benb's video turns out to be: "Particles Unknown: Hunting Neutrinos - Full Documentary - Nova - PBS"
Unfortunately disabled in the UK. Oh, well, we can always let the worthy Arvin Ash explain it:
I quite like the particle zoo, as it goes. All within The Standard Model, of course:
Most interesting newish book about the historical discovery of various particles, which I have mentioned before:
@Galu, you have no idea the trouble I had getting that picture of the night sky last night! I was all systems are go on my camera, when a visitor to our street unlocked her car right in front of my camera.
Flashing headlights and loud beeps! I waited patiently for her to clear off. NO! She found a note on her windscreen about an impact her car had suffered. A dented quarterlight! As if I cared...
She left her lights on and departed down the street where a Police car had inconsiderately pulled up in the middle of the road for some domestic incident, no doubt. More flashing lights!
IT GOT WORSE! A car recovery truck arrived and got stuck behind the Police car, complete with 4 Arc lights and an orange flasher!
I wanted to tell them all to just clear off, but resisted it. Though I felt my astronomical mission was far more important.
I gave up in disgust and stormed off to 'Spoons for a coffee and to catch up with my Dave Robicheaux crime novel...
Later returning to peace and quiet and the above photo. Sighs. I must be a Saint.
Unfortunately disabled in the UK. Oh, well, we can always let the worthy Arvin Ash explain it:
I quite like the particle zoo, as it goes. All within The Standard Model, of course:
Most interesting newish book about the historical discovery of various particles, which I have mentioned before:
@Galu, you have no idea the trouble I had getting that picture of the night sky last night! I was all systems are go on my camera, when a visitor to our street unlocked her car right in front of my camera.
Flashing headlights and loud beeps! I waited patiently for her to clear off. NO! She found a note on her windscreen about an impact her car had suffered. A dented quarterlight! As if I cared...
She left her lights on and departed down the street where a Police car had inconsiderately pulled up in the middle of the road for some domestic incident, no doubt. More flashing lights!
IT GOT WORSE! A car recovery truck arrived and got stuck behind the Police car, complete with 4 Arc lights and an orange flasher!
I wanted to tell them all to just clear off, but resisted it. Though I felt my astronomical mission was far more important.
I gave up in disgust and stormed off to 'Spoons for a coffee and to catch up with my Dave Robicheaux crime novel...
Later returning to peace and quiet and the above photo. Sighs. I must be a Saint.
Ha ha! You couldn't make that up. Or could you?
Check upper corner right
I see a corner!
My sympathy for urban dweller system 7. I bought in November the only mercury vapor yard light within a mile of my summer trailer. This weekend I may disconnect the electricity to it and run it through a switch. According to Menzel Field Guide to the Stars & Planets Corona Borealis is just east of North in North America on May 1. Near the horizon. I may actually be able to spot Vega & Acturus. Up to now the only constellation I could identify is Ursa Minor (big dipper). I bought the field guide in 1983 when I lived in dark Kansas courtesy US Army. When I finally went on terminal leave and had some time off, I discovered the vet had installed a yard light in the field behind my house for the benefit of his appaloosa horses. Next house south of mine in Herington was Ramona 9 miles away.
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Sounds like you just need to WASTE some petrol and increase your carbon footprint to go drive to the middle of nowhere with your telescope.@Galu, you have no idea the trouble I had getting that picture of the night sky last night! I was all systems are go on my camera, when a visitor to our street unlocked her car right in front of my camera.
Flashing headlights and loud beeps! I waited patiently for her to clear off. NO! She found a note on her windscreen about an impact her car had suffered. A dented quarterlight! As if I cared...
She left her lights on and departed down the street where a Police car had inconsiderately pulled up in the middle of the road for some domestic incident, no doubt. More flashing lights!
IT GOT WORSE! A car recovery truck arrived and got stuck behind the Police car, complete with 4 Arc lights and an orange flasher!
Or an electric cargo bicycle, like mine. Gets 50 miles to .84 kw charge. The background is a warehouse at the ordnance depot that supported Gen Grant & Sherman on their campaign through Tennessee to Atlanta & Savannah. Meigs street (Quartermaster general) runs to the ferry at the Ohio river, now an Interstate bridge.
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I often feel like telling Steve to get on his bike.
P.S. "On yer bike!" is an informal British expression meaning "Go away and stop being annoying!".
However, I would miss him terribly if he were to go!
A little less than a year ago, concrete was going in. I’d love to put up an observation tower at the back of the field, to get above the tree line. Long way to go before that happens. Sitting on top of the mobile home isn’t too bad though.
Is going to be dark as all hell out there unless I’ve got a light on.
Is going to be dark as all hell out there unless I’ve got a light on.
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FOWARD TO ALL INTERESTED >
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-laser-nucleus-classical-quantum-physics.html
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-laser-nucleus-classical-quantum-physics.html
I have a particular dislike of folks posting time-consuming links without saying why we should be interested. Sorry. Maybe just me, but it right gives me the weed! (Which is to say a state of excited and uncontrolled rage, which is unlike my usual state of serene and copacetic calmness...)
