CULVER CITY NEWS
Adventures in Science Column
"Man explores the universe around
him and calls the adventure Science." Edwin Hubble
I write a Monthly
Science Column for my local community newspaper.
See http://www.socal.com/culvercity/CulverCityNews.aspx
October, 2008
Science and Religion
The relationship between science and religion is complex and fascinating. The view that they are two equivalent ways of knowing about our human experience gives rise to the notion that they are in competition and conflict. As a scientist, I share the opinion of the late Stephen Jay Gould, that science and religion occupy two different, non-overlapping realms - or magisteria - of human endeavor. Science seeks to understand the physical world, and religion the meaning of the human existence. Unfortunately, this view is not universally held. Many, particularly in the United States, hold fundamentalist religious beliefs about concepts, such as the age of the Earth and the evolution of life, that are more appropriately addressed by science. Such ideas as that the Earth is only 6000 years old and that humans were created in our present form are irrational and demonstrably wrong.
Why is this important? Why can't people be allowed to believe what they want to believe? What is the harm in having much of society hold such views? Because these irrational beliefs directly attack the validity of science and call into question the entire scientific enterprise. They promote ignorance.
Science and religion differ in important ways other than their realms of validity. Science uses observations, understanding of physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy to understand the world. It is self-correcting, relying on the reproducibility of results and the peer-review process that constantly puts observations and the interpretation of observations (called models or theories) to the test.
For example, the scientific approach to the question of the age of the Earth leads to the fields of geology, geochemistry, physics, and astronomy, exploring the determination of the age of rocks and meteorites, our understanding of stellar evolution and planetary formation, and the study of relative abundances of radioactive isotopes. Each step is filled with the adventure of discovery, the hard work of developing observational techniques, and the even harder work of creating models that piece together all the observations into a consistent theory. And the work doesn't stop once an answer is found. Scientists attempt to reconcile the answer with our knowledge of the Sun, life, and the remainder of the universe. Is the answer consistent with our understanding of the age of other objects in the universe? Can we rely on each link in the chain of observations, assumptions and theories that led us to the answer? Does the answer help us understand other areas of science? The answer will continue to be changed or revised as better understanding of physics and chemistry develops and new geological and astronomical observations are made.
Approaching the same question using religion not only leads to a different answer, but also arrives at it using a completely different path- unquestioned reliance on a religious text or expert. Consistency with other observations is not relevant. The answer doesn’t generally change.
The concept of an Earth older than anything anyone ever imagined is fairly modern. Not until the late 1950s was the current best estimate of Earth's age (about 4.5 billion years) determined by studying the age of meteorites using radioactive dating techniques. Since then, new discoveries about ancient life, increased understanding of the evolution of Earth, the study of lunar rocks and ancient rocks on Earth, and the determination of the age of the universe have all helped confirm this estimate and place tighter constraints on its uncertainty. (Understanding of measurement uncertainty is part of science. There usually isn’t any uncertainty in religion.)
Science and religion do not need to be in conflict if it is understood that they deal with different realms of human experience and therefore address different questions. Conflict arises when one attempts to answer questions better left to the other. I respect everyone’s beliefs about the human experience, but as a scientist, I will challenge any beliefs about the natural world that are not consistent with science. I will always promote rational thinking over irrational ignorance.
September, 2008
Past the tipping point
Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth brought the phrase "tipping point" into the American vernacular. The tipping point is the point in time when a system, such as Earth's climate, begins to change irreversibly. Systems tend to be in equilibrium (very stable) and energy is required to knock one out of equilibrium. The stability of the system and the amount of energy in the disturbance determine whether the system can transition into an equilibrium different from the original. For example, a marble at rest on a table can be considered in equilibrium. If I bump the table, I could cause the marble to roll off and come to rest in a new equilibrium on the floor. Another marble in a shallow bowl on the same table would move when the table is bumped, but if the bump were not too hard, the marble would just roll up the side of the bowl and then back down, eventually returning to its original equilibrium position at the bottom of the bowl. A third marble sitting on top of an overturned bowl can be knocked off the table even more easily than the one sitting on the table surface. A little nudge will get it rolling down the slope of the bowl. The marble inside the bowl is in stable equilibrium - considerable energy is needed to knock it into a new equilibrium because it has a mechanism (the sides of the bowl) to help keep it on the table. The marble on top of the overturned bowl is in unstable equilibrium - very little energy is needed to knock it into another equilibrium because it has a mechanism (the slope of the bowl) to help it speed up after a little nudge. The tipping point is the point of no return. Once the marble is given enough speed to make it to the edge of the table, it will fall off the table and transition to a new and different equilibrium.
