A Moment of Science
A geostationary satellite orbits the equator in the same direction and speed the earth turns. That means the satellite stays stationary with respect to the ground. It seems to be hanging in mid-air, if by mid-air, you mean 22,500 miles high. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Are you familiar with a geostationary satellite? That’s a satellite that orbits the equator at the same speed as the earth turns, so it’s always over the same spot of land, 22,500 miles up. Could you let down a rope and pull up some supplies? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
We’ve been imagining that we’re sitting in a geostationary satellite. That’s a satellite that orbits the equator at the same speed and direction as the earth turns. That means it’s always over the same spot of land, as if it were floating in the sky 22,500 miles up. We let down a rope to pull up some supplies. Will this work? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Babies cry. In fact, babies cry more in their first three months of life than at any other time. How much crying is normal? What amount is too much? By too much, I don’t mean too much for your ears to take, but excessive to the point of being symptomatic of something serious? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Meet the Taricha granulosa newt, otherwise known as the rough skinned newt. It’s a small, slow-moving creature. There’s nothing apparently threatening about it. However, glands in its skin secrete a potent poison, tetrodotoxin. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
If you suffer a serious bone break, to repair it, your surgeon might fuse small pieces of bone to the broken bone. Back pain surgeries sometimes involve a similar procedure. These small pieces of bone don’t come from a Petri dish. The bone has to be removed from your hips or a rib. Sound painful? It is. It’s an operation that can potentially lead to serious complications. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Here’s a physics classic. Suppose you drop a golf ball and a bowling ball from the Empire State Building. Which hits first? Answer? They hit at the same time. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Drop two objects of different mass, say a bowling ball and a golf ball, from a high building. Which hits the ground first? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Imagine that you hit a deer with your car. You don’t suffer any physical harm whatsoever. Your car suffers cosmetic damage, but you have insurance. The question is this: are you the type to feel lucky to be alive? Or are you the type who feels disappointment and regret? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Here’s a question for the males out there. If there existed a birth control pill for men, would you take it? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Ancient people believed comets were omens. Sometimes they were thought to signal the fall of empires, other times the birth of kings. Even today, when we’re all supposed to be much more intelligent, people do crazy things when comets pass by. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
You’re a polar explorer and you’ve just reached the north pole. The huskies are yapping, the cameras are ready and you’re just about to unfurl the flag when, all of a sudden, the north pole becomes the south pole. Imagine your chagrin. Okay, so it doesn’t really happen that fast, but it’s true that in the past the earth’s magnetic poles have switched places. In fact, it seems to happen roughly every 250,000 years or so. How do we know this? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
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