Daily Archives: January 28, 2022

PHYS0834. Exploring the Cosmos. 3 Credit Hours.

This GenEd course will use the fascinating science surrounding the makeup, origin, and future of our Universe to teach the methods by which scientists study nature. The course will also explore the (sometimes controversial) history of the subject, including the intersections of ethics and science as well as the role of different cultures. Note: Students may not receive credit for both PHYS 0846 (The Universe As We Know It) and PHYS0834 (Exploring the Cosmos).

Course Attributes: GS

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

PHYS0839. Powering the Future. 3 Credit Hours.

How can we provide inexpensive, safe, environmentally clean energy supplies for the United States and the world as a whole despite rising population and increasing affluence? Study problems of our conventional fossil and nuclear fuel use, and how they might be relieved; explore the physical and technological possibilities for using energy much more efficiently; investigate various renewable-energy sources (such as solar, hydrogen cells, hydropower, and biofuels) that significantly reduce effects on the environment. In the course lab projects, you will research and develop a sustainable energy proposal for your own home, campus, or community. NOTE: This course fulfills a Science & Technology (GS) requirement for students under GenEd and Science & Technology Second Level (SB) for students under Core. Students cannot get credit for this course if they have successfully completed Physics 0939.

Course Attributes: GS

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

PHYS0847. How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life. 3 Credit Hours.

How does a computer store information? Do humans and other animals see color the same way? What is stopping terrorists from developing nuclear weapons? What makes certain musical notes sound good together? What are the facts about global warming? Does the radiation from cell phones cause cancer? A basic knowledge of science is essential to being a smart consumer, an informed voter, and a full participant in society. How Things Work will survey a variety of important, topical questions relevant to technology, the natural world, and current events using lectures combined with illustrative in-class demonstrations such as a rocket powered by water, a magnet made to levitate using superconductors and liquid nitrogen, a crank-operated electric generator, a CT scan machine, and an engine fueled by ice. NOTE: This course fulfills a Science & Technology (GS) requirement for students under GenEd and Science & Technology Second Level (SB) for students under Core.

Course Attributes: GS

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

PHYS0872. The Science of Sound. 3 Credit Hours.

For living things the ability to hear sounds is an essential tool for survival, and sound is central to speech and languages. In the arts sound also plays a fundamental role, above all in music. The close connection between music, mathematics, and physics has long fascinated scientists. Advances in electronics and computing are revolutionizing the composition, production, and recording of sound. Science of Sound is an interdisciplinary course involving elements of physics, physiology, psychology, music, and engineering. After a four-week introduction to the fundamental physics of sound waves, we will consider human hearing and the human voice; scales, harmony, and sound production by musical instruments; architectural acoustics; and the electronic reproduction of sound. The course includes many in-class demonstrations. NOTE: This course fulfills a Science & Technology (GS) requirement for students under GenEd and Science & Technology Second Level (SB) for students under Core. Students cannot get credit for this course if they have completed Physics 1003: Acoustics.

Course Attributes: GS

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

PHYS0939. Honors Powering the Future. 3 Credit Hours.

How can we provide inexpensive, safe, environmentally clean energy supplies for the United States and the world as a whole despite rising population and increasing affluence? Study problems of our conventional fossil and nuclear fuel use, and how they might be relieved; explore the physical and technological possibilities for using energy much more efficiently; investigate various renewable-energy sources (such as solar, hydrogen cells, hydropower, and biofuels) that significantly reduce effects on the environment. In the course lab projects, you will research and develop a sustainable energy proposal for your own home, campus, or community. (This is an Honors course.) NOTE: This course fulfills a Science & Technology (GS) requirement for students under GenEd and Science & Technology Second Level (SB) for students under Core. Students cannot get credit for this course if they have successfully completed Physics 0839.

Cohort Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Cohorts: SCHONORS, UHONORS, UHONORSTR.

Course Attributes: GS, HO

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

PHYS1001. Physics: Matter and Motion. 4 Credit Hours.

An introduction to the ideas and techniques used in the study of motion. Application to a wide variety of physical systems ranging from air molecules to footballs to black holes. Mostly descriptive using photographic techniques, films, and demonstrations. NOTE: (1) No laboratory. (2) This course can be used to satisfy the university Core Science & Technology First Level (SA) requirement. To determine if this course in combination with another course can satisfy the GenEd Science & Technology requirement, see your advisor. (3) Students who have taken a higher number introductory physics sequence cannot take this course for credit.

