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Tag Archives: astrophysics

artificial suns [Q&A]

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Vibha of Poornaprajna PU College asks, can we make an artificial Sun? There are many ways this question can be interpreted. If the question is whether we can produce energy in the same manner that the Sun does, then yes, that is what a thermonuclear fusion bomb is. There are some differences, of course. The […]

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Supernova [Q&A]

Monday, February 21, 2011

Krishna of Canara College asks, how do supernovae occur? There are two kinds of Supernovae. One that occurs due to the build-up of accreting matter on the surface of a white dwarf, and another that occurs due to a collapse in the core of a giant star. The former is thought to occur as a […]

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the reach of black holes [Q&A]

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Gautham of Poornaprajna College wonders what keeps black holes from disrupting the stability of the Universe and gobbling up everything? It is a misconception to think that black holes are somehow more “powerful” at gravitational attraction than other objects. Black holes have mass, and they continue to obey the inverse square law at large distances. […]

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the erstwhile solar neutrino problem [Q&A]

Friday, February 11, 2011

Yoshita of Poornaprajna College asks, what is the solar neutrino problem? A byproduct of the nuclear fusion reactions in the core of the Sun are neutrinos. Because neutrinos don’t react with much, they escape from the core as soon as they are formed. The number of neutrinos produced is a very sensitive indicator of the […]

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Higher Education [Q&A]

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Atul from Canara College asks what is the typical career path that will lead to a Ph.D. in Astronomy from an American, Canadian, or British University? I am not familiar with how the British system works, but in the USA (and to a large extent in Canada), you need to demonstrate an aptitude for the […]

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