Sunday, April 27, 2008
~ 8:25 AM ~
Hi everyone....
Firstly, the science team fund is hungry for more money....bottomless pit...haiz
Pls take note of the following payments:
a) Science team fund: All to hand in $5 to jasmine =D
b) Science team Tee: $10 (compulsory for sec 1 to 3....Zzz...optional for sec 4...hand the money to jasmine as well =D)
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Secondly, this is the update for 17 may ACJC astro fest (those who are participating... pls read...apparently this yr astrofest is going to be quite major...there is game round, quiz round, the fair itself, and there is a final for the top 4 teams...rd urslef, sound interesting unfortunately im not joining)
AstroFest 2008 will include a full scale competition ongoing throughout the event. The total score from all the events the team participates in will decide the overall winner.The breakdown of the total score calculation is as follows:Games(30%)Fair(70%)Grand Total(100%) On top of this, the top four teams for the astronomy games segment (the top four groups which accumulated the most points through the games) will take part in the Games Finals after the Astronomy Fair, where they will compete for the finals top four rankings.
For this exhibition and contest, each team is to prepare a booth for the Astronomy Fair. The booth should consist of posters and/or a project.Each team will be given an exhibition board, and two tables with 3 chairs.The dimensions of the board area allocated are 120 cm (length) by 120 cm (height). Participants are recommended to leave some allowance space.The booth can showcase anything from educational posters to live demonstrations. Creativity is encouraged.
1Creativity 30%
2Content 30%
3Aesthetics 20%
4Presentation 20%
1.AstroScrabbleIn this game, participants will be given a pool of letters. From there, they will have to use their knowledge to form words related to astronomy. Using standard scrabble scoring system, the winning team is the one which scores the most points.
2.AstroPyramidsFor this game, each group will have to elect one of their members as a guesser. A series of astronomy related words will then be shown to the rest of the team members. The team will have to describe these words to the guesser without mentioning the root word. The team whose guesser correctly identifies the most number of words will be the winner.
3.AstroArtIn this game, each group will have to elect a person. A series of different astronomy related words will be shown to the person, and he will then have to draw a picture to relate these words to the rest of the team. The team which guesses the most number of words correctly wins.
4.Wheel of AstronomyAn unknown astronomy‐related phrase will be displayed. Teams will take turns to spin a wheel and guess the letters of the phrase, or instantly solve it. The number of points they earn for each letter will be determined by where the wheel stops at. The team with the most number of points wins.
5.Aim for the StarsTeams will take turns to throw darts at a sky chart. Teams will then have to answer trivia related to the constellation which they hit. Teams with the most number of correct answers win.
6.The Armchair Astronomer photo of an astronomical object will be revealed part by part. Teams will earn points depending on how fast they identify the photo. The team with the most points wins.
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Thirdly, those participating in NUS NTU... the date is 6 june and 8 june...so do keep yourself free on these days... Those who borrowed stuff from the astro store, do return it to wei de as soon as possible (i meant immediately aft exams =D) Also, most probably wei de will be in charge of the trainings as the sec 4 will be busy with their ISP
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Thats all. good luck for the upcomming common test/ mid yr...(whatever they choose to call it) and rm to keep the blog active =D
pH7
Thursday, April 17, 2008
~ 4:23 AM ~
Physicist Wheeler dead
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WASHINGTON: US physicist John Wheeler, one of Albert Einstein’s last collaborators who helped build the atomic bomb and gave black holes their name, died at the weekend, his family said. He was 96. President George W Bush issued a statement on Monday saying that he and First Lady Laura Bush “are saddened by the death of ... one of America’s greatest physicists.” During his distinguished career,” Bush added, “Dr. Wheeler collaborated with scientists such as Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr on projects that changed the course of history.” Wheeler, who was involved with the Manhattan project that build the world’s first atomic bomb, died April 13 of pneumonia at his home in Hightstown, New Jersey, said his daughter, Alison Wheeler Lahnston. Born July 9, 1911 in Jacksonville, Florida, Wheeler tried unsuccessfully to complete Einstein’s unified theory after his death. He also helped work out the Harrison-Wheeler equation describing high-density nuclear matter that occurs in the heart of neutron stars. He coined the term “black hole” for stars that collapse into such dense cores that light cannot escape from them. Wheeler became a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey in the 1930s, and remained on the faculty at the prestigious university all his academic life before moving to the University of Texas in 1976, when he was close to retirement. Massachusetts Institute of Technology cosmologist Max Tegmark told The New York Times Wheeler was “the last Titan, the only physics superhero still standing.” – AFP | |
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And we will always remember you during our black hole lectures.
