Al-Biruni Sources

Nowlan, Robert. "Muhammad Al-Biruni." A Chronicle of Mathematical People by Robert A. Nowlan. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://www.robertnowlan.com/>.

 "The Biography of Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni. A Forgotten Great Scholar | Sky To Earth." Sky To Earth | GIS, Mapping and Remote Sensing. Morad Ouasti. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://skytoearth.com/biography/the-biography-of-abu-rayhan-al-biruni-a-forgotten-great-scholar/>.

Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 9. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008. p83-85.

APOD 1.5 Dry Ice Pits on Mars

Dry Ice Pits on Mars

This image reflects the ice on Mars as it begins its annual thaw according to the approaching Martian summer. The ice melts and refreezes with every year, which makes me realize the similarities that the separate parts of the universe are all connected through. Generally I don't think of the other planetary bodies as having season-like effects but this proves that they do. Also, the melted areas draw connections in my mind to individual cells and in so draw together the vastness of the planets with the minuteness of each cell. The picture isn't necessarily very aesthetically pleasing but mentally speaking it's a nice thought to understand just how much the universe we live in is interrelated. I suppose in a way the pits are similar to cells in that the outer edges that are thawing and the cell walls a cell has both lead to more intricate inner functions- the cell wall to organelles and the pit walls to caverns and tunnels under the surface of Mars. This, to me, reinforces the concept that no matter how big the object is it is related in theory and composition to something we already know.

APOD 1.4 September's Aurora

September's Aurora

This picture is puzzling to me. The caption clearly states that the aurora was seen form outer space as well as here on Earth, yet the stars appear to be in between us and the lights? How could that happen? The colors of the gases and the shapes do however invoke a scientific curiosity within me. Based on the linked view of the lights from space the color is still there, even when viewed from a place not affected by our atmosphere. This being the case the magnetized gases have to have the color before crossing through our atmosphere, and if this is true then what would have caused it? Magnetized gases from the sun which would typically appear yellow or brownish in their normal state seem shades of green and red when they cross with Earth's magnetic field. Assuming the composition of the gases and their shape are the same, then what causes the viewable difference?

APOD 1.3 Rollback from GRAIL's Rocket

Rollback from GRAIL's Rocket

So as it turns out this image was taken of Complex 17 as it retreated back from the cancelled launch of GRAIL. In a sort of poetic way the time-lapse captures the last time it will roll back with the hope of launching again as once this launch of GRAIL is complete it will be retired. Complex 17 has been in use since 1957, which is quite amazing when you think about it. The idea that we have had the ability to launch things into space for the past fifty four years, and that the equipment is still fully functioning attests to the passion with which the space program is handled. It has an artistic edge to it, pulling the complex back in after the sun, just like the complex's career, is set. And the way that the use of time-lapse here captures the last moments of the retreat, almost as if to hold the last breath of the launch pad before it is gone forever, makes it that much more meaningful. The GRAIL mission will improve the knowledge of the moon's composition greatly. In doing this it pushes us forward, while nicely tying into the use of Complex 17 for the last time- effectively prolonging the life of the pad through what it helps accomplish.

APOD 1.2 A Star That Should Not Exist

"SDSS J102915+172927: A Star That Should Not Exist" A star that shouldn't exist because the literal elements which this star is composed from should not be able to be combined in this way. Especially because it is expected to have, at minimum, fifty times more lithium than it does. What i want to know is how a star like this would form without such levels of lithium when the environment does not provide those conditions. It has less than .00007% lithium, the heavy metal that is supposed to far outweigh the amounts of He and H. It's curious that with just one discovery like this, and when nobody was even looking for it in particular, can shake the most basic of assumptions about how and from what these stars are formed. One hypothesis is saying that the lithium may have been destroyed due to the temperatures in the star's center but if that's true then it doesn't make sense why more stars, hotter stars, don't have this same composition ratio. Also, with no elements heavier than He and H it's interesting to see how the star keeps itself together. Would it have to avoid the heavier elements while orbiting the galaxy and if so, how?

APOD 1.1 Hickson 44 In Leo

Hickson 44 In Leo

As one member of the Hickson Compact Groups, the Hickson 44 group shown in this picture in Leo is astounding. I had no idea that such clarity over such distance was possible. It's amazing to see the dust trails in the spirals and imagine what all would be possible with more powerful telescopes etc.The content of this, while amazing, isn't really what gets me though. It's the fact that even back in 1994 when technology wasn't as far-reaching as today we were able to see and acknowledge groups of galaxies to the extent that they were named and put into different groups. Hickson 44 is 100 million light-years away and we can capture images of it with this kind of clarity. I'm astounded. The idea itself is just mind-blowing to me.