TerraFly
http://www.terrafly.com/
Associated with the School of Computer Science at Florida International University, the High Performance Database Research Center (HPDRC) released TerraFly in November 2001, a Web-based application that allows users to view Geographic Information Systems (GIS) images. In agreement with TerraFly, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) provides the project with many of its satellite images in exchange for a public service: free Web-based access to its application. Through a rather sophisticated Java applet, users have a bird's eye view of the images, much like other Internet services have provided in the past, such as TerraServer (last mentioned in the June 28, 1998 Scout Report). TerraFly, though, improves the still picture delivery of these services by enabling users to view the images continuously and seamlessly, giving the user a feeling of "flying over" the photographed land areas. Different resolutions are available, and the interface is extremely slick though somewhat complicated initially. Users of low bandwidth or active memory should be wary; the applet demands a lot from your computer. Also, even though access to the Web-based application is free through the USGS agreement, users should be aware that the TerraFly Project seems to have mostly commercial motivations. (Note: This reviewer had difficulty using Terrafly with Mac Netscape 4.7. Mac Internet Explorer functioned properly.) This site is also reviewed in the April 5, 2002 Scout Report. [TS]
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The Degree Confluence Project
http://www.confluence.org/
The goal of the Degree Confluence Project is to have an organized sampling of the world by visiting each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world and take pictures at each location. Started by Alex Jarrett in February of 1996, there are currently 12,542 photographs taken by different people in 87 countries, along with narratives describing the adventures it took to get there. Visitors of the site can view the photographs and read the interesting stories, as well as learn how to find and take pictures of the degree confluence near them. [JAB]
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Magnet Man: Cool Experiments with Magnets
http://www.execpc.com/~rhoadley/magindex.htm
Developed by magnet enthusiast Rick Hoadley, this site for middle and high school students is no-nonsense in style. The explanations and experiments on this page are designed around a series of increasingly more complex issues of magnetism from What is magnetism? to Build your own Gaussmeter (a device that measures the strength of a magnet). Each experiment is systematically written in clear terms with images for crucial steps. Mr. Hoadley even offers price estimates for each item needed to perform the experiment. To continue learning about magnetism, brief resource lists for additional Web resources and books on magnets are also offered. [DJS]
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Eclipse Home Page
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html
Whatever else one might say about the subject, eclipses are events not to be missed. So, if you're tired of missing eclipses because you just aren't sure when they are going to occur, or where, you no longer have such an excuse, as this site lists all eclipses, lunar and solar, past and present, and their ideal viewing locations all over the planet. Sponsored and maintained by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the site offers information for anyone interested in astrophysical events, especially planetary conjunctions. For each eclipse featured on the site, date and time are listed first, followed by additional facts and figures, including detailed charts of the course of planetary alignments that indicate, among other things, duration and magnitude of the event and the locations where it can best be viewed. Particularly worth visiting is the Seven Thousand Year Catalog of Very Long Eclipses. And, for those just starting out, there is a beginner's introduction to the study of eclipses. [WH]
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Science in Space [QuickTime]
http://www.lsc.org/spacescience/spacescience.html
Offered by the Liberty Science Center, the Science in Space Web site provides a visually pleasing way to explore topics about the sun. Links include Sunspots, Solar Wind, Solar Flares, Fusion, Plasma, Magnetic Fields, Earth's Atmosphere, and the Sun's Layers, all of which include subtopic links. Visitors will enjoy the simple descriptions and mix of multimedia offerings that culminates in a brief but well done site for interested surfers. [JAB]
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Near Real Time Earthquake List
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/
The United States Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center site offers readers near real time updates of seismological events worldwide. As one can gather from a glimpse at the report, our planet is in a near constant state of geophysical change and upheaval, given the numerous earthquakes registered on a daily basis by the NEIC, sometimes up to a dozen or more. Readers will discover that the NEIC Web site lists, in chronological order, the earthquakes of the past several days, each with its own hyperlink to separate pages that detail geographic location and magnitude of specific events, as well as the faults responsible for geological upsets. Beyond the above, the site lists activity for the past week and month -- all with charts, maps, and detailed descriptions of regions cited. [WH]
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Life, the Universe, and the Electron: An Exhibition to Celebrate the Centenary of the Discovery of the Electron [Quicktime, Shockwave]
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/electron/index.asp
Although earlier scientists argued these tiny subatomic particles (with a mass later discovered to be 9*10-31 kg or 1 two thousandth of the mass of a proton) must exist, no objective proof had been offered. While conducting experiments on cathode rays, J. J. Thomson "showed that cathode rays were particles with a negative electric charge and much smaller than an atom." These early experiments laid the foundation for our understanding of the atom and the birth of electronics. The exhibition follows this chronology of our evolving understanding of atomic structure and explains briefly each discovery along the way. This exhibition delivers each episode in the history of nuclear physics in a clear, straightforward manner and supplements essays with short animations and clips. Produced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the electron in 1997, this virtual exhibition from the Science Museum (London) and the Institute of Physics remains a useful and attractive learning tool for high school students and learners of all ages. [DJS]
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Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapses
http://nsidc.org/iceshelves/larsenb2002/index.html
The National Snow and Ice Data Center recently reported that a huge ice mass on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula has shattered and separated from the continent. The Web site provides a description of the event -- along with photographs, movies, and several informative links that include ones to additional articles written about the event. [JAB]
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