Augmented reality brings movie magic to city visits
(PhysOrg.com) -- From the Italy of Visconti to the Spain of Almodovar, many people's first encounter with a foreign country is in the cinema. Imagine if images from the silver screen could be conjured...
View ArticleComet Visible During Brief Visit
(PhysOrg.com) -- Comet McNaught is quickly approaching the sun this week, but it is visible with binoculars or telescopes in the early hours before dawn. The best views are away from city lights,...
View ArticleGift Guide: Techie kids' toys for every age group
(AP) -- While stores still sell a plethora of good old-fashioned toys such as board games, action figures and stuffed animals, electronic ones aren't exactly a niche category anymore either.
View ArticleFour planets huddle up before dawn next week
Four of the five planets visible to the unaided eye huddle quite close together in the pre-dawn sky next week, according to the editors of StarDate magazine.
View ArticleSupernova 'brightens up' September 7-8
(PhysOrg.com) -- The nearest supernova of its type to be discovered for 40 years is predicted to be at its brightest 7-8 September and will be visible through a good pair of binoculars.
View ArticleLRO lets you stand on the rim of Aristarchus crater
Have you ever you looked up at the bright, cavernous Aristarchus Crater on the Moon through a telescope or binoculars and wondered what it would be like to stand on the rim and peer inside? Spectacular...
View ArticleThe role of physics in the sinking of the Titanic
A century on from the sinking of the Titanic, Physics World science writer Richard Corfield takes a look at the cascade of events that led to the demise of the 'unsinkable' ship, taking into account...
View ArticleVenus invades the Pleiades
This week the second planet from the sun will pass directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster. It's a rare sunset conjunction that's easy to find with the unaided eye, but best seen through...
View ArticleNew eyeglasses allow you to adjust prescription yourself
(Phys.org) -- A new kind of eyeglasses is now available from a British company that allows the wearer to adjust the prescription anytime, anywhere, via small thumb-dials on the sides. Called,...
View ArticlePrototype binoculars from NHK show-stop CEATEC crowd
(Phys.org)—NHK is drawing interest at this week's CEATEC in Japan with its prototype 3-D binoculars. They take advantage of something called "8K" resolution so that the user can now zoom into an image...
View ArticleHypergiant star turns out to be 'missing link' after 30 years
(Phys.org)—A team of scientists from six European countries reported today they have finalized a thirty years long investigation of a hypergiant star that crossed the Yellow Evolutionary Void. In that...
View ArticleThe total solar eclipse down under: How to watch it from anywhere in the world
Scientists and interested skywatchers have been flocking to Cairns, Australia to witness one of the most spellbinding astronomical sights: a total solar eclipse. The November 13/14 total solar eclipse...
View ArticleStranger in the night: space rock to make close Earth flyby
(Phys.org)—A little-known asteroid will skim past Earth on 15 February, passing just 28 000 km from our planet. The 50 m-diameter chunk of space rock was discovered last year by ESA-sponsored amateur...
View ArticleHow to see the International Space Station
The International Space Station is one of the most complicated machines ever built and the largest object ever assembled in space.
View ArticlePhysicists confirm first planet discovered in a quadruple star system
Justin Crepp, Freimann Assistant Professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame, provided the high-contrast imaging observations that confirmed the first extrasolar planet discovered in a...
View ArticleAstronomers pin down origins of 'mile markers' for expansion of universe
(Phys.org)—A study using a unique new instrument on the world's largest optical telescope has revealed the likely origins of especially bright supernovae that astronomers use as easy-to-spot "mile...
View ArticleGadget Watch: Samsung lens flips from 2-D to 3-D
Cameras that can record in 3-D are usually pretty complicated, sporting two lenses instead of one, to mimic human binocular vision. Samsung says it has a more elegant solution: a single lens that can...
View ArticleAstronomers discover light echo from supernova
(Phys.org) —Astronomers have discovered light echoing off material surrounding a recent supernova explosion, SN 2009ig. The dust and gas that are reflecting the light are so close to the eruption...
View ArticleAstronomers gear up to discover Earth-like planets
If one looks only for the shiniest pennies in the fountain, chances are one misses most of the coins because they shimmer less brightly. This, in a nutshell, is the conundrum astronomers face when...
View ArticleRobot dragonfly DelFly Explorer avoids obstacles by itself (w/ Video)
TU Delft researchers have developed the DelFly Explorer, the world's first Micro Air Vehicle with flapping wings that can avoid obstacles by itself. The uniqueness of this achievement lies in the...
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