#ionization

[nucl-eon]

collection of radiation illustrations

[nelc]

Aurora colours

[chequerootlurks]

“The lowest part of an aurora is typically around 80 miles above the Earth's surface. However, the top of a display may extend several thousand miles above the Earth.”

[source]

[shortestsquash]

astronomy is wicked cool and being able to image these things brings me so much joy :) the only editing of these images is increasing the exposure of the northern lights themselves. cropped around the moon and stars to not have them be blown out.

yes the lights look kinda blown out in some of these but that’s because i’ve been struggling to apply my biases. aka subtracting out the matrix that is the camera itself. this one being a canon rebel t5.

being able to see the earthshine with the auroras was wicked cool.

just looking straight up at the zenith and being able to physically see earths magnetic field moving along is a treat as an astrophysicist. and seeing all the different colors, different altitudes of ionization of oxygen and nitrogen is some of the only chemistry i care about. green being the most common because it is ionized oxygen. this ends up turning red/pink for higher altitude of said oxygen. seeing some of the purple and blue was insane which is the ionized nitrogen.

[wayti-blog]

Upside Down Lighting and Blue Jets Might Not Be as Rare a Phenomenon as Once Thought

[zespaceblog]

NGC 4736 (M94) 

This galaxy, face on, is a starburst galaxy, one that has a far higher rate of star birth than most galaxies. The face on aspect gives the appearance of peering into a tunnel with diamond walls. 

The galaxy is classified as a barred spiral galaxy, however, the bar is more oval in shape and difficult to make out. There is what appears to be a ring of particularly intense star formation, however its actually part of the arms which are tightly wound. 

The galaxy like many starburst galaxies is a LINER (low ionized nuclear emissions region) common with lower mass central black hole’s. As the back holes gain mass, they begin to ionize the gas around them and this severely stunts star birth. It has been measured as 7 million sun’s (The milky way is 4 million sun’s), however the level of low ionization point towards a much smaller size of just 100,000 Solar masses.

Source : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51965616_M94_as_a_Unique_Testbed_for_Black_Hole_Mass_Estimates_and_AGN_Activity_at_Low_Luminosities

[shamandrummer]

Health Benefits of Blue Spaces

A new study published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health has found that spending time close to lakes, rivers and the sea has a positive impact on mental health and promotes physical activity. There is mounting evidence that spending time in the natural environment can promote important physical and mental health benefits, help ward off illness and reduce health care costs. In recent years, stressed-out urban dwellers have been taking refuge in green spaces, which have proven positive impacts on mental and physical health, and are often cited in arguments for more inner-city parks and gardens. The benefits of "blue space" – the sea, coastline, rivers, lakes, streams, and waterfalls – are not as well publicized, yet the science has been consistent for a decade: proximity to water is good for body and mind.

Time spent near water – especially the sea – is associated with many positive measures of physical and mental wellbeing, from higher levels of vitamin D to better social relations. Many of the processes are exactly the same as with green space – with some added benefits. Researchers say there are three established ways by which the presence of water is positively related to health, wellbeing and happiness. First, there are the beneficial environmental characteristics of aquatic environments, such as cleaner air and more sunlight. Second, people who live by water tend to be more physically active – not just with water sports, but walking and cycling. Third – and this is where blue space seems to have an edge over other natural environments – water has a psychologically restorative effect. Spending time in and around aquatic environments has consistently been shown to lead to significantly higher benefits, in creating positive mood states and alleviating negative moods and stress, than green space does.

Researchers believe that water is mentally therapeutic because of its open vistas, reflected light and associated soundscapes. Moreover, blue and green spaces produce special energy fields that facilitate the healing process. Air ionization occurs in natural environments as a result of interactions of photons, electrons, or other atoms or ions with matter. Ionized air is known to affect hormone levels, brain function, and consciousness. Air ions are charged molecules of common gaseous elements in the air, which form when uncharged stable molecules lose or gain an electron due to some disruption. Negative air ions carry an extra electron, producing a negative electrical charge. In nature, the catalysts of negative ions include waterfalls, ocean breakers, evergreen forests, caves, and the summits of mountains. An abundance of negative air ions invigorates us, reduces fatigue, stimulates the immune system, and increases levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression.

As the mental health crisis grows, support for the idea of "blue" or "green" prescriptions for individuals is growing. However, the benefits of marine environments for our wellbeing are tied to the health of those environments. Conservation efforts need to factor in the "natural capital" of blue space in supporting our wellbeing. Researchers hope that we may be more inclined to protect blue space if the health benefits are proven. The natural environment and human health are inextricably linked.

[msedelson]

The Legacy of Thor

I’ve been thinking about Thor a lot recently and I’ve discovered a lot about him that I’ve never read by connecting things he’s associated with together; let me explain: Thor is the god of thunder, that’s literally what his name means, but I think it’s less that he’s just the sound lightning makes and instead he’s the force behind both and the thunder is like his voice. Similarly, Mjolnir (his hammer) literally means lightning, so if Thor is the force, consciousness behind thunder and lightning is his hammer how does that fit in to our modern understanding of the world?

Science tells us that lighting happens because of a chemical reaction within the atmosphere, the same chemical reaction, ionization, that creates the atmosphere itself. So can we say that Thor is a force/consciousness behind ionization? Thor is also associated with magnetism and blacksmiths; the norse connected the sound of the blacksmith’s hammer to the sound of thunder, and magnets were only encountered in the ancient world at blacksmiths because they’d be hammering away at iron, charging it with magnetism. We know now that magnets and electricity are beasically the same thing, the way we create electricity is by spinning magnets against each other. We also know that the force of magnetism is caused by the same force that creates the atmosphere, the churning molten metal and the core of the earth. Thor is know to have been the child of Odin and not Frigga the queen but Jord, the personification of the earth. So Thor is the atmosphere/ the natural products of ionization on earth.

This makes complete sense to me. Thor is said to be the protector of Midgard (earth) against the Jotnar. If we understand the Jotnar to be represented in the chaos of outer space, then the atmosphere really is our greatest protector against those colossal elemental powers (meteorites, radiation, cold).

So if Thor is the atmosphere, then what is Jormungand, the serpent that surrounds the world eating its own tail, fated to deal Thor a killing blow at Ragnarök? The ouroboros is a concept seen in many cultures that depocts a snake eating its own tail; it represents self destruction. Can we take this to mean that self-destruction itself kills Thor? If yes, can’t this be a potent warning for climate change? Our self destructive impulses are actually killing our greatest protector, the atmosphere.

Also, if Thor is the force that makes electricity possible, isn’t electricity and everything that uses it also the domain of Thor? I think so. Just because the Norse people couldn’t harness electricity doesn’t mean they don’t understand on some level the processes that made us able to. Personally I’ve grown very close to Thor after this line of reasoning, not only because climate change is and issue of extreme impprtance to me but because electricity is such a common part of our lives and understanding it as the gift of Thor brings a bit of magic into my life everytime I use something electronic. This to me is Thor’s legacy, not simply a loud noise from a natural phenomenon (lightning) that barely impacts me in the modern world.