It's Tolkien Tuesday once again, with a dash of chemistry: 《There is only one Lord of the Ring... and he does not share valence electrons!》 This post does not promote noble gases. Obviously.

First one down. Many more to go. US has a LOT of catching up on China to do

Someone asked me how fission-fragment propulsion works. Put nuclear fuel in thin structures. When the atoms split, the fission fragments come shooting out as heavy, fully-ionized ions. If you apply a strong magnetic field, they're accelerated out, thereby providing thrust.

I always found this dynamic entertaining to observe as a mathematics undergraduate: (1) Professor copies proofs from textbook onto sheet of paper. (2) Professor copies proofs from sheet of paper onto blackboard. (3) 200 students copy proofs from blackboard onto sheet of paper.

Chinese scientists have discovered iron oxides—hematite and maghemite—in lunar soil for the first time. It was believed that the Moon lacked the oxidative processes necessary for the formation of "rust." According to a new study, rust does form, but it requires truly extreme

Lincoln Cathedral

True story.

144 and 441 are mirror images of each other. A fun fact is that the same is true of their square roots 12 and 21.

The Fourier Transform, explained in one sentence by Stuart Riffle.

Immaculate landing.

(　・ω・)

🚨 This is the most AUTHORITARIAN move the government has made to date — and that’s a pretty high bar. David Lammy wants to scrap the right to trial by jury, a protection that dates back over 800 years to Magna Carta. Jury trials are a cornerstone of English liberty, and a

Radiation made visible☢️ 🎥 What you’re seeing here is a cloud chamber showing radiation from a piece of uranium ore!! Inside is chilled alcohol vapor. When a particle leaves the uranium, either an alpha, a beta or a secondary electron from a gamma ray, it ionizes the air just

Incredible scenes.

“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” — C S Lewis

David Lammy has launched the biggest assault on English liberty — particularly free speech — in over 800 years. This is one of the biggest fights the Free Speech Union has ever taken on. We are calling on the Government to guarantee our right to trial by jury. Our petition has

Full rotation of an incredibly high-definition moon! Beautiful. ♥️

The best stocking filler for the discerning fidget lord.

The Oort explains the comets.

Happy Christmas to all and sundry!