Dang, That's Cool!

Here's a time lapse photo of a lightning storm over boston, taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

Hello there! I’m sorry for the long delay in new content. I’m in the beginning stages of constructing a Van de Graaff generator. Don’t worry – there will be video, and it will be awesome.

Anyway, I wanted to start a new series of posts. The subject of this series is “amazing stuff right here on Earth.” I think when we have something we are commonly exposed to, we often forget the really remarkable characteristics that it may have. This is the case with water, a ubiquitous but really wonderful chemical, and this is why I wrote that series on water. And so I want to do the same thing with the planet Earth! People get all worked up about the volcanic activity of Io or the great storms of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn. But our own Earth is home to a huge variety of astounding and even mysterious phenomena! To prove this point, I’m going to start off this series with everyone’s favorite electrostatic discharge, lightning! Everyone has experienced lightning, but how many of us really know what it is, and how it forms? Judging by this site’s traffic, that number might just increase by 1-2 dozen! Let’s get to it! Read the rest of this entry »

A sphere of water floats in the International Space Station.

Ahh! So many days without an update! I apologize profusely. I am working on a post about lightning (far more complicated than I imagined!) and am also in the preliminary stages of building a Van de Graaff generator, which is going to be totally sweet. I just haven’t gotten anything into postable form yet. But, let me at least share a couple awesome youtube videos with you! These are from a series of experiments that International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit did called Saturday Morning Science. Read the rest of this entry »

The Earth, my home and yours. It looks lonely, doesn't it?

I recently received an email. It’s a good one, and the discussion it concerns is important.

Sam writes:

Hey guys,

I really enjoyed the Hubble post.  That was a pretty amazing video!  Between that, and seeing “District 9″ this weekend, I was wondering what you thought the odds are that we are alone in the universe?

Thanks,

Sam

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In the fullness of geologic time, even the tallest mountains crumble to the sea.

This is the process of erosion, where rock is pulverized into sediment and transported far away from its original source.  Eventually the sediment gets deposited in a new location, buried, and then baked into new rock by the immense heat and pressure of the Earth’s interior.  This rock may then be uplifted and eroded again, continuing the geologic cycle that has been slowly and inexorably churning up the crust of this tiny dot we call a home ever since its birth four and a half billion years ago.

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The Hubble Space Telescope. It's a telescope, in space, named after a guy called Hubble. What more do you need to know?

Did you know that the Hubble Space Telescope is awesome? Probably. But did you know you have access to a huge gallery of amazing images taken with everyone’s favorite orbiting telescope? Maybe not! Well now you do! Go here for a hugenormous gallery of stellar photographs of celestial bodies that are truly out of this world. Check below the break for a sampling. Read the rest of this entry »

The moon! Photo by Luc Viatour.

Hello! I’m sorry for the drought of posts these past few days. Let me try to make it up to you with two great posts at once! Wow! I want to answer two questions I received in emails (dangthatscool@gmail.com). If I continue to receive emails on a regular basis, I’ll make this a regular sort of post. A kind of grab-bag. If I get emails with enough regularity, I might even be able to make it a weekly feature! Grab-bag Tuesday, or something. Anyway, here goes. Read the rest of this entry »

A 19th century engraving of a meteor shower.

Tonight, between midnight and dawn, look up! The Perseid Meteor Shower, created by the passage of Earth through the debris tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle, peaks soon! For the past few days the Earth has been traveling through the trail of dusty debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle. As pieces of dust from the comet pass through our atmosphere, friction between the particles and the gasses of our atmosphere heat them up until they glow. The result is beautiful streaks of light across the night sky. Well tonight we pass through the thickest part of the debris field, and the show should be great. If you are a night owl or you just want an astronomical show, take a trip to a dark area away from artificial lights and with good sky visibility. Look north-east and you should start seeing meteors flashing overhead! Make sure there isn’t a thick cloud cover in your area, though, or else you may find yourself up late for no good reason!

-Neil

Update 9/16: I’ve been seeing a lot of visitors to this article lately. I’m guessing you all are looking for information about the “September Perseids.” This time last year there was a bright and unexpected display of meteors radiating from the constellation Perseus. This year, it looks like a repeat is not in the cards. However, the odds of seeing meteors is better than an average night, so if you’re up late (at least past midnight – the closer to dawn, the better), you may as well go outside and take a look. Let me know if you see anything, and good luck!

Update 10/21/09: All you folks viewing this article today, I expect you’re after info about the current meteor shower caused by dusty debris from Halley’s Comet. That is the Orionid meteor shower, and you can find a brief discussion of the event here. The main thing you need to know is that when you’re looking for meteors, try to face yourself towards the constellation Orion – that is where they will seem to originate from. Happy Hunting, and why not leave a comment if you see a cool one?

Email us! We recommend using the internet.

I just wanted to remind readers of something said in the very first post. If you have questions or are curious about some topic that hasn’t been written about (which is very likely since there have only been a handful of posts!), please shoot us an email at:

dangthatscool@gmail.com

We’ll get back to you in a jiffy, and if the answer could double as an article, we’ll post the article and give you credit for prompting it! Wow! A foolproof shortcut to internet fame and fortune at your fingertips!

-Neil

PS Really nifty post on molecular machines coming soon (maybe tonight!). Motors and capsules measured in nanometers, and more!

Oh Bill... You're so dreamy...

I love Bill Nye. I LOVE Bill Nye. Bill Nye is a fantastic person. Bill Nye’s television show Bill Nye the Science Guy opened the eyes of thousands of children to the wonders of science! That’s one of the best things a person can do! Well listen, I didn’t write this post to gush about Bill Nye, though I could have. I wrote it to alert you to an important fact:

Every episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy is on Youtube.

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Handsome scientist and bon-vivant Louis Pasteur helped develop germ theory, invented the first rabies vaccine, and of course, invented pasteurization! Jealous? I don't blame you.

Ever find yourself wracked with envy over the fabulous lifestyles of the members of the scientific community? Does the sight of a lab-coated, bespectacled scientist strolling down Park Avenue with an air of well-earned confidence turn you green with envy? Want to reel in the ladies like a marine biologist? Well worry no more friends!

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