Happy Halloween

A Bit Early.
The Royal Institution is a 200 year old charity based in London dedicated to connecting people with the world of science through events, education, and the CHRISTMAS LECTURES. “A scene of explosive Halloween mayhem as one Jack-o’Lantern spews molten iron into another filled with gun cotton, all in the name of science.”

Seeing Radiation

We now certain kinds of radiation are dangerous, but it is a danger we can’t see. Unless, that is, we use a device called a cloud chamber. The radiation causes trails in the super cooled alcohol vapor inside the chamber and we can see the emissions of radiation from a sample. Below is a sample of Uranium (Pitchblende).

Uranium in a Cloud Chamber

To see how this was done, the following video shows the whole process.

via: IFLScience

Thanks Matt!

Aaaaaand We’re Back!

Oh boy, summer is over. School starts Wednesday (Monday for teachers). Bummer. Here are some interesting stories I’ve found recently…

NASA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) took and amazing series of photos of the Moon transiting Earth.
From a Million Miles Away, NASA Camera Shows Moon Crossing Face of Earth

Youtube’s Red Hot Nickel Ball is dropped onto floral foam. This is a pretty cool reaction.

Also interesting…
23 of the Realest and Craziest Natural Phenomena Around the World

3D mapping live dancers so they can interact with computer graphics? Cool.

Pixel – extraits from Adrien M / Claire B on Vimeo.

More, and an explanation here.

See you Wednesday.