A number of climate system mechanisms have helped keep the Earth's temperature stable over the last 10,000 years. One of the most important is the polar ice caps. Ice at the poles reflects sunlight back into space, helping to regulate temperature. If the Earth's temperature gets warmer (as it is currently due to burning of carbon-based fuels and increased release of greenhouse gases), the ice caps shrink, decreasing the amount of sunlight reflected back into space and increasing global temperature even more. In addition, solar radiation that is normally reflected back to space is absorbed by the darker open water, which increases the ocean temperature and further accelerates ice melting. Currently, the northern polar arctic ice cap is shrinking at an alarming rate. A few years ago, climate models predicted that the north pole could be ice-free by 2100. Two years ago predictions were revised down to 2050. The last two years have seen the ice shrink even faster, suggesting that the Arctic could be ice free in just a few more years.
Observational evidence such as this suggests that we have passed the tipping point. Global warming is not a problem of the future; it is a reality today. We will feel its impact in the years to come. How will we respond, adapt, and change? To learn more about the rapid loss of arctic sea ice visit http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/ a web source from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
August, 2008
Why Pluto is no longer a planet
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) kicked Pluto out of the planet club. The IAU, which consists of the world‚s professional astronomers, is the clearinghouse for astronomical discoveries and is responsible for formally classifying and naming astronomical objects. This was not the first time that a planet had been reclassified. When the first object in the asteroid belt was discovered in 1801 by Guiseppe Piazzi, it was named Ceres and was thought to be a planet between Mars and Jupiter. In subsequent decades, however, more and more asteroids with the same orbit were found. Eventually it was realized there was an asteroid belt consisting of millions of objects. The IAU definition of a planet requires that the body essentially clear out its orbit of other objects and therefore, Ceres is not a planet, but just the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt.
Similarly in 1930, when Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto beyond the orbit of Neptune, it was hailed as the 9th planet. With the advent of new telescopes and computerized cameras in the last few decades, scores and scores of other objects beyond Neptune have been discovered. It is now estimated that there are billions of objects beyond Neptune. In 2001, my colleague at Cal Tech - Michael Brown - discovered an object larger than Pluto. It was named Eris, and the debate about whether it was the 10th planet began. In 2006, the IAU voted to make Eris, Ceres, Pluto, and its moon, Charon, a new class of objects - dwarf planets. Although many astronomers did not like this new classification scheme, and the demotion of Pluto was unpopular with the public, the new classification scheme prevailed.
This year an IAU committee revisited the issue and came up with the term plutoid to describe objects beyond Neptune. Many astronomers do not like this classification name. When IAU meets again at its next triannual conference in 2009, I am sure the debate on what to call Pluto and its fellow trans-Neptunian objects will continue. Until then, Pluto is still Pluto, but whether it is a planet, dwarf planet, plutoid, or just the first of billions of trans-Neptunian objects discovered will be debated in astronomical circles. For those curious about the new official definition of a planet, dwarf planet and plutoids, see the official IAU web page at http://www.iau.org.
July, 2008
Is there life on Mars?
Three operational satellites are currently orbiting Mars, and three robots are exploring its surface. In the years to come, NASA plans to launch even more satellites and landers. Why is there so much interest in Mars? The simple answer is "life".
