Erika  Profile picture
- Once a starry-eyed girl, now exploring beyond. - High altitude mountaineer, Adventure Seeker, Free Spirit. - #PlanetaryDefense
Tim- #BlueVoterSuperNova -STOP fossil fool antisci Profile picture Eduard Moreno Profile picture 2 subscribed
Mar 22 12 tweets 3 min read
In Sagittarius constellation lies a celestial enigma that has puzzled astronomers since its discovery in 1996. Known as Sakurai's Object, this stellar anomaly challenges conventional understanding of stellar evolution, presenting a rare spectacle in the cosmic theater. 1/ Discovered by Japanese astronomer Yukio Sakurai, Sakurai's Object, cataloged as V4334 SGR, initially appeared to be a typical nova, a stellar explosion resulting in a sudden brightening of a star. However, further scrutiny revealed a story far more intriguing. 2/ Image
Mar 15 20 tweets 3 min read
Certain moments, in scientific discovery, stand out as watershed events, forever altering our understanding of the cosmos. One such pivotal moment occurred on May 29, 1919, during a rare celestial spectacle: a solar eclipse. 1/ This particular eclipse not only mesmerized onlookers with its ethereal beauty but also catalyzed a revolution in physics, challenging centuries-old notions of gravity and space-time. 2/
Mar 2 15 tweets 3 min read
Iron meteorites are among the most captivating celestial objects to grace our planet. Within these extraterrestrial fragments lies a hidden beauty, known as Thomson structures or Widmanstätten patterns. 1/ These intricate crystalline formations, composed primarily of nickel-iron alloys such as kamacite and taenite, offer a glimpse into the cosmic journey of these meteorites and the conditions they endured over millions of years. 2/ Image
Feb 29 19 tweets 3 min read
How did matter come to dominate over antimatter? What mechanisms governed the asymmetry between the two in the primordial cosmos? Among the plethora of theoretical frameworks, leptogenesis emerges as a captivating hypothesis, offering a compelling explanation ... 1/

#Thread 👇 Image ... for the cosmic imbalance observed today.

Leptogenesis, a theoretical concept rooted in the realm of particle physics and cosmology, proposes a mechanism by which the preponderance of matter over antimatter, known as baryon asymmetry, arose during the universe's infancy... 2/
Feb 17 9 tweets 2 min read
#OnThisDay in 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev embarked on a transformative journey, driven by his keen observation and quest for order in the realm of chemistry. 1/ Image With just 63 known chemical elements at the time, Mendeleev set out to classify them, unaware that his endeavor would reshape our understanding of the universe. 2/
Feb 10 7 tweets 2 min read
Have you ever wondered how astronomers identify the building blocks of stars, nebulae, and even distant galaxies? The answer lies in a fascinating phenomenon called spectral lines. 1/

🎥 YT / cassiopeiaproject These are like unique fingerprints left by atoms and molecules, revealing their presence and properties across the vast cosmic canvas.

Imagine a molecule existing in different energy levels, like rungs on a ladder. 2/
Feb 6 4 tweets 2 min read
Astronomers using the #JWST discovered an unexpected dwarf galaxy, PEARLSDG, approximately 98 million light-years away. This isolated galaxy, lacking star-formation activity for at least a billion years, challenges conventional ... 1/

👉 iopscience.iop.org/article/10.384…
Image ... understanding as isolated dwarfs typically form stars. PEARLSDG's uniqueness lies not only in its isolation but also in the JWST's ability to observe individual red giant branch stars, making it one of the most distant galaxies studied in this manner. 2/ Image
Jan 30 10 tweets 3 min read
The de Sitter Universe is a theoretical model of the universe within the framework of general relativity, named after the Dutch mathematician and physicist Willem de Sitter. Proposed in 1917, de Sitter's solution to Einstein's field equations describes a ... 1/

#Cosmology Image ... universe that is characterized by a positive cosmological constant, denoted by the Greek letter lambda (Λ). This constant represents a form of dark energy, contributing to the overall energy density of the universe. 2/
Jan 11 16 tweets 3 min read
The "Theory of Everything" (TOE) is a theoretical framework in physics that aims to explain and unify all fundamental forces and particles in the universe within a single, comprehensive theory. The quest for a TOE has been a central goal in theoretical physics, ... 1/ Image ... seeking to reconcile the principles of general relativity, which describes gravity, with those of quantum mechanics, which govern the behavior of particles at the smallest scales. 2/