Course Attributes: SA

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (any MATH course numbered 0701 to 0702, any MATH course numbered 0800 to 4999 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MC3, 'Y' in MC4, 'Y' in MC5, 'Y' in MC6, 'Y' in MC3A, 'Y' in MC6A, STAT1001 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in STT2, STAT1102 (may be taken concurrently), STAT1902 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MATW, or 'Y' in MC3S)

PHYS1004. Introduction to Astronomy. 3 Credit Hours.

After a description of local space which includes the universe of galaxies, red shift, and the big bang will be discussed. White dwarfs, red giants, pulsars, black holes, and quasars will be covered. The treatment will be mostly descriptive, utilizing slides, NASA films, and several trips to our planetarium. NOTE: (1) No laboratory. (2) This course can be used to satisfy the university Core Science & Technology Second Level (SB) requirement. To determine if this course in combination with another course can satisfy the GenEd Science & Technology requirement, see your advisor.

Course Attributes: SB

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (MATH1021, any MATH course numbered 1022 to 3080 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MC5, 'Y' in MC6, 'Y' in MC6A, STAT1001, 'Y' in STT2, STAT1102, STAT1902, or 'Y' in MATW)

PHYS1005. Light, Art, and Nature. 4 Credit Hours.

An introduction to the properties of light, whether interpreted as rays, waves, or photons. Discussion of the basic ideas of geometric and wave optics, with application to the analysis of photography, color, vision, and modern physics. Emphasis is on factors that permit the artist and observer to understand and more fully control the design and interpretation of images of all kinds. Demonstrations, experiments, and video and computer simulations to analyze signals received by the eyes or instruments. NOTE: (1) Course is primarily designed for students interested in the visual arts, but is open to anyone. Minimal mathematics. (2) This course can be used to satisfy the university Core Science & Technology First Level (SA) requirement.

Course Attributes: SA

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (any MATH course numbered 0701 to 0702, any MATH course numbered 0800 to 4999 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MC3, 'Y' in MC4, 'Y' in MC5, 'Y' in MC6, 'Y' in MC3A, 'Y' in MC6A, STAT1001 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in STT2, STAT1102 (may be taken concurrently), STAT1902 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MATW, or 'Y' in MC3S)

PHYS1006. Medical Physics. 3 Credit Hours.

Medical Physics is an introductory science elective course that is open to students with little exposure to science or mathematics. With nominal (high school level) mathematics preparation, students can learn how basic principles of physics are utilized in medical processes. Topics to be examined include: the nature of radiation, radiation exposure, nuclear medicine, CT and MR imaging, and ultrasound techniques.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (MATH1021, any MATH course numbered 1022 to 3080 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MC5, 'Y' in MC6, 'Y' in MC6A, STAT1001, 'Y' in STT2, STAT1102, STAT1902, or 'Y' in MATW)

PHYS1007. Science & Science Fiction in Film. 3 Credit Hours.

This course takes a captivating look at physical phenomena depicted in a collection of popular science fiction films. These include Deep Impact (1998) in which Earth is threatened by a giant comet, The Peacemaker (1998) where a terrorist's atomic bomb is planted in New York City, I Robot (2007) with a detective fighting to prevent a takeover of the human race by robots, and Contact (1997) featuring an astronomer who discovers the first real message from an alien civilization. Other films deal with global warming, astronomy, electricity and magnetism.

There are no in-person meetings of this class. Students discuss films on the course web site and submit answers to weekly questions via the Internet at times that are individually convenient for each student. E-Mail the course instructor, Dr. Dubeck, at ldubeck@temple.edu for access to the course web site.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

PHYS1008. Physics Seminar I. 1 Credit Hour.

