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| So you're into sci fi? But what about sci fact? Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction... Each month our very own Voyager Science Queen* will bring you interesting, quirky and downright bizarre tasty morsels from the world of science. And its all completely, totally, 100% true! February Sci-Facts |
Strange Objects January was a very special month for me. For the first time in my life, I actually managed to see a comet. Now, I did see Haley’s Comet...and was disappointed at the fuzzy star. However, I have always wanted to see a ‘proper’ comet. Every opportunity in the past was ruined by background illumination or unfavourable weather conditions. For Queenslanders, Comet McNaught became visible early in January. I didn’t see the comet in the first week due to cloud cover. In the second week, I was lucky enough to see it for two nights in a row, sparkling like a spectacular glitter toy in the dusky twilight sky. Comet McNaught was discovered last year by Australian astronomer Rob McNaught from the Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales. Rob McNaught is a greedy astronomer, as this comet is the thirty-first of thirty-two comets that McNaught has found over a span of twenty years. Comet McNaught is now leaving the solar system and isn’t due to return for 3000 years, leaving behind one very excited observer who finally managed to see a comet.
The square of negative one particle Remember the article on the physics of the tachyon? For those who don’t remember: Well, I think I’ve discovered the real-life equivalent: The Higgs Boson Particle! Cool concept. |
| *The Voyager Science Queen is also known as Lynne Green So, who is this woman who attempts to entertain us with Science? Well, I really am a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, in Zoology. And, at the moment, I am working in a Pathology laboratory. I have always been intensely curious about every aspect of our universe, from the teeny tiny workings of the gene right up to the mind-bending forces that are twisting and knotting inside a blackhole. So, now I am sharing a brain stuffed full of trivia...and hopefully entertaining people at the same time. As well, I write Fantasy stories and novels. One day, I hope to have a book published, but don't hold your breath. Reading is my other major love, and my favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Isaac Asimov, though I could list hundreds of others. If I had one wish, I ask for more time to write! Read previous Sci-Facts: Updates: Bad New, Good News Looking for more scientific oddities? Have you checked out Dr Steven Juan's website? He is, quite literally, the wizard of odds! |
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