Category Archives: Science

Science, science and technology reporting

The Miniature Universe

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The Microcosmos Shows Us the Very Small

A Miniature Universe Under a Scanning Electron Microscope

We as astronomers are always looking out to space, to see the latest and greatest among the planets, stars, and galaxies. But, what’s out there isn’t the sum total of the cosmos. There’s a lot right here to study, too — and it takes an understanding of biology, chemistry, physics, and geology to appreciate the whole cosmos — even the planet we inhabit.

Have you ever wondered what happens when we turn our fantastic technology inward, to look at the universe of the very small? Say, what a rock looks like if you break it up into its component elements? Or, whether that piece of rock you found is a meteorite or an Earth rock? Or, what your hair or skin cells look like, up close and personal?  Of course, we know about atoms and molecules that make up all of the matter we can detect (the so-called “baryonic matter”).  But, what do they look like when combined, say, if we could look at a rock under a scanning electron microscope?

Gullies on the rim of a crater on Mars. Courtesy HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance/NASA.
A piece of granite as seen under a scanning electron microscope. Courtesy ASPEX Corp.
A piece of granite as seen under a scanning electron microscope. Courtesy ASPEX Corp.

The results often look as otherworldly as scenes from Mars or one of the moons of Jupiter. That micro-universe, the miniature cosmos, is what a number of scientists (like geologists and biologists and physicists) study at a level that is too small for our eyes to detect. And the images they produce using high-resolution microscopes and scanning devices are amazing!

Have you ever wondered what common, everyday objects look like under a scanning electron microscope?  Well, you have a chance to find out. Here’s how:  I got an email about my image of Mars and Moon posted a few days ago from a reader who works for a ASPEX, a company that makes this kind of equipment for use in research. He alerted me to a cool project his company is doing with scanning electron microscopes called Send us Your Sample, and it does just what you think the name suggests — scans a sample of whatever you send in.  There are instructions on the page linked above that tell you what to send and how to submit it. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know what a piece of dirt or candy or a dust bunny or whatever — looks like at high magnification, go to their website and put in an entry.

I understand the project is going on for another month and it seems like it would be a very cool way for schoolkids (for example) to learn more about the structure of things we see every day.  It’s a part of science that you need to know and understand if you’re going to know and understand the cosmos. Check it out!

astronomy, astronomy education, griffith observatory, Science, science museums

The Planetarium School Field Trip

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A Thing of the Past?

I hope not.  I remember my first visit to the planetarium when I was in 7th grade. It fired my imagination. More to the point, it stimulated my interest in science — which is a good thing. More kids need to have that experience. Lately, however, as the state budgets fall, visits to planetariums and science centers get curtailed, which is not so good (and funny how you never see sports cut, or administration salaries reduced).  To put it bluntly — the U.S.’s future lies in the hands of the kids whose educational services we’re curtailing to pay for misguided wars and financial bailouts.  If we aren’t spending the money to educate children (and everyone, really) in science and math and reading and all the other things they will need to make their way in an increasingly technological world, they’ll lag students in other countries. And many of those students elsewhere ARE well educated and will go on to be the leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  I think you can see where this could end up if the U.S. continues to drop the ball when it comes to science and math education.

So, it may seem like a little thing on which to start an educational revolution, but a visit to a planetarium/science center is a small step that pays off big time.  It worked for me and for whole generations of kids who launched rockets, created rovers on Mars, fixed space telescopes, and continue to achieve great things in science and technology. It can continue to work for you and your kids.  Find a way to  make sure they get that — search out programs that bring kids to science and technology museums and planetariums. Those programs exist.  Actually, I’m interested in knowing which places actually have active field trip programs so that all their students CAN visit a legitimate science center/planetarium at some point in their school careers. Feel free to write me with stories and suggestions about them, and I’ll try to post about them as I get time.

Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, CA -- one of the worlds best-known public observatories.
Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, CA -- one of the world's best-known public observatories.

For now, I want to tell you about a successful program in Southern California. It’s one that brings students from all over the Los Angeles area and surrounds. It’s called the Observatory School Field Trip Program, and is sponsored by the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO), of which Mark and I are proud members. It brings public astronomy to everyone, and in particular, the underserved populations of children and adults who wouldn’t normally be able to come to the observatory due to distance or economic issues.

The actual visit is 2.5 hours of programming and lectures that completely support science curriculum standards at the fifth-grade level. At that level, it’s sophisticated enough to bring in some very cool concepts and approachable enough to interest kids AND adults.  Plus, the students and their teachers get to visit a very engaging institution that shows them the wonders of astronomy. It turns visitors into observers. (And yes, in the interests of full disclosure, I DID write Griffith’s exhibits.)

Science, astronomy, cool programs, a great view, and a seminal observatory experience — what’s not to like about FOTO’s program?  And who knows, some budding space scientist may get her first exposure to science at Griffith and go on to lead a team on the first visit to Mars or build some absolutely essential piece of technology that will revolutionize our lives and create lots of jobs.

FOTO’s school visit program is one that needs funding to continue — and if you’re a member of FOTO (or, even if you’re not) — it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to tuck  a check for $20 into an envelope and send it to FOTO (see the link above for contact info).  Or, join FOTO and include an extra $20 when you sign up.  You don’t have to live in LA to be a member of FOTO — heck, I’m on the East Coast, but I still send them my membership each year because I believe so much in what Griffith Observatory stands for and what it does for all its visitors. It’s the future we’re juggling with here, let’s fund it wisely.