Back from the Mutterland
Ah, it's almost been a month since my last post. I'll be lucky if I have any readers left. But thank you for stopping by.
Let's see, the trip to Germany and back lasted 8 days and was fairly painless except for the headcold I brought back. Nothing like descending from 30,000 ft with full sinus infection. Must. Remove. Icepick. From. Skull.
The 8 hour flight was pretty simple and enjoyable - It was night so I got to see the Aurora Borealis out the south side of the plane, three mile high rippling sheets of light dripping from below Orion's belt. Amazing. I guess because of our altitude the Northern Lights were silver-white rather than colored red or green. Or maybe not.
Imagine a steady stream of hot solar wind sweeping back the Earth's own magnetic field into a tear dropped shape. Some places these radioactive 'wind' particles get trapped in the magnetic field instead of being safely bounced into space. They then get sped up as if they were in a particle accelerator across the magnetic sky, dropping lower, until they hit the polar atmosphere and cause the light we see.
And that's what makes science sexy. More Germany and Denmark as I rember it soon.
Let's see, the trip to Germany and back lasted 8 days and was fairly painless except for the headcold I brought back. Nothing like descending from 30,000 ft with full sinus infection. Must. Remove. Icepick. From. Skull.
The 8 hour flight was pretty simple and enjoyable - It was night so I got to see the Aurora Borealis out the south side of the plane, three mile high rippling sheets of light dripping from below Orion's belt. Amazing. I guess because of our altitude the Northern Lights were silver-white rather than colored red or green. Or maybe not.
Imagine a steady stream of hot solar wind sweeping back the Earth's own magnetic field into a tear dropped shape. Some places these radioactive 'wind' particles get trapped in the magnetic field instead of being safely bounced into space. They then get sped up as if they were in a particle accelerator across the magnetic sky, dropping lower, until they hit the polar atmosphere and cause the light we see.
And that's what makes science sexy. More Germany and Denmark as I rember it soon.
posted by Natebot at
8:24 PM
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3 Comments:
Nate:
Welcome home! Hope you had fun in Germany. Was it as much fun as your trip with Bones? I print out some of your posts and take them to Mildred, she enjoys reading your ramblings. Our sympathy on the passing of your grandpa.
Grant
By
Anonymous, at 12:23 PM
Howdy Nate. Just checking in on you. Germany, eh? Sounds like a nice perk with work attached. Hope all else is well. Chris M.
By
Anonymous, at 10:55 AM
physicist. :)
just checking to see what you've been up to...
any hope of seeing you around the holidays?
take care - hope things are going well.
Bran
By
Anonymous, at 5:59 AM
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