In Exogeology ROCKS! Episode 8, host Zoe Bentley meets SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory air quality program manager Kirk Stoddard. They discuss behind-the-scenes work at SLAC, the most powerful known greenhouse gas, and an unusual fossil creature. Plus, I like the hilarious story about ten minutes in!
In Exogeology ROCKS! Episode 7, host Zoe Bentley meets astrobiologist Dr. Britney Schmidt, who talks to us about her travels in Antarctica, why ice is fascinating, and how all of that relates to Europa. Can life survive under an ice sheet? What funny things happened in Antarctica? Find out all of this in the latest episode of Exogeology ROCKS!
Last year you met SETI planetary geologist Dr. Cynthia Phillips in Exogeology ROCKS! Episode 6. Now, we’ve got a little bonus to go along with the episode: we get to hear from her why Europa rocks, what it’s made of, and why we should go explore it. Dr. Cynthia Phillips really gets into this little world, and you’ll see why.
Woo-hoo! I’ve just finished the sixth installment in the Exogeology ROCKS! video series. The first five can be seen here.
In Exogeology ROCKS! Episode 6, we meet Dr. Cynthia Phillips, a planetary geologist for the SETI Institute. She tells us about some interesting worlds in our solar system including Europa, Io, and Mars, how to use images to study them, and much more. I particularly like her stories about her funniest and most exciting experiences as a planetary geologist.
Tonight, Curiosity reached its destination: Gale Crater, Mars.
Curiosity's first image taken from the surface of Mars. Woo-hoo! (Image credit: NASA)
Curiosity, also known as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), traveled for about 352 million miles (567 million km) from a cleanroom at JPL on Earth to a place called Mount Sharp in Gale Crater on Mars. It’s hard to imagine traveling so far.
Curiosity's cleanroom, way back in 2010.
Mount Sharp, the area on Mars Curiosity will explore. (Image credit: NASA)
Tonight, August 5, Curiosity’s team worked through the “Seven Minutes of Terror” while everyone else, including myself, just hoped and wished for the best.
Can you even imagine how hard it would be to land a rover? Can you imagine just how nervous you’d be that all the work put into Curiosity would either have the chance to succeed amazingly or just fail terribly? I can’t, but that’s what Curiosity’s team must have felt.
Landing Curiosity had several stages. (Image credit: NASA)
Finally, can you imagine the relief and excitement as Curiosity landed safely on solid ground? I can, but not even half as much as Curiosity’s team, I’m sure.
I’m so, so glad Curiosity made the landing safely. Congratulations, Curiosity! You ROCK!
You’ve heard that exogeology rocks, but just what is exogeology? Why does it rock?
I recently gave a speech on just that: Why Exogeology ROCKS!
Image credit: NASA
Tomorrow, you’ll have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually see a planet cross over a star. Venus transits our sun for the last time in over a century at 22:09 UTC, June 5th, so find a way to watch.
Why is this so special?
If you have any astronomer friends, they’ve probably been blabbering on for months about orbital periods this, first contact that. Why won’t we shut up? Because this is literally once in a lifetime, and it’s kinda cool.
Venus, the next planet inward, will cross directly over the visible disc of the sun. It will appear as a tiny black dot, about one arcminute, covering a minuscule fraction of the disk. This isn’t a lot, but it’s enough to see with the naked eye—not the recommended way to view it, of course.
Venus’ orbit is slightly skewed compared to Earth’s, so Earth, Venus, and the sun only line up this way every 121.5 or 105.5 years. After this much time, Venus gets in the way of the sun twice, each time eight years apart. The last transit was eight years ago. The next, after tomorrow’s, will be in the year 2117.
Transits of Venus were historically used to calculate solar parallax. This eventually led to the astronomical unit, the distance from here to the sun, giving us a way to measure the solar system. Today, scientists’ observations of the transit will help in studying exoplanets.
