GeekwithEnvy

Science

Asteroid Gets Very Close To Earth

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Eros Asteroid
Eros Asteroid (NASA)

On September 13th a fairly large asteroid came within 1.8 million miles of Earth, that may seem quite far way but that’s only about 7.5 times the distance that the Moon is away from Earth. The asteroid is named 2012 QG42 and was only recently discovered on August 26, 2012. Classified as being a PHA or potentially hazardous asteroid, the asteroid itself is estimated to be about 625 to 1,400 feet long but posed a minimal threat to Earth as it flew by. However, it is predicted that the asteroid will be making another trip near our home planet in the distant future that we will have to keep a close eye on.

As recently as March of 2012 we had another asteroid fly by us that was even closer, it was approximately 40,000 miles away which is very close considering the Moon is about 239,000 miles away. That asteroid was about 200 feet wide and had it hit Earth, it would have released about as much energy as one atomic bomb. Obviously it’s extremely important to keep an eye on the large debris that is floating around our solar system and we need to continue to research ways to defend our selves against these giant rocks. NASA claims to know where about 90% of the large PHA category asteroids are in our solar system, but just like 2012 QG42 you never know when one will sneak up on us.

Near Earth Asteroid Chart

Near Earth Asteroid Chart (NASA)

The largest recorded impact in recent history  was the Tunguska event which occurred in Siberia, Russia around 7:14 am local time. The large 220 million-pound asteroid hurdled through Earth’s atmosphere before finally breaking up under tremendous forces and basically exploding causing a massive amount of energy to be released. The explosion was said to be about 1000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, which destroyed about 80 million trees in an area around 850 square miles.

Natives in the area near the impact described seeing light as bright as the sun and experiencing shock waves that knocked them off of their feet. Over the next few days after the impact the skies above Asia and Europe continued to glow as ice particles that were forced high up in the atmosphere reflected sunlight down on Earth from beyond the horizon.

Mount Fuji May Erupt Soon

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Japanese scientists caution that the magma chamber of Mount Fuji has already surpassed the the pressure that caused caused the massive volcano to erupt over 300 years ago in 1707. The pressure needed to trigger an eruption is only 0.1 megapascals and the current pressure has been around 1.6 mega-pascals. The earthquake that caused the recent tsunami is said to have increased the pressure on the magma chamber of mount Fuji quite a bit and any tectonic shifts will continue to increase the likelihood of a massive eruption.Mt Fuji

Mount Fuji is sitting on a fault line that if an earthquake were to occur, would surely bring about an eruption.If mount Fuji were to erupt, it would be catastrophic and result in the loss of many lives and an economic cost of up to $31 billion.

Scientists will be keeping a close eye on the volcano by monitoring seismic data and looking for visual cues like stream and gas emitting from the volcano. Mount Fuji is over 12,000 feet high and is known as an active stratovolcano which sits about 60 miles south west of Tokyo.

It has been long speculated that the volcano would soon erupt but even with the best of technology, it’s just too hard to predict. With hundreds of thousands at risk, it brings to light the importance of research in this field. Let us not forget the super volcanoes that lay quietly among us. These super volcanoes will have a massive global impact, so understanding Earth’s geological processes is extremely important.  It is also crucial to exercise evacuation plans and prepare the public in case of an major eruption to reduce the loss of life.

35 Years of Voyager

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September 5th,  2012 marks the 35th anniversary of the launch of Voyager 1 which is now the most distant human-made object and the second longest operating spacecraft.

The mission of the Voyager spacecraft both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, was to explore Jupiter and Saturn. After major success, the mission was extended to have Voyager 2 explore Uranus and Neptune. Currently the only data we have from Uranus and Neptune came from Voyager, no other spacecraft have since explored these two planets.Voyager

Today, 35 years later these two spacecraft are still functioning and sending back information to Earth from billions of miles away, much farther away from the sun than Neptune and Pluto. The mission of both spacecraft today is to explore interstellar space and has been named the Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM) .

The VIM has three phases, termination shock, heliosheath exploration, and interstellar exploration. The spacecraft were in an area that was primarily controlled by the suns magnetic field and surrounded by supersonic solar wind, this is the termination shock phase. The spacecraft are now in the heliosheath phase, the outer reaches of the suns solar winds and magnetic influence.  Soon the spacecraft will begin to move into an area where interstellar winds become more prominent and push back and slow our suns solar winds to a sub-sonic speed, eventually there will be no influence and the spacecraft will then be considered to be in interstellar space. The point where deep space begins and our suns influence ends is called heliopause, reaching heliopause is the ultimate mission of Voyager and the spacecraft should have enough power and fuel to last until approximately 2025, which should allow for enough time to reach this disatance.golden recordVoyager

Voyager also contains a 12 inch gold plated copper disk that contains sounds and images from Earth. The sounds are of wind, thunder,birds and other animals. Human speech from different parts of the world and pictures form different cultures are also included on the disk. For a complete list of the disc contents including samples, head here.

For complete details on VIM click here.

 

 

Earthquake Tech

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Earthquake cracked ground floorThe latest earthquake ‘swarm’ in Southern California was comprised of more than 400 minor earthquakes in just a few days.  It leaves most of us to wonder if it is a sign of a larger earthquake to come. So who or what is keeping an eye on things for us? How far have we come in detecting and predicting earthquakes?