Although Mars is now cold, barren, and dry, recent evidence has conclusively demonstrated that significant amounts of water were once on its surface and much water is now locked up as ice near its poles. The Mars Phoenix mission, which landed near the north pole, has discovered ice a few centimeters (inches) below the surface. Why is this finding significant? On Earth, wherever liquid water exists, life is found. If liquid water existed on Mars in the past and water ice currently exists there, was there life on Mars in the past, and is there now life on Mars?
Most space and planetary scientists think that any life on Mars must be in microbial form. On Earth, microbial life can be found even in extreme environments - in deep ocean vents, miles below the surface inside of volcanic rocks, in hot springs, and within the ice sheets of Antarctica. Such microbes are called extremophiles. The Phoenix lander has demonstrated that Martian soil would be hospitable to life. Even though conditions such as atmospheric pressure, temperature, and radiation environment on Mars are extreme compared to those on Earth, nothing has been found to preclude the possibility of finding extremophile microbes there.
Evidence of existing microbial life or fossil evidence of past life on Mars would indicate that life is not unique to Earth. In fact if life is found on Mars, one conclusion would be that life may be common throughout the solar system, galaxy, and universe and would answer the age-old question - "Are we alone?" with a resounding “NO”. What would your reaction be to this discovery? How would it change your views of life? To keep up to date on the latest Mars research, see NASA's Mars Exploration webpage (http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov). To see Mars during the month of July and early August, look west just after dark. It is the bright reddish "star". The bright yellow "star" nearby is Saturn. In the East, the brilliant bright white "star" is Jupiter.
June, 2008
Do you speak the language of math?
Math can frighten both small children and adults. It requires logical thinking and the memorization of a small set of rules, including the times tables, how to multiply fractions, and how to handle negative numbers. Once these have been mastered, a whole new worldview is open.
Making sense of almost every headline in the news today requires understanding of math. Oil prices continue their steady climb; traffic delays get worse; the global temperature is rising; the national debt is increasing; and unemployment and the price of food are up. To truly understand these headlines, a critical thinker always should ask, How much and how fast are these things changing? and Can we make predictions using these numbers? Individuals, institutions, and government make decisions about our future based on attempts to understand these numbers. In a democracy it is important for everyone to understand the numbers and the rationale for such decisions.
One important math function that many people do not understand - to our detriment as a society - is the exponential. Exponentials describe some of the most important things in nature and life, such as populations and investments. They can determine how long it will take a population or the savings in your bank account to double. The rule of 70 (divide 70 by the rate of growth) gives the amount of time required for something to double if it grows at a constant rate. For example, the population of California has been growing at about 1.5% per year. Therefore, the population will double in 70/1.5 = 47 years. A typical yield on a bank account is about 2.5% per year. Therefore, a $1000 investment will double in (70/2.5 =) 28 years. How does knowing these things help us plan for the future and understand the potential ramifications of policy and personal decisions that are made today? The first example tells us to expect a population of over 70 million in California in about 2055. The second example tells us that in order to save wisely for retirement, we need to start early and make regular investments (or find higher yields).
The ability to read and understand mathematical arguments is called "numeracy". Numeracy is to math as literacy is to language. Everyone understands the difficulty an illiterate person faces in life. Problems from being innumerate are equally harsh. In today’s technical society, we must all understand what it means if California continues to grow at 1.5%, or how much we need to save for retirement if costs continue to rise at 3% a year (the average inflation rate in the US for decades). There are a number of books to help get back up to speed with simple math including "All the Math You'll Ever Need: A Self-Teaching Guide" by Steve Slavin (1999). For parents who fear math, the book "Math: Facing an American Phobia" by Marilyn Burns (1998) addresses the reasons for math's dreadful reputation and shows how to prevent your own children from adopting similar negative attitudes to math.May, 2008
Wanderers over Culver City.
As summer approaches, we spend
more time outdoors into the late evening. It is worth looking up at the night
sky to try to spot planets. Two of our celestial neighbors, Saturn and Mars,
are beginning their slow journey across the background stars towards the west
and will be visible high in the sky in the evening through the end of July.
