Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 24, 2015

THE WORLD AROUND US

14

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 24, 2015 


COSMIC BURST OF RADIO WAVES

A strange phenomenon has been observed by 
astronomers right as it was happening—a “fast radio 
burst.” The eruption is described as an extremely 
short, sharp flash of radio waves from an unknown 
source in the universe. 

 Over the past few years, astronomers have 
occasionally observed this new phenomenon—a brief 
burst of radio waves lasting only a few milliseconds. It 
was first found by chance in 2007, when astronomers 
went through archival data from the Parkes Radio 
Telescope in Eastern Australia. Since then, six more 
such bursts have been discovered in the Parkes data, 
and a seventh burst was found in data from the 
Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico.

 A team of astronomers in Australia developed a 
technique to search for these bursts in real time. The 
technique worked, and now a group of researchers, 
led by Emily Petroff, Swinburne University of 
Technology in Melbourne, have succeeded in 
observing the first “live” burst with the Parkes 
telescope. One of the big unknowns of fast radio 
bursts has been their distances. The nature of this 
radio signal—the way it is ‘smeared out’ in frequency 
from travelling through space—indicate that the 
source of the new burst is as much as 5.5 billion light-
years away.

 As soon as the burst was observed, a number of 
other telescopes around the world were alerted—
both on the ground and in space—in order to make 
follow-up observations in other wavelengths.

 “Using the Swift space telescope, we can observe 
light in the X-ray region, and we saw two X-ray 
sources at that position,” explains Daniele Malesani, 
astrophysicist at the Dark Cosmology Center, Niels 
Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

 Then the two X-ray sources were observed using 
the Nordic Optical Telescope at La Palma. “We 
observed in visible light and we could see that there 
were two quasars, that is to say, active black holes. 
They had nothing to do with the radio wave bursts, 
but just happen to be located in the same direction,” 
explains astrophysicist Giorgos Leloudas, Dark 
Cosmology Center, Niels Bohr Institute, University 
of Copenhagen, and Weizmann Institute, Israel.

 So now what? Even though they captured the 
radio wave burst while it was happening and could 
immediately make follow-up observations at other 
wavelengths ranging from infrared light, visible 
light, ultraviolet light and X-ray waves, they found 
nothing. But did they discover anything?

 “We found out what it wasn’t. The burst could have 
hurled out as much energy in a few milliseconds as 
the Sun does in an entire day. But the fact that we 
did not see light in other wavelengths eliminates 
a number of astronomical phenomena that are 
associated with violent events—such as gamma-ray 
bursts from exploding stars and supernovae, which 
were otherwise candidates for the burst,” Malesani 
points out.

 But the burst left another clue. The Parkes 
detection system captured the polarization of 
the light. Polarization is the direction in which 
electromagnetic waves oscillate, and they can be 
linearly or circularly polarized. The signal from the 
radio wave burst was more than 20 percent circularly 
polarized, which suggests that there is a magnetic 
field in the vicinity of the source.

 “The theories are now that the radio wave burst 
might be linked to a very compact type of object—
such as a neutron star or black hole—and the bursts 
could be connected to collisions or ‘star quakes.’ Now 
we know more about what we should be looking for,” 
says Malesani.

 

 You can contact Bob Eklund at: mailto:b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com”


BOYS AND THEIR TOYS 


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

By Christopher Nyerges

[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere” and 
other books. He leads regular field trips and seminars. He 
can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041, or www.
SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.] 

 It does seem that some guys can never get enough toys. 
Like knives. Not that knives are toys – they’re not – but grown 
men who are still children at heart want objects that are 
intrinsically useful, valuable, which can still be pulled out to 
impress a friend, or even a stranger. 

I have long liked knives of all sorts. Even ancient cultures 
had their great diversity of broken and chipped rocks which 
were their knives. Those were used for money, to show tribal 
affiliation, and undoubtedly, the various craftsmen would 
compare and contrast two spear points, looking for nuances 
of meaning in the two points. 

 I find a knife indispensable. I presume that it has always 
been the most basic fundamental tool which distinguished 
mankind from the so-called lower animals who had lesser 
brain functions. And the idea that knives are beautiful, 
wonderful, and an intrinsic part of human life seems to be 
well accepted among the mainstream. My evidence: I saw a 
knife show on television, and all they did for more than an 
hour (before I turned it off) was to try to sell you a great deal 
on a special knife, but you had to hurry and buy now before 
the deal expired, or before they met their quota of “strictly 
limited to the first one million buyers.” Of course, there were 
no knives on that show that I would consider buying. Those 
were cheap knives for the masses. 

 I prefer to pay more for quality, or to buy from the maker. 
There’s something about knowing the person behind the 
knife, the person who has spent his (or her) life mastering the 
intricacies of knife-making and metallurgy who then goes on 
to actually produce beautiful, functional pieces of art. 

