Big Picture Science for Monday May 30, 2016 - Caught in a Traps

Big Picture Science - Caught in a Traps

“Locked and loaded” is how one scientist recently described the San Andreas fault.  Find out when this famous west-coast rift might cause “the big one;” also, the state of early earthquake warning systems.

Plus, another sign of our planet’s unceasing turmoil: volcanos!  Could the eruption that produced the Deccan Traps, and not a rock from space, have been the nail in the coffin for the dinosaurs?  One seismologist shares new evidence about some suspicious timing.

And, the man who was the first to take the temperature of lava, established the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and essentially pioneered the field of volcanology a century ago is nearly lost to history.  A scientist rescues fellow volcanologist Thomas Jagger from obscurity.

Guests:

• Tom Jordan – Seismologist, director, Southern California Earthquake Center, University of Southern California
• Mark Richards – Professor of earth and planetary science, University of California, Berkeley
• John Dvorak -  Volcanologist who worked with the United States Geological Survey for 16 years, author, “The Last Volcano: A Man, A Romance, and the Quest to Understand Nature’s Most Magnificent Fury”

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/caught-traps

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Noctilucent Cloud Season Begins

Source - Space Weather News for May 27, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUD SEASON BEGINS: On May 24th, NASA's AIM spacecraft spotted wispy electric-blue clouds floating above the Arctic Ocean. This marks the beginning of the 2016 season for noctilucent clouds.  Seeded by meteoroids, icy noctilucent clouds form at the edge of space where they can be seen shining in the night sky.  Each year, their first detection by spacecraft is usually quickly followed by ground-based sightings. Indeed, a photographer in North Wales spotted some this morning.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

Image Creidt: Space Weather News / NASA

Rare Form of "Space Lightning" Sighted over Oklahoma

Source - Space Weather News for May 26, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

SPACE LIGHTNING OVER OKLAHOMA: Earlier this week, an enormous cluster of sprites (a.k.a. "space lightning") appeared over a thunderstorm in Oklahoma.  The outbreak was so intense, it may have warped the ionosphere above it and sparked a rare "pop-through gigantic jet."  This type of display could become more common as summer thunderstorm season unfolds across the USA.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and more information.

Image credits: Space Weather News and Thomas Ashcraft

Big Picture Science for Monday May 23, 2016 - Skeptic Check: Busting Myths with Adam Savage

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Busting Myths with Adam Savage

Can an opera singer’s voice really shatter glass?  Can you give your car a rocket-assisted boost and survive the test drive?  How do you protect yourself from a shark attack?   Those are among the many intriguing questions and urban legends tested by the MythBusters team in front of the camera.

Now that the series has ended after a 16 year run, co-host Adam Savage tells us how it all began, how he and Jamie Hyneman walked the line between science and entertainment, and why he considers himself a scientist but not a “skeptic.”

Also, he reveals the location of the episode, “Duct Tape Island.”

Guests:

Adam Savage - Former co-host and executive producer of MythBusters


Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-busting-myths-adam-savage

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Midnight Sky Show

Source - Space Weather News for May 21, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

MIDNIGHT SKY SHOW: Tonight, the full Moon gets together with Mars and Saturn to form a bright triangle in the constellation Scorpius. The beautiful midnight encounter is visible around the world, and happens just one week before Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in more than a decade.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and more information

How to See NASA's Giant Space Balloon

Source - Space Weather News for May 18, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NASA'S GIANT SPACE BALLOON: On May 17th, NASA successfully launched a gigantic helium balloon from Wanaka, New Zealand, on a 100+ day mission to the stratosphere. The 19 million cubic foot behemoth is now floating over southern Australia, and it will soon proceed to circumnavigate the southern hemisphere.  Sky watchers near the flight path can see the "space balloon" with the unaided eye and track it with backyard telescopes. Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and more information about the balloon's fascinating payload.

MINOR GEOMAGNETIC STORMS POSSIBLE THIS WEEK: NOAA forecasters estimate a 50% to 60% chance of minor G1-class geomagnetic storms on May 19-20 when Earth enters a stream of high-speed solar wind. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras, especially in the southern hemisphere where darkening autumn skies favor visibility

Image Credit: Space Weather News / Ray Pickard 

Big Picture Science for Monday May 16, 2016 - Science Fiction

Big Picture Science - Science Fiction

No one knows what the future will bring, but science fiction authors are willing to take a stab at imagining it.  We take our own stab at imagining them imagining it.  Find out why the genre of science fiction is more than a trippy ride through a bizarre, hi-tech world, but a way to assess and vote on our possible shared future.

Also, an astronomer learns how many rejection slips it takes before becoming a published science fiction author …. what author Bruce Sterling wants to get off his chest … and what the joke about the neutron walking into a bar to ask the price of beer has in common with H.G. Wells, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Ridley Scott.

Oh, and the price of beer?  Bartender: “For you, no charge.”