Here are some key points related to the Theory of Everything:
Jan 9 13 tweets 3 min read
The Hoag's Object is a fascinating astronomical anomaly that captivates astronomers and stargazers alike. Named after the astronomer Arthur Hoag, who discovered it in 1950, this peculiar galaxy is a stunning example of a rare cosmic phenomenon known as a "ring galaxy." 1/ Image Situated approximately 612 million light-years away in the Serpens constellation, Hoag's Object stands out due to its distinct ring structure. The outer ring, composed of hot, young blue stars, encircles a much older and yellowish core of stars. 2/
Jan 1 9 tweets 2 min read
In an unparalleled feat of space exploration, NASA's Parker Solar Probe is poised to make history next year by becoming the first human-made object to touch the Sun. 1/ Image On December 24, 2024, the probe will embark on its closest approach to our star, hurtling past at an astonishing speed of 195 kilometers per second, or 435,000 miles per hour. At this point, Parker will be just 6.1 million kilometers (3.8 million miles) ... 2/
Jan 1 27 tweets 5 min read
The Kuiper Belt is a vast and mysterious region located in the outer reaches of our solar system, beyond the orbit of Neptune. Named after Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper, who predicted its existence in 1951, this distant region is home to a diverse population ... 1/ ... of icy bodies, dwarf planets, and other celestial objects. In this article, we will delve into the fascinating world of the Kuiper Belt, examining its discovery, composition, and significance in our understanding of the solar system. 2/
Dec 27, 2023 19 tweets 4 min read
The Lagrange points, named after the French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange, are unique locations in space where gravitational forces create a delicate equilibrium btw the gravitational pull of 2 large celestial bodies, such as a planet & its moon or a planet & the sun. 1/ These points have proven to be strategically advantageous for various space missions and satellite placements due to their stability and specific geometric configurations. 2/
Dec 22, 2023 15 tweets 3 min read
The Dark Forest Hypothesis, conceived by Chinese science-fiction author Liu Cixin in his novel "The Dark Forest," offers a speculative explanation to the Fermi Paradox, the apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial ... 1/

erikastronomer.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-da…
Image ... civilizations existing and the lack of evidence for or contact with such civilizations.

In the cosmic theater of the Dark Forest Hypothesis, civilizations play the role of hunters, silently navigating the shadows to ensure their survival. While the hypothesis remains ... 2/
Dec 14, 2023 26 tweets 6 min read
About 1300 years ago, an unexplained cosmic storm hit our planet. It left its imprints in the tree rings across the globe and the ice cores of Antarctica. Then, after 200 years, the event repeated, but this time it was 60% as strong. 1/

#Thread #SpaceWeather When scientists analyzed them in detail, they found that six such cosmic storms have struck our planet over the past few thousand years. Today, these are known as the Miyake events. 2/
Dec 13, 2023 16 tweets 3 min read
Time dilation is a fascinating concept in physics, particularly in the realm of Einstein's theory of relativity.

Time, a fundamental concept that we often take for granted, is not as absolute as it appears. In the early 20th century, Albert Einstein ... 1/

#Thread Image ... revolutionized our understanding of time with his groundbreaking theory of relativity.
At the heart of this theory lies a captivating phenomenon known as time dilation, a concept that challenges our intuitive perception of time as an immutable constant. 2/
Dec 3, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
A huge hole has opened in the sun's atmosphere, and it is spewing a stream of solar wind directly toward Earth.

NASA's SDO photographed the structure, which stretches almost 800,00 km along its long axis. 1/ Image This is a coronal hole, a region in the sun's atmosphere where magnetic fields have opened up, allowing solar wind to escape. The hole looks dark because hot glowing gas normally contained there is missing. The gaseous material is on its way to Earth. 2/
Nov 30, 2023 9 tweets 2 min read
#ComingSoon

The #Geminids meteor shower is one of the most spectacular annual meteor showers, known for its consistently bright and numerous meteors.
Here are some facts about the Geminids: 1/

#Thread Origin Point: The Geminids appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini, hence their name. The radiant point, or the point in the sky from which the meteors seem to originate, is near the bright stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini. 2/
Nov 23, 2023 9 tweets 2 min read
The Schrödinger wave equation is the flagship equation that describes the behavior of quantum systems, taking into account the wave-like properties of particles such as electrons. It can be classified into two different categories: the time-dependent and the ... 1/ Image ... time-independent Schrödinger equation. The former describes how the quantum state of a system evolves over time, while the latter provides information about the quantum system's energy levels and wave functions. 2/
Nov 12, 2023 9 tweets 2 min read
Imagine you walk into a room that's absolutely packed with people. It's so crowded that no one can really move, they're all shoulder to shoulder. Now, you want to squeeze into the room too, but there's no space. 1/ Image Everyone is pushing back against you, not because they're mean or don't want you there, but simply because there's no more room.
In the world of quantum mechanics, particles like electrons have a rule that's kind of like a law of politeness at a fancy party: ... 2/
Oct 24, 2023 9 tweets 2 min read
Astronomers have calculated the number of black holes in the universe. And the number is 40 quintillion (40 followed by 18 zeros).
Hence, stellar-mass black holes make up 1% of all the ordinary matter in the cosmos. 1/ But, how did astronomers arrive at this number? Black holes are such dense regions in spacetime that even light cannot escape them. So, astronomers tracked the evolution of the stars that could become black holes. 2/