Wednesday, May 9, 2012

A ferrofluid droplet under the influence of a vertical magnetic field.
"The magnetosphere is shaped somewhat like a comet due to pressure of the solar wind. It is compressed on the side toward the sun and extends tail-like on the side away from the sun. The magnetosphere deflects the flow of most solar wind particles around the Earth and protects us from severe solar storms. Artist rendition of solar wind. (K. Endo / National Geophysical Data Center)." (Read more here.)
"Three objects are spinning so quickly that you only see a blur. The three objects are: a line that rotates to make a hyperboloid, a cube that rotates to make a combination of cones and hyperboloid, and three ellipses that rotate to make a cylinder. Pushing a button stops the spinning to reveal the object."