Mars, a bright reddish "star", and Saturn, a bright yellow "star", can be seen
fairly close together in the western sky after sunset (see star map). Mercury
is visible just at sunset on the western horizon for much of May and into the
first week of June. It is the bright white "star" that quickly follows the Sun
below the horizon. In July, Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, will
make its evening debut. Jupiter is one of the brightest objects in the night
sky. Looking at Jupiter with a pair of binoculars will reveal the four Galilean
moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto), strung out in a line around it.
Galileo, who was the first person to view Jupiter with a telescope, discovered
these moons nearly 400 years ago. Space scientists wonder whether there could
be life in the liquid water oceans beneath the icy crust that covers Europa.
The word "planet" is Greek for
"wanderers" (the ancient Greeks noticed that these bright star-like objects
movewith respect to the background stars each night). Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are observable with the unaided eye. Uranus and
Neptune were not discovered until the telescope was invented. In 1801, the
first asteroid (1 Ceres) was discovered and briefly considered as a planet. In
the subsequent 50 years, 15 additional asteroids were discovered in the main
asteroid belt, and it became clear that these objects, now called minor planets
or asteroids, were in a distinct class different from the main planetary
bodies. In 1930, Pluto was discovered beyond Neptune and became the 9th
planet in the solar system. It remained a planet until 2006, when the
International Astronomical Union redefined a planet and reclassified Pluto (and
its moon Charon) as dwarf planets. The discovery of hundreds of Kuiper Belt
Objects, including Eris, which is larger than Pluto, forced the re-examination
of the definition of Pluto similarly to the creation of the new class of
objects called asteroids over 200 years ago with the discovery of the main
asteroid belt objects.
In 1995, the first extrasolar
planet was discovered around another star. Since then over two hundred
extrasolar planets have been discovered, with the rate of discovery increasing
as new detection techniques make it possible to observe smaller and smaller
planets. A survey of nearby star systems indicates that solar systems are a
common feature of stars. Since our
solar system is not unique and perhaps just one among billions, do you think
other planets like Earth are orbiting some distant star?
From www.heavens-above.com
April, 2008
Our future without oil
The economic and social consequences of increasing oil
prices have received much media and congressional attention, but those of oil
scarcity and depletion have not.
The Earth has a large, non-renewable supply of oil. Because
of the ease of extracting oil and its high energy content, we have become
dependent on it for energy and transportation. Each year we use more and more
to meet our increasing demand for energy, but the supply of oil is not infinite
and eventually will be depleted. An important question is when will we run out
of oil?
The term "peak oil" refers to the beginning of decline in
oil production (the amount extracted from the ground). A geologist named
Hubbert observed that for an individual oil field, peak oil occurs when half of
the oil has been extracted. After that, the field's flow of oil (or
productivity) begins to decline. An assumption of our current energy and
economic markets is that oil production will continue to increase to meet the
growing demand. However, over the last few decades, "Hubbert's peak" has
arrived for many oil-producing countries (the US lower 48 reached it in 1970).
One way to postpone "peak oil" is to explore and find new
oil reserves. Major oil companies and oil-producing and -dependent countries
are actively pursuing this strategy. But increased demand is outstripping new
discoveries by a wide margin (the US uses 20 million barrels of oil per day. To
put that in perspective, the most optimistic estimate of oil production
capability in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska is about one
million barrels per day. At present rates of US oil consumption the total ANWR reserve
(estimates range from about 4 to 10 billion barrels) would be a 6 to 20 month
supply. Another problem with the – just find more oil – solution is
that burning oil for fuel contributes to global warming, which will have major
environmental and economic impacts in the relatively near future. So the world
needs to find alternative energy sources not only to fill its transportation
and energy needs without contributing to global warming, but also because oil
will run out.
