We recently updated our Android apps!

We recently updated our Android apps and compiled them with the latest 3.2 API! Our newer app can be found here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.tpcs.Astronomy This new 3.2 API ads a nifty zoom feature that allows the app to adjust its size to your various screen sizes. You may still download this app with older Droid versions, as your device will auto download the appropriate version (1.5 API or 3.2 API) based on your device's abilities. Thanks, Dave

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'UFOs' Disrupting Search for 'God Particle'

Physicists working at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a particle accelerator at CERN Laboratory in Switzerland, are trying to slam particles together hard enough to break them into never-before-seen pieces, which could solve some of the biggest puzzles in nature. But UFOs — unidentified falling objects, that is — keep getting in their way. The LHC is a 17-mile (27-km) circular tunnel lined with powerful magnets, which accelerate protons (particles in the nuclei of atoms) to 99.9999991 percent the speed of light. Beams of these super-brisk protons are accelerated clockwise around the ring and collide with beams traveling counter-clockwise, and, like a well-struck piñata, a dead-on hit produces a thrilling outburst of subatomic goodies. When they turn the proton beams up to full power, the physicists hope to find the Higgs boson, also known as the "God particle," which is believed to create the drag that gives everything else mass, among the collision debris. They'll also look for dark matter, the invisible substance that permeates the outskirts of galaxies. However, since last year, something has been fluttering in the way of the proton beams and dampening the force of their blows, the physicists say. These "UFOs" aren't from outer space — they're probably microscopic dust particles of unknown origin — but they're still mysterious, and while they're around, the prize goodies will likely remain stashed. [LHC On Hold Until 2012] Read the entire article: http://www.space.com/13754-ufos-lhc-large-hadron-collider.html

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Nao: the robot that expresses and detects emotions

The humanoid machine, called Nao, hunches its shoulders when it feels sad and raises its arms for a hug when it feels happy. It has been designed to mimic the emotional skills of a one-year-old child and is capable of forming bonds with people who treat it with kindness. Nao is able to detect human emotions through a series of non-verbal “clues”, such as body-language and facial expressions, and becomes more adept at reading a person’s mood through prolonged interaction. It uses video cameras to detect how close a person comes and sensors to work out how tactile they are. Read the entire article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7934318/Nao-the-robot-that-expresses-and-detects-emotions.html

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Space so full of junk that a satellite collision could destroy communications on Earth

Space is so littered with debris that a collision between satellites could set off an “uncontrolled chain reaction” capable of destroying the communications network on Earth, a Pentagon report has warned. The volume of abandoned rockets, shattered satellites and missile shrapnel in the Earth’s orbit is reaching a “tipping point” and is now threatening the $250 billion (£174bn) space services industry, scientists said. A single collision between two satellites or large pieces of “space junk” could send thousands of pieces of debris spinning into orbit, each capable of destroying further satellites. Read the entire article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7766894/Space-so-full-of-junk-that-a-satellite-collision-could-destroy-communications-on-Earth.html

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Thousands of Distant Galaxies Revealed in New Photo

Thousands of galaxies crowding an area on the sky roughly the size of the full moon have been captured in a new photo released today. The new cosmic photo, a wide-field view from the European Southern Observatory, reveals many thousands of distant galaxies, including a large group belonging to the massive galaxy cluster known as Abell 315. Yet, as crowded as it may appear, this assembly of galaxies – like most galaxy clusters – is dominated by dark matter that remains unseen. And while the actual existence of dark matter remains largely unexplained, this mysterious stuff has helped scientists piece together other parts of the cosmic puzzle. For instance, dark matter's gravitational pull on galaxy clusters helped researchers calculate the mass of Abell 315. When stargazers scan the night sky with the unaided eye, they mostly see only stars within our own Milky Way galaxy and some of its closest neighbors. More distant galaxies tend to be too faint to be perceived by the human eye, but if they could be seen, they would literally cover the entire sky. Read the entire article: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/galaxy-cluster-abell315-dark-matter-100505.html

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