Sciencebloggin - :))

An example of crown flashes, also called jumping sun dogs. They’re streamers of light above storm clouds that appear to dance and flash, sometimes quite rapidly, looking like search lights or huge light sabers.

They’re almost certainly caused by long ice crystals above the cloud that align themselves with the cloud’s electric field. If you see them from the right angle, they bend (or refract) the sunlight toward you, causing the glow. 

When lightning erupts from the cloud to the ground (or inside the cloud) the electric field changes radically, realigning the ice crystals. When this happens they suddenly bend sunlight in a different direction, causing the glow to shift. (Source)

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hey i’ve thought of a new way to explain the difference between math research and science research are u ready math research: Why does pizza get hot in an oven? Well, let’s first prove ovens exist. Then we can try to prove ovens get hot.  Wait, have we even proved that pizza exists? Have we proved that pizza can get hot? Have we proved that heat exists? Have we proved that I exist? That you exist? science research: Why does pizza get hot in an oven? *sticks hand into burning oven* ahhHHHHHHHHHH WHAT’S HAPPENING

see you space cowboy

Quantum tunnelling

Tunneling is a quantum mechanical effect. A tunneling current occurs when electrons move through a barrier that they classically shouldn’t be able to move through. In classical terms, if you don’t have enough energy to move “over” a barrier, you won’t. However, in the quantum mechanical world, electrons have wavelike properties. These waves don’t end abruptly at a wall or barrier, but taper off quickly. If the barrier is thin enough, the probability function may extend into the next region, through the barrier! Because of the small probability of an electron being on the other side of the barrier, given enough electrons, some will indeed move through and appear on the other side. When an electron moves through the barrier in this fashion, it is called tunneling.

Quantum mechanics tells us that electrons have both wave and particle-like properties. Tunneling is an effect of the wavelike nature.

The top image shows us that when an electron (the wave) hits a barrier, the wave doesn’t abruptly end, but tapers off very quickly - exponentially. For a thick barrier, the wave doesn’t get past.

The bottom image shows the scenario if the barrier is quite thin (about a nanometer). Part of the wave does get through and therefore some electrons may appear on the other side of the barrier.

Because of the sharp decay of the probability function through the barrier, the number of electrons that will actually tunnel is very dependent upon the thickness of the barrier. The current through the barrier drops off exponentially with the barrier thickness

Source: nanoscience.com | Images: x | x | x

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The Infrared Universe - NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope celebrated its 12th anniversary with the release of a new digital calendar showcasing some of the best pictures taken by the telescope. The images above demonstrate the Spitzer space telescope’s amazing infrared imaging abilities. These images include Nebulae, Galaxies, Super Nova, and much more. Though the calendar is now outdated, it still has a lot of great science information (and cool images). Check the credit for links!

Credit: NASA/JPL