July 13, 2008
Uncategorized
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Something different.
If you are even only a tiny bit of a techie, you will be aware of the huge impact of WordPress – the open source blogging platform, is having in the online community worldwide. Indeed, AstrotalkUK runs on WordPress.
From time to time, the WordPress community gets together for a day or two to talk, mingle, learn and socialise with other wordpress bloggers, designers, developers or just about anyone who is interested in or connected to WordPress. They call these events “Wordcamp”. They have taken place around the globe and on the weekend of July 19th and 20th, the UK contingent will have one of our own in Birmingham. I’ll be there. Its 35 quid for the two days of talks, presentations, social events. Interested? More here.
July 13, 2008
Cosmology, Science Fiction, Solar System
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As episode 21 indicated, the power of science fiction to motivate the imagination is perhaps as strong as science itself.
1957 is known for the launch of Sputnik but it was also the year that the scientist Fred Hoyle published a science fiction novel called The Black Cloud. One of its readers in Italy would be inspired by it to become an astronomer and embark on a career which involves the scientific study such clouds.
Professor Paola Caselli was that reader and since the autumn of 2007 has been the professor of Astronomy at the University of Leeds where Fred Hoyle had been a student. Her area of interest is the study of those regions of space of dust and gas (“dark clouds”) from which stars and planet eventually form.
Dust comes in many forms – cosmic, cometery and interplanetary dust which is responsible for the zodiacal dust we can see from Earth. Professor Caselli investigates cosmic dust grains (atoms or molecules of Silicon, Magnesium, Carbon and others) which act like magnets and help suck out the volatiles from a dust cloud in the early stages of star formation. Some of these process are probably taking place right now in the recently announced discovery of HL Tau and its associated proto planet HL Tau b.
She will be speaking on “From Interstellar Clouds to Planets: the Universal Factory“at the now famous, Leeds Astromeet on Saturday 15th November at the University of Leeds.
