Science

DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!

Amazingly well-timed photos of ISS silhouetted against moon, sun

Amazingly well-timed photos of ISS silhouetted against moon, sun

Both these remarkable shots were captured from the ground by French astrophotographer Thierry Legault.

The first, showing the ISS passing in front of the full moon, was taken from Avranches, France, at 21:34 UTC on December 20, 2010. The space station, of course, is much closer to the camera than the moon is, and is moving at 7.5 km/s relative to the ground, the upshot of which is that this photograph was only possible for the 0.55 seconds it took the ISS to pass in front of the moon. Monsieur Legault knew that, in advance, planned for it, and got the shot.

The second, even more remarkable photograph, shows a double partial eclipse of the sun, most obviously by the moon, to lower left, but also, again, by the ISS. The small dark spot to lower right is a sun spot larger than the Earth itself. This photograph was only possible for a 0.86 second window at 9:09 UTC on on January 4th, 2011, from Muscat, Oman. Again, Legault carefully planned for that moment, traveled to Oman, and got the shot.

M. Legault’s website is absolutely chock-a-block with stunning astrophotography and is well worth the click. Just be prepared to spend some time gawking. [via Neatorama]

Solar Vox on Kickstarter

Solar Vox on Kickstarter

We covered the work of Eric Strebel in the lead-up to Maker Faire Detroit. He contributed to our “Making Detroit” series. Now he and partner Jim Nogarian have brought their design for the Solar Vox personal USB solar charger to Kickstarter. They’re looking for $35,000 in funding to bring their product to market. Solar Vox […]

Modernist fish-condo

Modernist fish-condo

I agree with longtime MAKE pal Alan Dove that this modernist fish tank is just “crying out for a re-make.” Also, anyone curious about building their own fish tanks should check out this tutorial over at Cichlid-forum.com. [Thanks, Alan!] More: Infinity-pool fish tank Lego fish tank Fish swim around the house, in a custom aquarium […]

Make: Projects – Kinect privacy shield from Kinect packing foam

My new Kinect is a very cool toy, but it was not lost on me, as I was plugging it in, that I’d given the Microsoft hive-mind a pretty sophisticated set of eyes and ears onto my living room. Sure, I suppose I could only plug it in when I’m using it, but I’m kind of a neat freak about my entertainment center wiring and I don’t want to be digging the Xbox out every time I decide I want certain privacy. Some kind of lens-cap arrangement seemed the easiest solution, and making it out of the foam that the Kinect came packed in avoids the danger of picking some material that might scratch the device or otherwise be incompatible with it over the long term.

Math Monday: Temari balls

Math Monday: Temari balls

By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics Temari balls are a traditional Japanese craft in which colored thread is applied to a sphere in a geometric pattern. This is a modern example, given to me by the Japanese master Kiyoko Urata. There has been a repopularization of temari recently by people such as Carolyn […]