Science Photos of the Week
This week I just couldn’t pick between these two astonishing
photographs collected by astronaut Scott Kelly and Hubble, respectively. I’ve
heard of rivers of mercury (look up the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang),
but not yet rivers of gold. What a gorgeous idea! Of course, true rivers of gold would not be this aesthetically
gentle. They would be that classic, blazing yellow color with dark patches of
impurities turning to ash. They would be hot enough to set fire to their banks
and anything that attempted to grow nearby. The riverbeds would have to be made
of pretty stern stuff.
As for the dying star Hen 2-427, it’s death throes are truly
majestic. Plus, how can you pass up NASA using the word “explodey” in an
official capacity? It makes you wonder what the weather is like inside that
blooming cloud of dust and gas and radiation. Probably a bit toasty.
A new discovery in New Zealand may have you believing that
Middle Earth is not so fantastical after all. Volcanic reservoirs deep in the
ground have been doing all the mining for us by breaking down the rocks that
are rich in gold and silver. The super-heated water, warmed up by the magma, is
rich in the dissolved precious metals, to the tune of several million dollars!
Can you imagine new planets with other similarly incredible
secrets? If precious metals can be dissolved, what about precious gems? I bet
they could be in the proper medium – maybe not water, but perhaps a natural
acid. I can see deep caverns with lakes of diamond. Cool thought. Now go
research if it’s possible!
If you’ve never seen images of the sun in motion, you should pause and
go look it up right now. Not only is it amazing to behold, but you’ll need the
context to appreciate these sinister looking formations in the Sun’s outer
atmosphere.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory has been recording the action happening
almost constantly for five years, and the images are quite beautiful. But not
only are they beautiful, but they are also changing the way we view the Sun,
other stars, and space weather at large. On Earth, we are protected from Sol’s
massive radiation and particle tantrums by our atmosphere are our magnetic field.
But past these barriers, we are vulnerable, and if we ever intend to travel to
Mars, we are going to need to know how to handle space weather as it travels
through the solar system.
How about it? Why not write a story where astronauts on their way out
from Earth get caught in a solar storm. What might it do to their ship? What
might it do to the humans themselves? Or their instruments?
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