happiness-on-a-trolley-blog

Latest Posts by happiness-on-a-trolley-blog

We Found the Universe’s First Type of Molecule

For decades, astronomers searched the cosmos for what is thought to be the first kind of molecule to have formed after the Big Bang. Now, it has finally been found. The molecule is called helium hydride. It’s made of a combination of hydrogen and helium. Astronomers think the molecule appeared more than 13 billion years ago and was the beginning step in the evolution of the universe. Only a few kinds of atoms existed when the universe was very young. Over time, the universe transformed from a primordial soup of simple molecules to the complex place it is today — filled with a seemingly infinite number of planets, stars and galaxies. Using SOFIA, the world’s largest airborne observatory, scientists observed newly formed helium hydride in a planetary nebula 3,000 light-years away. It was the first ever detection of the molecule in the modern universe. Learn more about the discovery:

Helium hydride is created when hydrogen and helium combine. 

Since the 1970s, scientists thought planetary nebula NGC 7027—a giant cloud of gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus—had the right environment for helium hydride to exist. 

But space telescopes could not pick out its chemical signal from a medley of molecules. 

Enter SOFIA, the world’s largest flying observatory! 

By pointing the aircraft’s 106-inch telescope at the planetary nebula and using a tool that works like a radio receiver to tune in to the “frequency” of helium hydride, similar to tuning a radio to a favorite station…

…the molecule’s chemical signal came through loud and clear, bringing a decades-long search to a happy end.

The discovery serves as proof that helium hydride can, in fact, exist in space. This confirms a key part of our basic understanding of the chemistry of the early universe, and how it evolved into today’s complexity. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that allows astronomers to study the solar system and beyond in ways that are not possible with ground-based telescopes. Find out more about the mission at www.nasa.gov/SOFIA

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

If you’re an introvert, follow us @introvertunites. 

Black Hole Sculpts an Hourglass Galaxy

When it comes to galaxies, our home, the Milky Way, is rather neat and orderly. Other galaxies can be much more chaotic. For example, the Markarian 573 galaxy has a black hole at its center which is spewing beams of light in opposite directions, giving its inner regions more of an hourglass shape. 

Our scientists have long been fascinated by this unusual structure, seen above in optical light from the Hubble Space Telescope. Now their search has taken them deeper than ever — all the way into the super-sized black hole at the center of one galaxy.

So, what do we think is going on? When the black hole gobbles up matter, it releases a form of high-energy light called radiation (particularly in the form of X-rays), causing abnormal patterns in the flow of gas. 

Let’s take a closer look.

Meet Markarian 573, the galaxy at the center of this image from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, located about 240 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cetus. It’s the galaxy’s odd structure and the unusual motions of its components that inspire our scientists to study it.

As is the case with other so-called active galaxies, the ginormous black hole at the center of Markarian 573 likes to eat stuff. A thick ring of dust and gas accumulates around it, forming a doughnut. This ring only permits light to escape the black hole in two cone-shaped regions within the flat plane of the galaxy — and that’s what creates the hourglass, as shown in the illustration above.

Zooming out, we can see the two cones of emission (shown in gold in the animation above) spill into the galaxy’s spiral arms (blue). As the galaxy rotates, gas clouds in the arms sweep through this radiation, which makes them light up so our scientists can track their movements from Earth.

What happens next depends on how close the gas is to the black hole. Gas that’s about 2,500 light-years from the black hole picks up speed and streams outward (shown as darker red and blue arrows). Gas that’s farther from the black hole also becomes ionized, but is not driven away and continues its motion around the galaxy as before.

Here is an actual snapshot of the inner region of Markarian 573, combining X-ray data (blue) from our Chandra X-ray Observatory and radio observations (purple) from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico with a visible light image (gold) from our Hubble Space Telescope. Given its strange appearance, we’re left to wonder: what other funky shapes might far-off galaxies take?

For more information about the bizarre structure of Markarian 573, visit http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12657  

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

for future reference

Credit/reblogable versions: [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] 

Enjoy~

for future reference

Writing Resources #1

(Note: I’m only including free resources here, mostly because I’m broke and haven’t had a chance to try out any paid apps / programs. These are the resources I use and recommend, and is by no means a comprehensive list of all the writing tools out there. You might find something else that works better for you and isn’t listed here, and I’d love to see some reblogs from people sharing any other resources!)

For when you just need to get words on the page:

Write or Die is easily the most versatile tool for when you need serious motivation to just write. It’s a bit tricky to figure out at a glance, but you can play around with it and find out what works for you. Because of the ability to set time limits and consequences for yourself, Write or Die can help you stay focused and (if you’re like me) stop second guessing every word you write. You can always edit later.