Guests:

• Ed Finn - Director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University
• Andrew Fraknoi – Chair of the astronomy department at Foothill College.  His story, "The Cave in Arsia Mons", is in "Building Red", here.  His list of astronomically correct science fiction is here.
• Bruce Sterling - Science fiction author, journalist, and editor
• Brian Malow - Science comedian, science communication officer, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/science-fiction

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Earth's Magnetic Field is Changing

Source - Space Weather News for May 12, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD IS CHANGING: Earth's magnetic field protects us from stormy space weather and cosmic rays. New data from Europe's SWARM spacecraft show that our planet's magnetic field is changing.  For instance, in recent years magnetism over North America has weakened by 3.5%, while Asia has seen an increase of 2%. Other parts of the world are unsettled as well. Visit Spaceweather.com for the full story.

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Soon, the season for noctilucent clouds over the northern hemisphere will begin.  A sky watcher in Scotland might have spotted the first apparition on May 10th.   Electric-blue clouds are highlighted on today's edition of Spaceweather.com.




Image Source - Space Weather News / ESA

Mother's Day Geomagnetic Storm

Source - Space Weather News for May 8, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

MOTHER'S DAY GEOMAGNETIC STORM: Surprise! Sunday, May 8th, began with a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm that sparked beautiful auroras around both poles.  Northern Lights were spotted in at least half a dozen US states. Meanwhile, at the other end of the planet, Southern Lights lit up the skies and snowy landscape of Antarctica. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and more information about this event.


Credit Space Weather News / Rocky Raybell - Keller, Washington

Big Picture Science for Monday May 09, 2016 - Shocking Ideas

Big Picture Science - Shocking Ideas

ENCORE: Electricity is so 19th century. Most of the uses for it were established by the 1920s. So there’s nothing innovative left to do, right? That’s not the opinion of the Nobel committee that awarded its 2014 physics prize to scientists who invented the blue LED.

Find out why this LED hue of blue was worthy of our most prestigious science prize … how some bacteria actually breathe rust … and a plan to cure disease by zapping our nervous system with electric pulses.

Guests:

• Siddha Pimputkar – Postdoctoral researcher in the Materials Department of the Solid State Lighting and Energy Electronics Center under Shuji Nakamura, winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Jeff Gralnick – Associate professor of microbiology at the University of Minnesota
• Kevin Tracey – Neurosurgeon and president of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York

This encore podcast was first released on December 15, 2014

Download podcast at:http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Shocking_Ideas

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Transit of Mercury

 
Source - Space Weather News for May 7, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

TRANSIT OF MERCURY: On Monday morning, May 9th, Mercury will pass directly between Earth and the sun, producing a rare transit visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa and parts of Asia.  Visit Spaceweather.com for observing tips and links to live webcasts.

CHANCE OF STORMS: NOAA forecasters say there is a 65% chance of G1-class geomagnetic storms on May 9th when Earth enters a solar wind stream filled with negative-polarity magnetic fields. A display of high-latitude auroras is possible, especially in the southern hemisphere where visibility is improved by darkening autumn skies.

Meteors from Halley's Comet

Source - Space Weather News for May 3, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

METEORS FROM HALLEY'S COMET: Earth is entering a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, source of the annual eta Aquariid meteor shower.  Although the shower does not peak until later this week, a radar in Canada is already detecting strong echoes from the debris zone.  This bodes well for sky watchers who could see 30 or more meteors per hour in the nights ahead.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates and observing tips.


Above: This sky map from the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar shows meteoroids from Halley's Comet emerging from the constellation Aquarius (ETA).

Negative Magnetic Fields Spark Auroras

 
Source - Space Weather News for May 2, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NEGATIVE MAGNETIC FIELDS SPARK AURORAS: For the past three days Earth has been passing through a region of interplanetary space filled with negative-polarity magnetic fields. This has caused intermittent geomagnetic storms and beautiful auroras around both poles. Visit http://spaceweather.com for pictures and more information about this phenomenon.

"SPACE LIGHTNING" SIGHTED OVER THE CARIBBEAN: Sprite season is definitely underway. Only a few days after a widespread display appeared over Texas, more sprites have popped up near Puerto Rico. This time the exotic forms of upper atmospheric electricity were sighted dancing above the sea instead of land.  Learn more about land-vs-sea sprites at http://spaceweather.com.



Photo credit: Frankie Lucena and Space Weather News.

Big Picture Science for Monday May 02, 2016 - Living Computers

Big Picture Science - Living Computers

ENCORE: It’s the most dramatic technical development of recent times: Teams of people working for decades to produce a slow-motion revolution we call computing. As these devices become increasingly powerful, we recall that a pioneer from the nineteenth century – Ada Lovelace, a mathematician and Lord Byron’s daughter – said they would never surpass human ability. Was she right?

We consider the near-term future of computing as the Internet of Things is poised to link everything together, and biologists adopt the techniques of information science to program living cells.

Plus: What’s your favorite sci-fi computer?

Guests:

• Walter Isaacson – President and CEO of the Aspen Institute and the author of The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
• Christopher Voigt – Bioengineer at MIT
• Andy Ihnatko – Technology journalist
• André Bormanis – Writer, screenwriter, Star Trek
• John Barrett – Electronic engineer, NIMBUS Centre for Embedded Systems Research at the Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland

This encore podcast was first released on December 07, 2014

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Living_Computers

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.