Talk Like A Physicist

Hubble 4.0 : Upgrade Prep in Glorious Pictures

I consider Hubble as an extension of my eyes and the distances it sees as an extension of my vision. It can see 12-13 Billion light years away, so it was like my vision is 20/17×10^23!

Glad to see that the Hubble is getting an update! (Service Mission 4)

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch next month (October 8th), carrying new instruments, batteries and gyroscopes to the Hubble Space Telescope. This will be the final servicing mission to Hubble.

 

A technician performs black light inspection on Hubble’s Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, one of three main instruments being taken to Hubble aboard Atlantis. Black light inspection uses UVA fluorescence to detect possible particulate microcontamination, minute cracks or fluid leaks

Practicing underwater on Hubble Model.

Servicing Mission 4 astronauts practice on a Hubble model underwater at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston under the watchful eyes of NASA engineers and safety divers.

For more beautiful pictures, visit Boston Globe’s Big Picture Blog.

Tuesday Physics Tattoos: Fractal Mandelbrot tattoos

This is just the first of many sessions. In a week, after it heals, this outline will be tightened up so that it’s more regular. Then comes the colouring The above is only part of the entire tattoo. We’re doing a 3/4 sleeve of mandelbrot zooms.

Source: flamingnerd

Got this ink done last night! The tattoo is in the shape of a Mandelbrot set, which to me, is symbolic of infinity, regeneration, life, knowledge and enlightenment.

Source Stacy : She Dreams in Digital

Source Broox

The Mandelbrot set, named after Benoit Mandelbrot, is a fractal. Fractals are objects that display self-similarity at various scales. Magnifying a fractal reveals small-scale details similar to the large-scale characteristics.

Here is a 3D animation of a Julia Set, a type of Mandelbrot fractal set.