| Has Climate Tipped? | | | Every solar minimum the outer part of our atmosphere, the "Thermosphere", cools and shrinks. During the extra deep solar minimum of 2008/9 the thermosphere shrank to its smallest level for at least 43 years. | |
The thermosphere is measured by recording its drag on orbiting satellites, so records only stretch back to the start of the satellite era. | |
Scientists trying to explain this larger than normal shrinkage say that the amount of shrinkage cannot be fully explained by the depth of the solar minimum. Even when the effects of increased CO2 levels (which actually cools the thermosphere) are factored in they still cannot explain the level of shrinkage. | |
Suggestions have been made that our atmosphere has changed its behaviour. Maybe it has reached this theoretical "tipping point" that climate scientists believe exists. If so then it is already too late to avoid catastrophic global warming. | |
On the other hand, the data set is very small and the effects on the thermosphere of solar UV radiation and atmospheric CO2 are not well understood. | |
So no panic - yet! - Prometheus |
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| Higgs Found Not | | | A spokesman for Fermilab, which operates the Tevatron particle accelerator, has denied rumours that experiments on the Tevatron have discovered the elusive Higgs Boson. A full report on progress at Fermilab is due at a conference starting on 22 July in Paris. | |
If indeed a Higgs particle has been discovered then it will cause shock waves through the world of particle physics. The "Standard Model" of particle physics predicts that huge energies will be required to reveal the Higgs Boson. Even the LHC cannot reach those energies in its current configuration. It will be at least another year before the LHC will be able to reach the energies required by these predictions. | |
So are these just rumours, or are scientists at Fermilab just trying to quieten down speculation while they check their results before announcing that they have beaten CERN to the big prize? I suppose we just have to wait and see. | |
If they have found it, then expect newspaper headlines about "God Particles". - Prometheus |
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| Space Budget Cuts | | | So the German space effort looks like it will not endure budget cuts, even though their government has announced a total of £66 bn cuts between now and 2014. Indeed, education and research expect to receive their planned increases in budget.
Part of the work Germany expects to undertake for ESA is in direct competition to that expected from the new ESA facility in Harwell, UK. This...... |
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| Falcon Flies | | | California based company, SpaceX has successfully launched its first Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Falcon 9 is described as a "single stick" rocket. In other words, the payload is at the safest place, on the top of the rocket.
Falcon 9 is designed to carry materials or astronauts into orbit. For this launch the Falcon 9 carried a modified version of its freighter...... |
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| Asymmetry | | | One of the big questions in particle physics and cosmology is, "where has all the anti-matter gone?"
The standard model of particle physics says that equal numbers of matter and anti-matter particles should have been formed in the big bang. But when we look at the Universe we see nearly all matter and very little anti-matter.
An experiment on the Fermilab Tevatron accelerator has...... |
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News from the Frontier
| International Space Weather | |
The study of "Space Weather" is international business. Germany is hosting the latest conference. The Chinese are taking over leadership of the international organisation and are planning the next big probe to study solar radiation. | |
But why the increase in international activity? Yes, with more communications and monitoring satellites we are increasing our exposure to the effects of space weather. But this is not new. However, many of the world's traditional leading technologically advanced nations are feeling the financial pinch. Countries like China are still storming ahead, so it seems the baton has been passed. | |
As the west becomes less of a technology leader and more of a technological backwater, maybe we will have to rely on some older methods of insuring against disasters. However, we probably have a little way to go before we start rounding up investment bankers and sacrificing them to the Sun god. |
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