The Birth of the Big Bang and the Timeline of Everything We Know

Modern scientific thought owes itself to the contributions of many great men and women. Without these individuals, our universe would (literally) look quite different. However, there are two scientists in the field of cosmology who stand out among all the rest: Edwin Hubble and Georges Lemaître. By 1930, other cosmologists had concluded that the static (non-evolving) model of the universe was unsatisfactory.

This discovery is largely due to the efforts of Edwin Hubble. Using the world’s largest telescope, which is located at Mt. Wilson in California, he showed that the distant galaxies all appeared to be receding from us. What"s more, these far flung galaxies were traveling away from us at speeds proportional to their distances -- Enter Lemaître -- Lemaître used these findings to draw attention to his earlier paper, in which he explained the relationship between the distance of a galaxy and the recession velocity of that same galaxy. By putting together Hubble’s observations with Lemaître’s paper, a majority of astronomers became convinced that the universe was indeed expanding. This revolutionized the study of cosmology.

Why was this find so notable? Shortly after this discovery, Lemaître reasoned that traveling back in time should lead to an epoch in which all the matter in the universe was packed together in an extremely dense state – a primeval atom. And this was the birth of Big Bang cosmology.

So, let us take a moment to delve into the Big Bang--into the timeline of everything that has ever existed...

Image:
NASA/ESO

New Observation of a Coronal Mass Ejection:

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are quite possibly the most terrifying storms in the solar system (yes, even more horrifying than Jupiter"s Great Red Spot). Imagine an explosion that sends 100 billion kg (220 billion pounds) of superheated material storming towards you at speeds reaching 1000 km/second (2 million mph). That"s essentially what coronal mass ejections are. These events can release as much energy as one billion hydrogen bombs.

In short, these solar events are amazingly powerful and amazingly destructive. And we had an opportunity to witness one of these events recently, on December 16th and 17th.

See more images of this CME, as well as a video, at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/new-observation-of-a-coronal-mass-ejection/

Via:
NASA

Your Particle Physics Guide: Part 2

The Standard Model is the theory that describes the interaction of forces affecting subparticles, like electrons and quarks. Although this physics deals with the major forces that govern our universe, it often seems disconnected from us--like it belongs to another reality. In truth, it does deal with matters outside out everyday experience; however, that does not make it any less important. Ultimately, understanding the Standard Model is a necessary part of understanding our universe; it is the best thing that we have at our disposal when trying to make experimental predictions.

So let"s take a moment to get to know the Standard Model, and the universe, a little better.
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/your-particle-physics-guide/

Image:
2011 Keiko Murano

Introduction to the Anti-matter Mystery:

Apart from dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and the missing-baryons of the universe, one of the most captivating mysteries in modern day physics centers on antimatter. Particularly, it focuses on the metaphorical fight between regular matter and antimatter, which were both created in equal proportions during the inception of the universe about 14 billion years ago.

It"s as much of a philosophical question as it is a question of general physics. If antimatter had won out, none of our physical universe (including us) would exist, since both would have annihilated each other in bursts of pure radiation, leaving behind energy and a bright but featureless universe. So, to what exactly do we owe the extended presence of normal matter?

Find out at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/introduction-to-the-anti-matter-mystery/

Image via CERN

What is the "Oh My God" Particle?

One of the most entertaining names that I"ve come across in the physics sector is the "Oh My God Particle." Scientists also refer to this particle as the "ermahgerd particle" (kidding, kidding. It"s not really called that, but it is called the "Oh My God Particle"). Now, the first thing that my pop into some of your minds is the Higgs Boson, which was discovered in 2013. This isn"t too surprising as the media went around calling it the "God Particle." However, these two particles are very different.

So what is the Oh My God Particle? Well it is a simple, lowly proton. Why the name? Because the Oh My God Particle is the fastest ever found.

Learn about it, and find how fast it was traveling, at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/what-is-the-oh-my-god-particle/

Image via NSF

An Ultracold Big Bang: A successful simulation of the evolution of the early universe

In August of 2013, physicists made a major breakthrough in our understanding of the early universe in an experiment that successfully reproduced a pattern resembling the cosmic microwave background radiation. This experiment was conducted at the University of Chicago with the aid of ultracold cesium atoms.

Want to know about this amazing experiment? See:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/an-ultracold-big-bang-a-successful-simulation-of-the-evolution-of-the-early-universe/

Image:
Alex Mittelmann, Coldcreation

Earthrise: 45 Years Later

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the famous Earthrise picture. This picture was taken by William Anders on the Apollo 8 mission on December 24th, 2968 . Today, we celebrate the 45th anniversary of this humbling image. This is possibly one of the most profound images a human has ever taken; the renowned nature photographer Galen Rowell even went to so far as to say that this is "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken." The Earthrise picture is one of the first images of Earth ever taken where the entire globe is visible, showing the Earth as a small blue ball over the lunar horizon.