Physics Seminar I serves as a survey introduction to physics of the 21st century and the numerous, diverse career paths followed by those with a physics degree. The intent of this course is to build a community of physics majors while they are at the beginning of their typical course of study, with the introductory physics courses providing common points of discussion. Students will attend talks, lab tours and open-ended question-and-answer roundtable discussions given by physics degree holders. One section of the class will focus on speakers from across the spectrum of physics related research at Temple University, including solid state, optical, nuclear, medical and chemical physics. The course will also provide a venue for those from non-academic sectors where the physics degree is highly valued, such as national laboratories, industrial research, patent law, finance and others. This is a required course for BS and BA in Physics and BS in Physics with Teaching majors and is recommended for other physics related majors.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (PHYS1021 (may be taken concurrently), PHYS1061 (may be taken concurrently), PHYS1961 (may be taken concurrently), PHYS2021 (may be taken concurrently), or PHYS2921 (may be taken concurrently))

PHYS1021. Introduction to General Physics I. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

This course is an algebra-based introduction to physics. Topics covered in this course include mechanics, waves and oscillations, and elements of thermodynamics. Biological applications discussed where appropriate.

NOTE:

(1) Completing a 2 semester physics sequence will satisfy your Science and Technology (GS) GenEd requirements. (2) Two sections are required for this course: a 0.0 credit Laboratory section and the 4.0 credit Lecture & Recitation section. The course number for the Lecture & Recitation are the same for the Laboratory, but have unique section numbers. (3) Some pre-professional health programs require a calculus-based course such as Physics 1061.

Course Attributes: SA

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (MATH1021, any MATH course numbered 1022 to 3080 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MC5, 'Y' in MC6, 'Y' in MC6A, STAT1001, 'Y' in STT2, STAT1102, STAT1902, or 'Y' in MATW)

PHYS1022. Introduction to General Physics II. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

This second semester algebra-based introductory physics course is a follow-up to Physics 1021. Topics covered in this course include electricity and magnetism, optics, atomic, molecular, and nuclear physics. Biological applications discussed where appropriate.

NOTE:

(1) Completing a 2 semester physics sequence will satisfy your Science and Technology (GS) GenEd requirements. (2) Two sections are required for this course: a 0.0 credit Laboratory section and the 4.0 credit Lecture & Recitation section. The course numbers for the Lecture & Recitation are the same for the Laboratory, but have unique section numbers. (3) Some pre-professional health programs require a calculus-based course such as Physics 1062.

Course Attributes: SB

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (PHYS 1011, PHYS1021, PHYS1061, PHYS2021, or PHYS2921)

PHYS1031. Basic Core Physics I. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

This is the first semester of general physics for post-baccalaureate students. It includes a quantitative introduction to kinematics, dynamics, work, energy, momentum, static equilibrium, fluids, vibrations, waves, sound, temperature, kinetic theory, heat, and the laws of thermodynamics. Special emphasis is given to applications of these topics to health sciences.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

PHYS1032. Basic Core Physics II. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

This is the second semester of general physics for post-baccalaureate students. It includes a quantitative introduction to electricity and magnetism, optics, atomic, molecular, and nuclear physics. Special emphasis is given to applications of these topics to health sciences.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

PHYS1061. Elementary Classical Physics I. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

Calculus-based introductory physics focused on developing algorithmic problem-solving skills and intended as a preparation for advanced courses in physics as well as preparation for further study in upper division science and engineering. Topics include elementary vector algebra, one-dimensional motion, particle dynamics, work and energy, conservation of energy, conservation of linear momentum, collisions, rotational kinematics and dynamics, conservation of angular momentum, oscillations, waves, and gravitation.

NOTE:

(1) By completing a 2 semester physics sequence you will satisfy your Science and Technology (GS) GenEd requirements. (2) Students cannot receive credits for both Physics 1061 and 2021. (3) Two sections are required for this course: a 0.0 credit Laboratory section and the 4.0 credit Lecture & Recitation section. The course numbers for the Lecture & Recitation are the same for the Laboratory, but have unique section numbers. (4) Some pre-health programs require a calculus-based course such as this course, Physics 1061.

Course Attributes: SA

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- (except where noted) in (MATH1041 (C or higher; may be taken concurrently), MATH1941 (C or higher; may be taken concurrently), MATH 1038 (C or higher; may be taken concurrently), MATH1042 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1044 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1942 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1951 (may be taken concurrently), any MATH course numbered 2043 to 3080 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MA06, 'Y' in MATW, 'Y' in CRMA08, or 'Y' in CRMA21)

PHYS1062. Elementary Classical Physics II. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

This second semester calculus-based introductory physics course is a follow-up to Physics 1061. The course focuses on developing algorithmic problem-solving skills and is intended as a preparation for advanced courses in physics as well as preparation for further study in upper division science and engineering. Topics include temperature, heat and the first law of thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, entropy and the second law of thermodynamics, electrical charges, the electric field, Gauss's Law, electrostatic potential, capacitors and dielectrics, current, resistance, Kirchhoff's laws, the magnetic field, Ampere's Law, Faraday's Law, inductance, geometrical optics, and interference and diffraction of light.

