I hope they give you a "tail"-gunner. Someone has to be covering your... well, you know...!

* Today on SPACE.TV: Black Hole Diving http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/spacetv/ Astronomer David Meier on the Universe's Most Extreme Sport

Hey folks! I was just reading the bubble article--that is some crazy stuff they're talking about. I guess it makes some sense in a bizarre sort of way, but these are the types of articles that make me wonder which end of the scientific process these people started at. In other words, did they try to fit a black hole into a bubble shape or did they start out with a black hole and somehow end up with a bubble? Did that make sense? Does it matter? Should I just go back to my research paper?! ~A very loopy Lu

John is the resident physicist and I am letting him field your question. Alas, he is socially involved this week with family and friends so we will have to wait our turn. Lu, it is always good to see you hanging out. Too much researching can warp your mind and ruin your disposition. Kick your shoes off and wiggle your toes in the virtual warm Hawaiian sand.

virtual warm Hawaiian sand. Girl, you have no idea. I'm seriously looking into working on Marimed's new ship next fall just for an excuse to be in HI. ~Lu

You won't be disappointed with Hawaii, Lu. In fact we have several Black Holes here but one is currently busy melting and expelling molten rock. It is the only volcano on earth you can study up close and live to tell about it. Black Holes of the non-terrestrial nature are located by using the magnifiers atop Mauna Kea. By all means, do see the outer islands and not just Oahu.

Yes, I have a friend who is studying vulcanology at UH Manoa who promised to take my boyfriend and me for a hike at Kiluea next time we're out there. He says to wear sacrificial sneakers though because "sometimes the soles get a little melted." Eeek. I got a taste of nearly all the islands this past summer (but only a taste) on the Californian. They are all amazing and totally different! My next big goal (though it will probably take a few years to achieve) is to sail on the new SEA vessel "the Bob" out to the NW Hawaiian chain. Very cool. Vaguely on topic, I'm studying for my astro final right now but my course this semester is on the solar system so not quite appropriate for this topic. Pretty good stuff though. Did you guys know that you're just as likely these days to be hired by NASA as a biologist than as an astrophysicist etc? We had two lectures on "exobiology." It ain't exactly ET, but very cool! ~Lu

Very cool indeed, is exobiology. Far out, too. How great that you have a freind at Manoa. My son got his geology degree there. I've melted my bootbottoms more than once, but I am still on my original pair. Unless you are doing the summit trail of Mauna Loa you probably will not need anything stronger than Vibram soles and nylon webbing or leather boots for your feet. Sneakers are definitely OUT of the question! Good luck on your astro final!

Anti-matter made easy - on paper http://physicsweb.org/article/news/6/8/11 Particle physicists have to overcome many obstacles in their efforts to understand the fundamental nature of matter and its interactions. The accelerators and detectors used in high-energy physics push modern technology to the limit, and massive computer power is needed to analyse the results of the experments. But sometimes particle physicists must overcome smaller problems - like how do you quickly place a line over a letter or character in a Word document to represent an anti-particle? This problem has now been solved by a team of physicists at the University of Mississippi-Oxford in the US.

Black Hole Sound Waves Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have detected, for the first time, sound waves rumbling away from a supermassive black hole. The "note," about 57 octaves lower than middle-C, is the deepest ever detected from an object in our Universe. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/09sep_blackholesounds.htm?list89800

Virtual Trips to Black Holes and Neutron Stars by Robert Nemiroff (Michigan Technological University) Ever wonder what it would look like to travel to a black hole? A neutron star? If so, you might find this page interesting. Here you will find descriptions and MPEG movies that take you on such exciting trips. These movies are scientifically accurate computer animations made with strict adherence to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The descriptions are written to be understandable on a variety of levels - from the casually curious to the professionally inquisitive. It is hoped that students from grade school to graduate school will find these virtual trips educational. "A stimulating, relativistically accurate trip!" - Kip Thorne The Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology, Author of "Black Holes and Time Warps - Einstein's Outrageous Legacy" http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_bht.html

It's a way cool site, get to visit black holes!

that is pretty neat!

That is a way cool site, Terry. Thanks. I may just link it to Geo 15 for kids. They understand much of this I am still struggling with.