The UnMuseum Newsletter for June 2007

Science Over the Edge

A Roundup of Strange Science for the Month

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In the News:

*Rock from the Sky not a Meteorite - A rock that was originally identified
as a meteorite that crashed though the roof of New Jersey home last January
appears to be actually a piece of space junk. Analysis by experts at the
American Museum of Natural History using a variable-pressure electron
microscope revealed that the object that measures 3 inches by 2 inches is a
stainless steel alloy that does not occur in nature. The origin of the
object is still a mystery, but it is likely that it is debris from a
satellite or rocket launch. The incident started when a Freehold, New
Jersey, homeowner entered his second floor bathroom and found the object on
the floor and a hole in his roof.

*September Supernova the Brightest - Scientists have calculated that a
supernova observed back in September of 2006 was the brightest ever seen.
"The reason we're so excited is because it was so powerful we think it may
require a new type of explosion mechanism that we've never observed before,"
said Nathan Smith, astrophysicist at the University of California at
Berkeley. A supernova occurs at the end of the lifecycle of some stars when
of most of the material within the star explodes. Most supernovas are only
bright for a couple of weeks, but the supernova of last September got more
brilliant for 70 days peaking with brightness comparable to 50 billion suns,
much brighter than most other supernovas. Scientists believe that the
supernova expelled many of its outer layers in an eruption before its
violent collapse so that when it exploded, the pressure wave plowed into the
cooler gases that had already been expelled, creating the most brilliant
light show ever observed.

*King Herod's Tomb Found - An Israeli archaeologist says he has found the
tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem and the Holy
Land. Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer, who has been working at
the site since 1972, said the tomb was found at Herodium where Herod had
built a palace compound. The tomb was discovered when a workers found the
remains of a limestone sarcophagus. The location of the sarcophagus and
appearance suggests that it is Herod's. "It's a sarcophagus we don't just
see anywhere," Netzer said. "It is something very special." Experts are
excited about the find saying that all signs indicate the tomb belongs to
Herod. They caution, however, inscriptions need to be found to be sure.

*Big Dinos Heard Low Sounds - A new study shows that dinosaurs were best at
hearing very low tones. Scientists reached this conclusion by examining the
anatomical ear structure among living birds, crocodilians and the fossil
remains of dinosaurs. The results, presented this month at a meeting of the
Acoustical Society of America, also suggest that dinosaurs produced noises
like the sounds they could hear. "As a general rule, animals can hear the
sounds that they produce," lead author Robert Dooling noted. The scientists
found that an animal's weight is significantly correlated to the size of the
its inner ear structure, which determines what frequencies that animal could
detect. Dooling and his colleagues estimate large dinosaurs were restricted
to low frequencies below 3 kilohertz.

*At 13.2 Billion Star is the Oldest - Scientists have identified the oldest
known star. The star, designated as HE1523-0901, is 13.2-billion-years-old
and came into existence a mere half a billion years after the "big bang"
that started the universe. The star's age was identified by examining its
spectrum, which showed the presence of heavy elements like uranium and
thorium. Heavy elements decay into lighter elements over time serving as a
clock to measure how long the minerals in the star, has been around. There
may be other stars out there that are just as old, but HE1523-0901 was born
in a section of the galaxy heavily polluted with heavy elements, making it
easy to identify.


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What's New at the Museum:

*Benedict Arnold: The Father of Our Country? His name is synonymous with the
word traitor, yet, if things had gone a little differently, could this
infinitely complex man been the hero of the American Revolution? (Part 1)
(http://www.unmuseum.org/barnold1.htm)

*Notes from the Curator's Office: Revisiting the Big Three: Isaac Asimov-
They had a huge impact on our world far beyond just science fiction. The
first of three parts about these great authors of the 20th century.
(http://www.unmuseum.org/notescurator/b3asimov.htm)


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Ask the Curator:

*Big Packaderm vs. Little Sport Device - Could an elephant have the same
momentum as a golf ball? - Anonymous.

The easiest way of thinking about momentum is the force necessary to stop a
moving object. It involves both the mass of the object and speed of the
object. Technically, in classical physics, this can be expressed as the mass
of the object multiplied by its velocity. The formula is:

P = mv

Where P is the momentum, m is the mass and v is the velocity.

If we had and elephant that weighed 7200 Kg (about 15840 pounds) running at
1 meter per second, the elephant would have:

7200 kg m/s = 7200kg 1m/s

That means that 7200kg is the mass, 1 meter/second (m/s) is the velocity and
7200 kg m/s ("kilogram meters per second") is the momentum.

It is easy to see a trivial situation where any two objects, no matter the
size of their mass, would have the same momentum. Any object that has no
velocity has no momentum. So both an elephant and a golf ball would have the
same momentum if neither were moving.

There are also cases where the elephant and the golf ball could have the
momentum even if they were both moving. Imagine our 7200 kilograms elephant
from above and a golf ball weighing .046 kilograms. If we set up the
equation with the elephant on the left and the golf ball on the right:

MV = p = MV

Or

7200kg 1m/s = 7200kg m/s = .046kg V m/s

we just need to solve for the V, the velocity of the golf ball:

7200kg 1m/s = 7200kg m/s = .046kg 156521 m/s

We can see that an elephant running along at 1 meter per second has the same
momentum as a golf ball moving at 156,521 meters per second (around 351,000
miles per hour). So an heavy elephant moving along at a trot would have the
same momentum as small golf ball going very, very fast.

