Discoveries in the Physics & Astronomy shop | Science, curiosities, and surprises
With the right crystal structure, as with calcite (a form of good, old calcium carbonate), you get some neat effects. With a refractive index that varies depending on the polarization of the light passing through, a chunk of iceland spar is birefringent and causes a visual doubling effect of the objects seen beyond. How cool is that?
Behold, Canis Major, the Greater Dog! He’s such a good boy!
Sirius-ly.
Campus can really be quite lovely when it’s quiet.
Bar magnets, over time, lose some of their intensity. From time to time, a top-up’s in order, using this glorious little contraption.
Two magnets, a conducting bar, and the fantastic sound of BZZZZ-THUNK as those iron atoms line up. Cool!
Sometimes you stumble across little gems, squirreled away in the back closets, like these illuminance meters, acquired in March of 1964. Sadly, no cost etched into the side. Eventually, these were replaced with more modern versions, before being phased out of labs entirely.
We can guess how they were used – being next to a box of slide frames with a rainbow of color filters – and assume they’re not making a comeback. But check out all of that tiny, mid-century text crammed on there!
Especially intrigued at the specific note about newsprint requiring twice the incident light of other reading, writing, and general tasks.
Equipment from the Chemistry folks in need of repair. Delivered in what, we assume, was the easiest to acquire and least expensive option.
The cat owner seems pleased with the situation. The cat? The cat looks intense.
When a table is wider than the doorway it’s meant to fit through, it’s time to get creative.
When that table top is for an optics setup, and weighs about 400 kg, creativity involves some sturdy equipment.
Step two: make certain it’s exactly where it wants to stay for the next decade or two.
“To Reorder Please Call DEAD BATTERIES”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice…
Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 1970’s. Presumably a good chunk of it holds up? Chances are there are some spectacular discoveries (like our modern value of the Hubble constant) that would need a little updating. Maybe it’s also safe to assume that Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium has a few details now out of sync with our modern understanding?
By “our modern understanding,” we mean the field of experts, not the guys in the basement. We know stuff, sure. Some stuff.
Incidentally, Astronomy from a Space Platform is also from the ’70s. The proceedings from an AAAS symposium in Philadelphia in December 1970, it opens with an article titled “Energy Production from Nuclear Fusion,” highlighting the (then) current state of research on the subject.
Guess they didn’t yet realize what they were up against, but, hey, who doesn’t appreciate a little optimism now and then?
Discovered inside an old wooden desk, burnt into the solid-wood drawer. No complaints about the quality of construction, to be honest. But how long has it been since furniture makers burnt in their brand with red-hot iron?