We have come along way in seismic research over the years and scientists and engineers at the California Institute of Technology, USGS Pasadena, UC Berkeley, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and the University of Southern California have been hard at work on a Earthquake early warning system (EEW). This early warning system works by detecting the first bit of energy that radiates from a particular earthquake, known as P-wave energy. This P-wave energy is used to pinpoint the location and magnitude of the earthquake.

In demonstrations of the system, software sounds an alarm and then shows the center of the earthquake. Then a simulated wave of energy is displayed, indicated by a circle increasing in size to show where the energy is as it travels away from the epicenter. The software also displays the magnitude and indicates when shaking should end. This EEW system is still a prototype and would need greater funding in order to to be more accurate and reliable for use in California and the Pacific Coast. You can see this software demonstration in action at the bottom of this page.

You could use the information gathered by these systems to try to decipher patterns in the Earth’s seismic activity to determine where more earthquakes will occur but this system is mainly built around earthquakes that have already occurred. What scientists would really like to achieve is the abbillity to accurately predict seismic activity before it happens.

A publication in the Journal of Zoology indicated that the common toad known as (Bufo bufo), was able to predict seismic activity many days in advance of a an actual earthquake. The toads will abandon their breeding site before an earthquake occurs. Researchers believe that the toads are able to detect some subtle changes in their surrounding environment shortly before an earthquake occurs.

Some research has gone into detecting some of these changes including air ionization, magnetic pulsations, and infrared radiation emitted near the earthquake location, but it is difficult to gain accurate information from these potential warning signs as there are many factors involved that disrupt and interfere with readings.

Currently, scientists use educated guesses based on the history and current seismic activity of specific regions along with the general movement of tectonic plates. These predictions are not very precise and usually get compiled into probability percentages. It’s not to say we haven’t become better at predicting them, it’s just that we can do a lot better.

What is important to take away from this is that at this time we can not accurately predict earthquakes, so it is important to prepare for them. You should always keep an emergency kit in your home. Place your kit in a well known location thats easy to get to. Your emergency kit should contain food,water, first aid supplies, flashlights, a radio and spare batteries. These supplies should be able to sustain you and your family members for at least 72 hours.

Make sure shelves are secured and always place heavy objects on lower shelves. Do not place heavy objects like large mirrors above your bed or places people will sit. Remember that it’s not the earthquake itself as much as it is the objects around you that are a dangerous when an earthquake occurs.

Useful websites with more information on this subject:

For more information on what to do before, during and after an earthquake please visit the FEMA website here.

You also get the latest updates on seismic activity through the USGS website here.

Apps you can download to track seismic activity:

If you’re looking for good mobile app that will notify you of seismic activity you can download “EarthQuake Alert!” for Android. Information about this app can be found here.

For iOS devices you can try Earthquake! The description can be found here.

 

 

The Inspirational Fun of DIY Electronics

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From making your own radio to creating your new robot best friend, do it yourself electronics are just plain fun. Sensors, capacitors, diodes, motors,L.E.Ds, and many other components can all be tied together using either a breadboard or a piece of wood and some screws, all to create something awesome with your own two hands. DIY electronics not only can be rewarding and fun but can also get your mind thinking in a “engineering mode”.  When you gain a deeper understanding of how electronics are put together, you can begin to imagine putting something together that maybe someone else hasn’t.DIY electronics on breadboard

There are a few different ways that you can begin building electronics but if you are just starting out you may want to pick up a hobby or project kit. You can purchase labs with snap circuits or you can jump right into it and grab a breadboard and look up some schematics. Electronic kits are available from many different vendors online and a simple google search will most likely get you where you need to be. Radio Shack of course still offers many kits online as well as in store.

Robot kits are one of my favorite ways to build.  From solar powered grasshoppers to robotic mini-tanks, your options seem endless. Many robot kits will even allow you to use programming language to set up how your robot functions.

DIY electronics are also a great way to challenge the minds of your children. I remember my father bringing home one of these kits when I was just a kid and I spent many summers working on all of the projects in the book. When I finally reached the last page of the particular project I was working on and flipped the switch, it was awesome to see it all come together. It was such a great feeling to know that I put it together myself and it works!

If you get really good you may even be able to repair some of your stuff. Remote stop working? Television on the fritz? Maybe even repair that old iPod you have laying around. Heck, knowing what you’re doing can save you money in repairs. Just remember that opening up and attempting to repair home electronics usually voids the warranty, so only do this if you are really sure of what you are doing or if you don’t care about what you’re trying to fix. As always be sure to practice safety when working with electronics and use common sense. Always make sure that the power source is disconnected before beginning any work.

Tools play an important role in working with electronics and you should look into buying an electronics tool kit that usually includes things like the following.

  • 5 pc file set
  • PLCC extractor
  • 3 pc soldering aid set
  • 6″ tweezer
  • Brush
  • 6 pc precision screwdrivers
  • Screwdriver handle w/drivers bits
  • IC extractor
  • Mini-flashlight
  • Utility knife
  • Anti-static strap
  • Soldering iron
  • 7-in-1 tool
  • Mini-hammer set
  • 3 pc soft screwdrivers
  • 7 pc folding hex key set
  • 3 prong holder tool
  • 5″ cutters
  • 6″ adjustable wrench
  • 5″ long-nosed pliers
  • 8″lineman’s pliers
  • 4.5″ flat-nosed pliers
  • 4.5″ bent-nosed pliers
  • De soldering pump
  • Solder core
  • Heat sink

If you are interested in picking up this hobby or if you already enjoy this hobby but you are looking for resources, you can find some great tutorials,projects,vidoes, and an online store for electronics here.