Potentially Hazardous Asteroids:

The most underrated threat to our planet might be impact events that threaten our small world. Most meteors and asteroids may be incredibly small; however, even the largest are discreet and almost undetectable until it"s too late to do anything about them -- a situation that played out just last year, with the Chelyabinsk Meteor in Russia. If that impact didn"t open your eyes to the danger of these objects, perhaps this newly released image will.

Learn about the significance of this image at
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/14300/

Image via
NASA

Shirts for a Cause:

Here at From Quarks to Quasars, our team is working to spread scientific literacy in a fun, easily digestible fashion -- by showcasing some of the most recent scientific developments in a way that the average person can comprehend. Our philosophy centers around ensuring that everyone (regardless of education, location, language, economic situation, or background) has free access to said developments in technology and research. By increasing the amount of scientific material that is seen and understood by the general public, we hope to help others look at the world around them with rationalism and skepticism -- ultimately allowing them to separate science fact from science fiction using the scientific method.

With this in mind, our ultimate goal is to raise money to host scholarships and grants. This, in turn, will aid the next generation of scientists and encourage individuals to take part in scientific studies. We also hope to raise money to assist nonprofits that are working to achieve similar goals (all of our articles are free, and they always will be).

Consequently, if you are looking for a gift for yourself or for a fellow science lover, this is a great place to get cool items and contribute to a good cause. In addition to helping us with our day-to-day operational fees, your contribution will be used to help us achieve the aforementioned goals. With your help, we can help ensure that this generation has the tools they will need to succeed.

Visit us at The FQtQ Store:

http://www.sunfrogshirts.com/Geek-&-Tech/Quarks-to-Quasar-logo-white.html?2415

We have many different colors and designs; we ship outside the U.S., and we have shirts for both men and women. And as always, thanks for being awesome.

Science on,
~The FQtQ Team

The Era of Exploration:

While browsing the internet, I stumbled across a rather alarming idea. It was in the form of a quote, and it read, “You were born too late. You will never explore Earth. You were also born too early. You will never explore the stars.” I find this assertion a tad depressing.

According to this quote, there is little hope that we will ever trek across the surface of unexplored mountains, deserts, volcanic plains, or what have you. No matter how remote a place may be someone, somewhere has already explored it.

Similarly, chances are, we will never boldly trek out into space and go where no man (or woman) has gone before. We lack the technology. We lack the drive. So the exploration of this final frontier will be left to those who are not yet born. But is our outlook really this dismal?

Find out what the future of exploration really holds for us at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/the-era-of-exploration/

Image:
NASA

Astronomers Find Manatee in Space:

Astronomers found a bright blue manatee hovering in the cosmos. Covering a distance of some 700 light-years, this celestial beast makes Earth"s manatees look like...well, quite frankly, there is no apt comparison. The manatees found on Earth typically measure just over 13 feet (3.9m) in length; this celestial mammoth stretches more than 4.1 quadrillion miles.

Of course, a creature this size would quickly deplete Earth"s oceans of all life. Fortunately, the National Wildlife Federation doesn’t have to worry because this manatee isn’t a carnivore or even a herbivore. It’s a nebula.

Get more amazing facts about this fantastic structure at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomers-find-manatee-in-space/

Image:
NASA

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

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/

What If Gravity No Longer Existed?

Gravity is one of the primary life forces of the universe. Without it, not only would pretty much everything cease, but the very production of everything would fall apart. No more stars, no more planets, and nothing to keep us tethered to our home planet. Floating about may sound cool for a split second, but let me assure you, that would be a very, very bad thing (space is scary and we would die). Despite gravity being the very essence of our physical universe (it provides the attraction that ultimately allows things to come together and coalesce), our understanding of how it operates is poor at best. It"s believed to be the consequence of the warping of spacetime allotted by objects that have mass. At least, that"s what general relativity postulates, but the jury is still out on that one.

Anyhow, per our theories, gravity on Earth can"t just "turn off" (well, not without the planet and everything on it becoming obsolete). Nevertheless, we can still deal in hypotheticals. So if gravity did turn off (with the three remaining forces of the universe kept in check), what would happen?

Find out at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/what-if-gravity-no-longer-existed/

Image:
http://zbush.deviantart.com/art/Chaos-of-2012-110574677

A Day in Space…without a Spacesuit

Today, I want to talk to you about what it would be like to spend a day in space without a spacesuit. Spending a day in the cosmic vacuum—sans spacesuit—might seem like a questionable life choice. After all, in the movies, whenever people end up in the intergalactic void without proper protection either their heads explode or they instantaneously freeze solid...neither outcome is particularly appealing.

However, your death in space won’t be nearly as spectacular as Hollywood would have you believe.

To find out what would really happen to you, see:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/a-day-in-space-without-a-spacesuit/

Space is Big. You just won"t believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big

When the Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its twentieth anniversary of scouring the stars, this image was released to celebrate the millions of observations Hubble has made. These images provided us with a plethora of information that wasn"t available beforehand. Hubble has literally revolutionized many aspects of astronomy and physics; however, one thing it cannot do is help us wrap our minds around the sheer size of some of these deep-space regions. But let’s try!

Give it a go at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/space-is-big/

Images:
NASA/ ESO

Guess The Planet - Answer and Explanation

Can you identify which planet was photographed in this image?

To find out, see:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/guess-the-planet-answer-and-explanation/

Image:
NASA

The Largest Known Spiral Galaxies:

212 million light-years from Earth, NGC 6872 drifts silently through the cosmos. At first glance, NGC 6872 seems like any other spiral galaxy. And in truth, it is like any other spiral galaxy, except that NGC 6872 is amazingly massive. In fact, NGC 6872 is one of the largest known spiral galaxies.

