Orphan Planets

Scientists working on a joint Japan and New Zealand project have recently discovered a new kind of planet. These scientists scanned the Milky Way galaxy in 2006 and 2007 and gathered evidence that these planets existed; however since these planets are hard to detect, they were not identified until now.

These planets are called orbs or orphan planets. They float freely through the universe and are thought to be revolving the center of the Milky Way galaxy, like the Sun and other stars. Furthermore, orbs are single planets which are thought to be "ejected from developing planetary systems" (http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/planet20110518.html). These planets have approximately the same mass as Jupiter. The approximate distance between Earth and these planets is 10,000 to 20,000 light-years. Scientists predict that there are billions of these unique planets in our galaxy. Think about how many there would be in the entire universe!

Moreover, there are numerous theories about this new discovery. For example: scientists believe that there should be more of these planets in Earth size. The reason for this is that the scan that was used, was only set to detect planets which were around Jupiter's size and found a decent amount; however because Earth sized planets are more likely to be pulled out of their orbit around their parent star, more Earth sized planets are thought to exist. Additionally, scientists also conclude that the larger, gaseous, and dim orbs, also called brown dwarfs, are more than likely stars which could not ignite and shine as stars do. Another theory is that the smaller orphan planets could be orbiting a star, but are pulled out of their little solar system by the gravitational attraction of another star or planet.

There were a couple of surveys which contributed to the discovery of these planets. They are: Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA), in New Zealand and Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) in Chile.

In my opinion, this is the most exciting discovery the scientists have made (an exception is the theoretical black holes). I am waiting for them to discover more about these mysterious floating gas planets, so I can learn what they truly are and how they function. This new discovery is very significant and has just added one more mystery to the many mysteries of the universe, for the scientists to uncover.

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/planet20110518.html

Picture: http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llh31ueVyE1qc6j5yo1_500.jpg

(The above picture is an artist's view of the free-floating planets)

Ozone Recovery Claim

Is the ozone really recovering? According to scientist Murry Salby of Macquarie University in Sydney, he and his team found that the signal of ozone began rising. This started occurring after 1996, Salby concluded. This recovery is taking place a decade earlier than the scientists predicted. The scientists and researchers predicted that the ozone’s recovery would be detected by 2023. However, Salby and his team claim that the ozone hole has recovered since the late 1990s.
To being with, the ozone hole was first noticed in 1985. This is the ozone hole over Antarctica (not to be confused with the ozone hole over the North Pole). This breach in the ozone layer was created by the CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons which were emitted from the factories during the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, these harmful chemicals were mostly created in the Northern Hemisphere, but travelled to the Southern Hemisphere due to the Earth’s natural patterns. These chemicals then started depleting the ozone layer which protects us from the Ultraviolet Rays.

Though Salby believes that the ozone had recovered since the 1990s, other scientists are not convinced. For example: Darryn Waugh, an atmospheric scientist at Johns Hopkins University, believes that the the depletion in the ozone should have reduced, but actual proof of the ozone recovering is going to need a few more years of statistical data. Moreover, other scientists believe that this is "bold claim" (Atmospheric chemist Paul Young). Though Salby seems confident, it is not sure if his claim is valid.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/access/id/74281/name/aw_Ozone-hole-on-24Sept2006-CREDIT-NASA.jpg

Picture: http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/facts/images/ozone_hole.jpg

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Today, I took a virtual tour of a Smithsonian museum called National Museum of Natural History. This museum is located in Washington D.C. Moreover, this museum is one of a kind and has a sense of grandeur. It is very impressive from the inside and out. When I took the virtual tour of the museum I was beyond amazed. The museum contained everything; from the dinosaurs to an exhibit dedicated to Western Cultures. This museum also has temporary exhibits that change from time to time. These exhibits can be hands on activities or regular museums like exhibits.
This museum contained innumerable exhibits. For example: the dinosaur exhibit. This exhibit was astounding. It consisted of all kinds of dinosaurs. For instance, the exhibit contained a tyrannosaurus rex skull as large as an elephant. The skull was humungous and was accompanied by many facts about t-rexes and other dinosaurs that were carnivores.
Furthermore, another exhibit at the museum was the Mammal Hall. Mammal Hall was the most fascinating hall of all. This exhibit included every kind of animal in African, North America, and South America. For instance the exhibit portrayed a jungle in which the lions, giraffes, tigers and other animals were shown in their natural habitats. These statues of animals were also accompanied with facts about the animals and their natural habitats.
Just like these two exhibits there were many more which contained a lot of information and was incredible at the same time. The great diversity of exhibits in this museum was the best part because then when I actually visit in person one day, I can learn about more than one topic. I can learn about what happened from the beginning of Earth's history till now. This museum seems like great place on the virtual tour that I saw and I would really like to visit The National Museum of Natural History in person one day.

Sources: http://www.mnh.si.edu/panoramas/#