infrared light – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

The Most Precise Measurement of an Alien World’s Size

By Guest PostAugust 5, 2014Scienceaccelerator program, alien world, exoplanets, Galaxy, infrared light, kenya lab, kepler, NASA, size, solar system, spitzer space telescope, super earth, ted fellow

Thanks to NASA’s Kepler and Spitzer Space Telescopes, scientists have made the most precise measurement ever of the radius of a planet outside our solar system. The size of the exoplanet, dubbed Kepler-93b, is now known to an uncertainty of just 74 miles (119 kilometers) on either side of the planetary body.

The findings confirm Kepler-93b as a “super-Earth” that is about one-and-a-half times the size of our planet. Although super-Earths are common in the galaxy, none exist in our solar system. Exoplanets like Kepler-93b are therefore our only laboratories to study this major class of planet. (more…)

The Shocking Behavior of a Speedy Star

By Guest PostFebruary 23, 2014Scienceastronomers, cassiopeia constellation, hd 2905, infrared light, kappa cassiopeiae, milky way galaxy, NASA, proxima centauri, shocking behavior, speedster star, speedy star, spitzer space telescope

Roguish runaway stars can have a big impact on their surroundings as they plunge through the Milky Way galaxy. Their high-speed encounters shock the galaxy, creating arcs, as seen in this newly released image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.

In this case, the speedster star is known as Kappa Cassiopeiae, or HD 2905 to astronomers. It is a massive, hot supergiant moving at around 2.5 million mph relative to its neighbors (1,100 kilometers per second). But what really makes the star stand out in this image is the surrounding, streaky red glow of material in its path. Such structures are called bow shocks, and they can often be seen in front of the fastest, most massive stars in the galaxy. (more…)

Astronomers discover first noble gas molecules in space

By Guest PostDecember 13, 2013Science19th century, alison loll, argon 40, argon hydride ions, arh, astronomers, atom like argon, bruce swinyard, crab nebula, different molecules, energy, esa space, ghz, gigahertz, harsh environment, herschel space observatory, infrared light, isotopes, jeff hester, mike barlow, neutron star, noble gas molecules, potassium in rocks, properties, radioactive decay, Space, spectroscopic observations, supernova, supernova remnant, university of arizona, wavelengths, william ramsay

Noble gas molecules have been detected in space for the first time in the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, by astronomers at UCL.

Led by Professor Mike Barlow (UCL Physics & Astronomy) the team used ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory to observe the Crab Nebula in far infrared light. (more…)

Eye-tracking could outshine passwords if made user-friendly

By Guest PostJuly 31, 2013Technologyatm, atm scenario, biometric identification system, cameras, cecilia aragon, eye tracking, eye tracking system, face recognition authentication, facebook profiles, infrared light, low quality webcam, michael brooks, oleg komogortsev, passwords, pin, prototype, standard pin authentication, Technology, texas state university, types of authentication, university of washington, user friendly

It’s a wonder we still put up with passwords.

We forget our highly secretive combinations, so we frequently have them reset and sent to our cellphones and alternative email addresses. We come up with clever jumbles of letters and words, only to mess up the order. We sit there on the login screen, desperately punching in a code we should know by heart.

Despite their inefficiencies, passwords are still the most common electronic authentication systems, protecting everything from our bank accounts, laptops and email to health information, utility bills and, of course, our Facebook profiles. While fingerprint- and eye- and face-recognition authentication technology is progressing, these biometric security systems haven’t yet gone mainstream. (more…)

Shot Away from its Companion, Giant Star Makes Waves

By Guest PostDecember 23, 2012Sciencebow shock, caltech, giant star, infrared light, infrared portrait, jet propulsion laboratory, NASA, pasadena, sonic boom, Space, spitzer space telescope, survey explorer, visible colors, wise, zeta ophiuchi

Like a ship plowing through still waters, the giant star Zeta Ophiuchi is speeding through space, making waves in the dust ahead. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has captured a dramatic, infrared portrait of these glowing waves, also known as a bow shock.

Astronomers theorize that this star was once sitting pretty next to a companion star even heftier than itself. But when that star exploded, Zeta Ophiuchi was kicked away and sent flying. Zeta Ophiuchi, which is 20 times more massive and 80,000 times brighter than our sun, is racing along at about 54,000 mph (24 kilometers per second). (more…)

‘Pacman’ Nebula Gets Some Teeth

By Guest PostOctober 27, 2011Scienceconstellation cassiopeia, cosmos, infrared light, NASA, ngc 281, pac man, pacman nebula, star forming cloud, wide field infrared survey explorer, wise

To visible-light telescopes, this star-forming cloud appears to be chomping through the cosmos, earning it the nickname the “Pacman” nebula, like the famous Pac-Man video game that debuted in 1980. When viewed in infrared light by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, the Pacman takes on a new appearance. In place of its typical, triangle-shaped mouth is a new set of lower, sharp-looking teeth. The Pacman is located at the top of the picture, taking a bite in the direction of the upper left corner.

The teeth are actually pillars where new stars may be forming. These structures were formed when radiation and winds from massive stars in a central cluster blew gas and dust away, leaving only the densest of material. The red dots sprinkled throughout the picture are thought to be the youngest stars, still forming in cocoons of dust. (more…)

The Art of Making Stars

By Guest PostApril 5, 2011Scienceabstract painting, earth, edward wright, infrared light, NASA, nearby stars, nebula, reflection nebula, rho ophiuchi, sigma scorpii, splash of colors, star forming complex, wavelengths, wide field infrared explorer, wise

It might look like an abstract painting, but this splash of colors is in fact a busy star-forming complex called Rho Ophiuchi. NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Explorer, or WISE, captured the picturesque image of the region, which is one of the closest star-forming complexes to Earth. (more…)

Spitzer Captures Infrared Rays From a Sunflower

By Guest PostMarch 5, 2011Sciencedistant galaxy, dust lanes, infrared light, light years, messier 63, microns, NASA, spiral arm, spiral galaxies, spitzer space telescope, stars, sunflower galaxy, wavelengths, whirlpool galaxy

The various spiral arm segments of the Sunflower galaxy, also known as Messier 63, show up vividly in this image taken in infrared light by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. Infrared light is sensitive to the dust lanes in spiral galaxies, which appear dark in visible-light images. Spitzer’s view reveals complex structures that trace the galaxy’s spiral arm pattern.

Messier 63 lies 37 million-light years away — not far from the well-known Whirlpool galaxy and the associated Messier 51 group of galaxies. (more…)

Tag Archives: infrared light