NOTE:

(1) By completing a 2 semester physics sequence you will satisfy your Science and Technology (GS) GenEd requirements. (2) Students cannot receive credit for both Physics 1062 and 2022. (3) Two sections are required for this course: a 0.0 credit Laboratory section and the 4.0 credit Lecture & Recitation section. The course numbers for the Lecture & Recitation are the same for the Laboratory, but have unique section numbers. (4) Some pre-health programs require a calculus-based course such as this course, Physics 1062.

Course Attributes: SB

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (PHYS1061, PHYS2021, or PHYS2921) and (MATH1042 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1044 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1942 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1951 (may be taken concurrently), any MATH course numbered 2043 to 3080 (may be taken concurrently), or 'Y' in MATW)

PHYS1083. Directed Reading/Study. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Independent study in physics. NOTE: This course may be repeated for credit.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

PHYS1961. Honors Elementary Classical Physics I. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

This undergraduate level course is intended for Honors students majoring in physics and related fields. Physics 1961 is the first part of a two-semester course in classical physics starting with classical mechanics for Physics 1961 and electricity and magnetism for Physics 1962. Topics for Physics 1961 include one- and two-dimensional motion; forces and particle dynamics, work and energy, conservation of energy, linear momentum, and angular momentum; collisions, rotational kinematics and dynamics, gravitation, oscillations, waves, and fluid dynamics. This course differs from the Physics 1061 course in the number of topics and a more mathematical treatment and discussion. A strong background in algebra and trigonometry and some understanding of vector algebra is required. A math review will take place during the first week of classes including basic elements of algebra, trigonometry, vector algebra and some calculus. This course is taught in the Studio Physics format combining elements of lecturing and recitation supplemented with a separate, but integrated lab. Each student is assigned to a certain lecture section (Lecture plus Recitation) and lab section. This course requires registration for a 0.0 credit Laboratory section in addition to the 4.0 credit Lecture and Recitation section. The Laboratory sections corresponding to a course are listed under the same course number as the Lecture and Recitation sections, but have unique section numbers.

Cohort Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Cohorts: SCHONORS, UHONORS, UHONORSTR.

Course Attributes: HO

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- (except where noted) in (MATH1941 (C or higher; may be taken concurrently), MATH1041 (C or higher; may be taken concurrently), MATH 1038 (C or higher; may be taken concurrently), MATH1942 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1042 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1951 (may be taken concurrently), any MATH course numbered 2043 to 3080 (may be taken concurrently), 'Y' in MA06, 'Y' in MATW, 'Y' in CRMA08, or 'Y' in CRMA21)

PHYS1962. Honors Elementary Classical Physics II. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

This undergraduate level course is intended for Honors students majoring in physics and related fields. Physics 1962 is the second part of a two semester course in classical physics starting with classical mechanics for Physics 1961 and electricity and magnetism for Physics 1962. Topics for Physics 1962 include temperature, heat and the first law of thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, entropy and the second law of thermodynamics, electrical charges, the electric field, Gauss's Law, electrostatic potential, capacitors and dielectrics, current, resistance, the magnetic field, Ampere's Law, Faraday's Law, inductance, geometrical optics, and interference and diffraction of light. This course differs from Physics 1062 in the number of topics and a more mathematical treatment and discussion. A strong background in algebra and trigonometry along with elementary understanding of vector algebra is required. Basic understanding of calculus is helpful. A math review will take place during the first week of classes including basic elements of vector algebra and calculus, in particular vector calculus. This course is taught in the Studio Physics format combining elements of lecturing and recitation supplemented with a separate, but integrated lab. Each student is assigned to a certain lecture section (Lecture plus Recitation) and lab section. This course requires registration for a 0.0 credit Laboratory section in addition to the 4.0 credit Lecture and Recitation section.

Cohort Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Cohorts: SCHONORS, UHONORS, UHONORSTR.

