these are few of my favorite things

there are things i like. there are things i don't like. sometimes i reblog things about them.  

[ladyorlandodream]

[mindblowingscience]

Demon hunting: Physicists confirm 67-year-old prediction of massless, neutral composite particle

In 1956, theoretical physicist David Pines predicted that electrons in a solid can do something strange. While they normally have a mass and

In 1956, theoretical physicist David Pines predicted that electrons in a solid can do something strange. While they normally have a mass and an electric charge, Pines asserted that they can combine to form a composite particle that is massless, neutral, and does not interact with light. He called this particle a "demon." Since then, it has been speculated to play an important role in the behaviors of a wide variety of metals. Unfortunately, the same properties that make it interesting have allowed it to elude detection since its prediction. Now, a team of researchers led by Peter Abbamonte, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, have finally found Pines' demon 67 years after it was predicted. As the researchers report in the journal Nature, they used a nonstandard experimental technique that directly excites a material's electronic modes, allowing them to see the demon's signature in the metal strontium ruthenate. "Demons have been theoretically conjectured for a long time, but experimentalists never studied them," Abbamonte said. "In fact, we weren't even looking for it. But it turned out we were doing exactly the right thing, and we found it."

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[melrows]

This is Kjell Lindgren. He’s a NASA astronaut who just got back from 5 months on the International Space Station. There are two reasons why this picture is hilarious:

His wife is flawless and makes bad space puns to make him do household chores.

I have that shirt. Thousands of people have that shirt. That shirt is available at Target. Which means actual astronaut Kjell Lindgren, with his wardrobe already full of NASA-issued and logo-emblazoned clothes, was at Target, saw a NASA shirt, and was like, “Yes, I am buying this because this is what I want to spend my actual astronaut salary on.”

 tl;dr NASA employs a bunch of fucking nerds

[wolfayal]

It gets better.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, here’s the poster NASA released for his mission to the ISS:

[queerlyglittering]

NASA confirmed for a bunch of fucking nerds

[karama9]

*wipes single tear*

They’re just too beautiful.

[systlin]

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. 

NASA personnel are, like, the top nerds. The alpha nerds. The absolute nerdiest nerds. The nerds other nerds look to for nerdspiration. 

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

THIS IS ADORABLES :D

[yet-another-elsanna-victim]

I strongly recommend a visit to the following website (http://spaceflight101.com/iss/iss-expedition-posters/) that has all of them.

Everything started off all vanilla but a Expedition 16 they showed that they were truly Masters of The Dork Side of The Force:

Some other amusing posters they approved:

[midoriko-sama]

Nerdspiration

[nasa]

Scarred Landscape

With California wildfires still burning, the 2018 fire season continues to leave its mark on the state’s landscape. Together, the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire (as seen above) have burned more than 248,000 acres (1003 square kilometers, or 387 square miles).

Burn scars are what wildfire leaves behind. With no vegetation to hold the land in place, many burned locations are susceptible to landslides and mudslides, especially in areas with steep slopes. Fighting fires on these slopes is more difficult, too — once a slope’s steepness exceeds 30 percent, firefighting with bulldozers or trucks becomes dangerous, and emergency response teams must fight the fires on foot.

For the past two weeks, our scientists have been working every day producing maps and damage assessments that can help agency fire managers understand the active wildfire and plan for recovery. By deploying research aircraft carrying instruments, like the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), scientists can identify burned areas at risk of mudslides in advance of winter rains expected in the area.

Learn more about how we’re mobilizing to aid California fire response here.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

[showerthoughts-lol]

When medication says "do not operate heavy machinery" they're probably mainly referring to cars, but my mind always goes to forklift.

[rebelmeg]

My mine has literally NEVER gone to cars.

[mulandaily]

— requested by manbunjon

[sweaterkittensahoy]

This is a fucking stunning use of lyrics and images. I gasped the first time I saw it.

[viguy]

[opossummypossum]

please share the truth about our marsupial helpers!