Do you have a way to live 105.5+ more years or own a time machine? If so, I take back what I said about this being once-in-a-lifetime. Maybe it’s not so special. Even still, what’s the harm in watching?
How can I watch?
If you have vision and plan to keep it, then just going outside and staring at the sun isn’t the method for you. Consider these options instead:
Have fun, view safely, and keep me in the loop about that time machine!
I’m pleased to announce the fifth episode of Exogeology ROCKS! In this episode, we hear from Professor Geoff Marcy, Professor of Astrophysics at University of California, Berkeley. Professor Marcy tells us about the search for exoplanets—planets which orbit around other stars.
How are exoplanets found? Are there other Earth-like planets? Could there be aliens on them? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Exogeology ROCKS! Episode 5.
You can watch the previous four episodes here.
During one of my television interviews last year, I was asked who some famous people I would like to meet are. I listed off several scientists and novelists I admire including J. K. Rowling, Brian Greene, Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Diane Duane. If I ever got the chance to see any of these people in person, I would be thrilled.
When I heard that Michio Kaku was going to give a talk in Berkeley, which is relatively near where I am currently, I knew I had to go. Last Thursday, February 23rd, I drove to Berkeley with my dad to hear about the Physics of the Future.
According to his website, “Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist, best-selling author, and popularizer of science. He’s the co-founder of string field theory (a branch of string theory), and continues Einstein’s search to unite the four fundamental forces of nature into one unified theory.”
After a somewhat lengthy introduction along those lines, Michio Kaku took the stage with a joke. “That was a great introduction. I’d love to hear the speaker!” He kept up the humor for the entire talk, which I found very entertaining and impressive.
I’ve been learning a lot about what makes a good speaker lately as I improve my own speaking skills. Repeating important points, using humor, customizing for your audience, using visual aids and avoiding filler words are all important for a speaker. Michio Kaku demonstrated all of this and more.
Following the theme of his latest book, Physics of the Future, he discussed technology which may become commonplace in the near future. What will the world be like in the year 2100? A few of the many subjects discussed include: nuclear power, computers in contact lenses, biotechnology, and Moore’s Law.
In the near future, we could have computers as thin and as cheap as paper. We could talk to our wallpaper computers and access the Internet at literally the blink of an eye.
While answering questions from the audience, he mentioned types of civilizations—planet-hopping Type I civilizations, Type II civilizations capable of building Dyson spheres, and the galactic scale Type III civilizations—and how a kid had once told him he was wrong. “No, mister,” the kid had said, “there are four types! What about the power of the continuum?”
He asked the audience, “If there are any Star Trek fans out there, can you think of a Type IV civilization who uses the power of the continuum?”
There were a few mutters and some laughter, and being a Trekkie, I knew the answer. I shouted, “Q!”
A few audience members looked back to see who had shouted, but I wasn’t paying much attention. I was giddy from having correctly answered a question asked by a brilliant scientist I happen to be a huge fan of.
I stayed afterwards for the book signing. I had brought Hyperspace with me to be signed, plus a camera and my business cards. I was both excited and nervous as I waited in line.
Finally, it was my turn. I handed over my book to be signed and luckily remembered everything I wanted to say. I asked for a picture, explained that I have a website about science and wrote a book, and gave business cards for both of those. It’s not often that you give your business card to one of your heroes!
Physics of the Future was for sale nearby, so I bought it and got right back in line to have it signed. My dad and I were two of the very last people to stick around and we had time to ask a couple questions. I asked about how much say he had in the material on his television show, Sci Fi Science. The answer was that the first twelve episodes basically followed the table of contents of Physics of the Impossible, while the second dozen episodes were about the science behind various science fiction movies.
Overall, this was a great experience for me. I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, I came home with two signed books, and I interacted with one of the top people I’ve wanted to meet.
Who would you most like to meet, and what would you ask them?
Find out the correct response to the sixty-first clue of Zoe’s Geo Party!, a 61 clue long trivia game.