Course Attributes: HO

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (MATH1942 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1042 (may be taken concurrently), MATH1951 (may be taken concurrently), any MATH course numbered 2043 to 3080 (may be taken concurrently), or 'Y' in MATW) and (PHYS1961, PHYS1061, PHYS2921, or PHYS2922)

PHYS2021. General Physics I. 0 or 4 Credit Hours.

Calculus-based introductory physics. Topics include mechanics, gravitation, energy conservation, fluids and waves. Biological applications discussed where appropriate. NOTE: By completing a 2 semester physics sequence you will satisfy your Science and Technology (GS) GenEd requirements. Students cannot receive credits for both Physics 1061 and 2021. This course is an option for pre-health, neuroscience and genomic medicine majors.

Two sections are required for this course. This course requires registration for a 0.0 credit Laboratory section in addition to the 4.0 credit Lecture & Recitation section. The Laboratory sections corresponding to a course are listed under the same course number as the Lecture & Recitation sections, but have unique section numbers.

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Physics (PHYS) < Temple University

Unistellars eVscope has proven its ability to do serious astronomy, with more to come in 2022.

Theres a revolution underway in how amateur astronomers contribute to modern astronomy. Smartscopestelescopes controlled remotely via tablets or smartphonesare making there way into the modern amateur telescope market and out into the field. These have the ability to not only bring deep-sky astronomy to light-polluted urbanites, but to lower the bar for entry into deep-sky astrophotography. One of the leading manufacturers of smartscopes is Unistellar. First offered as a Kickstarter project in 2017, Unistellars line now includes the eVscope eQuinox, and the new eVscope2.

The Age of Smartscopes

But beyond just providing pretty pictures and a tour of the night sky, eVscope users are contributing to some serious science, in a big way. This is always the hallmark of any new breakthrough in technology: you never know what wild and wonderful directions that people will take it in, once its unleashed. We recently caught up with Unistellars Chief Scientific Officer Franck Marchis, (also Senior Planetary Astronomer at the SETI Institute), on where astronomy with these unique telescopes may be headed.

As an astronomer, when you arrive in a control room, everything is ready: you just enter the coordinates, or just the name of the target, says Marchis. I always wondered why we dont do that for amateur astronomers.

Weve recently reviewed the eVscope, eQuinox telescope, and the main competitor on the market, Vaoniss Stellina. Unistellars eVscope and eQuinox are built around a simple 4.5-inch mirror reflector. The unit is ultra-portable and lightweight at 19.8 lbs (9kg). Setup is as simple as locking the unit on the tripod, bonding it to the app via WiFi, adjusting the focus, and letting the scope plate-solve its location and pointing direction in the sky.

But its the science efforts underway with Unistellar that really set it apart. The Unistellar application has a tab devoted just to science and astronomy campaigns.

One unique effort is looking at asteroid occultations of bright stars. These events feature a background star winking out briefly as the foreground asteroid moves in front of it, casting a shadow across the Earth. If enough observers can catch and time these cords, we can outline the profile shape of the asteroid. Tiny unseen moonlets of asteroids have also been observed as brief events near the main occultation. Already, Unistellar campaigns have looked at Patroclus, Orus and 11351 Leucus, in support of NASAs Lucy Mission to the Trojan asteroids.

Next up, Unistellar campaigns have made followup observations of transiting exoplanets. Thats right. Amateurs can now detect the tiny fluctuation in brightness as an unseen world passes in front of its host star, from their own driveway. Already, Unistellar has demonstrated this ability during campaigns to monitor Kepler-167b and HD 80606 b, and sends out alerts for periodic upcoming events.

Unistellar citizen astronomer Kevin Voeller also recently collected data on exoplanet WASP-148b.

Which begs the question of the possibility for users to discover planets as well. Certainly, the ability is there for dedicated networks of Unistellar scopes. The telescope could also be used to monitor variable stars and follow and discover galactic novae and extra-galactic supernovae as well.

Teams have also followed near-Earth asteroids with the Unistellar telescope, characterizing their rotation rate as they fluctuate in brightness. One such recent campaign revolved around the close Earth flybys of asteroids 1994 PC1 and 4660 Nereus. This is all part of Unistellars planetary defense effort; you cant have too many telescopes out there worldwide looking for flying space rocks.

