energy Reference Libraries
The prominent feature that allows for the existence of life on Earth is the Sun. Radiation from our closest star provides heat and energy to our planet, driving biological processes and providing the necessary conditions for liquid water to naturally exist. But our Sun is only but one star in this vast Universe. And as it turns out, most stars are quite different than the one that...
The Antarctic Sea Urchin (Sterechinus neumayeri), is a species of sea urchin in the family Echinidae. It is found in the Antarctic Ocean living on the seafloor. It is common around the circumpolar waters, including the Balleny Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Terra Nova Bay, and Victoria Land. It is found at depths of about 820 feet. The colors of this species range...
The bolometer, invented in 1878 by Samuel Pierpont Langley, measures the energy of incident electromagnetic radiation. It consists of an absorptive element connected to a heat sink through a thermal link. The absortive element raises its temperature above that of the heat sink when radiation impinges on it. The higher the energy the higher the temperature rises. Old bolometers used metals while...
A gas stove is a cooking device which uses natural gas, propane, butane, Liquefied petroleum gas or other flammable gas as a fuel source. Since the gas pipe network was slow to develop, the success of the gas stove on a commercial level took some time to happen. Gas stoves were invented as early as the 1820's as isolated experiments but it was not until the 1880's that manufactured stoves...
A Vortex (plural: vortices) is a spinning, often turbulent, mass of flowing fluid. Any spiral movement with a closed streamline is considered vortex flow. The speed and rate of rotation of a vortex is always greatest at the center, with progressively decreasing speed away from the center. The fluid pressure is lowest in the center of the vortex, and rises further from the center (Bernoulli's...
Turbulence (or turbulent flow) is characterized by chaotic, random property changes. Turbulence occurs with low momentum diffusion (spreading of atmospheric properties), high momentum convection (vertical transference of atmospheric properties), and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in both space and time. A flow that is not turbulent is known as laminar flow. A vortex moving at low...
Bursera graveolens or Palo Santo is a tree indigenous to South America in Argetina, Paraguay, Boliva and coastal areas of Ecuador. Palo Santo means "holy wood" in English and belongs in the same family as frankincense and myrrh. Although it has been used in homeopathic medicine for years, most recently it is the extraction of essential oils that has put this plant in the spotlight....
The Exotic Shorthair, a cross between the American Shorthair and the Persian is a breed of cat first created in the 1960s. The breed is often referred to as the "Lazy man's Persian" because it has the same body type and personality as a Persian but lacks the long haired coat that requires so much grooming. The body of the Exotic Shorthair is round, compact, powerful, and low to the ground....
Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground either by underground mining, open-pit mining or strip mining. It is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock. It is composed primarily of carbon and hydrocarbons, along with assorted other elements, including sulfur. Often associated with the Industrial Revolution, coal remains an enormously important fuel and is the most...
Supernova -- A supernova is a star that increases its brightness drastically within a matter of days, making it appear as if a "new" star was born (hence "nova"). The "super" prefix distinguishes it from a mere nova, which also involves a star increasing in brightness, though to a lesser extent and through a much different mechanism. Astronomers have classified supernovae in several...
