A Solitary Universe

Emptiness
expose-the-light: Solar Energy Inspiration From Butterflies By SINDYA N. BHANOO In the image: The structure of butterflies’ wing scales helps them harvest light to stay warm. Butterfly wings are not just beautiful. They are also sophisticated collectors of solar energy that help butterflies stay warm, and researchers say that their shinglelike structure could provide valuable clues into developing better solar technology. “Light manipulation and light-harvesting abilities are important for the performance of solar energy devices,” said Tongxiang Fan, a materials scientist at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China who is leading the effort. He and his colleagues reported their findings last week at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting in San Diego. The scientists used an electron microscope to study the wing structure of two species of black butterflies. (They picked black wings because they absorb the maximum amount of sunlight.) They found that the wings are composed of elongated rectangular scales, arranged a bit like overlapping shingles on a roof. The scales on each type of butterfly also had steep ridges, with small holes on either side leading to a second layer. These features direct light to the second layer, helping the butterfly to capture a lot of heat. The researchers also built a model to harness solar power the same way the butterflies’ wings do. “The prototype is very, very effective,” Dr. Fan said. He and his team are now working to create a commercial product that uses the wings as inspiration. “This is only the first step,” he said.

expose-the-light:

Solar Energy Inspiration From Butterflies

By SINDYA N. BHANOO

In the image: The structure of butterflies’ wing scales helps them harvest light to stay warm.

Butterfly wings are not just beautiful. They are also sophisticated collectors of solar energy that help butterflies stay warm, and researchers say that their shinglelike structure could provide valuable clues into developing better solar technology.

“Light manipulation and light-harvesting abilities are important for the performance of solar energy devices,” said Tongxiang Fan, a materials scientist at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China who is leading the effort. He and his colleagues reported their findings last week at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting in San Diego.

The scientists used an electron microscope to study the wing structure of two species of black butterflies. (They picked black wings because they absorb the maximum amount of sunlight.)

They found that the wings are composed of elongated rectangular scales, arranged a bit like overlapping shingles on a roof. The scales on each type of butterfly also had steep ridges, with small holes on either side leading to a second layer.

These features direct light to the second layer, helping the butterfly to capture a lot of heat.

The researchers also built a model to harness solar power the same way the butterflies’ wings do.

“The prototype is very, very effective,” Dr. Fan said. He and his team are now working to create a commercial product that uses the wings as inspiration. “This is only the first step,” he said.

(vía scinerds)

n-a-s-a: Aurora in the Distance Credit & Copyright: Lance McVay

n-a-s-a:

Aurora in the Distance

Credit & Copyright: Lance McVay

the-star-stuff:

Terrestrial Planets

Also known as rocky planets, these bodies are composed primarily of rock and metal and have very high densities. They also tend to be relatively small in size and have slow periods of rotation. The terrestrial planets in our solar system are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. They are the planets closest to the Sun. Terrestrial planets tend to have very few natural satellites, or moons. Of the four terrestrial planets in our solar system, only two have moons. Earth has one moon while Mars has two.

Images Credit: solarsystem.nasa.gov

(vía shychemist)

stressface: For those who think ice is all the same: think again. At the poles, ice takes many forms—from shiny “grease ice” on the sea surface to mile-thick ice sheets that cover entire continents. In this photo, pancake ice forms when flat chunks of ice are battered into rounds by wave action.  Read more about ice here.

stressface:

For those who think ice is all the same: think again. At the poles, ice takes many forms—from shiny “grease ice” on the sea surface to mile-thick ice sheets that cover entire continents.

In this photo, pancake ice forms when flat chunks of ice are battered into rounds by wave action.  Read more about ice here.

(vía scinerds)