The issue of 8.2 eV laser excitation (Ultraviolet photons I would think) of Thorium 229 should first be considered by its position in the Periodic Table of Chemistry:
Aha! We are looking at Thorium 90, an Actinide, along with all its disreputable fellow fissile elements, including U235 and Pt239. Thorium is 4 times more common than Uranium, which makes it of interest in things Nuclear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_thorium
Th232 is considered a precursor for weapons and reactors, having a conveniently small fissile mass of about 5kg (with suitable neutron reflectors) when converted to U233 by neutron capture and subsequent beta decay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-233
These foolish Americans thought they were watching some sort of firework show, codenamed "Operation Teapot":
Just wait for the shock wave to hit, along with a particularly nasty grade of sunburn! Sort of thing that gets atomic physics a bad name.
Personally, I suggest you do not try this at home. Accidents involving such materials can harm your health, as with the famous "Demon Core" of Pt239 with Tungsten Carbide reflectors:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core
This Thorium229 experiment has many of the elements of the famous and precise Mossbauer effect, which I have performed in the physics lab. Including using a large crystal to reduce momentum recoil effects.
Here at more respectable system7 labs, we are fixing a GIANT bicycle to save the planet:
I have ordered new 3x7 Shimano gearshifters, along with frame-mounted reflectors, which are as rare as hens' teeth but an essential safety feature along with lights.
Because I defy you to fix old rusty ones. These things are the work of the Devil, IMO.
Also further investigating my new Nikon D60 DSLR camera settings. Apparently saving images in RAW format is another GOOD THING for astronomy. Avoids compression an' all that.
It is important to read the manual, IMO.
Yes, Patrick Moore's old Observer's book of Astronomy is still useful for Nova hunters.
Best, Steve.
The issue of 8.2 eV laser excitation (Ultraviolet photons I would think) of Thorium 229 should first be considered by its position in the Periodic Table of Chemistry:
Aha! We are looking at Thorium 90, an Actinide, along with all its disreputable fellow fissile elements, including U235 and Pt239. Thorium is 4 times more common than Uranium, which makes it of interest in things Nuclear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_thorium
Th232 is considered a precursor for weapons and reactors, having a conveniently small fissile mass of about 5kg (with suitable neutron reflectors) when converted to U233 by neutron capture and subsequent beta decay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-233
These foolish Americans thought they were watching some sort of firework show, codenamed "Operation Teapot":
Just wait for the shock wave to hit, along with a particularly nasty grade of sunburn! Sort of thing that gets atomic physics a bad name.
Personally, I suggest you do not try this at home. Accidents involving such materials can harm your health, as with the famous "Demon Core" of Pt239 with Tungsten Carbide reflectors:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core
This Thorium229 experiment has many of the elements of the famous and precise Mossbauer effect, which I have performed in the physics lab. Including using a large crystal to reduce momentum recoil effects.
Here at more respectable system7 labs, we are fixing a GIANT bicycle to save the planet:
I have ordered new 3x7 Shimano gearshifters, along with frame-mounted reflectors, which are as rare as hens' teeth but an essential safety feature along with lights.
Because I defy you to fix old rusty ones. These things are the work of the Devil, IMO.
Also further investigating my new Nikon D60 DSLR camera settings. Apparently saving images in RAW format is another GOOD THING for astronomy. Avoids compression an' all that.
It is important to read the manual, IMO.
Yes, Patrick Moore's old Observer's book of Astronomy is still useful for Nova hunters.
Best, Steve.
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It's actually closer to 8.4 eV, Steve, but what's a difference of 0.2 eV or so between friends?
Allow me to shine some more light on this:
"Laser excitation of a 229Th nucleus, illustrated here with blue and red neutrons and protons, causes it to transition to an excited isomeric state 229mTh that has a very low energy (8.35574 eV). When the excited nucleus returns to its ground state, it emits photons at 148.3821 nm. This nuclear transition could be used as a clock frequency that forms the basis of an extremely precise timekeeping device."
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v17/71
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Reactors yes, but weapons I think not.
I wrote about the "Thorium cycle" back on page 184 (post #3,673).
A thorium reactor eliminates the malicious step to modify fuel into a nuclear weapon since there is no need for uranium enrichment with this technology.
https://vittana.org/16-big-thorium-...ith more abundance than uranium as an element
The point I was facetiously trying to make was that Steve's photo apparently struggles to resolve the stars in the Corona Borealis constellation situated just south of the Boötes constellation.
The Northern Crown is an essential navigation aid as it is at a point in the sky close to it that nova T Coronae Borealis is due to appear.
Armed with the original image and with superior eyesight, perhaps Steve is faring better than I!
EDIT: Looking more carefully at the enlargement, I believe I can make out the Northern Crown!
The Northern Crown is an essential navigation aid as it is at a point in the sky close to it that nova T Coronae Borealis is due to appear.
Armed with the original image and with superior eyesight, perhaps Steve is faring better than I!
EDIT: Looking more carefully at the enlargement, I believe I can make out the Northern Crown!
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For reference, the constellation Cassiopeia points towards Andromeda.
Apparently, Steve could get decent photographs of the Andromeda galaxy with his tripod, DSLR and a lens of about 100-300mm provided he stacks dozens or even hundreds of images: https://www.highpointscientific.com...atively,a DSLR with a lens of about 100-300mm.
And he would need to get on his bike to find darker skies!
