Earth Approximates Inertial Frame, Foundations of Relativity
The thread below is an example both of mind numbing idiocy and why on-line content is essentially useless because of A.I. and / or old fashioned ‘creative’ editing. The physics here is that to a good approximation over a short space of time, the surface of the Earth is an inertial frame of reference in Newtonian Mechanics. If you want to, you can measure the rotation over short timescales (a Foucault pendulum for example), and you can figure out it’s going around the Sun by looking out of the bloody window or doing a bit of astronomy. The statement of the equivalence of all inertial frames is a deep one and led historically (with inertial frames suitably defined) to General Relativity - see any book on the subject, including my last book on Black Holes - available from all good book shops ;-)
Artemis 2 Shows Earth’s Beauty Amid Global Challenges
Astonishing views at the moment of Earth getting closer from Artemis 2. An uplifting mission to the Moon during a difficult time on Earth - as was Apollo 8. https://t.co/vVNXyenwHG
First Massive LED Screen Debuts on Emergence Tour
Building the LED screen for the first really big show of the Emergence tour tonight in Gothenburg. https://t.co/UffRnRfixA
Revisiting H1: Mapping Proton Structure at DESY
Spent a day at my old PhD experiment at DESY in Hamburg. This is what remains of H1 - a particle detector that mapped the structure of the inside of the proton (and I used to explore Pomerons … but...
Apollo 8 Saved 1968; Artemis II Hopes to Save 2026
On my first Christmas Eve, Apollo 8 orbited The Moon and ‘saved 1968’. Good luck to Artemis II and may you save 2026! https://t.co/vVNXyenwHG
Europe Condemns UK's Self‑inflicted Collapse of Physics Research
A view from Europe on the self-inflicted damage to UK particle, astro and nuclear physics. What a mess this is.
New Song ‘Voyager’ Debuts in Upcoming European Shows
If you’re coming to any of the live shows in Europe over the next month or so, the song ‘Voyager’ that starts act 2 was written for the show by @PJHarveyUK and recorded at Miraval Studios last month. And yes,...
Kicking Off 200-Show ‘Emergence’ Tour in Helsinki
Just arrived in Helsinki for the first night of my ‘Emergence’ tour (if you don’t count warm ups). The first of at least 200 shows through ‘26, ‘27 and ‘28 … https://t.co/tc5N5lNcZO https://t.co/ZimoFkAxrY
Quantum Fluctuations During Inflation Shape Cosmic Patterns
This was a very good question from Ryan - why does the Universe on the largest scales resemble the Universe on the smallest scales? The answer, for the case of the distribution of galaxies on the sky, is that the...