http://www.weirdwarp.com Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:01:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 no http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/02/plate-tectonics-hold-on-the-surface-of-the-earth-moves/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/02/plate-tectonics-hold-on-the-surface-of-the-earth-moves/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:00:15 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2343 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/02/plate-tectonics-hold-on-the-surface-of-the-earth-moves/feed/ 0 <p>So why do mountain ranges form, earthquakes happen, volcanoes erupt and Islands appear? Have they been here since the beginning of time perhaps created by a roving asteroid or comet Or perhaps there was a massive collision of  two planets when the Earth got formed creating islands and mountains. This is all complete rubbish of course most of the things occur due to plate tectonics.</p> <p>So what is plate tectonics? The plate part of plate tectonics gives it away a little. Plate tectonics relates to the movement of areas of the surface of Earth over time. Plate tectonics doesn’t have to mean that the surface of the earth alone moves, it can also relate to other planets as well.</p> <div id="attachment_2351" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 567px"><img class="size-full wp-image-2351" title="The Earth make up" src="http://www.weirdwarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/the-Earth-make-up2.jpg" alt="The Earth make up" width="557" height="482" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The Earth make up</p></div> <p>To explain plate tectonics scientists divide the outer layers of the Earth into the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. Wow! Those are two large and pretty ungainly words. If you break lithosphere down into two words litho is Greek for stone and we all know what a sphere is (hopefully). So that means that lithosphere really means stone sphere.</p> <p>Astheno in asthenosphere means weak giving us weak sphere. There are other names for the layers of the Earth (relating to the chemical composition and division) but these are not to be confused with the lithosphere and asthenosphere. The lithosphere and asthenosphere refer to the heat transfer and also the behaviour of these layers. This is all they refer to and are nothing to do with the mantle or the crust (think of them as being snobby cousins).</p> <p>The lithosphere loses heat by conduction, conduction being very simple and happening around us all the time. If you touch a kettle for instance the heat will be transferred from the kettle to your finger and you will go Oww and probably utter a few words. The transfer of heat from the kettle to your finger is happening by conduction.</p> <div id="attachment_2352" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 522px"><img class="size-full wp-image-2352 " title="Convection" src="http://www.weirdwarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/convection.gif" alt="Convection" width="512" height="221" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Convection</p></div> <p>The asthenosphere on the other hand is different. It transfers heat by what is called convection. This happens when the rock is not totally solid and our plastic layer of malleable asthenosphere allows heat to travel upwards in rocks then on the sides of this upward column there is a downward movement of cold rock.</p> <p>For this you can see, perhaps, that plate tectonics is actually the lithosphere (which is solid rock) riding over a liquid rock asthenosphere. This movement is only about 2 to 16 cm per year so don’t get too alarmed. You won’t fall over and lose your balance unless of course you’re experiencing an earthquake.</p> <p>With the lithosphere riding on top of the asthenosphere we could  just have one big plate all over the Earth and we would never know the difference. The Earth is not like that though and the surface of the Earth is broken up into various regions called plates which move around separately from each other.</p> <p>This as you can imagine causes collisions and also gaps between the plates. When the two plates meet one of the plates it is forced underneath the other plate going back down inside the [...] So why do mountain ranges form, earthquakes happen, volcanoes erupt and Islands appear? Have they been here since the beginning of time perhaps created by a roving asteroid or comet Or perhaps there was a massive collision of  two planets when the [...] http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/02/why-wont-that-supernova-go-bang/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/02/why-wont-that-supernova-go-bang/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:38:54 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2341 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/02/why-wont-that-supernova-go-bang/feed/ 4 <p>A massive old star is about to die…</p> <p>How a supernova explosion will be observed and what with.</p> <p>By NASA</p> <span class="sfforumlink"><a href="http://www.weirdwarp.com/forum/blog-posts/why-wont-that-supernova-go-bang"><img src="http://www.weirdwarp.com/wp-content/plugins/simple-forum/styles/icons/default/bloglink.png" alt="" /> Join the forum discussion on this post</a> - (1) Posts</span> A massive old star is about to die… How a supernova explosion will be observed and what with. By NASA Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/01/giant-ribbon-at-the-edge-of-the-solar-system-mystery-solved/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/01/giant-ribbon-at-the-edge-of-the-solar-system-mystery-solved/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:07:36 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2247 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/01/giant-ribbon-at-the-edge-of-the-solar-system-mystery-solved/feed/ 0 <p><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Last year, when NASA’s IBEX (Interstellar Boundary Explorer) spacecraft discovered a giant ribbon at the edge of the solar system, researchers were mystified. They called it a “shocking result” and puzzled over its origin. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Now the mystery may have been solved.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></p> Last year, when NASA’s IBEX (Interstellar Boundary Explorer) spacecraft discovered a giant ribbon at the edge of the solar system, researchers were mystified. They called it a “shocking result” and puzzled over its origin. Now the mystery [...] http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/01/best-of-the-week-podcast-why-dont-supernovas-explode-when-they-should-do/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/01/best-of-the-week-podcast-why-dont-supernovas-explode-when-they-should-do/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:58:43 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2210 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2010/01/best-of-the-week-podcast-why-dont-supernovas-explode-when-they-should-do/feed/ 0 <p>Supernovas don’t explode. Why is that? The nuclear fuel runs out and it begins a collapse under its own weight and there should be a massive blast, but nothing happens.