[janeplease]

Me trying to connect seretonin molecules to my neurotransmitters

[valtsv]

“pride month is almost over”??? you fools. it’s twentygayteen, every month is pride month. it’s pride year.

[mountrainiernps]

Wildflower Status Sunrise is open! The Sunrise Road provides access to the subalpine meadows on the eastern slopes of Mount Rainier. This area of the park tends to be drier than the western slopes and has a different mix of wildflowers. This year the Sunrise area is melting out faster than the Paradise area and many wildflowers are already blooming. One of the stars is, of course, magenta paintbrush. Its hot pink color really stands out!

 For more updates on what’s blooming where check out https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wildflower-status.htm

NPS Photos taken at Sunrise, 6/27/18. Description, top-bottom: A cluster of bright pink magenta paintbrush, mats of pink-white spreading phlox along a curving road, bouquets of white pasqueflower in a subalpine meadow, marsh marigold and leather saxifrage next to a small creek. ~kl

[ororium-z]

Happy Pride!

[gayrannosaurus-mex-deactivated2]

Is that sasha velour? 

[alycialexaa]

ICONIC

[travel-story]

[fyphysica]

Supernova Sorcerer: Robert Evans

                            Robert Evans with his reflecting telescope

Robert Evans is the world record holder for the most visual discoveries of Supernovae. Although he is a minister of the uniting church in Australia, he is better known in the Astronomy community as one of the ‘best Amateur Astronomers in the world.’

He is accredited for discovering 42 supernovas visually from his backyard!!

But, how on earth does he do it ?

Having been looking at the cosmos for years on end, Evans has memorized the entire star field and the positions of the galaxies in the night sky.

And as a result of this, he can detect changes in the galaxy simply by looking at them through the telescope.

Why is this remarkable ?

This is truly remarkable for two pivotal reasons:

A supernova is the explosion of a star. It is the largest explosion that takes place in space.

But spotting a supernova visually is extremely hard! 

To give a perspective on the intricacies of supernova hunting, here is a picture showing the night sky before and after a supernova in Messier-82.

                                Supernova hunting in Messier-82

And secondly, he gave automated telescopes a run for their money. There are many telescope in recent times that automatically detect hundreds of supernovas every year.

But Evans managed to give them a tough fight in a battle against man and technology with his telescope sorcery.

A note for budding astronomers

Why I find Evans to be extremely inspiring is because here is an amateur astronomer doing quality contributions to Astronomy in his backyard and with not so fancy equipment.

Just shows how far passion and perseverance can take you in science.

Be limitless! Have a great day!

[fyphysica]

Yesterday’s post: Spectacular time-lapse from birth to death of a Supernova

[breadandflowers]

Honestly the best piece of advice I can give to younger girls trying to figure life out is to completely ignore men. I’m not being quirky or cute when I say that, I mean it seriously. Ignore men’s judgments of you, ignore their insincere compliments, ignore their half-assed romance. Focus on developing yourself. Practice your art, play sports, do theater, volunteer, spend time with your friends, but do not put substantial effort into pleasing men. They’ll be there for you to pursue when the time comes and if you want to. But nothing will waste your youth more than fighting for male acceptance.

[cottonvibes]

wishing i was on a balcony in italy, wearing a long floral dress, eating fresh fruit, and staring at the sunset and landscape below me

[guava-jarritos]

In High School Musical 2 Sharpay very clearly states that they have “…Iced tea imported from England, life guards imported from Spain, towels imported from Turkey, and turkey imported from Maine.” In order to import an item, it must come from another country. The series is set in Albequerque, New Mexico, and as New Mexico and Maine are both part of the United States Of America, they cannot have their turkey imported from Maine. As most of the characters are white, and all speak English, this clearly indicates that High School Musical takes place in an alternate universe where a second Civil War has split the nation and New Mexico is no longer part of the Union, based on the fact that we never see the characters celebrate the Fourth of July. In this essay I will