K12> Curious Times: The Horrendous Space Kablooie ? On TV Tonight!
- From: Gleason Sackmann <gleason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: NetHappenings <nethappenings@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 09:47:18 -0600
**************************************************************
Net Happenings - From Educational CyberPlayGround
**************************************************************
From: "Curious Times" <sodamail-gtmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <gleason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: 10 Nov 2003 22:51:36 -0000
Subject: Curious Times: The Horrendous Space Kablooie ? On TV Tonight!
Curious Times
Science Thought and Exploration
---------------------------------------------
Here's what you do. Turn on your TV, unplug your cable service if that's what
you use, and then tune it to any channel it doesn't receive. Now take a look at
the static. Here's the cool part. About 1% of what you're seeing is the death
of
a few of the most ancient particles in the universe left over from the explosion
that started everything some 14 billion years ago.
.................................................
If you had recognized this in 1964 you would have received the Nobel Prize
instead of two astronomers named Arno Penzias and Rober Wislon. Take
heart, however, they didn't know what they were looking at either. Back in
1964 these two were using an untra-sensitive communications antenna to
study the Milky Way. But what they found, much to their chagrin, was nothing
important just annoying background hiss - static. It was there all the time no
matter where they pointed their antenna no matter when they looked. They, in
fact, spent months trying to get rid of the static, including cleaning pigeon
droppings off the antenna.
In the midst of their troubles they called a friend of theirs Robert Dicky,
another astronomer working just 30 miles away at Princeton. Dicky just
happened to be working on an idea proposed by a fellow named Gamov in
the 1940s. His idea? That we should be able to detect remnants of the blast
that formed the universe some 14 billion years ago. How you ask? Well,
Gamov said that the original explosion would produce photons, and that
these extremely hot photons would cool down over time and eventually be
quite cold. Cold photons, it happens, appear as microwaves ? same kind that
TV's and radios can pick up. So, when Dicky heard our boys complain of static
he knew exactly what it was ? it was what is now called the CBR ? cosmic
background radiation ? and it?s the most direct proof of the Big Bang. So,
some 14 years later Penzias and Wislon received the prize for something they
weren't looking for and didn't know about when they heard it.
Turns out that every day Earth is bombarded by a barrage of photons, most
come from the Sun and stars. Most were emitted today or a few thousand
years ago. But a few, those that wash out bad episodes of 'Survivor', are
billions of years old. Back then they would have been a brilliant yellow-white
6000 degree Celsisus barrage. Now however, they are a degree or so above
absolute zero and nearly undetectable.
By the way if you're wondering about the title for this article, it comes from
Calvin, of "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoon fame. In one strip, Calvin says to
Hobbes, "I've been reading about the beginning of the universe. They call it
'The Big Bang.' Isn't it weird how scientists can imagine all the matter of the
universe exploding out of a dot smaller than the head of a pin, but they can't
come up with a more evocative name for it than 'the Big Bang'? That's the
whole problem with science. You've got a bunch of empiricists trying to
describe things of unimaginable wonder."
Hobbes asks, "What would you call the creation of the universe?"
Calvin replies, "The Horrendous Space Kablooie!"
Lauren
Editor's note: Thanks to Michelle Thaller an astrophysicist who works for
NASA in Los Angeles, California for her help.
---------------------------------------------
You can email Scott at scott@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Also check out Scott's Science for the People Site:
http://www.ScienceForPeople.com
You can email Lauren at
curioustimes@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://gt.sodamail.com/cgi-bin/gt/tpl_newsletter_home.html?content=23&nl_master=23
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ S O D A M A I L ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you know someone who would be interested in reading this
newsletter, please forward this entire message to them!
This is one of 25 Sodamail award winning newsletters
and they're all FREE... go to http://www.sodamail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Need help? -- write to: help@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Have questions--write to our editor: editor@xxxxxxxxxxxx
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COPYRIGHT 1999-2003 SodaMail LLC. All rights reserved
http://www.Sodamail.com
<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>
EDUCATIONAL CYBERPLAYGROUND
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com
VENDORS REACH THE EDUCATION MARKET
FREE EDUCATION VENDOR DIRECTORY LISTING
Find PREMIUM & FEATURED MERCHANT LISTING ALSO
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Directory/default.asp
HOT LIST OF SCHOOLS ONLINE
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Schools/default.asp
SERVICES
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/PS/Home_Products.html
Net Happenings,K12 Newsletters, Network Newsletters
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/index.html
<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>
Other related posts:
- » K12> Curious Times: The Horrendous Space Kablooie ? On TV Tonight!
