When ‘Oumuamua (oh-moo-ah-moo-ah) was discovered in 2017, it became the first known object to travel from a different solar system to our own. It’s also quite weirdly-shaped, and it’s possible that these facts are linked. Most space-rocks, such as asteroids and comets, can be roughly described as potato-shaped – somewhat round, but definitely not spherical. … Continue reading How ‘Oumuamua got its shape
Category: Physics
Butterflies are blacker than black
Butterflies are famous for their impressive colours. Their wings can come in the brightest shades of blue, green, red, yellow and more. Surprisingly though, the most spectacular butterfly colour is black. The wings of black butterflies are covered in the darkest material found in nature. They absorb more than 99.9% of all the light that … Continue reading Butterflies are blacker than black
The unusual shapes of stars
We can’t tell from Earth, but the Sun isn’t a fixed shape. Instead, like an ocean, the flow of its plasma causes constant movement. The changeability of stars can result in some interesting shapes, including one that’s just been discovered looking like a teardrop. HD 74423 is a binary system, where two stars orbit around … Continue reading The unusual shapes of stars
Ig Nobel Prize summary 2019
Last month I wrote about the Nobel Prizes, the most famous awards in science. Now it’s time for their more fun cousins – the Ig Nobel Prizes. These awards honour “achievements that make people laugh, then think”. The result is one of the quirkiest collections of research and development from science and beyond. Here is … Continue reading Ig Nobel Prize summary 2019
Nobel Prize summary 2019
Every year, the Nobel Prizes for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics are presented. Each is considered the field’s most prestigious award, celebrating the greatest contributions made by living people to modern society. Here is my summary of the Nobel Prize winners of 2019. Physics – Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz & James Peebles Exoplanets … Continue reading Nobel Prize summary 2019
Shadow of the vampire star
Stars are massive – even the smallest are far larger than Earth. That doesn’t stop them from trying to get bigger, though, and astronomers have just discovered one that’s managed exactly that. A binary system is when two stars orbit around each other. Generally, they don’t directly interact, but occasionally one will steal material from … Continue reading Shadow of the vampire star
Eyes light up with radiation therapy
For years, cancer patients have reported seeing flashes of light during radiation therapy. After careful observation, scientists have caught this light on camera, and discovered what causes it. Cherenkov radiation is a type of light caused by charged particles (such as electrons) travelling through a material at high speed. This effect is the reason that … Continue reading Eyes light up with radiation therapy
How to move house… up
This was originally written as a university physics assignment. As such, it is longer and contains more technical detail than most of my other writing. The 2009 film ‘Up’ featured the fantastical idea of flying a house by means of a large number of helium balloons. This plays off the common comedic idea of helium … Continue reading How to move house… up
Spiders use electricity to fly
If you’ve read or watched Charlotte’s Web, you might remember the scene where hundreds of baby spiders fly away from the farm on their webs. This technique, used by many spiders, caterpillars and mites, is called ballooning. You might expect that the spiders use the wind to balloon, like flying a kite. However, Dr Erica … Continue reading Spiders use electricity to fly
Birds’ eyes work as a compass
Migrating birds 'see' magnetic fields... and scientists now think they know how. Many birds, such as robins, travel thousands of kilometres during spring and autumn. For years, scientists have thought that they use Earth's magnetic field to navigate, like having an inbuilt compass, but they weren't sure how it worked. Researchers from Germany and Denmark … Continue reading Birds’ eyes work as a compass
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