the Big Bang.
The scientists now believe that false B-mode signals in the measurements reported last year arising from dust in our own galaxy lead to a reduced significance in the results, and they are unable to confirm that the signal is an imprint of cosmic inflation.
Other experiments are now attempting to resolve the B-mode signal using a variety of detector technologies and telescopes.
Comment: This is leading research and these developments are steps forward rather than setbacks.
A new study of cosmic inflation involving the BICEP2 team of scientists has concluded that results announced last year were in error due to light emission from dust in our own galaxy:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31058529
BICEP2 used extremely sensitive detectors in an Antarctic telescope to study light coming to Earth from the edge of the observable universe - the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR).
It was looking for swirls in the polarisation of the light, called B-modes, which are an imprint of the waves of gravitational energy that would have accompanied the early inflation of the universe fractions of a second after the Big Bang.
The scientists now believe that false B-mode signals in the measurements reported last year arising from dust in our own galaxy lead to a reduced significance in the results, and they are unable to confirm that the signal is an imprint of cosmic inflation.
Other experiments are now attempting to resolve the B-mode signal using a variety of detector technologies and telescopes.
Comment: This is leading research and these developments are steps forward rather than setbacks.
Saturday, 31 January 2015
GREECE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN'S SYRIZA RALLY
A rally celebrating the stunning victory of Syriza in the Greek general election was held on Wednesday 28 January at the TUC Congress House in London, attended by supporters of the Greece Solidarity Campaign and Syriza members from Athens.
The new Syriza government has already taken urgent action to remove some of the worst injustices inflicted on the Greek people by Austerity policies.
A rally celebrating the stunning victory of Syriza in the Greek general election was held on Wednesday 28 January at the TUC Congress House in London, attended by supporters of the Greece Solidarity Campaign and Syriza members from Athens.
The new Syriza government has already taken urgent action to remove some of the worst injustices inflicted on the Greek people by Austerity policies.
SELLAFIELD NUCLEAR CLEAN-UP CONTRACT LOST
Private consortium Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) will be stripped of the £9bn contract to clean-up the nuclear waste site at Sellafield, the biggest and most complex nuclear site in Europe:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30785623
NMP has run the site for more than six years. The private consortium has been heavily criticised; both the Public Accounts Committee and the National Audit Office have accused NMP of overruns and delays. NMP's contract was extended for a further five years in 2013.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which awarded the contract, last year increased its estimate for cleaning up the UK's nuclear sites by 7% to £110bn over the next 120 years. The vast bulk of that relates to Sellafield.
Comment: This debacle illustrates the enormous costs, the timescale disappearing into the distant future, and the short-term profiteering of private consortia involved in the clean-up of the waste from nuclear power.
Private consortium Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) will be stripped of the £9bn contract to clean-up the nuclear waste site at Sellafield, the biggest and most complex nuclear site in Europe:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30785623
NMP has run the site for more than six years. The private consortium has been heavily criticised; both the Public Accounts Committee and the National Audit Office have accused NMP of overruns and delays. NMP's contract was extended for a further five years in 2013.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which awarded the contract, last year increased its estimate for cleaning up the UK's nuclear sites by 7% to £110bn over the next 120 years. The vast bulk of that relates to Sellafield.
Comment: This debacle illustrates the enormous costs, the timescale disappearing into the distant future, and the short-term profiteering of private consortia involved in the clean-up of the waste from nuclear power.
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