The question remains, when will this happen? Is the problem
a distant one or a more immediate concern? The most optimistic view (held by
Exxon Mobil and President Bush?s administration) is that global peak oil will
not arrive until 2032. Most other experts, however, suggest that global peak oil
is much nearer at hand, and some suggest that is has already been reached. In
either case, we have only a few decades to develop alternative energy solutions
(solar and wind are two of my favorites) and more energy-efficient
transportation and power systems (advanced storage devices, hybrid vehicles,
and mass transportation are three of my favorites) before the demand for oil
will outstrip production. At that point, our addiction to oil will begin to
have a huge economic impact with the price of oil reaching stratospheric levels.
Unless we develop alternative energy and transportation
systems, our current technological (and energy intensive) society will be in
for a very rude shock. Some economists, futurists, and environmental scientists
think that we are not up to the challenge and predict major disruptions and
even the end of modern civilization within the next 40 years. Are they Chicken
Little? Or are we Nero?
March, 2008
Can human population grow forever?
In this year of presidential elections, we may hear
candidates? views on issues such as the economy; the Iraq war; global warming;
access to education, jobs, and affordable housing; the cost of gasoline; and
access to and affordability of health care, but the role rapidly growing
populations play in all of these issues is never mentioned. California?s
population is predicted to grow from over 35 million to 50 million by 2050
(that is like adding five Chicagos), and the population of the United States will
go from 300 million to just under 400 million by the same year. In my lifetime,
Earth's human population has doubled from 3.3 billion people to over 6.6
billion. The latest UN estimate is that world population will reach over 10
billion by the end of the century. Population grows exponentially (the larger
the quantity, the faster it grows). When a population is large, even small
percentage changes in population are large (the old adage that ?it is easy to
make a million dollars, it is just the first 10 million that is hard? refers to
the wonders of large numbers. A return of 10% on $100 is $10, but the same rate
of return on $10 million is $1 million). The current world population growth
rate is just over 1%, but that translates into nearly 80 million new people
this year. A question of concern for urban and government planners is how such
growth can be accommodated. Sustainability is a term used by planners who try
to reconcile the push for growth in our traditional business models with the
realization that at some point, exponential growth will no longer be possible
because of finite resources, such as energy, food, land, water, and
infrastructure (transportation, housing, education, etc.).
Often the subject of sustainability is taboo in policy
discussions because the idea of limiting population growth is contrary to
assumptions underlying our economic system (in business, growth determines
success, and lack of growth indicates a recession or depression); and religious
and personal freedom issues of family planning. The most promising solution to population growth is raising
the educational level of a society (especially that of women). Such a rise
strongly correlates with stable populations. Education is a powerful agent of
change. Can we plan for a sustainable future? Are we willing to question some
of our assumptions about the future in order to do so? Are we prepared to
tackle the pressing problems of today so they do not become the tragic crises
of tomorrow?
February, 2008
Antarctica: A Continent Devoted to
Science
As the
driest (less than 2 inches of precipitation per year), coldest (record of -129
degrees F), highest (average elevation 8,200 ft), and windiest (winter gales
reach over 200 mph) place on Earth, Antarctica is a continent of extremes. It
is covered by an ice sheet with an average thickness of about 1 mile and
contains over 70% of the Earth?s fresh water. It has no trees, and no animals
live there year round (except for the Emperor Penguin – of March of
the Penguins fame – which lives,
feeds, and breeds on its coast). Even in summer, conditions are harsh (as I
type this column, I am grounded at McMurdo Station because of 40 mph blowing
snow that has reduced visibility to a few hundred yards).
What
makes Antarctica truly unique, though, is that it has no permanent population,
and no country has sovereignty over it. Forty-five countries, including the
U.S., are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty (http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/antarct/anttrty.jsp),
which stipulates that Antarctica (about 1.5 times the size of the U.S.) can be
used only for scientific research. Military pursuits, commercial development,
mineral extraction, and permanent construction are prohibited. Research
proposals must include environmental impact statements, pass peer review, and
provide extensive plans to minimize the impact of the research on the
environment. Only research that must be done or can best be done in Antarctica
is supported.
During the year over 800
scientists and 2000 support staff come to Antarctica, which offers a unique
window into the Earth?s oceans, atmosphere, climate, marine biology, history,
and into outer space. For a list and short summary of the science being done in
Antarctica, see http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/antarct/treaty/usap_sumry_list.jsp.