Yesterday’s video was the final clue of this Zoe’s Geo Party! game! I call it: Finale Geo Party! Today’s video is the correct question to yesterday’s answer.
Finale Geo Party! is a little bit different from the previous Geo Party!, because there’s only one clue. After today, Zoe’s Geo Party! will be taking a break. We’ll be back with another game in 2012.
Become a fan of Exogeology ROCKS! on Facebook for more updates about geology, astronomy, and Geo Party! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate, a novel co-written by Zoe’s Geo Party! host Zoë Bentley. Fractured Fate makes a great gift for the holidays!
Click here to watch the previous episodes.
Watch the sixty-first clue of Zoe’s Geo Party!, a 61 clue long trivia game. Look for a new video clue every weekday! This is the last clue of the last category in the last round.
Today’s video is the final clue of this Zoe’s Geo Party! game! I call it: Finale Geo Party!
Finale Geo Party! is a little bit different from the previous Geo Party!, because there’s only one clue. You’ll see the correct response tomorrow. After Tuesday, Zoe’s Geo Party! will be taking a break. We’ll be back with another game in 2012.
Write your guess on the Exogeology ROCKS! Facebook page and enjoy the finale. Remember to phrase your response to each clue in the form of a question! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate on Facebook.
Click here to watch the previous episodes.
Watch the sixtieth clue of Zoe’s Geo Party!, a 61 clue long trivia game. Look for a new video clue every weekday! This is the fifth and last clue of the sixth and last category in the second round.
There’s only one clue left before this game of Zoe’s Geo Party! comes to an end.
Today on Zoe’s Geo Party!, I’m somewhere in the U.S.A., but I’m not entirely sure where. I’ve figured out where I was in yesterday’s clue and written the answer at the end of the video below. Can you help me out by telling me where today’s clue was filmed? Tell me where you think I am on the Exogeology ROCKS! Facebook page and enjoy the category. Remember to phrase your response to each clue in the form of a question! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate on Facebook.
Click here to watch the previous episodes.
Watch the fifty-ninth clue of Zoe’s Geo Party! , a 61 clue long trivia game. Look for a new video clue every weekday! This is the fourth clue of the sixth and last category in the second round.
Today on Zoe’s Geo Party!, I’m somewhere in the U.S.A., but I’m not entirely sure where. I’ve figured out where I was in yesterday’s clue and written the answer at the end of the video below. Can you help me out by telling me where today’s clue was filmed? Tell me where you think I am on the Exogeology ROCKS! Facebook page and enjoy the category. Remember to phrase your response to each clue in the form of a question! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate on Facebook.
Watch the fifty-eighth clue of Zoe’s Geo Party! , a 61 clue long trivia game. Look for a new video clue every weekday! This is the third clue of the sixth and last category in the second round.
Today on Zoe’s Geo Party!, I’m somewhere in the U.S.A., but I’m not entirely sure where. I’ve figured out where I was in yesterday’s clue and written the answer at the end of the video below. Can you help me out by telling me where today’s clue was filmed? Tell me where you think I am on the Exogeology ROCKS! Facebook page and enjoy the category. Remember to phrase your response to each clue in the form of a question! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate on Facebook.
Watch the fifty-seventh clue of Zoe’s Geo Party! , a 61 clue long trivia game. Look for a new video clue every weekday! This is the second clue of the sixth and last category in the second round.
Today on Zoe’s Geo Party!, I’m somewhere in the U.S.A., but I’m not entirely sure where. I’ve figured out where I was in yesterday’s clue and written the answer at the end of the video below. Can you help me out with today’s clue? Tell me where you think I am on the Exogeology ROCKS! Facebook page along with your response to this clue and enjoy the category. Remember to phrase your response to each clue in the form of a question! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate on Facebook.
Watch the fifty-sixth clue of Zoe’s Geo Party! , a 61 clue long trivia game. Look for a new video clue every weekday! This is the first clue of the sixth and last category in the second round.
