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Tag Archives: infrared

Out-of-this-world atmospheres

By Stephen Ornes / March 29, 2013

This illustration depicts the planet HR 8799c (foreground) orbiting its star. Two other planets in the system can also be seen in the drawing.
Credit: Image courtesy of Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics; Mediafarm

Light from a distant, giant world offers clues to the gases in its atmosphere

Posted in Space | Tagged astronomy, atmosphere, Ben Oppenheimer, Earth, exoplanets, getinvolved, HR 8799, infrared, Jonathan Fortney, light, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Neptune, planets, Quinn Konopacky, radiation, Santa Cruz, Saturn, Smithsonian Institution, space, spectral lines, spectrometry, topstories, University of California, University of Toronto

Supertiny satellites launched

By Sid Perkins / March 6, 2013

Cordell Grant, an aerospace engineer at the University of Toronto in Canada, assembles one of his team’s nanosatellites. These are the smallest space telescopes ever sent into Earth orbit. Credit: Johannes Hirn (Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto)

Researchers are building simple, miniature satellites to bring down their costs and expand their availability

Posted in Technology & Engineering | Tagged aerospace engineer, astronomy, Canada; Kieran Carroll, Canada; orbiting telescope, cosmology, exoplanet, Gedex, getinvolved, Hubble Space Telescope, infrared, Mississauga, nanosatellites (nanosats); Cordell Grant, Ontario, Orbit, satellites, sensors, space shuttle, stars, telescope, topstories, University of Toronto, wavelengths

Surprising hot springs

By Sid Perkins / January 8, 2013

A lake sits in the crater of the Philippine’s Taal volcano. Scientists recently discovered that hot springs flowing into the lake come from a shallow source — the lake itself. Credit: MatthieuG/Wikimedia Commons

Scientists find shallow source of water for volcano’s hot springs

Posted in Earth | Tagged aquifer, Austin; University of California, Bayani Cardenas, Berkeley; Taal Volcano, getinvolved, groundwater, hot springs, hydrologist, hydrothermal vent, infrared, Michael Manga, Philippines, Steve Ingebritsen, thermal imaging, topstories, U.S. Geological Survey; USGS, University of Texas, volcano, volcanologist

Color-changing robot

By Stephen Ornes / October 14, 2012

Tiny tubes filled with colored dyes let these soft robots blend in with their environments. Credit: S. Morin, Harvard University

Tiny tunnels within the “skin” of a robot allow it to blend in with or stand out from its surroundings

Posted in Technology & Engineering | Tagged chameleons, color-changing, colors, DARPA, engineering, getinvolved, Harvard University, infrared, materials science, octopus, physics, robots, soft robots, topstories, University of Cincinnati

Crime-solving camera

By Stephen Ornes / August 31, 2012

A digital camera fitted with the right filters, like the one shown here, can detect only infrared light. The crime-fighting trick can reveal bloodstains hidden behind layers of paint. Credit: bmcent1/iStockphoto

Quick-change trick allows a digital camera to photograph blood concealed by paint

Posted in Light & Radiation | Tagged blood, blood detection, camera, crime, detectives, filter, filters, forensic science, forensics, getinvolved, Glenn Porter, infrared, lens, Lenses, lenses/mirrors/filters, light, paint, photography, physics, radiation, University of Western Sydney, wavelength