Written? Kitten! is an alternative to Write or Die with only rewards (new picture of an adorable animal of your choice every time you hit a word count) and no consequences. It also has a very minimalist layout without a lot of distractions or customization options, which is helpful if, like me, you’re easily distracted.

For visualizing your word count & progress:

Pacemaker has a free mode and a subscription mode, but the free mode is pretty much everything you need. This is helpful if you’d like a visual representation of your word count. It can make it easier to see your progress on a project.

For editing:

ProWritingAid is… everything. You do need to make an account to use this site, but oh boy oh boy is it ever worth it. (Just make sure to sign up for the free option; it has everything you need.) I use this tool in tandem with my own editing process, and it has an amazing algorithm for catching things that weaken your writing - adverbs, overused words, passive verbs, etc. You don’t need to take all of its advice, but it can help draw your attention to things about your writing that you may have missed. I would recommend this to anyone who is considering trying out a paid program like Grammarly. It’s by far the most useful editing tool I’ve ever come across.

Hemmingway App isn’t for everyone. I feel called out by it, but that’s the point - sometimes we need to hear that our writing is getting a bit verbose and ostentatious, and to consider if toning it down a bit might help our story and meaning shine. Again, you can decide not to take any or all of its advice, but it’s a useful tool. (For example: I put this post into the app and it yelled at me for the word “ostentatious” and suggested I replace it with “showy.” That’s not exactly what I meant, so I kept “ostentatious”, but it was a nice suggestion. Does that count as irony?)

As always, happy writing!

for future reference

Burn The Stage

Ep 1: I’d Do It All - Youtube | Rulu

Ep 2: You Already Have The Answer - Dailymotion | Mediafire (mov) | Mediafire (mp4) | Google Drive | Openload | Rulu 

Ep 3: Just Give Me a Smile - Dailymotion (reuploading) | Google Drive | Rulu | Openload 

Ep 4: It’s On You and I - Dailymotion | Rulu | Google Drive | Openload

Ep 5: I Can’t Stop - Google Drive | Openload | Rulu

*rulu link isn’t mine                                                 

Anyone who has ever said “it’s just a dog,” about the death of a dog, has never had a dog.

things I love about min yoongi ↳ his love for holly ♡

Fun at the park.

it will be a cold day in hell before I give up eating banana skeletons

BTS: *exists*

Me: what a time to be alive

THE LAST 24HRS BEEN LIKE:

Agust D charting high on iTunes with a 2 years old mixtape. ARMYs are wild.

BTS might start a new show called ‘BTS Burn The Stage’. ARMYs are lost.

Jin shopped his bangs with meat scissors and got scolded. ARMYs are laughing/worried. 

BTS won 7 Soompi awards. ARMYs are celebrating. 

Hixtape preview. ARMYs are screaming.

Hixtape release date dropped. ERROR 404: ARMYs Not found. 

The reason for “the good guys always win” trope is because throughout history the victors write the textbooks, and they always think they’re the good guys.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4546803/chapters/10578639

Are you shitting me this was the first fanfic I ever read and it was SO FREAKING GOOD WHAT THE HELL IS MY HEART I DIDNT NEED IT ANYWAYS DID I

Taehyung: So I was thinking...

Jungkook: Did it hurt?

Yoongi: I didn't know you could do that.

Namjoon: You don't have to push yourself too hard.

Seokjin: I can give you something for the headache.

Taehyung:

Taehyung:

Taehyung: Ok wow—

The greatest test of one’s self control is eavesdropping on others when they’re wrong.

In 2008, the 90’s felt like “the 90’s”. It’s 2018 and the 2000’s don’t feel like “the 2000’s”, they just make you go “Holy shit that was 10 years ago??”.

Me

taehyung’s very happy birthday

People think depression is sadness, crying, and dressing in black. But people are wrong.

Depression is the constant feeling of being numb. Depression is not a choice, it is a mental illness. You can’t just ask a person to snap out of it or to stop feeling sad. It’s like telling a person with a cold to stop sneezing and feeling sick.

There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Let’s raise awareness now. Do you know anyone who might be suffering from depression?

Illustrated by This Is My Random Life. 

I’m crying this is so good, quality content right here

Riley always checks to see if you are as happy to go on a walk as she is 💖

PIXAR ANSWERED YOUR BIG QUESTION

YOU ASKED:

AND IN THE MOVIE CARS 3, PIXAR ANSWERS:

“Car Life Insurance”

IT’S BOTH

(via rudeweaver)

“What is this and why do I enjoy it”