Today on Zoe’s Geo Party!, I’m somewhere in the U.S.A., but I’m not entirely sure where. Can you help me out? Tell me where you think I am on the Exogeology ROCKS! Facebook page along with your response to this clue and enjoy the category. Remember to phrase your response to each clue in the form of a question! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate on Facebook.
Hello, Petra Stone here with news about the Mars Science Laboratory, better known as Curiosity or the MSL. Today, this new rover finally launches on its journey to Mars.
Image from NASA
It’s been over eight years now since the last Mars rover launch, Opportunity’s in 2003. Now, Curiosity will set off on a mission to determine if life could have ever arisen on Mars, characterize the climate of Mars, characterize the geology of Mars, and prepare for human exploration. Those are the four main goals, but this newest and largest rover has eight more specific scientific objectives. There’s a lot in store for the MSL!
JPL cleanroom where Curiosity was built. Image credit Zoe Bentley.
Curiosity’s equipment ROCKS! It’s taking a drill, several cameras for steering and gathering data, a robotic arm, and even a tool called SAM with a laser in it which vaporizes rocks. No, I’m not kidding. The MSL is also powered by plutonium. This means dust buildups won’t keep Curiosity from getting the energy to explore. Even the way it lands is pretty cool. I can’t wait until Curiosity reaches Gale Crater in August next year.
Curiosity is scheduled to launch today at 10:02 EST from Cape Canaveral on board an Atlas V rocket. I can’t wait for this ROCKIN’ rover to get on its way!
Check out these webpages to learn more about Curiosity:
The Mars Science Laboratory’s website
NASA’s MSL Mission Page
Watch Curiosity Launch Live!
Watch the fifty-fifth clue of Zoe’s Geo Party! , a 61 clue long trivia game. Look for a new video clue every weekday! This is the fifth and last clue of the fifth category in the second round. There’s only one more category in this round!
This week of Zoe’s Geo Party! focuses on the science at NOAA in Boulder, Colorado. Which type of science do you like best? What are some of your favorite experiments? Tell me your ideas on the Exogeology ROCKS! Facebook page along with your response to this clue and enjoy the category. Remember to phrase your response to each clue in the form of a question! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate on Facebook.
Fractured Fate makes a great present! Buy Caja Coyote’s novel here, on Amazon, or on the official website. Go to FracturedFate.com to keep up-to-date on Fractured Fate and Caja Coyote.
Happy Thanksgiving from Exogeology ROCKS!
What am I thankful for?
I’m thankful for my family and friends of course. My family has always helped me reach my goals and been there for me, and so much more. I’m thankful for my friends, too, all for different reasons.
I’m also thankful for the people who discover more and more about the world, the solar system, and the universe. There’s so much to see and learn about everything, everywhere, and I’m thankful that I can keep learning about everything possible all the time.
That’s one reason why I started Exogeology ROCKS! and Zoe’s Geo Party!—so I can tell other people about things I learn about exogeology and everything else.
I’m also thankful for good food, well written fiction, and amazing places.
What are you thankful for?
-Zoë Bentley
Watch the fifty-fourth clue of Zoe’s Geo Party! , a 61 clue long trivia game. Look for a new video clue every weekday! This is the fourth clue of the fifth category in the second round.
Happy Thanksgiving from Exogeology ROCKS! and Zoe’s Geo Party!
This week of Zoe’s Geo Party! focuses on the science at NOAA in Boulder, Colorado. Which type of science do you like best? What are some of your favorite experiments? Tell me your ideas on the Exogeology ROCKS! Facebook page along with your response to this clue and enjoy the category. Remember to phrase your response to each clue in the form of a question! While you’re there, be sure to become a fan of Fractured Fate on Facebook.
Fractured Fate makes a great present! Buy Caja Coyote’s novel here, on Amazon, or on the official website. Go to FracturedFate.com to keep up-to-date on Fractured Fate and Caja Coyote.