And speaking of distant objects, users have recently used Unistellar telescopes to track the James Webb Space Telescope en route to its new home at the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point. Nearly a million miles from the Earth, JWST moves like a distant satellite against the starry background. Unistellar has documented 110 JWST observations thus far, and noted the variability of the observatory after sunshield deployment as a 6 hour flash or glint, seen mainly due to the rotational position of the observer on Earth.

Our community is excited that they see this, that they connect to JWST so its very good outreach, and good science, says Marchis. learning that the glint off JWST happens and why it happens could be useful in the future.

This also raises the possibility of using a Unistellar telescope to track satellites (perhaps even classified, unpublished satellites) in distant High Earth (HEO) or geostationary/geosynchronous (GEO) orbits.

Finally, the eVscope has the potential to track and find comets. Already, weve seen users follow the fine apparitions of comet F3 NEOWISE in 2020 and A1 Leonard at the end of 2021.

Whats next for Unistellar? Later this year, the team plans to lead efforts to follow an occultation of asteroid Didymos near Abu Dhabi, leading up to the impact of NASAs DART mission on the asteroids tiny moon Dimorphos on September 26th, 2022. The team also has plans for satellite tracking, to include characterizing the brightness of Starlink and OneWeb satellite constellations, improved access to data cloud storage and more.

The important part is that were not just a company that which is building telescopes, says Marchis. We see ourselves as a company that is democratizing astronomy, so people can enjoy the dark sky.

Just the recent Unistellar user statistics alone are impressive:

2021 summary statistics for exoplanet transits:

-413 observations by 100 different observers in 17 countries, with 92 detections.

2021 summary statistics for planetary defense:

-11 campaigns, by 95 users submitting 290 observations from 20 countries.

2021 summary statistics for asteroid occultations:

-214 occultation events attempted with 395 observations, 106 are positive (for a~27% positivity rate)

With the advent of the eVscope, we may be seeing as big a revolution in amateur astronomy as the introduction of Celestrons orange-tube C8 telescope in the early 1970s. Having lived through the last half-century of amateur astronomy, its simply amazing how much has changed. Watch for more exciting astronomy to come!

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Unistellars Plans for Science and Astronomy in 2022 - Universe Today

A mysterious object unlike anything that astronomers have seen before has been discovered in our galactic backyard.

In research published Wednesday, scientists described the strange, spinning mass, which is said to release an enormous burst of energy every 20 minutes.

That radiation, which crosses the line of sight of telescopes on Earth for 60 seconds at a time, is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky.

It was detected by a team at the Australia-based International Center for Radio Astronomy Research, who were mapping radio waves in the Universe.

They believe that the cosmic flasher could be a super-dense star or a white dwarf collapsed cores of stars with a powerful magnetic field.

This object was appearing and disappearing over a few hours during our observations, said Dr. Natasha Hurley-Walker, an astronomer from Curtin University in Australia who led the team.

That was completely unexpected. It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because theres nothing known in the sky that does that.

And its really quite close to us about 4,000 lightyears away. Its in our galactic backyard.

The object was discovered using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope in the Australian outback.

Its whats known to astronomers as a transient an object in the night sky that turns on and off, such as a dying star.

So-called slow transients appear over the course of several days and vanish after a few months. One example is a stellar explosion called a supernova.

Fast transients such as a type of neutron star called a pulsar flash on and off within seconds or even milliseconds.

The newly discovered object is unusual because it fits neither category, beaming its radio waves across the galaxy in bouts lasting roughly a minute.

Study co-author Dr. Gemma Anderson said that the space thingamajig is smaller than the Sun but incredibly bright.

Its firing out highly-polarised radio waves, suggesting that it has a powerful magnetic field.

Dr. Hurley-Walker said the observations match the description of a hypothetical object called an ultra-long period magnetar.

Its a type of slowly spinning neutron star that has been predicted to exist theoretically, she said.

But nobody expected to directly detect one like this because we didnt expect them to be so bright.

Somehow its converting magnetic energy to radio waves much more effectively than anything weve seen before.

The team is continuing to monitor the object with the MWA to get a better idea of what it might be.

More detections will tell astronomers whether this was a rare one-off event or a vast new population wed never noticed before, Dr. Hurley-Walker added.

The research was published in the journal Nature.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.

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Astronomers spot 'spooky' object in our 'galactic backyard' that's unlike 'anything ever seen - New York Post