A lot of press has been given to the so called doomsday prediction linked to the end of the Maya long-count calendar. Doom mongers suggest that the end of this calendar indicates that the Maya believed the world would come to an end via some cosmic disaster or social disorder. In reality, the end of the Maya long-count calendar simply indicates the end of a period of time that has been tracked by this ethnic group for thousands of years. It is just like the end of our calendar. Just because the last day has been marked off on your Joke-a-Day calendar does not mean that no other days will exist beyond today. It just means that a new period of time, in this case a new year, will begin and the annual calendar will be refreshed for the next year.

So why are so many people panicking over the date December 21, 2012? A lot has to do with the fact that every generation has end-of-times prophesies that they promote and believe in. This fear is linked to human psychology that fears the unknown. We do not know what will happen in one year, or ten years. It is because these unknowns exist, that humans have to find a way to gain control over time and space, through the creation of end-of-days predictions and prophesies. These things give us a mythology to explain what will happen in the future. Regardless if they come true or not, they give us some piece of mind.

So how much energy would it take to destroy the earth, or to at least bring about mass extinctions on the planet? This is a question that you can approach in your next science fair project. In your project do not forget to think about what could produce the amount of energy needed to create various levels of destruction on the planet.

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Well it has finally happened. After years of searching space for possible earth-like planets, a couple have been found. The tool used to find these new planets was the Kepler Space Telescope. What this indicates is that earth-like conditions are possible on other planets, however, size alone does not indicate the possibility of life.

In addition to having the right size for supporting life on an alien planet, the right chemical properties are also necessary. For example, on earth we know that life needs oxygen and water, therefore, we assume that life on other planets will also need these chemical components. However, recent findings on the planet earth also found life being supported on other chemical foundations. Extremophiles found in the darkness of deep oceans, are living off of silicates and other chemical bases.

Temperature also plays an important role in the likelihood that life exists on other planets. The “Goldilocks Zone” is a term that is used to describe the temperature range that can support life. The temperature cannot be too cold or too hot. It has to be “just right.” To ensure the right mixture of hot and cold, the planet has to orbit so that its entire surface is exposed to periods of star thermal energy and deep space coolness. It also means that the planet cannot be too close or too far away from the star that it orbits.

With all of these requirements it is easy to see why so many scientists do not think that life on other planets is probable. However, if life can survive in non-earth-like conditions then the probability of life increases. For this year’s astronomy science fair project, think about what life would be like if it evolved in an environment unlike what is found on earth. What physical adaptations would be necessary?

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The images looks like what called a Martian skylight which a hole in the roof of a cave on Mars

The 16 courgeous students were participating in the Mars Student Imaging Program at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University. This program gives students the opportunity to writre a research question and then engage a Mars-orbiting camera to take an image to answer their question

The newfound hole on Mars resembled features seen on other parts of Mars in a 2007 study by Glen Cushing, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist. Read the rest of the article at Yahoo News….

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You can use this formula to collect data for your entry into a science fair competition

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Kepler introduced multiple theories that related to the movement of the planets. His second law was that “a planet moves so that its radius vector sweeps out equal areas in equal times.”

 You can use this information to create an astronomy science fair project for a science fair competition

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Kepler’s 1st Law: The orbits of the planets are ellipses. the sun is at one focus of the eclipse.

Kepler’s 2nd Law: The imaginary line that or distance between the planets and the sun stay equal distance as a planet travels around the eclipse.

Investigate and find out what the 3rd law is -:0)

You can utilize science posters plus to gain more insights into the universe.

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When we gaze at the night sky do you believe that you are looking at the universe as it exists?

Actually, many of the photons that you are seeing have traveled for billions of years to get here and the stars that produce that light have already left for other destinations.

Because of this phenomenon… the vast distances between us and the stars and the changing configuration of the universe… it is difficult for us to know exactly the true nature of the celestial world.

The one thing that has been figured out is that the universe is 13.7 billion years and and is continually expanding.

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The first thing that you can do to make your science fair project experience less intimidating is to focus on a topic that is interesting to you. For example, if you enjoy star gazing or science fiction related to space travel, then consider focusing on astronomy. This field of science has a lot to offer students working on science fair projects.

Within the subject of astronomy are volumes of possible science fair project topics. You can look at stars, galaxies, gravity, black holes, worm holes, super novas, the Big Bang Theory and even the speed of light. Each of these topics have dozens of possible sub topics and topic options.

Once you have a topic that looks interesting you need to find a unique angle or approach to that topic that will allow you to create a science fair project. This focusing of your topic step by step is the best approach.

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A recent study that used NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope discovered that a significant percentage of nearby sun-like stars have dust clouds that orbit them. This means that the building materials for Earth-like planets are present and this increases the chances that such a planet may be developing or may have already developed. According to the findings of this study, there should be Earth-like planets in between 10 and 62 percent of the sun-like star orbits.

If you are planning a solar system unit, then it is important that you supplement your discussions with new findings like the ones mentioned in this posting. The problem with using text books to teach evolutionary classes like science, is that by the time the text has been written, edited, published and distributed, the information is already out-of-date. That is why you need to supplement text books with current science events, news articles and findings.

Science news blurbs can be great sources for outstanding science fair project ideas in addition to in class science projects and demonstrations. For help finding science news summaries and ideas about designing and developing science fair projects, return to this blog each Friday.

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