Friday, January 11, 2013

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Weasel words and science

On Wikipedia we are advised to avoid weasel words.
Like the following

should
might
possibly
could
may
or
potentially

This is so articles can be fact based, or at least published credible information based, and not full of possible or maybe information.  The irony, and this is opinion, not evidence based science, is that in some scientific fields, weasel words are used all the time.  And defended, by saying science is full of uncertainty, and things need to be qualified.

Of course I can't find a peer reviewed published article to back any of that up.  This doesn't mean there isn't one of course.

More to come.

Or maybe not.



More Gamma Rays and thunderstorms info

Anyone reading this blog (and yes, I do wonder why you do), should know my fascination with lightning, thunderstorms and the mysterious things going on ALL THE TIME above thunderstorms. Here's some exciting news.
Tiny “Firefly” satellite may solve mystery about lightning
I love evidence, and what's better than a tiny satellite the size of a half gallon milk carton?


When thunderstorms happen, powerful electric fields stretch upward for miles, into the upper atmosphere. These electric fields accelerate free electrons, whirling them to speeds that are close to the speed of light.
Firefly2
The 'Firefly' CubeSat will fly through thunderstorms and lightning. Credit: NASA
When these ultra-high-speed electrons collide with molecules in the air, they release high-energy gamma rays as well as more electrons, starting a cascade of electrons and TGFs.
"Gamma rays are thought to be emitted by electrons traveling at or near the speed of light when they're slowed down by interactions with atoms in the upper atmosphere," says Moretto Jorgensen. "TGFs are among our atmosphere's most interesting phenomena."





Who knew we have high energy particle accelerators all over the planet, all the time?  


Meteorologists estimate that, at any given moment, some 1,800 thunderstorms are in progress over Earth's surface, and about 18 million a year around the world. It is estimated that approximately 100,000 to 125,000 thunderstorms occur in the United States each year. 
Read more: http://www.weatherexplained.com/Vol-1/Thunderstorms.html#ixzz2GwbiVZkd


That's a lot of particle acceleration, antimatter and gamma rays going on.