To learn about this amazing galaxy, see:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomers-find-the-largest-known-spiral-galaxy/

Image:
NASA

A Star that is Almost as Old as the Universe

To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomers-discover-a-star-that-is-almost-as-old-as-the-universe/

What is a Quasar?

Perhaps one of the most perplexing mysteries in current astrophysics is the science behind Quasars. Quasars, or "quasi-stellar radio sources" are the brightest and most distant star-like objects in the known universe. In fact, they are so bright and they emit so much energy, some of them are believed to be producing 10 to 100 times more energy than the entire Milky Way Galaxy in an area that"s comparable to the size of our solar system.

Learn all about these objects at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/quasars/

Image:
NASA

Some Fun Facts about the Moon:

Luna: Earth"s beautiful companion. It is forever locked looking at us, it even pulls on the oceans twice a day to let us know it"s there. The story of Earth"s moon is a romantic (and violent) tale that dates billions of years. In short, it is a tale of how the two objects helped to make one another into what they are today.

Learn about the Earth-Moon system and get some of the most interesting facts about the Moon at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/some-fun-facts-about-the-moon/

Image and caption by FQTQ"s Colin Robson

Pareidolia: Taking a Look at a Nebula:

To me, this giant cloud looks a little like the towering troll from The Hobbit (the troll is in the center and its arms are the dust clouds on either side). However, when looking at this nebula, most people see something besides a troll. In fact, this nebula has been named after what people see when they look at it. Any guesses as to what the most fitting name would be?

Ultimately, Pareidolia (in essence, seeing meaningful images from random data) is rather common, and it often has an impact on astronomy.

Learn the name of this nebula, and find out more about Pareidolia, at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/taking-a-peep-at-the-horse-in-the-horsehead-nebula/

Image source:
NASA

Loss of Gravity and Other Terrible Things: How Does the Human Body Act in Space?

You’ve probably been told many, many times that everything in the cosmos is connected. As John Muir so eloquently put it, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” But what does this mean, exactly? Today, I want to explore this statement by looking at how we are connected to our planet.

We obviously need the Earth for food, water, air, and all the other basic necessities, but what I really want to do is explore how we rely on this planet in ways that, perhaps, we’ve never even considered. And to me, it seems that the best way to explore our connectedness to the planet is to leave it behind…and take a short trip into space.

Going to space can be awesome, but it can also be terrible. Find out why at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/how-does-the-human-body-act-in-space/

Image source:
Daniel and Daniels

Pareidolia: Clash of the Celestial Space Beasts

When you are laying outstretched on your back, staring into the sunny blue sky on a cloudy day, are you one of those people that see faces, shapes, animals, or other objects in the clouds? I think most of us have seen such things... it"s one of the joys of childhood. However, did you know there is actually a word for this phenomenon? It"s called "pareidolia."

The word itself is derived from the Greek words "para," (meaning something faulty) and eidōlon (meaning image, form, or shape) and is a form of Apophenia, which means "seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data." Except in this case, the patterns seen are fictitious.

See more amazing images of pareidolia at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/pareidolia-clash-of-the-celestial-space-beasts/

Image sources:
NASA/ESA—Chris Keegan

Unifying Gravity and Quantum Mechanics:

Quantum mechanics may seem like it is beyond our realm of experience; however, it is an integral part of the physics that governs our lives. Yet, it is not without its problems. There is one very important aspect of our everyday experience that is not described in a quantum framework-- and that is gravity. Because it keeps matter together, gravity is one of the driving forces of the cosmos -- and of life itself.

For quite some time, we have struggled with the goal of uniting gravity and quantum mechanics. Nowadays, physicists have had many ideas (some great, others not so much); however, nothing experimentally verifiable (like string theory) has surfaced. That is, until now.

Some physicists are starting to think that gravity itself is the ultimate decoherence, or the weakest form of background noise. To learn about new experiments that can help us solve this problem, see:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/unifying-gravity-and-quantum-mechanics/

Image source:
NASA

Gamma Ray Bursts and The Fireball Model

Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are some of the most energetic events in the universe. The energy that is released during a GRB is impressively high (the most powerful bursts can eject energy equal to over 9000 supernovae). These energy levels are so extreme that they cannot be created by thermal processes. So, what causes these high energy levels?

Find out at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/the-fireball-model/

Image source before editing:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/swift/bursts/short_burst_oct5.html

MOND: Trying to Solve the Problem of the Missing Universe

One of the greatest mysteries of astronomy is the problem of the missing universe. Well, the universe isn’t exactly missing, but a lot of its mass is. Ultimately, all of the matter scientists can see in the universe accounts for only a small percent of the observed gravity. Everything on Earth, everything we’ve ever observed with our instruments, all normal matter—it all adds up to less than 5% of the Universe. Essentially, some unobservable something in influencing the motions of the cosmos.

Astronomers often use dark matter to explain this missing matter. However, the dark matter interactions that scientists believe they observed remain inconclusive. Thus, scientists have yet to definitively determine that dark matter exists. In fact, we may never actually be able to detect it... and it isn"t ideal at predicting all manner of situations. As you see, dark matter does have some problems.

Some researchers think that the problem is really our understanding of gravity. In order to explain why the universe seems to behave as if there"s so much more matter in it, some scientists advocate MOND (Modified Theory of Newtonian Dynamics) instead of dark matter.

Learn about this alternative at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/mond-trying-to-solve-the-problem-of-the-missing-universe/

Image source:
http://astroweb.case.edu/ssm/mond/DMtrees.html