</p> <p>Something is being missed but a new space telescope should resolve this problem.</p> Supernovas don’t explode. Why is that? The nuclear fuel runs out and it begins a collapse under its own weight and there should be a massive blast, but nothing happens. Something is being missed but a new space telescope should resolve this problem. supernovas, telescope, explosion, mystery no http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-a-man-a-planet-and-loads-of-controversy/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-a-man-a-planet-and-loads-of-controversy/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:14:53 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2170 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-a-man-a-planet-and-loads-of-controversy/feed/ 0 <p>ENCORE While the Kepler spacecraft hunts for habitable planets beyond the solar system, we’ve let one of our own planets slip away! Find out why Pluto’s demotion to dwarf status created a public uproar as astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson reads us his hate mail. From third-graders!</p> <p>Also, how we might find Earth-like planets… the possibility of life on Saturn’s moon Titan… and TED Prize winner Jill Tarter’s vision for finding E.T</p> <p>By Are we alone?</p> ENCORE While the Kepler spacecraft hunts for habitable planets beyond the solar system, we’ve let one of our own planets slip away! Find out why Pluto’s demotion to dwarf status created a public uproar as astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson [...] pluto, seti, http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-kuiper-belt-at-a-childs-level/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-kuiper-belt-at-a-childs-level/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:54:37 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2142 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-kuiper-belt-at-a-childs-level/feed/ 2 <p>What is the Kuiper Belt? by Susan, Amanda & Kevin Murph. Susan Murph from the How to Grow Your Geek Podcast and her children Amanda and Kevin discuss Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.</p> What is the Kuiper Belt? by Susan, Amanda & Kevin Murph. Susan Murph from the How to Grow Your Geek Podcast and her children Amanda and Kevin discuss Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-hubbles-first-images-of-an-extrasolar-planet/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-hubbles-first-images-of-an-extrasolar-planet/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:48:24 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2133 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/12/best-of-the-week-podcast-hubbles-first-images-of-an-extrasolar-planet/feed/ 0 <p>Paul Kalas was the leader of the team who managed the long-sought feat of actually taking a photograph of a planet orbiting another star. Before this, all the planets outside our solar system were found by indirect means. He describes how they achieved the breakthrough, using the Hubble Space Telescope, and discusses the wide range of planets out there that astronomers are discovering.</p> <p>A Silicon Valley podcast.</p> <p><a title="the images of an extrasolar planet" rel="nofollow" href="http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/159631main_sweeps_double.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/exoplanet_transit.html&usg=__mQBjjlTGQ-EXtXWc-Idcg8jRw3M=&h=607&w=600&sz=168&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=yZAYgYrTF0ZNhM:&tbnh=136&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHubble%2Bimage%2Bextrasolar%2Bplanet%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1C1CHMB_en-GBGB301GB303%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1%26newwindow%3D1" target="_blank">Pictures and information on the images of the extrasolar planet.</a></p> Paul Kalas was the leader of the team who managed the long-sought feat of actually taking a photograph of a planet orbiting another star. Before this, all the planets outside our solar system were found by indirect means. He describes how they [...] http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-everything-to-do-with-the-preparation-and-launch-of-a-space-vehicle/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-everything-to-do-with-the-preparation-and-launch-of-a-space-vehicle/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:43:47 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2106 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-everything-to-do-with-the-preparation-and-launch-of-a-space-vehicle/feed/ 0 <p>This is all about the preparations for launch of a space vehicle. It is mainly about the space shuttle, but covers lots of questions that you may have about why they stop and start all the time and what actually goes on. Why do they say that and why do they do this, you will know mostly all after listening to this podcast.</p> <p>by astronomy cast.</p> This is all about the preparations for launch of a space vehicle. It is mainly about the space shuttle, but covers lots of questions that you may have about why they stop and start all the time and what actually goes on. Why do they say that and [...] Weirdwarp space shuttle, Cape Canaveral, launch facilities, countdown no http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-the-history-of-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-seti/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-the-history-of-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-seti/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:21:18 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2084 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-the-history-of-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-seti/feed/ 0 <p>The story and history of SETI the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The ups and downs of the alien search with Frank Drake and a few critics.</p> The story and history of SETI the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The ups and downs of the alien search with Frank Drake and a few critics. seti, history no http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-deep-space-network/ http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-deep-space-network/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:55:47 +0000 chrdann http://www.weirdwarp.com/?p=2042 http://www.weirdwarp.com/2009/11/best-of-the-week-podcast-deep-space-network/feed/ 0 <p>A follow on from the last podcast.</p> <p>The DSN is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions.</p> A follow on from the last podcast. The DSN is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network [...] dsn, deep space network no