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Astronomy 2e

For Further Exploration

Astronomy 2eFor Further Exploration
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Articles

Hathaway, D. “Journey to the Heart of the Sun.” Astronomy (January 1995): 38. What’s inside the Sun.

Kennedy, J. “GONG: Probing the Sun’s Hidden Heart.” Sky & Telescope (October 1996): 20. A discussion on helioseismology.

Kruesi, L. “Lab-made Stars.” Sky & Telescope (October 2019): 34. Using lasers and complex equipment to study conditions in stars in Earth laboratories.

LoPresto, J. “Looking Inside the Sun.” Astronomy (March 1989): 20. An explanation of helioseismology.

Odenwald, S. Bringing the Sun to Light, Astronomy (November 2024): 14. Good overview of how the Sun works, inside and surface.

Schilling, G. “Catching Cosmic Neutrinos.” Sky & Telescope (May 2023): 14. Plans for two new giant neutrino detectors and what they might show.

Trefil, J. “How Stars Shine.” Astronomy (January 1998): 56. How nuclear fusion works.

Websites

Einstein

Einstein: Image and Impact: https://history.aip.org/exhibits/einstein/. An exhibit in pictures and essays at the American Institute of Physics.

Einstein Videos and Articles from Public Television’s NOVA: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/?s=Einstein.

Official Einstein Site: https://www.alberteinstein.com/. Information and pictures collected by company that licenses his image.

Neutrinos and the Sun

Ghost Particle (Neutrinos): http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/neutrino/. Website that goes with the PBS NOVA show episode on neutrinos.

Solving the Mystery of the Missing Solar Neutrinos: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/themes/solving-the-mystery-of-the-missing-neutrinos/. An article by astronomer John Bahcall about how experiments with neutrinos helped us understand how the Sun works.

Super Kamiokande Neutrino Detector Webpage: https://www-sk.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/sk/ (translated from the Japanese).

Other Topics

DOE Explains: Fusion Energy Science: https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsfusion-energy-science. Webpages from the U.S. Department of Energy, summarizing government sponsored fusion research.

GONG Project Site: http://gong.nso.edu/.

Helioseismology: http://solar-center.stanford.edu/about/helioseismology.html. The Global Oscillation Network Group page explains how we use helioseismology to study the layers of the Sun.

Princeton Plasma Physics Lab: http://www.pppl.gov/.

Videos

Einstein

The Genius of Einstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPPnrDdNoUU. A discussion of his life, his work, and his brain at the World Science Festival; includes physicist/popularizer Brian Greene (1:22:41).

Einstein’s Big Idea: https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nvfb-sci-einsteinsidea/wgbh-nova-einsteins-big-idea-full-length-broadcast/. The full-length NOVA episode from PBS about how Einstein came up with E=mc2 and what it means. Lots of dramatization. The website also links to documents and short videos that are relevant. (1:48:57).

Einstein Explains E = mc2: https://www.iflscience.com/video-shows-albert-einstein-explaining-his-most-famous-equation-65692. In a rare video, an older Einstein speaks briefly about the meaning of his famous equation (0:58).

Neutrinos

Deep Secrets of the Neutrino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar9ydagYkYg. Public Lecture by Peter Rowson about the history and science of neutrinos and how they were observed (1:22:00).

Neutrinos: Nature’s Identity Thieves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGv-pcKRf6Q. Video with Don Lincoln introducing various types of neutrinos and giving the story of Raymond Davis’ experiment (5:56).

Why I Love Neutrinos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h8CSLjtBUg. Quick introduction to neutrinos with a very enthusiastic Prof. Josh Klein (1:05).

Other Topics

How Does Fusion Power the Sun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ZQ4JBv3-Y. Introduction to fusion in our star with Michelle Thaller and Lawrence Krauss (1:59).

What is Antimatter and Why Should We Study It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V1epeWzy_A. An interview with NSF’s Dr. Kevin Jones about the basics and current research (13:45).

Why Does the Sun Shine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JdWlSF195Y. The nerd musical group “They Might Be Giants” sings their famous song that declares, "The Sun is a mass of incandescent gas" (2:40). (They later realized they weren’t exactly right, and did a little correction song called “The Sun Is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLkGSV9WDMA.)

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