Time for another Research Roundup on all things science
It’s that time again! Time to look at as many different “little” science stories as we can…that’s right, it’s our Research Roundup for Summer 2019!
Asteroids! Everywhere!
Last week, something huge hit Jupiter and caused an explosion so big it was caught by an amateur astronomer here on Earth. In fact, the flash of the impact was as big as the Earth! Of course, Jupiter itself is so insanely big that the explosion was little more than a blip in the planet’s atmosphere. Still, it’s nice that Jupiter is there to sweep up so many of these huge rocks for us.
But, of course, it can’t get them all; just ask the dinosaurs! One rock that Jupiter missed (or, one rock that missed Jupiter, depending on how you look at it), also swung past Earth this past weekend. This rock, known by the very sexy name “2006 QQ23”, came within about four million miles of the Earth.
It’s about the same size as the Eiffel Tower, and calculations suggest that it would have hit us with about 500 times the force of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Not big enough to end us as a species, but it would definitely set us back a bit.
If it seems like you’re hearing about near-misses by asteroids more often these days, you aren’t wrong. But, hopefully, this is because we’re finally taking the threat seriously, and seeing more of what’s out there, rather than just because there are more and more of the things coming our way.
Great Red Not
Speaking of Jupiter, the Great Red Spot, which has been studied since 1830 (and was probably first seen in the 1600’s), is shrinking. When it was first observed and identified as a single, ongoing storm, it was big enough to fit almost three Earths into. Today however, it’s down to a mere 1.5 Earths. And, just this year, bits of it have been observed “flaking off” at the edges of the storm and dissipating into the other clouds of Jupiter.
Interestingly, we’ve seen other, smaller red spots form on Jupiter. Typically, these start as white spots that turn red over time. In any case, it’s doubtful that there will ever be a storm as famous as the Great Red Spot, so, if you haven’t seen it yet with your own eyes, I’d advise that you get to a telescope and check it out for yourself as soon as you can. There’s no telling how much longer it will be around.
More Galaxies!
According to a study published last week in the journal Nature, a group of scientists recently found and documented thirty-nine new galaxies. “Thirty-nine galaxies? There are billions of galaxies out there, what’s the big deal with thirty-nine more?” you ask. Well, you are correct. There are billions upon billions of galaxies out there. (But just one you, so take care of yourself, okay?)
These galaxies, however, are old. Really, really old. They hail from the first two billion years of the existence of the universe. They are so old that, thanks to the expansion of the universe, their light is red-shifted beyond the spectrum of visible light. So, the scientists had to use a special instrument, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which is built specifically to “see” light beyond the visible spectrum.
Once they found them, the scientists were surprised to see how massive the galaxies were. After all, these were from the very early universe, and they expected any galaxies they found to be smaller and less massive. So, that means that they have to rethink the current models of how the universe evolved, and that’s actually pretty exciting!
And Now For Something Completely Different...
Researchers in New Zealand announced that they discovered the skeleton of a huge parrot. How big? About four feet tall! That’s a really big bird, and like the Spanish Inquisition, finding it was completely unexpected. In fact, it was so unexpected that they gave it the scientific name Heracles inexpectatus.
If you’re headed to New Zealand on vacation however, don’t worry. This particular parrot species has ceased to be. It’s run down the curtain and joined the Choir Invisible. If it hadn’t been fossilized, it would have been pushing up the daisies. This is an ex-parrot.
Steven W. Disbrow is the proprietor of “Improv Chattanooga” on the South Side of town. He also creates e-commerce systems and reads comic books when he’s not on stage acting like a fool.
The Great Red Spot, NASA