Browsing Archive: August, 2014

Mining Vacuum Energy

Posted by on Tuesday, August 26, 2014,
Following the articles I wrote a few months ago on what is possible and impossible in modern physics, a reader wrote to ask me about the possibility of getting useful work out of zero-point energy or vacuum energy. In theory, the Universe contains a limitless source of energy which could be tapped into to power our civilization until the end of time. But can this be done in practice?

Let me begin with a very simple explanation of zero-point energy (there are numerous websites that give the mat...
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The Perseids Peak

Posted by on Friday, August 8, 2014, In : Astronomy 
A reminder to those of you interested in astronomy and astrophotography that over the next few days we will be seeing the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. The actual peak is expected to be on Tuesday, but they are still impressive in the days leading up to it. Unfortunately this week is also the supermoon, which will cause extra light pollution of the sky but hopefully won't completely obscure the meteor shower.

I am fortunate this year to be spending the week at a private dark site f...
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Rosetta Rendezvous

Posted by on Tuesday, August 5, 2014, In : Astronomy 
For those who have not heard the news already, or who have forgotten, today is the day when the Rosette probe will make contact with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after a ten year journey, and begin collecting data and transmitting it back to Earth.

Rosetta was built by the European Space Agency, and launched back in 2004 aboard the Ariane 5 rocket as part of the ESA Horizon program. It is composed of both an orbiter and a lander, with a combined total of 21 sensors and probes which will be ...
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About Me


Dr. Chris Bird I am a theoretical physicist & mathematician, with training in electronics, programming, robotics, and a number of other related fields.

   

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