And I'll remember your famous theorem when that !%!#$@!@ NS barber shaves my head.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
~ 9:42 PM ~
And here is AMP with the astronomy news roundup for today :)
In Astronomy News:
Astronomers Observe Coldest Brown Dwarf Ever
Posted on: Thursday, 10 April 2008, 09:35 CDT
An international team led by French and Canadian astronomers has just discovered the coldest brown dwarf ever observed. Their results will soon be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. This new finding was made possible by the performance of telescopes worldwide*: Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and Gemini North Telescope, both located in Hawaii, and the ESO/NTT located in Chile.The brown dwarf is named CFBDS J005910.83-011401.3 (it will be called CFBDS0059 in the following). Its temperature is about 350°C and it’s mass about 15-30 times the mass of Jupiter, the largest planet of our solar system. Located about 40 light years from our solar system, it is an isolated object, meaning that it doesn't orbit another star.
--- http://www.dailyastronomy.com/story.asp?ID=278560&Title=Astronomers%20Observe%20Coldest%20Brown%20Dwarf%20Ever
| Home > Sci-Tech > Space |
| NASA prepares for Lunar dust mission |
 New York, April 13: NASA is preparing to send a mission to the moon in 2011 to assess the lunar atmosphere and the nature of dust lofted above the surface. Called the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), the aim of the mission is to gather detailed information about conditions near the surface as well as the environmental influences on lunar dust, the NASA said. According to the Agency`s scientists, an understanding of these influences will help in getting a view of how future exploration would shape the lunar environment and how the environment may affect future explorers. Director of NASA`s Ames Research Centre in California S Pete Worden said: "LADEE represents a low-cost approach to science missions, enabling faster science return and more frequent missions. "These measurements will provide scientific insight into the lunar environment, and give our explorers a clearer understanding of what they`ll be up against as they set up the first outpost and begin the process of settling solar system." Bureau Report |
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Dinosaur asteroid thought to be smaller
HONOLULU (AP) _ A doctoral student at the University of Hawaii has found that the asteroid believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was much smaller than thought.
Francois Paquay says the asteroid was only about half the size of the previous estimate of nine-point-three to 12 miles in diameter.
Paquay has developed a method to determine the size of meteorites that have hit Earth using osmium isotopes in deep ocean sediments.
His findings recently appeared in the journal Science.
A giant meteorite is one of several theories that include global warming advanced for the disappearance of the dinosaurs and other species.
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And that is the Astronomy News Roundup for today.
See ya!：）
ＡＭＰ
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
~ 5:03 AM ~
Today's ASTRO selection quiz.
Quote: "This is a quiz, not a test, if someone knows how to do all the questions, then this quiz is a failure."
For the sec3s and sec2s, we got pwned by data response with an exception of a certain sec2 student by the nickname of AMP aka absent minded professor who is not so absent minded after all.
I am not even sure why the selection quiz has data analysis (data response) inside it.
It is pretty unfair for the people who have not been to competitions to even attempt answering the data response questions.
Congrats to those sec4s who did well for the selection test. You guys deserve it.
I am sure the sec1s did well after seeing page 1 of the quiz. I wish I was still a sec1.
Good luck to all your future endeavors.
Ya, this is Cheng Wee. Why am I so active in this blog?
P.S: Please tag! Taggyboard is there for a reason.
Monday, April 7, 2008
~ 2:13 AM ~
Hi guys,
Just to have you know, I've just updated the school's wikipedia article with our astro achievements! :)
On a heavier note (is there even such an expression?),
The day after tomorrow is... *plays dramatic evilll music* The (insert adjective here) Selection Test!!* Remember to study! :)
(inserts a sound of a vampire laughing)
Ok, enough of my nonsense...i'm a bit hyper as i just drank some pink dolphin. :)
See ya on Wed! :)
-- AMP
P.S. I really have to stop putting smiley faces at the end of my sentences...oh wells :)