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Varun's Blog - At the Speed of Light !

A fact is a simple statement that everyone believes. It is innocent, unless found guilty. A hypothesis is a novel suggestion that no one wants to believe. It is guilty, until found effective. ~Edward Teller

A very warm welcome to my th reader.Why speed of light ? Well, the aim of this blog is to reach the impossible by exploration and scientific fervor. Exploration never ends, knowledge never dies but Speed of Light can be achieved ....

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Hybrid Airplanes


The airplane can be hybrid i.e powered with fuel and electricity. The concept of using the combination of fuel and electricity to power the airplane seems a nice idea but it also has certain drawbacks. Boeing has already developed a manned airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cell. The plane has minimal noise and causes almost no air pollution.

In today’s time, traveling by air is the fastest and the most convenient way of getting from one place to another. Aircraft manufacturers are continuously researching and trying to build planes with more capacity, less maintenance costs and better fuel economy. If an airplane is highly maneuverable, it is designed to be unstable.
The airplane can be hybrid i.e powered with fuel and electricity. The concept of using the combination of fuel and electricity to power the airplane seems a nice idea but it also has certain drawbacks. Boeing has already developed a manned airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cell. The plane has minimal noise and causes almost no air pollution. One of other interesting project i.e Sunseeker is a solar powered airplane by Eric Raymond. Hybrid planes have a high initial setup and building cost as compared to maintenance.
There are also concepts of gravity powered airplane which are out. They fly with force of gravity and don’t need any fuel. The idea is a bit far-fetched for commercial airliners but is worth reading.

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Friday, September 18, 2009

The Anyman Astronomer

In college its very hard to get into Astronomy-having to buy expensive equipment and dump hundreds of dollars into equipment that we sometimes dont even know how to use. A simple solution to this is to pick up a pair of Astronomy oriented binoculars. Most Objects are able to be seen by these and they are a cheap, grab and go solution to not being able to get out and watch the night sky. For under $400, you can have a portable scope that will travel with you wherever you go. Check out The Vixen range for some great Sky Binocs!!!!!



"Vixen OpticsVixen Optics announces the new Foresta Binocular series. Of particular interest to amateur astronomers is the Foresta 7×50 ZCF model ($329). These lightweight binoculars feature die-cast aluminum bodies encased in a protective rubber coating. The 50-mm, three-element objective lenses and BAK4 prisms are fully multi-coated to minimize light scatter and maximize light transmission. The binoculars are nitrogen-purged to reduce internal fogging, and they are waterproof. Smaller models feature a novel hinge-lock that allows you to preset your interpupillary distance so that it can be quickly returned to a comfortable position after sharing the views with other observers. The binoculars come with lens caps, neck strap, and a hiking-style carrying case. "

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This is science !

When you are speaking to technically illiterate people you must resort to the plausible falsehood instead of the difficult truth.

Photos of Comet Mcnaught !
Astro-photographer? Send your photos to pics@exploreuniverse.com and have them featured on this blog with your name. Comet Mcnaught : Pictures taken with Nikon D100 on 19/1/07 from Manning Point, northern NSW, Australia by Mr. Peter Enright.
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