I wouldn't want to be this close. [NASA]
Rhis new visualization of a black hole illustrates how its gravity distorts our view, warping its surroundings as if seen in a carnival mirror. The visualization simulates the appearance of a black hole where infalling matter has collected into a thin, hot structure called an accretion disk. The black hole’s extreme gravity skews light emitted by different regions of the disk, producing the misshapen appearance.
Bright knots constantly form and dissipate in the disk as magnetic fields wind and twist through the churning gas. Nearest the black hole, the gas orbits at close to the speed of light, while the outer portions spin a bit more slowly. This difference stretches and shears the bright knots, producing light and dark lanes in the disk.
Looks like the math-artists got it right on Interstellar.
Maria Farrell admits that comparing smartphones to abusive men (they try to keep you from friends and family, they make it hard to study or go to work, they constantly follow you and check up on you) might seem to trivialize domestic partner violence, but, as she points out, feminists have long been pointing out […]
Trump wants to roll back regulations that promote low-power light bulbs, even though at this point the industry has moved on and isn’t likely to do much in the way of modernizing incandescents. His interest is, as always, deeply personal: he thinks LED lights make him look orange. “The light bulb,” the president began. “People […]
The wonderful folks at Paleotronic (previously) have rounded up scans of articles from 1980s-era computer magazines that advised new computer users on navigating the burgeoning world of dial-up BBSes.
You already take your games and movies on the go. Why not share them? Thanks to the PIQO Powerful 1080p Mini Projector, you can have that communal, drive-in movie experience anywhere on your own massive screen. This gadget packs a lot of functionality into a roughly 2″ square package. First and foremost, it’s got a […]
Want to build your own website? Even for a modest personal site, it was once assumed you might wait for days or weeks while a web designer hammered through arcane code on your behalf. That all sounds a little ridiculous today. And if you had to thank one company for that, it would probably be […]
It’s a long road from a song in your head to a song on the charts – especially if you’re just learning to play. The good news is, anyone who’s willing to practice can make music. These online classes can make that process painless, with methods that can teach anyone guitar, piano or even the […]