Now, a couple of additional considerations. This is the formula for momentum
under classical (Newtonian physics). The formula under relativistic physics
is slightly different and allows for objects like photons, which have no
mass, to still have momentum. Also a complete description of momentum for an
object includes the direction (or vector) of the motion.

Send your questions to: [email protected]


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In History:

*Loch Ness Photos - In June of 1975 the Academy of Applied science released
two pictures their automatic cameras had taken underwater in Loch Ness,
Scotland. Though the pictures weren't clear due to the murky water, one
seemed to show the upper torso and neck of a strange creature. The other
seemed to show the animal's horse-like head. Various observers have thought
these pictures showed a prehistoric monster, a dead stump, and a engine
block with exhaust pipes. So far no explanation of the photos has satisfied
all parties involved in the Loch Ness Monster mystery.


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In the Sky:

*Catch Vesta - Want to try catching an asteroid? The asteroid Vesta (the
fourth asteroid ever discovered) should be visible in the night sky this
month to the naked eye, but you might find it helpful to use binocular. Look
for Jupiter in the Southeastern sky rising after sunset. Vesta will be just
seven degrees higher up (the full moon is 0.5 degrees wide). Vesta will
appear in the constellation Ophiuchus. You may need to look for it over
several nights. You will be able to tell it is not a star because it will
change position each night compared with the rest of the night sky.


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Observed:

Hoaxer Admits Creating Dead Aliens - John Humphreys, a sculptor and who
worked on special effects for Doctor Who and created the character Max
Headroom says he was responsible for the models of the Roswell aliens
dissected in hoax footage that first appeared in 1995. His partner in the
hoax, Ray Santilli, a London-based video distributor, had claimed he bought
the footage from a retired American military cameramen. Humphreys says that
in addition to creating the bug-eyed alien models that were filled with
sheep brains and chicken entrails, he also appeared in the film as the chief
surgeon. According to Humphreys it took four weeks for him to make the
models from latex using clay sculptures and all the filming was done in
London, not New Mexico. Humphrey's comments come in the wake of the release
of the film Alien Autopsy, which is dramatic portrayal about the creation
and impact of the original hoax footage. Alien Autopsy is currently in
release in Great Britain.


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On the Tube:

Currently we are only able to give accurate times and dates for these
programs in the United States. Check local listings in other locations.

*NOVA: Great Escape - Experts dig into World War II's most daring and
technically ingenious prison break. On PBS: June 5 at 8 pm; ET/PT.

*Robo Sapien: The Secret Revolution- What if you could think faster?
Remember more? Wirelessly connect to the internet without a computer? Robo
Sapien puts you on the cutting-edge of Neuro-Engineering where scientists
are seeking ways to interface our brains directly with machines. On The
Science Channel: Jun 07, 9:00 pm Jun 08, 12:00 am Jun 08, 4:00 am Jun 08,
10:00 am Jun 09, 1:00 pm ET/PT.

*King Tut's Mystery Tomb Opened - In the first tomb found in Egypt's Valley
of the Kings in 84 years, scientists find seven coffins, plus a golden
infant-size coffin. One coffin remains sealed and the race is on to read the
markings and lift the lid. On The Science Channel: Jun 11, 9:00 pm Jun 12,
12:00 am Jun 12, 4:00 am Jun 12, 10:00 am Jun 16, 4:00 pm Jun 25, 10:00 pm
Jun 26, 1:00 am Jun 26, 5:00 am Jun 26, 11:00 am Jun 30, 5:00 pm ET/PT.

*Passport to Pluto...and Beyond - NASA's New Horizons mission is exploring
the "new frontier" of the outer reaches of our solar system, solving the
mysteries of Pluto and beyond. Meet the scientists who have waited their
whole lives for this mission and see what surprises they'll reveal. On The
Science Channel: Jun 19, 8:00 pm Jun 19, 11:00 pm Jun 20, 3:00 am Jun 20,
9:00 am Jun 23, 8:00 pm Jun 23, 11:00 pm Jun 24, 3:00 am Jun 24, 4:00 pm Jul
03, 10:00 pm Jul 04, 1:00 am, ET/PT.

*Rise of the Feathered Dragon - Follow the work of paleontologists in remote
northwestern China as they search for fossil evidence to the origins of
modern birds. On the Discovery Channel: Jun 21, 8:00 pm Jun 22, 12:00 am;
ET/PT.

*Triassic Giant - Ichthyosaurs were swimming, air breathing creatures that
resembled whales and dolphins. A team excavates the giant fossil from a
riverbank in British Columbia that is believed to be the largest Triassic
ichthyosaur ever found. On the Discovery Channel: Jun 21, 10:00 pm Jun 22,
2:00 am ; ET/PT.

*The Universe: The End of the Earth: Deep Space Threats to Our Planet -
Asteroids, comets, gamma ray bursts and the sun all combine to make the
Earth a dangerous place to live. NASA's top brass and other scientists are
arming themselves with the latest technology to pre-empt an apocalyptic
attack. Watch and investigate bizarre, and terrifying apocalyptic scenarios
and the ways that scientists are racing against the clock to develop
technology to defend our planet. Rating: TVPG On History Channel: Tuesday,
June 12 09:00 PM Wednesday, June 13 01:00 AM Friday, June 15 11:00 PM
Saturday, June 16 03:00 AM; ET/PT.

saucer! (http://www.unmuseum.org/soearch/over.htm#lgm)

Copyright Lee Krystek, 2007.


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