(±0.2 Billion Years.)

Hello and welcome to my blog about my life (science) and whatever else takes my fancy (hint: it's more science). You may call me Dougal and I'm 19 Earth years old, currently double majoring in physics and chemistry in New Zealand. In reality I have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm going to do though so you'll find a little bit of everything.

Cherenkov RadiationCherenkov radiation is seen in this image as an eerie glow surrounding the core of a nuclear reactor. It is created when electrons are released through beta decay of radioactive materials which then radiate outwards from the source. When these move into a dielectric medium, which is an insulator that polarizes in an electric field, the electrons interact with the atoms and molecules that make up the medium. This has the effect of polarizing some of the molecules involved when the electron moves faster than the phase velocity of light in that substance due to the electron’s electromagnetic field interfering with that of the medium. The polarized state of the molecules is a higher energy state than the nonpolar form and as the molecule spontaneously flips from polarized to nonpolarized form it releases energy in the form of a photon. The color of the radiation is dependent on the amount of energy difference between the polar and nonpolar forms (along with the type of medium) with bigger energy differences emitting shorter wavelength photons.Special thanks to methicillin for mentioning this to me! — Cherenkov Radiation

Cherenkov radiation is seen in this image as an eerie glow surrounding the core of a nuclear reactor. It is created when electrons are released through beta decay of radioactive materials which then radiate outwards from the source. When these move into a dielectric medium, which is an insulator that polarizes in an electric field, the electrons interact with the atoms and molecules that make up the medium. This has the effect of polarizing some of the molecules involved when the electron moves faster than the phase velocity of light in that substance due to the electron’s electromagnetic field interfering with that of the medium. The polarized state of the molecules is a higher energy state than the nonpolar form and as the molecule spontaneously flips from polarized to nonpolarized form it releases energy in the form of a photon. The color of the radiation is dependent on the amount of energy difference between the polar and nonpolar forms (along with the type of medium) with bigger energy differences emitting shorter wavelength photons.

Special thanks to methicillin for mentioning this to me!

fuckyeah-chemistry:

A pH indicator you can make yourself using red cabbage!
Add 1/4 cup grated red cabbage or beetroot to 2 cups water and boil for around 10 minutes or until the water turns purple. You could also chop up the vegetables with the water in a food blender. Strain the liquid and remove the vegetables (you can eat these now if you’re a bit weird and want to).

I remember doing this in a junior science class and eating some of the cabbage, it was the beginning of a long and unhealthy habit of tasting science experiments. I recommend that people try quite diluted sulfuric acid some time, it’s the sourest thing I have ever tasted in my life. — fuckyeah-chemistry:

A pH indicator you can make yourself using red cabbage!

Add 1/4 cup grated red cabbage or beetroot to 2 cups water and boil for around 10 minutes or until the water turns purple. You could also chop up the vegetables with the water in a food blender. Strain the liquid and remove the vegetables (you can eat these now if you’re a bit weird and want to).

I remember doing this in a junior science class and eating some of the cabbage, it was the beginning of a long and unhealthy habit of tasting science experiments. I recommend that people try quite diluted sulfuric acid some time, it’s the sourest thing I have ever tasted in my life.

These are silver sulfate crystals, and the really cool thing about them is that they interfere with light in different ways depending on orientation. This in turn means that they give off different colours as can be seen in this picture.

Aspirin crystals. This image was created by melting Aspirin powder onto a microscope slide and then simply sliding a cover slip over the melted aspirin. — Aspirin crystals. This image was created by melting Aspirin powder onto a microscope slide and then simply sliding a cover slip over the melted aspirin.
(Source: livescience.com)

No, this isn’t something out of Tron. Yes this is some relatively advanced technology used for space propulsion (I totally know that was your first thought). Say hello to a Hall Effect Thruster, a piece of technology that can accelerate particles up to 80km/s and look totally badass at the same time. The Hall Effect Thruster works by first forming ions from xenon and then using a magnetic field it accelerates the particles and thus forms a thrust.

A good old fashioned super nova remnant, this one is simply known as N49 and is found in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Just thought this was really pretty. It’s a meteoroid fragment from Argentina. The International Astronomy Union defines them hilariously as thus: “a solid object moving in interplanetary space, of a size considerably smaller than an asteroid and considerably larger than an atom”. In layman’s terms they’re essentially an object from space that is somewhere between a grain of sand and a boulder in size. — Just thought this was really pretty. It’s a meteoroid fragment from Argentina. The International Astronomy Union defines them hilariously as thus: “a solid object moving in interplanetary space, of a size considerably smaller than an asteroid and considerably larger than an atom”. In layman’s terms they’re essentially an object from space that is somewhere between a grain of sand and a boulder in size.
(Source: Flickr / quoimedia)

The above is a type of agate, which is a staple for amateur rock hounds and was probably a common specimen of your childhood rock collection (if you didn’t have one then I don’t love you lol jk). In particular this is what is known as a fire agate. Agates are mostly found in volcanic rocks but also occasionally found in metamorphic rocks.

Looks like it’s geology time again!This here is seraphinite which earns it’s name due to it’s resemblance to feathers through the term “Seraph” which in the Hebrew Testament is comparable to an angel. — Looks like it’s geology time again!

This here is seraphinite which earns it’s name due to it’s resemblance to feathers through the term “Seraph” which in the Hebrew Testament is comparable to an angel.

So I only just found out that “glowworms” (Arachnocampa sp.) are pretty much indigenous to New Zealand and Australia so I thought I’d post on them. From my brief amount of research it seems like lots of things are actually called glowworms but I think these are most deserving. On the top half of the above image you can clearly see the bioluminescence of the glowworms. The bottom image shows what the glowworms use to trap insects drawn towards the light, these threads range from about 30-40 cm in length and each glowworm can have around 70 of them. The glowworms themselves emit the light and once an insect is trapped they reel it in. Glowworms are in fact the larval form of 4 species of fungus gnat. This larval stage can last up to a year depending on the abundance of food. — So I only just found out that “glowworms” (Arachnocampa sp.) are pretty much indigenous to New Zealand and Australia so I thought I’d post on them. From my brief amount of research it seems like lots of things are actually called glowworms but I think these are most deserving. On the top half of the above image you can clearly see the bioluminescence of the glowworms. The bottom image shows what the glowworms use to trap insects drawn towards the light, these threads range from about 30-40 cm in length and each glowworm can have around 70 of them. The glowworms themselves emit the light and once an insect is trapped they reel it in. Glowworms are in fact the larval form of 4 species of fungus gnat. This larval stage can last up to a year depending on the abundance of food.

Well, butterflies are cool again. This beautiful wee thing has the unnecessarily ugly name of Greta oto or the more common and poetic name: glasswing. The tissue that comprises the wings simply lacks the coloured scales that give most butterflies their incredible displays. They’re found in central America and perhaps even Venezuela although the reports are not confirmed. Get this though, they’re also poisonous, not because they manufacture the poisons, but because they absorb it through their diet. Fuck yeah butterflies. — Well, butterflies are cool again. This beautiful wee thing has the unnecessarily ugly name of Greta oto or the more common and poetic name: glasswing. The tissue that comprises the wings simply lacks the coloured scales that give most butterflies their incredible displays. They’re found in central America and perhaps even Venezuela although the reports are not confirmed. Get this though, they’re also poisonous, not because they manufacture the poisons, but because they absorb it through their diet. Fuck yeah butterflies.