The Magic of Ultraviolet

Have you ever gotten a sunburn or at tan from being outside on a sunny day for an extended period of time? If you have then you have experienced Ultraviolet rays first-hand. The Earth's atmosphere protects 98.7% of these harmful rays, but the rays that get through damage human skin.

Ultraviolet is just one of the seven radiations in the electromagnetic spectrum. Ultraviolet Waves frequency range is between 7.5x10^14 and 3x10^16. On the electromagnetic spectrum ultraviolet waves are the third shortest behind x-ray and gamma ray. And the Ultraviolet's wavelength ranges from 10nm to 400nm or about the size of a single molecule.

Ultraviolet waves can come from a couple different places, both natural and artificial. The main source of Ultraviolet waves is the sun. A man-made object where ultraviolet waves are found is in a black light. One of the differences between the sun and a black light is, even though black lights give off Ultraviolet waves, they doesn't burn your skin whereas the Sun will leave you with a burn. This is so because black light are limited to lower amounts of energy.

People around the world have found ways to apply Ultraviolet radiation to technology. A big stride in Ultraviolet technology is air purifiers. Ultraviolet radiation can purify air because a reaction occurs when titanium dioxide and Ultraviolet light exposure absorbs and converts pathogens, pollens and mold spores into harmless byproducts such as clean air.

All waves have a phenomena and this happens when resonance is produced. Resonance is when the the natural frequency and the forced frequency of an object is exactly the same. An Ultraviolet example of this is that many amphibians, fish, reptiles and birds use Ultraviolet radiation to select mate partners or even communicate.

There are many neat things about Ultraviolet radiation, however you must take some precautions while interacting with it. Since it is responsible for all sunburns, it would behoove one to apply sunscreen to any exposed areas of the body before hand. And over exposure and repeated sunburns may affect you later in life with skin cancer.

So there are many interesting facts, dangers and phenomena associated with Ultraviolet technology which makes this an enjoyable subject for people around the world to learn about.

More about the sun's UV rays and how it affects your skin:

Citations:

“The Electromagnetic Spectrum.” NASA. NASA, 27 Mar. 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. .

“What are Ultraviolet Waves?” WiseGeek. WiseGeek, Fall 2003-2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. .

The Greater Beyond

Most people view the concept of being an astronaut as a childhood dream, but do those people actually know what astronauts do while in space? While in space there are usually in four main categories of work: supply, repair,assembly and research.


Supply

Astronauts working in the supply category work with the transporting of equipment and supplies for the international space station. Essentially they gather the materials needed to either repair or add on to the international space station.


Repair/Maintenance

Astronauts working in the repair category could possibly check satellites for any problems and repair them as needed. Also they are in command of keeping the space station nice and tidy, both inside it and outside it.

Assembly

The scientist in the category of assembly are in charge of assembling new modules that are needed to be attached to the space station.

Research

The astronaut researchers' main goal plain and simple is to try to find out what is going on beyond from we stand.

Ever since I was a little toddler running around, I have always had a spark of interest in the sky and what's beyond it. A while back i received my first telescope for Christmas and took it out to my family's lake house where the sky is clear. Just peering through the telescope for a few minutes was enough to let me know that i wanted to go up there some day, to those places I've seen. I also enjoy working hard and solving problems for something I'm interested in. And in space there will always be problems that would need to be solved and I would be honored to help figure those problems out. From my research, I have gathered that being an aeronautical scientist would be very hands on, and i am a very kinesthetic learner. These are just some of the qualities that I believe make me a good candidate for pursuing a career in the field of Areonautical Science.

Big Asteroid + Dinosaurs = Mass Extinction?

There has been a huge controversy over what actually killed off the massive population of the dinosaurs and other organisms they co-existed with. The myth came about when archeologists started discovering dinosaur fossils all around the world. The scientists don't know how or why they died and where they are now. Some people think it was an enormous asteroid (estimated 120 miles in diameter) smashing into the earth. Another theory is a massive volcanic eruption.

Scientists have estimated that the dinosaurs were walking on the earth about 65 million years ago. According to Dr. A. Buckley of Sothworth Planetarium, Maine, USA, he believes it was an enormous asteroid that struck the earth and killed the dinosaurs; he thinks this because the mineral iridium was found in the soil where the fossils were discovered. And iridium is only found in two places and one of those places is in outer space. The other place iridium is found is near the center of the Earth. That’s the reasoning behind why scientists think a massive volcanic eruption destroyed the Dinosaur’s thriving population. However, some scientists around the world think they still exists today. According to a video on 60 minutes they have reason to believe that they can regenerate a dinosaur through a chicken becuase both a chicken and a dinosaur have simliar qualities.

This myth or controversy is a worldwide question. Nobody is certain which of the two theories was the actual killer of the dinosaurs. At this point in time (2009) one single person can't be 100% positive on the cause of the mass extinction of so many dinosaurs and organisms 65 million years ago.