Two ?cool? science projects currently being conducted there are studies of the
Earth?s ancient atmosphere done by drilling mile-long ice cores that contain trapped
air pockets that can be sampled to find out what the atmosphere was like in the
past and drilling into an ancient underground lake that has not had contact
with the atmosphere in over one million years. I have placed an instrument in
the middle of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to measure the Earth?s magnetic
field to learn about how the Sun influences the Earth?s space environment. All
U.S. Antarctic research is made possible by the National Science Foundation?s
United States Antarctic Program (USAP). U.S. taxpayer support for USAP amounts
to less than $1 per year per American.
On behalf of the entire Antarctic
science community, I thank you for your support and encourage you to learn more
about the incredible science being done there. You might wish to visit
Antarctica, as do about 10,000 intrepid (and wealthy) tourists every year on
cruise or expedition ships. Its
mountains, glaciers, icebergs, whales, penguins, and birds will provide an
incredible and memorable experience.
January, 2008
Culver City Residents Can Help Tackle Global Warming
The biggest environmental and science policy issues of our
time, and the topics that I am most often asked about, are climate change and
global warming. The scientific
consensus is that even allowing for natural climate (long-term average weather)
variations over the last 600,000 years, unprecedented, rapid changes in Earth?s
climate caused by human activities have been occurring over the past century.
The science behind global warming due to increased greenhouse gas emission, the
cause of these changes, is well understood. Greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide
being one of the most important, act as a blanket, trapping heat from the Sun
in the atmosphere and raising global temperatures. The vast majority of greenhouse
gases in our atmosphere come from natural sources (volcanoes, anial respiration
and digestion, and plant decay). Oceans and plant growth remove greenhouse
gases from the atmosphere. If the amount of greenhouse gases introduced into
the atmosphere is balanced by the amount removed, the Earth can have a stable
climate. But with the increasing
use of fossil fuels for energy and through certain industrial practices, humans
have upset this balance by dumping increasing amounts of greenhouse gases into
our atmosphere. The correlation between human input of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the environment and the rise in those gases in our
atmosphere is striking. Global climate models, which can reproduce past
temperature changes in response to the measured amount of greenhouse gases in
our atmosphere, predict a range of increased global temperatures with significant
implications for ice cap and glacier coverage, sea surface temperature and
level, and precipitation and storm frequency. Many predicted climate effects
have already been observed in glacial coverage and in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Global warming will have tremendous negative impacts on ecosystems,
agriculture, and humans within our lifetimes.
Former Vice President Al Gore called attention to the problem of global warming in his documentary film, ?An Inconvenient Truth?, which won an Oscar this year. Recently he and the United Nations body tasked with assessing our state of knowledge about the global climate won the Nobel Peace Prize. Scientists and engineers have proposed a number of technologically feasible solutions to the global warming crisis – alternative energy sources (including distributed wind, solar and geothermal energy), energy conservation (hybrid automobiles and trucks, mass transportation, energy-efficient appliances and homes), and new agricultural and industrial processes that reduce greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere. If the connection between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change is understood, and scientists and engineers have proposed technologically feasible solutions to decrease those emissions, why have the United States and the rest of the World not responded to this environmental and societal crisis? Because science policy decisions are subject to economic, societal and political considerations, as well. Most national political institutions respond to immediate crises, rather than easily predictable future disasters.
We as individuals and as a society must respond to this unprecedented global challenge. I urge you to educate yourself about how we can all reduce our energy consumption and help address global warming. One place to start is the ?Ten Personal Solutions to Global Warming? web-page (www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions). Actions we take in Culver City today can have immediate and lasting positive impact on our global environment.