To learn more about this iconic image, and see more amazing images and videos, visit: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/earthrise-45-years-later/

The Physics of Death:

Attached to this article, we have included one of the most profound poems we know of about death. It"s one of my favorites, as it doesn"t necessarily touch base on the many disturbing things that happen to the body during the decomposition phase, when the cells and tissues begin to break down, ravishing one of the last physical remnants of a person"s life. Instead, it looks at the subject from a physics standpoint.. the redistribution of energy that occurs during the decomposition process.

So.. where does that energy go? Well.. back into the universe.

See more: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/the-physics-of-death/

Larger Image: http://imgur.com/gallery/cC8sAOw (via All Science, All the Time)

Gravitational Lensing, Refraction & Diffraction: Three Sides to the Same Coin?

Here, we thought we would explain the difference between the terms and how they interact with light (from both a wave and particle point of view): http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/gravitational-lensing-refraction-diffraction-three-sides-to-the-same-coin/

Original Image Credit: Unknown (But if you do, please let us know)

Observing the Unobservable: Could we use Mirrors to see Beyond the Edge of the Observable Universe?

The question runs a little something like this: Assuming that we were able to get mirrors to the edge of the observable universe instantly, and position them in such a way so that light from the other side was reflected back towards Earth, would this allow us to see objects in the unobservable universe? Since we could see the mirror, couldn"t we see light from the unobservable universe in the mirror?


For example, if the mirrors were placed there 3 years ago, would they reflect 3 light-years passed the edge of the observable universe? If they were placed there 13 billion years ago, could we see twice as far?


Find the answer at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/observing-the-unobservable-is-it-possible-to-put-mirrors-at-end-edge-of-the-observable-universe-in-order-to-see-whats-beyond/

Image source:
Andrew Z Colvin at wiki commons

Thanks to Raphaël Laflamme for sending us this question.

If you are Moving at the Speed of a Bullet and Shoot it Backwards, What Happens?

Let"s say that you are traveling along at about 300 km/h. For some reason, you decide to do some target shooting in order to pass the time. So you take out your trusty gun, or cannon, or what-have-you, and you point it backwards. In this case, you are firing in the opposite direction that you are traveling (after all, you don’t want to shoot the pilot). As luck would have it, your weapon fires at the exact same speed that you are traveling. So, you are flying along at 300 km/h and you are about to shoot a bullet/cannon/whatever in the opposite direction at 300 km/h.

What happens to the projectile? Does it go shooting off in the opposite direction? Does it go anywhere? It may seem like a silly question, but it is important to any aft firing aircrafts.

Will it shoot backwards at 300 km/h relative to the ground? Will it travel back slowly and then fall down? Find out at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/if-you-are-moving-at-the-speed-of-a-bullet-and-shoot-it-backwards-what-happens/

Image source:
Niels Noordhoek / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA.

Tidal Stresses - How Gravity Heats Things Up

Our planet is able to sustain warmth because of its atmosphere and its proximity to the Sun. However, as you may know, most of the other planets aren"t so lucky; nearly all of them have rather frigid temperatures.

For example, take a look at moons like Enceladus or Europa. These moons (of Saturn and Jupiter, respectively) are known as "icy moons." As a result of the extreme temperatures, which are hundreds of degrees below zero, both moons have a thick layer of ice many kilometers deep; however, we know that liquid water still exists on them. How can this be?

Find out at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/tidal-stresses-how-gravity-heats-things-up/

Image source before editing:
NASA

Make a Difference with Your Science Swag: The FQtQ Store

From Quarks to Quasars is an organization working to ensure that everyone (regardless of education, economic situation, or background) has free access to the latest developments in scientific news and research. We were founded to help promote scientific literacy; we will be hosting scholarships, assisting nonprofits, and working with like-minded individuals and organizations in order to disseminate information to people from diverse backgrounds and help everyone see the awesomeness that is science. Consequently, through your purchase, you not only help a great organization, you get some cool products in return.

We have a number of unique designs and colors to choose from (some of which are pictured in the attached image). These were specifically created for the geek in all of us. If you are looking for a gift for a fellow science lover, this is a great place to get cool items and contribute to a good cause.

To see all our products, see: http://sunfrogshirts.com/FQtQ?2415

Be sure to bookmark the page and check back later; we hope to have a few design updates in the coming weeks. And as always, thanks for being awesome.

Science on,
~The FQtQ Team

And be sure to visit out site at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/make-a-difference-with-your-science-swag-the-fqtq-store/

The Subjectiveness of Time:

We like stability. We like to know that each day the Sun is going to rise, the mailman will bring our paper, and time will march slowly on -- just the same as it always has. What’s more, we like to image that this experience is larger than ourselves. When the Sun rises, we know that it’s rising for everyone, not just for us. When the mailman brings the paper, he isn’t making a special trip; he’ll stop at the neighbors as well. These are the common, everyday experiences that unite is all.

However, as it turns out, we are a bit more isolated that we might initially assume.

Want to know how time isolates us? Take a look at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/the-subjectiveness-of-time/

Image source:
http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-406635986/slideshow