Medium-sized Black Holes

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Math Blaster

Did you and your Blaster know that black holes come in two extremes – the petite ones with a mass that is only 10 times that of our sun, and monstrous ones that have a mass equivalent to 10 billion suns? However, NASA recently found some interesting data that shows that we may found a new medium-sized category of black holes.

Photo by Hubble Heritage

Photo by Hubble Heritage

Although scientists is yet to determine what caused the formation of intermediate-sized black holes, with theories surrounding the notion of clustering and merging of stars, evidence shows that the proposed medium-sized black holes came from objects called ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), where the black hole feeds off a normal star. The feeding process is similar to that of supermassive black holes, but less messy. While supermassive black holes are located at the cores of galaxies, ULXs are scattered throughout the galaxies.

Astronomers found that a ULX located 13 million light-years away has a mass that is about 100 times of our sun, which puts it right at the border between small and medium black holes. However, some scientists made the conclusion that the evidence showing the ultraluminous quality of these objects are caused by the high rate of material absorption, not from the size. Therefore, the existence of medium-sized black holes has yet to be determined.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Math Blaster

Fellow Blasters, we hope you have a galactic size and futuristic Halloween party with your friends and family tonight! Are you going to dress up as an astronaut or an alien creature this year? Be sure to spend some time before your Halloween celebration to brush up your science, space and math knowledge in Math Blaster so you can show off in front of your friends! Also, play a silly prank on your BFFs in Math Blaster by morphing them into crazy alien creatures!

MBRedAlien

To add a spookier vibe to your home, make a few Halloween decorations with your family and friends! Let us know what your spine-chilling plans are for this haunting night in the comment below, and have a frighteningly fun and fantastic night!

Filed under: Current Events, Family Fun, Game, holidays, Just for Fun, Online Games for Kids | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

SPECIAL MISSION coming to Math Blaster soon!

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Math Blaster

Get hyped for a new exciting galactic adventure because Max has decided to put our cadets to a test! Next week, Max will assign a ONE-DAY ONLY special mission to each of our blasters. Completing this mission will help you earn 500 FREE credits! Check back next week for the complete list of instructions and more details!

Math Academy

Reaching the stars is the limit to this mission. Are you ready for the challenge?

Filed under: Behind the Scenes, Free Online Games, Math Blaster Mission, Online Games for Kids, Technology and Kids | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

The Final Frontier: NASA’s Spacecraft the First to Enter the Interstellar Space

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Math Blaster

After 35 years of travelling through space, NASA’s Voyager 1 made a historical leap out of our solar system, making it the first spacecraft to venture into what is known as interstellar space. Interstellar space refers to the area between giant stars that died millions of years ago. It is a space that is dominated by plasma or ionized gas. Recent data shows that the Voyager is currently in this transitional region right outside of our solar system, which is 19 billion kilometers away from our sun.

Photo by NASAblueshift

Although the Voyager’s plasma sensor has been ineffective since 1980, the massive burst of solar wind and magnetic field from our sun made the plasma around the spacecraft to vibrate, allowing the researchers to understand the density of the plasma. From this incident, scientists are able to determine the vibration of the plasma is 40 times denser than the measurement taken in the outer layer of the heliosphere, which is a sort of bubble of charged particles that surrounds our sun. The change in density indicates a new region in space and the new data matches very well with what the researchers expect to find in interstellar space.

The NASA engineers carefully calculated and managed the Voyager’s resources to ensure that it can still send data back to Earth at least through 2020. The signals emitted from Voyager 1 are weak, at about 23 watts, which is the power of a refrigerator light bulb. Even traveling at the speed of light, it takes about 17 hours for the signals to reach Earth.

Voyager 1 has gone beyond any probe has ever gone, and it is continuing to reach for the undisturbed part of interstellar space, where there is no influence from our sun. Although scientists are not certain whether Voyager 1’s twin, Voyager 2, can cross into interstellar space, they believe it is very close behind.

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A Caterpillar-shaped Star Discovered by NASA

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Math Blaster

Have you and your Blasters been keeping up with recent space news? NASA recently found a protostar that is a light-year-long and shaped like a caterpillar. Protostars are knots in its early evolutionary stage, and by collecting gas, dust and other materials from its surrounding region, a protostar may eventually evolve and become young stars.

Cosmic Caterpillar

Photo by NASA

The irregular shape of the star “wanna-be” is caused by the harsh winds from 65 of the hottest, brightest known stars, classified as O-type stars. These stars are blasting ultraviolet radiation at the protostar, effectively dissolving the envelop around it. This sculpts the gas and dust surrounding the protostar into its elongated shape.

Spectroscopic observations show that the protostar is still collecting materials to bulk up its mass. Scientists predict that the final masses of these young stars from that region of the universe may be 1 to 10 times that of our Sun. However, if the O-type stars continue to erode the envelop with radiation, the final masses may reduce. Moreover, to tell whether the stars formed will be “heavy” or “light”, we can only wait.

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Max’s Marvelous Missions

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Math Blaster

Attention Cadets! We have an EXCITING mission for you. Max is planning a special Math Blaster challenge known as “Max’s Marvelous Missions”. Starting next week, our top Blasters will send you off on a photo scavenger hunt unlike any other. Joining this challenge, you will need to complete a series of tasks around the space station, and report back to Max with screenshots that shows that you have completed each assignment. After submitting your photos to the Math Blaster team, you have the chance to win a few extra coins to be used around the space station.

ImageThe first activity might feel a bit simple to all you experienced and accomplished Blasters out there, but the level of difficulty for each of the following tasks will only increase. Along the way, you might need to wrangle a few aliens, morph your fellow cadets into crazy creatures, or battle another mutt in Nebula Knockout. When it comes to Max’s Marvelous Missions, don’t be afraid to turn to your fellow blasters for help. After all, we are all about working together, here in the I.S.P!

ImageDo you think you have what it takes to complete this out of the world challenge? Join us next week for the start of Max’s Marvelous Missions and you’ll have a chance to win!

Filed under: Free Online Games, Game, Math Blaster Mission, Monster Mutts, Online Games for Kids | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Landsat 5 Satellite Sets World Record

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Math Blaster

Decades after Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union, there are still records being set by satellites in outer space. For example, the Landsat 5, a satellite launched by NASA on March 1, 1984, has just recently set a world record for being the longest orbiting satellite in history.

Landsat 5 was initially launched as a cooperative effort between NASA and USGS (United States Geological Survey) to take satellite photographs of the Earth using a multi-spectral scanner system and a thematic mapper. The photographs the Landsat 5 has taken over the years show how the world has been changing from shrinking glaciers and forests to wildfires and volcanoes. Through the years, these photos have helped scientists understand how the world is changing and how people are changing it.

It is hard to believe that the Landsat 5 has survived in space for almost 29 years. When it had first launched into space, Ronald Reagan was president and the country was gearing up for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which seems like ages ago.

The Landsat 5 has orbited the Earth more than 150,000 times, which means that it has traveled over four billion miles in space. Not bad for a satellite that was only supposed to last for three years.

Filed under: Current Events, Parents and Kids, Science Facts, Technology and Kids | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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