When you step out at night and look up into the infinite night sky, you are greeted with the most beautiful blanket of shimmering, diamond-like specks. The twinkling stars in the sky are full of wonder and stories dating back to ancient times. Groups of stars, or constellations, are identified as animals, gods, and goddesses, […]
Continue readingFiber optics are long, thin strands of very pure glass about the thickness of human hair. They come in bundles called optical cables and transmit light signals over long distances. Fiber optics work by transmitting light through the fibers. The light is bounced off the walls of the fiber at a very high speed. Thus, […]
Continue readingMost people have probably been unwittingly caught on CCTV more than once in their lives. In fact, research shows¹ that the average American is caught on CCTV 238 times per week. But what are CCTV cameras, and how do they work? CCTV stands for Closed Circuit Television, but you may have heard people refer to it […]
Continue readingEveryone gets the flu now and then, but have you ever wondered what it looks like? Of course, we can’t see what the common flu looks like from our naked eye. After all, it’s just bacteria. Luckily, the electron microscope is the most efficient tool to look at bacteria closely. Up close, the flu has […]
Continue readingUltraviolet (UV) light is electromagnetic radiation. It has a wavelength ranging from 10 nanometers to 400 nanometers (nm). The wavelength of light refers to the distance between two wave peaks. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the energy of the radiation. UV light has a shorter wavelength than visible light. That’s why it has more […]
Continue reading30×60 binoculars are popular, but models with higher and lower numbers exist. The question is, what do those numbers mean? To help you figure that out, let’s take a closer look at 30×60 binoculars. The numbers on every pair of binoculars follow the same system. The 1st number represents the magnification power (strength) of the […]
Continue readingClark’s Nutcrackers are the resident birds of the mountains. They reside in pine trees that produce large seeds and montane evergreen forests in the West. These compact-sized birds prefer nesting on trees 3,000–11,000 feet high. If you live anywhere between the West mountains of the US and Ontario, you’re likely to see gray-and-black jay-sized birds […]
Continue readingIf you’re searching for a new binocular, you’ve probably seen numbers like 10×42 or 8×32 on them. At first, these binocular numbers may seem hard to decipher, but understanding them is crucial for buying the right pair. Don’t be confused if you’ve come across a pair of 10×42 binoculars. Keep reading to find out what […]
Continue readingLight is such a fundamental part of our lives. From the moment we’re born, we are showered with all kinds of electromagnetic radiation, both colorful, and invisible. Light travels through the vacuum of space at 186,828 miles per second as transverse waves, outside of any material or medium, because photons—the particles that make up light—also […]
Continue readingHave you ever found yourself confused between buzzards and vultures? Many people use these words interchangeably to define the same bird often. However, vultures are pretty different from buzzards in many ways. For instance, a vulture is labeled as scavenging prey, while a buzzard is a unique bird of prey. Vultures have two different types, […]
Continue reading