Tuesday March 27 2012 studentnewspaper.org
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Science & Environment 15
Unknown gems of the universe As the Science Festival approaches The Student looks for the hidden wonders our universe has to offer Peculiar Planet: Geometric storms and walnut moons
Some strange sights can be spotted within our solar system- Saturn is well known for being a bit unusual. It is the second biggest and least
dense planet in our solar system, and would even float on water if given the chance. But the second most spectacular sights on Saturn (the first being its famous rings) are its storms- over 10,000 times more power-
ful than ours, which have been of interest to scientists for decades. This
windy planet hosts a hurricane almost 5,000 miles across, which hovers over the south pole stubbornly without shifting, baffling scientists.
Black hole drool or a doughnut ocean?
Picture a doughnut of water 140 trillion times the size of all the world’s seas orbiting a black hole. It’s a lot of
wet. For scope, try comparing a small swimming pool to the Pacific Ocean. How did all this water get there?
Apparently a quasar is to blame. Under normal circumstances a quasar emits huge amounts of energy from a point in space, like a star with more oomph. In this circumstance, there is a quasar emitting huge amounts of
water from a point in space, like a really enthusiastic hose powered by the black hole around it. Upon leaving, the floating ocean is held by the gravity generated by the supermassive black hole (not just a Muse song, a
really dense black hole) surrounding the quasar and forms a loop around it. These have an exceptionally large gravitational pull, sucking in nearby mass. According to Einstein, E=mc², so this mass (m) must become en-
ergy (E) and go somewhere, i.e. out the top and bottom. Makes sense, but for some reason this one is spewing out water. Why is it doing this? As scientists don't have a clue, the story goes thus:
times the diameter of Earth, which is shaped like a hexagon. Why this
gargantuan storm should form such a perfect geometric shape is as yet unknown.
Saturn has over 60 moons, some of which are completely surreal. Ia-
petus, the third largest of these moons, is one of the most bizarre. Half of the surface is icy white, and the other is charcoal black; it has been
called the ‘yin-yang’ moon. Most of the moon is composed of ice, but the ‘dark material’ seems to be a currently unidentified organic com-
pound. To add to its strangeness, Iapetus has a ring of mountain-like formations around its equator. Scientists studying these formations have described the resulting shape of Iapetus as being like a walnut.
And on the eighth day, God created the black hole, And he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
The north pole, however, has a storm almost 15,000 miles across, six
Lindsey Robinson
Stewart MacLean
Geysers of salty ice explode from a frosty moon surface
The eighth of Saturn’s 53 confirmed moons, Enceladus, sparkles as the brightest
object in our solar system with a chilling -201C surface covered in water ice. This one hundred million year old moon is considered young and one of only a few in the solar system that is geologically active; huge geysers shoot water vapour and
tiny grains of ice from its south pole through fissures known as ‘tiger stripes’ on its
surface. The Cassini-Huygens mission captured both images and samples of these plumes and recent analysis has confirmed that close to the moon's surface these
particles have an ocean-like composition. The samples predict the only plausible source for this is a large saltwater body below Enceladus’s icy surface. The salt in
this extraterrestrial subsurface ocean would originate from the moon's rocky interior. When a crack in the surface occurs, the sudden drop in pressure forces water Planet hunters in the US have identified a planet
with enough Earthly features that it may entertain life on its rocky surface. Gliese 581g orbits around the star Gliese 581, a Libra red dwarf star, and its planetary path has been labelled as a ‘habitable
zone’ where liquid water could exist on the surface. It has enough gravity to hold onto an atmos-
phere, and half the planet is basked in an eternal daylight that stabilises the climate. Although
there isn't any conclusive proof of even microbes,
life is stubborn. Nature inhabits all corners of our planet, from deep sea vents of boiling water to
miles under the Earth’s surface, fighting the odds.
What are the chances that we have the only planet that sustains them? Slim, I reckon. But still, even without discovering martians or gliesians, life
still triumphs as the most unknown wonder of
the universe. The discovery of four new species of
colourful freshwater crab was announced just last week, and we still marvel at curious creatures like the Dumbo octopus (right) and strange behav-
iours like earthquake early warning systems and even flatworm penis fencing!
Nina Seale
Rebecca Jackson
Starry-eyed witch flies through the skies
People have a long history of looking up at the sky
and trying to find familiar patterns in the confusing randomness of space. In some cases, as the Witch Head Nebula attests, this is easier than others. IC all nebulae it is an enormous cloud of spaceborne dust and gas that spreads across a literally astro-
nomical distance. As you can see above, this one
happens to resemble a sinister human face, complete with eerie crooked nose, jutting chin and gaping
mouth. You can even spot a couple of witchy warts. Nebulae are often made up of the remains cast out
by dying stars, but they also happen to be one of the best types of environments for new stars to form. IC2118 nestles a number of relatively new stars
within its centre. As a Reflection Nebula, the Witch Head is visible on Earth, across a distance of about
a thousand light years, because it reflects the light of the star Rigel, the brightest star in the constellation Orion . Rigel’s already blue light reflects efficiently
off the dust motes of the nebula, scattering to give it its characteristic blue colour.
Alasdair MacLeod
HOPEFULLY I’LL avoid too many boring springtime cliches, but after a week as sunny as the one we’ve had, I can’t help but get excited about the emergence of life as summer approaches. Birds. Getting really into birds is a bit of a dangerous area in terms of beards and hats. However, spending a little time thinking about the life of a bird is quite amazing. Between mid March and May, five billion of them migrate north from summer hideouts in Africa. Though an incomprehensibly large number, it is worth remembering that every one of these journeys represents an individual’s struggle across immense distances and exhausting obstacles, dependent solely on limited fat reserves, navigational skills and stamina. At the same time, most birds are truly tiny. The swallow, about the size of a sausage roll, flies 12,000 miles between Britain and wintering grounds in Africa’s southern tip every year. These journeys have been part of the life of many bird species since the last ice age around 20,000 years ago, and are tightly synched to climatic patterns. If, for instance, rain fails in a feeding stopover one year, the results may be grave. As Spring’s arrival is driven earlier by climate change, migrating birds are increasingly finding themselves arriving at the end of the party with springtime food sources already dwindling. The rapid population decline in many species due to this and a number of other recent environmental changes is a sobering issue. On a happier note, a yellow haze may be seen over Arthur’s Seat and other surrounding hills. Though perhaps not as pretty as spring’s popular harbingers daffodil and crocus, a closer look at gorse flowers is well worth it for the smell - coconuts! The younger flowers are dazzlingly bright, standing sharply against the green background with almost hallucinatory vibrancy. This is a result of their colouration in ultraviolet light wavelengths beyond our vision, but attractive to the eye of insect visitors. Zac Gratin
2118 is a nebula in the constellation Eridanus. Like
PHOTOS: NASA/ REBECCA CHAN
and the flash-frozen salty ice crystals out into space.
Our planet and its doppelganger
A WILD LIFE
With the influx of summer migrants coming in, keep your eyes peeled for birds that may surprise you. You can get excited about birdwatching without ageing forty years and growing a pair of binoculars. Who knows? You may be surprised. I spotted a breeding pair of birds of prey engaging in some air acrobatics over Pollock when gazing out at the sun from my room last week. I usually recognise our local birds, so the white mottled bellies of these buzzard-like birds hurt my birdwatching pride. When I reached for my RSPB Guide to Scottish birds (I'm a shameless birdwatcher) the only two birds that resembled the mysterious raptors were the rough-legged buzzard or the honey buzzard. Both would be rather rare for Midlothian, so look out for any more treasures the summer may bring. Nina Seale