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Calla Rose Ostrander explores how stars are born and wishes KVNF listeners Cosmic Love this Valentines Day.
These nebula star nurseries are full of movement, stellar winds and massive turbulence, that shapes denser gases and dust into cloud-like formations. Over many thousands of years groups of clouds coalesce around each other and as they come close, the gravitational force created by their mass pulls them in until they collapse together and become combined even denser masses. The density of this matter causes the core of what will, 50,000 years later become a star.
The density of this “proto-star” continues to increase even as its matter shrinks, condensing and compressing until fountains of excess material eject from its poles spewing new elements into space. Around it’s new axis it spins, and a large cloud or disk of dust emanates from its center. Like a spinning ice skater’s skirt this cloud twirls around the star, which again begins to gather mass as particl
Credit Calla Rose Ostrander
Water is life. It makes up 71% of Earth’s body and 60% of ours. An essential element it is often characterized by being in motion: flowing, ebbing, falling, freezing, melting, vaporizing, condensensing. Water is ever cycling through its different states of being, as a gas (vapor), a liquid (water), and a solid (ice).
One thing we don t often think about is how the speed, or the energy in the water molecules, determines water’s different states: vapor, liquid, solid. The water molecules of crystalized water in our winter wonderland are still. As water cools it loses thermal energy (heat), and as that energy goes the water molecules begin to slow down, until at 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit they stand still and condense, locking together to form solid ice. When water gets warm, the molecules regain energy and start to move, breaking apart and eventually moving around each other forming liquid water. H20 molecules that continue to warm and
Credit Kori Stanton
This week there was a grand conjunction between the planets Saturn and Jupiter on the winter solstice. The ancient festival of Saturnalia was traditionally celebrated this time of year. Considered the most popular, jolly and raucous of the Roman Holidays, it serves as the basis for our modern celebration of Christmas.
Jupiter, known as Zeus to the Greeks, is the biggest planet in our neck of the galaxy. It is a massive bulk of swirling gases 1,120% the size of Earth. Saturn is just behind Jupiter in size coming in at 945% the size of Earth. The Roman God of agriculture, peace and the grandfather of time- Saturn is known in Greek as Cronos. This year, the planetary conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter falls during the traditional time of the festival of Saturn, Saturnalia. During this time courts, commerce and labor came to a halt, people decorated their homes and public places with wreaths and other greenery, and dressed in festive, bright colors. Joyful feasts wer