NASA's Fermi Telescope Finds Giant Structure in our Galaxy

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has unveiled a previously unseen structure centered in the Milky Way. The feature spans 50,000 light-years and may be the remnant of an eruption from a supersized black hole at the center of our galaxy.

"What we see are two gamma-ray-emitting bubbles that extend 25,000 light-years north and south of the galactic center," said Doug Finkbeiner, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., who first recognized the feature. "We don't fully understand their nature or origin."


Watch the video ...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GLAST/news/new-structure.html

US team lauds maths teaching in India

JAIPUR: An American delegation, comprising 32 mathematicians from various educational institutions, visited Subodh Public School on Saturday. John W Lot, director, Centre for Excellence, University of Mississippi, in his keynote address said the methods and methodology used in India for teaching mathematics is far superior to the US. The delegation discussed the mathematics curriculum, CCE pattern and various activities in related to teaching and learning of mathematics.

At the interactive session, the delegates discussed the methods making maths more interesting. The also appreciated the reasons school teachers here teach Vedic and commercial maths to students besides geometry in smart classrooms.

The delegation commented there was a lot of interest in Indian mathematics across the globe. They admitted that a sizeable number of US nationals opting for mathematics as a career are of Indian origin. "The maths curricula adopted in Indian schools is very effective and sound then US," added Lot.

They also interacted with students and found them intelligent when it comes to basics of maths. Bela Joshi, principal, Subodh School, said, "The found maths laboratory very interesting and innovative." 

Read more: US team lauds maths teaching in India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/US-team-lauds-maths-teaching-in-India/articleshow/6922212.cms#ixzz16BS7nm1i

Should a class X CBSE students Opt for giving the External Exam or should they settle for the Internal School Exams ?

The CBSE has sought to strengthen the educational system by brining out the Examination reforms and has introduced the Comprehensive Continuous Evaluation (CCE) system for std. IX and X. 

The CCE is basically a school based evaluation system rather than the currently followed external examination. CCE addresses a more holistic assessment of the students.

While introducing the new system, the board has also retained board’s external examination which is optional. There are nearly eight lakh students for the CBSE Examination this year. Hence the question in every student’s mind is “Whether to opt for Board exams 2011 or not?”

Here are a few points which should be noted before arriving at any decision.

There are two types of schools under the CBSE System,

i)  Secondary schools that have classes only up to std X only. ( Such as in states like Maharashtra where the 11^th and 12^th fall under the term Junior College.)

ii)  Senior secondary schools that have classes up to XII.

In the first case the students have no option but to go for the External Examination system as they must necessarily  leave the CBSE system and follow the State Board System.

( Note : Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Mrs. D. Purandeswari, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today, has clarified that students studying in CBSE's Secondary Schools will be required to appear in the Board's 'External Examination' because they will be leaving the Secondary School after Class 10. )

In the second case there exist three options

a) To rely on the new CCE System.

This option is only available to those who wish to continue in the CBSE board and in the same school.

b) To opt for the external External examination system.

This option is suitable if the student wishes to change either the school or the board or both.

c)  To do both the CCE and external examination.

This option is suitable for those students…

·        who want to be assessed independently on their Academic performance.

·        who wish to keep their options of choice of change of board or school open.

·        who do not trust the efficacy of the New System prefer the Time Tested old system.

·        who are better at achieving grades with intensive study rather than a Continuous study.

·        Who wish to make up in the external examination if they feel that they have not performed well in the CCE.

The New System if implemented in the right perspective will surely boost academic performance and rote learning based exam stress.

Dev Lulla.

For any query regarding this article please email : devlulla@yahoo.com

Magnetic Portals Connect Earth to the Sun

During the time it takes you to read this article, something will happen high overhead that until recently many scientists didn't believe in. A magnetic portal will open, linking Earth to the sun 93 million miles away. Tons of high-energy particles may flow through the opening before it closes again, around the time you reach the end of the page.

"It's called a flux transfer event or 'FTE,'" says space physicist David Sibeck of the Goddard Space Flight Center. "Ten years ago I was pretty sure they didn't exist, but now the evidence is incontrovertible."

Indeed, today Sibeck is telling an international assembly of space physicists at the 2008 Plasma Workshop in Huntsville, Alabama, that FTEs are not just common, but possibly twice as common as anyone had ever imagined.

Right: An artist's concept of Earth's magnetic field connecting to the sun's--a.k.a. a "flux transfer event"--with a spacecraft on hand to measure particles and fields. ( to read more http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/30oct_ftes/)

Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks August 12th.

Every year in August, the Earth passes through rock and dust fragments left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, last time it came near the Sun. As these small particles collide with the Earths atmosphere, they burn-up, often creating a startling streak of light across the sky.
The term 'Perseid', refers to the star constellation of Perseus. The meteors actually have nothing to do with the stars we see from Earth, as being part of Perseus. It just appears as though the meteors originate from Perseus. The Perseid meteor shower actually starts in late July and runs to late August. However, the best time to view is around the peak.

Coronal Mass Ejection – Large Solar Storm Headed For Earth (Video)

An Introduction to Solar Storms