February 1, 2024
3 min read
Curious dinosaur eggs discovered; element 72 named
1974, Comet Explained: “Ion and dust tails are created by two processes. First, high-energy electrons in the solar wind ionize the molecules in the coma of the comet, stripping them of electrons and leaving them positively charged. Second, the solar wind gives rise to a bow wave around the coma; chaotic magnetic fields within the solar wind selectively carry the ionized molecules away from the coma at high speeds.”
Scientific American, Vol. 230, No. 2; February 1974
1974
Telescope to Probe Hubble Constant
“NASA is planning a 120-inch reflecting telescope to be launched in the early 1980s. The Large Space Telescope will probably be the first large payload put into orbit by the ‘space shuttle.’ Astronomers will be able to map the recessional velocities of galaxies to see if there are any irregularities in the Hubble expansion of the universe that could be evidence for a deceleration of expansion. Moreover, because of its ability to probe the universe to magnitudes 100 times fainter than can be reached from the ground, the telescope should reveal many new objects in other galaxies.”
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In 1969 the National Academy of Sciences approved the Large Space Telescope project. The instrument was later renamed the Hubble Space Telescope and was launched in 1990.
No-Growth Economy?
“Two extreme positions have been established in the current debate on economic growth. Ronald C. Ridker of Resources for the Future suggests that both of them ‘are wrong—indeed, that they border on the irresponsible.’ The progrowth school holds that material economic growth is the primary social goal, taking precedence over…
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