Astronomy Calendar for 2018

Space and astronomy has always been the most fascinating topic among all of us. Though we don't have much knowledge of it, we are very curious about the topic and will be always ready to explore and know more and more. We all enjoy the view of stars in the night sky and we don't want to miss the amazing events happening such as meteor showers. For that sake, here is a astronomy calendar of 2018 with all the details of the events in their chronological dates.

January 1

Mercury will be at its Greatest Western Elongation

Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 22.7 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Take a look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

3D Printing

3D printing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital designed file. The creation of a 3D printed object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object. 3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out / hollowing out a piece of metal or plastic with for instance a milling machine. 3D printing enables you to produce complex (functional) shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.

3D Printer printing a model

Ionizing Radiation

Atoms are made up of particles like protons and neutrons which stay inside nucleus and electrons which revolve around the nucleus in a fixed path called shell. Each of these shell have capacity to hold only the fixed number of electrons not one more than that and these electrons have fixed number of energy according to their shell number. This energy increases as we go from the shell closest to the nucleus to the farthest. So, shell are also called energy level. As we increase the energy of any electron, the electron shifts from one energy level to next energy level until the nucleus cannot hold the electron and finally the electron gets free.

Traditional Symbol of Ionization Radiation

Everything you need to know about TRAPPIST - 1

In February 2017, NASA blowed everyone's mind with the shocking discovery of seven earth sized planets revolving around a star smaller than our Sun. This discovery filled our hearts full of joy and excitements which also brought a common question popping in our head 'ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?' Although we don't have any answer for that question, lets find out what we have discovered and the things NASA has revealed about the newly discovered planetary system.

TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System

TRAPPIST-1 is a planetary system, located 39 light years away from the Solar system, near the ecliptic, within the constellation of Aquarius. There are at least seven planets in the orbit around a star which is 12 times less massive than the Sun and only slightly larger than Jupiter. The initial discovery was made by TRAPPIST, the TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope. Additional planets were subsequently identified using TRAPPIST and the Spitzer space telescope, the Very Large Telescope, UKIRT, the Liverpool Telescope and the William Herschel Telescope.

Thermocouple

Thermocouple is a electrical device that converts the heat energy into electrical form of energy. Thermocouple follows the thermoelectric effect and produces a usable temperature dependent voltage. Although usable emf is induced in thermocouple, the induced emf is very small.

Thermo-couple basically works on basis of three principles:

1) Seebeck Effect:

The Seebeck effect states that when two different or unlike metals are joined together at two junctions and the two junctions are provided by two different temperatures, an electromotive force (emf) is generated between the two junctions. The amount of emf generated is different for different combinations of the metals and is directly proportional to the change in temperature between two junctions.

Francis Turbine

The Francis turbine was invented by an American inventor James B. Francis in the 1800s. The Francis turbine is an inward flow reaction turbine and is used in devices with a wide variety of head and flow. The Francis Turbine is the most commonly used turbine today to generate hydroelectricity. They are often used in large hydroelectric dam systems. The Francis turbine is a versatile turbine that can be built with either a horizontal or vertical axis and can be used in many different hydraulic head heights and water flow levels. This turbine also uses mobile guide vanes to direct the water into the turbine which can be set to allow the desired level of water flow into the turbine system.

Francis Turbine

Stanene - Conductor with 100% Efficiency

Stanene (from the Latin stannum meaning tin, which also gives the element its chemical symbol, Sn), is the latest cousin of graphene, the lattice of carbon atoms that has spurred thousands of studies into related 2D materials. Those include sheets of silicene, made from silicon atoms; phosphorene, made from phosphorus; germanene, from germanium; and thin stacks of sheets that combine different kinds of chemical elements. Stanene could be the world’s first electrical conductor with 100% efficiency, which would make it more conductive than graphene. The material has not yet been mass-produced.

Scientists have been working on the concept of electrical conductivity without losses for several years, but most of the systems operate only under extreme conditions, either strong magnetic fields or very low temperatures such as with superconductors. Stanene conducts electricity only through their surfaces or edges and not through their interiors. These structures are a single atom thick, and the electrons and nuclei of heavy atoms in the structures exhibit complex interactions, allowing them to conduct electricity with 100% efficiency.

Aliens

The word alien is derived from Latin word 'alienus' which means belonging to other. Aliens are referred as any creature born or raised in some other planets except earth. So the first question that pops in our mind while talking about aliens is that "Do aliens really exists?" And if they do, where are they? How do they look like? Are they dangerous? There is a lot of things we do not know about them which makes us more curious.

Lets Try To Travel Faster Than Light

The most basic thing in physics and astronomy we all have known from years is the speed of light which is 3*10⁸ m/s. The speed of light was tried to calculate from the time of Galileo. Galileo tried to calculate the speed of light in 1968 with the help of his assistant by placing covering and uncovering the lamps held by both of them at some distance. Galileo was only able to deduce that light travels at least 10 times faster than sound. Then after Galileo, many other experiments were carried out to calculate the speed of light. In 1862, French physicist Foucault modified the Fizeau's method of calculation of speed of light and calculated the speed to be 2.98*10⁸ m/s. In 1926, Nobel Prize winner in physics, Albert Abraham Michelson calculated the speed of light from Michelson's method to be 2.997*10⁸ m/s. Today the speed of light is adopted to be 3*10⁸ m/s.

Then the great scientist of all time, Albert Einstein published the "Theory of Relativity" which explained the speed of light can never be crossed by any matter. Since then the speed of light is considered as the ultimate speed anything can travel in this universe. However, several theories and ideas have been purposed to go faster than light or make the light to travel in speed greater than its own speed (although they may not be correct but are convincing). So let's discuss each of the ideas in brief.

What is the speed of Earth?

We all know the rotation and revolution of the earth. But do you know any other factors after revolution that affect the movement of earth in both direction of movement and speed of earth? Well is a lot and its seems quite complicated but it is not. You'll know yourself after reading this article because today we are going to calculate the speed at which the earth moves step by step. But before that, I want you to guess the speed, just randomly you know. Why not better comment the guess in the comment section and later check how much close you got it. Well lest start the discussion.

Why keyboards are made QWERTY?

Haven't you ever wondered why the heck is the keyboard made in this QWERTY way? I mean why not make it simple as ABCDE or at least simpler than this? It would be so easy to remember all the keys than the keys are now in random order. But wait, keys are not kept in random order. Okay, so at first I would like to tell you that YES, there was indeed such a kind of a layout for typing at the initial stage.

When typewriters were invented back in 1860's alphabetical keyboards were used. With the development of science and technology, different types of keyboards were used. It was quite easy to learn and type at great speed, because the keyboards before were invented by studying probability of using in words so that people could type faster. The letters such as vowels, D, H, N, S and T are frequently used in most of the words in english. So, these keys were kept close and rest were kept farther away.

Run off River (ROR) Pump

Run off River Pump

The term "Run off River" means operated by running water. This project requires a continuous flow of water to work and does not require electricity or any other kind of energy forms. The history of ROR Pump points in the mid 1800's when people used water wheel to draw water from river or well. The same principle is used in this project with some advanced modifications through engineering calculations so that to make it more efficient and sustainable. 

The ROR Pump basically consists of a water wheel or turbine and pump. This system is based on the KE of the flowing water and the pressure difference created in the cylinder. It follows the principle of conservation of energy. The principle of conservation of energy states “The energy can neither be created nor be destroyed but can be converted from one form to another form”. It also follows the Pascal’s Law of pressure. It states “The pressure applied to an in-compressible liquid kept in closed vessel transmits equally in all directions”.