December, 2007
Science is for Everyone
Children are scientists. Every day they discover new things, experiment, explore, and ask questions about the world around them. Often, however, as they progress through the educational system, they lose their curiosity and sense of wonder, cease to question, and begin to look on science as just another difficult subject, a collection of boring and irrelevant facts. But nothing is further from the truth. Science is not a collection of facts, but a way of thinking. Everyone should understand what science is (and what it is not) because most of today?s major issues (global warming, energy, transportation, pollution, food production, food safety, medicine, etc.) rely on science for solutions. Can a democracy function properly if a group of ?experts? is left to make policy decisions that will impact our lives? Or should everyone be armed with basic scientific knowledge, have training in critical thinking and problem solving, and be able to make informed decisions about our future?
Parents and schools must both play a part in improving science education, and you can help, as well. Research has shown that parental attitudes about science significantly shape children?s attitudes. If boys and girls are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and experiment, they will continue to be curious about the world around them and will excel at science. Fortunately, Los Angeles is rich in institutions that foster interest in science. When did you last visit the California Natural History Museum, the California Science Center or the newly renovated Griffith Observatory? These are just some of the excellent science resources within a dozen miles of Culver City.
UCLA and the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) are working together to improve science education through an ongoing partnership (in which I participate) that brings students and teachers to campus and scientists and college students to schools. Our goal is to convey the creative discovery aspect of science and to provide teachers with the resources and professional development they need to bring the excitement of science into their classrooms. Although we have worked primarily with elementary school teachers and students in the past few years, we hope to expand the partnership into the middle and high schools in future.
The UCLA-CCUSD Science Education Partnership introduces students to scientists, professionals, and tradespeople from their community who use science and critical thinking skills in their careers. We are looking for creative community members interested in participating in this science partnership program. If you have a science, engineering, mathematics, technical or medical background and would like to use your expertise to bring the excitement of science into the classroom, please join us in these grand Adventures in Science.
November, 2007
The Stars are out Early in Culver City
By Mark B. Moldwin, UCLA Professor of Space Physics and
Culver City resident
I am sure that you have noticed that with the end of
Daylight Savings Time, the Sun is now setting before 5 pm! The silver lining to
this early darkness is that we now have the chance to catch a glimpse of the
real stars over Hollywood even before dinner. Take this opportunity to take a
deep breath, slow down, and gaze out into the vastness of space. In addition to the Moon, which makes its
monthly cycle from new (November 9) to full (November 24), the familiar and
easy-to-identify winter constellations are starting to rise above the eastern
horizon. These include Gemini, Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades star cluster.
The Pleiades cluster is the first to rise just at sunset, followed by the other
constellations making their slow climb into the evening sky. Pleiades is called
the Seven Sisters because it is a cluster of seven bright stars bunched
together. They ride on the back of the constellation Taurus. Taurus, the next
to rise, is shaped like a ?V? (the horns of a bull) with a bright red star
named Aldebaran (the eye of the bull) at the apex. Chasing Taurus across the
sky is the great hunter – Orion, with his distinctive belt of three
bright stars in a line. Above the belt representing his shoulder is a bright
red star named Betelgeuse, and below the belt marking one of his feet is a
bright blue star named Rigel. The last of the familiar evening winter constellations
to rise is Gemini, a pair of side-by-side bright stars, Castor and Pollux. In
addition to this parade of bright stars rising in the east, during the month of
November, the planet Jupiter sets in the southwest sky at sunset, and the red
planet Mars rises in the east-north-east sky at around 9 pm. Another cosmic
treat that is currently visible in the evening sky is a naked eye comet named
17P Holmes. It can be seen as a large ?fuzzy? star in the constellation Perseus
in the north-east sky.
Because of urban light pollution (light beamed up into the
sky from all our street lights, signs, and buildings), only a few hundred
bright stars are visible on a clear night from Culver City. If you visit Joshua
Tree, Death Valley or Anza-Borrego State Park, you would be able to see
thousands of stars as well as the Milky Way. Light pollution is one of the sad
legacies of our modern urban population centers. We are poorer for no longer
being able to look up into the night sky as our ancestors did and be amazed at
the full grandeur of the heavens.
(credit: www.heavens-above.com.) Caption: The
sky visible from Culver City in mid-November at about 8 pm).