 Perhaps our knives are our ultimate mnenomic device, 
embodying all the things we did with it during last summer’s 
survival march, or the whole history of the evolution of 
that particular style of blade. There is much to talk about 
if you’re a boy with your toy. You pull out your knife, and 
a lot is evident immediately. Folder vs. sheath. Stainless vs. 
carbon. Leatherman vs. Victorinox. Big vs. small. From the 
obvious, many conversations emerge. If a folder, we look at 
the handle. Bone, plastic, wood, some sort of polycarbonate. 
Is one better than the other? Some folks think so. We open the 
various blades, and feel how it feels in the hand. Does it “walk 
and talk”? The walking – how well it opens without peeling 
off a fingernail, and we snap it open to hear it “talk.” Watch 
the boys as they compare their toys. This initial phase is like 
the opening of a sacred ceremony, and there is usually little 
talking, just observation and some “ahhs” and “wows.” 

 Yes, knives are the sacred objects of the boys who go to the 
woods. 

 Do you have any questions about knives? Send your 
questions to me. 

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were going into a 
store to do some shopping. Her idea, not mine. Halfway to the 
door, I noticed a penny on the ground so, being who I am, I bent 
over to pick up the penny. It is a habit I picked up the day I was 
born.

“What are you doing?” My wife gasped, thinking something was wrong.

 “I found a penny and I picked it up. Finder’s keepers, loser’s weepers.” And I threw a 
smile in her direction.

 She looked at me and said, “What in the world did you do that for?”

 “You know what they say, a penny saved is a penny earned.”

 “It’s just a penny. What in the world can you do with a penny?”

 As I stuffed the penny in my pocket, I looked at her and said, “I can stuff this penny in 
my pocket.” Then I gave her a sarcastic smile as wide as the Grand Canyon, but not quite 
as deep.

 She sadly shook her head as we went into the store together. I, one penny richer and 
smiling all the way. Pennies usually have that effect on me.

 I know a penny is not worth that much. I just cannot resist picking up a penny I find on 
the ground. I guess it is that Pennsylvania Dutch attitude I was born with. I never saw a 
penny I did not want to pick up.

 I can remember many a time at a checkout counter I was one or two pennies short and 
had to break a $20 bill. You know what it is like to break a $20 bill? So, I try to have a little 
backlog of pennies for just such emergencies, hoping I will never need them.

 Do not let this get around, but on my dresser in my bedroom is a jar full of pennies. I 
found them here and there. One time I remember finding 17 pennies on the ground in one 
spot. What a great day that was.

 My wife is always kidding me about this and when I am in some kind of meditative 
mood, or so I want her to think I am, she will direct this to me, “A penny for your thoughts!” 
I only look at her and smile, the temptation is there because I can always use another penny 
and how many thoughts are really worth a penny? Especially mine.

 Then a strange thing happened. We were home watching the news when the story of the 
day was somebody auctioned off a penny for 2 . million dollars. If you do not think that 
got my attention! Just one penny brought all that money.

 I know right here I would sell all of my pennies for half that amount. Anybody looking 
for a bargain? After all, I am not really greedy.

 I looked at my wife, smiled broadly, and said, “A penny for your thoughts!”

 “Who,” she finally said in a disgusting sort of tone, “would pay 2 . million dollars for 
one penny?”

 “I don’t know,” I retorted, “but I know who would sell one for 2 . million dollars.”

 She glanced towards the bedroom where my pennies were at I said, “Don’t even think 
it.”

 Then we both had a good laugh together.

 As much as I appreciate pennies, I am not going to go crazy about their value. I know a 
2 . million dollar penny is old and has quite a bit of history behind it, but it will be a long 
afternoon in the shower when I’m going to believe it’s worth that much money. Who in the 
world put such a value on a thing like that?

 I remember my father taking me to auctions and it always amazed me how much 
people would pay for some things. They get so excited in the bidding and trying to outbid 
somebody else that oftentimes they would pay twice as much as the object was really worth.

 I remember my father would always say after some outlandish bid, “I sure would’ve 
loved to have sold that to that guy.” Then he would stare out into space a little bit thinking 
about that whole idea. He always wanted to be the seller and not the buyer.

 Then my wife hit me with a difficult question. “Is there something you would never sell 
for 2 . million dollars?”

 What a loaded question. I am not even sure what 2 . million dollars is worth! I have 
never seen that much money in my whole life and probably never will. But some people 
have put value on certain things and are willing to part with something if someone comes 
up with the right price.

 People put value on things that really are not that important. An old penny worth 2 . 
million dollars cannot be used for anything practical. What can you buy with that penny? 
What is that man going to use that 2 . million dollar penny for? Just look at it?

 I think Solomon had the right idea when he wrote, “For wisdom is better than rubies; 
and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it” (Proverbs 8:11).

 Some things in life you cannot put a price on, it is a joy to discover those things and 
sometimes those things are people.

 

 Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 
34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 
or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net or website www.jamessnyderministries.com.


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