Other Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Suntan (And Other Solar Trigonometric Functions): Solutions For Fermi Questions: February 2025, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

The article discusses the intensity of sunlight on the side of the author's face as they walk to and from their office, focusing on the solar zenith angle θ. It presents a formula for solar irradiance and explores how the intensity changes based on the angle and elevation. The solutions to the questions posed in the article provide insights into the maximum irradiance levels at different angles and elevations.

Refracting Ufos: Solutions For Fermi Questions, May 2024, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

This article, titled "Refracting UFOs: Solutions for Fermi Questions, May 2024," recounts the author's personal experience as a teenager observing a UFO sighting near their home in England. The author used their telescope to observe the object, which turned out to be lights from a distant airplane flying in a circular holding pattern. The article then presents two questions related to the observed phenomenon, including estimating the diameter of the aircraft's path and the banking angle of the aircraft at its speed. The article concludes with a solution to estimating the distance to the aircraft. The information is presented objectively …

Refracting Ufos, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Question 2: Assuming θ ≈ 2° = π/90 rad, estimate the distance R to the aircraft. Assume that R ≫ d. Question 1: Suppose that the observed “period of oscillation” is 1 min, and the speed of the aircraft is 200 km/h. Estimate the diameter d of the aircraft path (assuming that it is circular). Estimate the banking angle of the aircraft at this speed. While still a teenager (and aspiring astronomer), I became interested in the subject of UFOs (more appropriately named UAPs—see Ref. 1). The region in which I lived (50 km west of London) was in the …

Microbially Induced Sedimentary Structures In Clastic Deposits: Implication For The Prospection For Fossil Life On Mars, Nora Noffke

OES Faculty Publications

Abundant and well-preserved fossil microbenthos occurs in siliciclastic deposits of all Earth ages, from the early Archean to today. Studies in modern settings show how microbenthos responds to sediment dynamics by baffling and trapping, binding, biostabilization, and growth. Results of this microbial-sediment interaction are microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS). Successful prospection for rich MISS occurrences in the terrestrial lithological record requires unraveling genesis and taphonomy of MISS, both of which are defined only by a narrow range of specific conditions. These conditions have to coincide with high detectability which is a function of outcrop quality, bedding character, and rock type. …

Question 1: Star Speeds; Question 2: Slurping Gasoline, Larry Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

One piece of evidence that the center of our galaxy contains a super-massive black hole came from measuring the speed of a star orbiting that black hole. What is the maximum speed of that star?

If instead of carrying their gas in fuel tanks, cars “slurped up” a stream of gas as they drove, how thick a stream of gas would each car need?

A Solar Comparison, Larry Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Gilbert Ward [Phys.Teach 38, 333 (Sept. 2000)] states, "You emit more than 7000 times as much heat per unit mass as the Sun does." This difference was pointed out to me much more graphically by Brian Quinn many years ago as, "If the sun were made out of gerbils, the Earth would be incinerated."