September 2011

Posted September 26, 2011

How many satellites?

I had not thought about how many artificial satellites are in orbit around the Earth until I looked at this animation. It's neat that when zoomed out far from the planet (at about 45 seconds), the band of geostationary orbits is clear. These satellites are always over the same point on the planet because their orbital period matches the rotation of the Earth.

Posted September 19, 2011

Air traffic over the USA:

These animations gave me a new appreciation for the work air traffic controllers do every day. The number of planes in the air at any one time is a bit staggering, and the need to move routes around weather systems causes significant added complications. Traffic on 9/11/01 as the ground stop was ordered is another dramatic part of this video.

Posted September 12, 2011

Julia Louis-Dreyfus talks about her physics teacher:

This video from teach.gov shows how much a single teacher can affect a student's perspective on science.

Posted September 5, 2011

"We've Got to Be That Light"

Many NSTA members will remember Jeff Goldstein's keynote address from the 2011 national conference in San Francisco. He has teamed up with John Boswell at Symphony of Science to produce a gift to teachers as the school year begins. His speech has been transformed into a moving musical message of inspiration and hope. Enjoy, and have a great year!

Jacob Clark Blickenstaff is Assistant Professor of Physics and Assistant Director of the Center for Science and Mathematics Education at the University of Southern Mississippi.