Image credit:  Andrew Davidhazy, Rochester Institute of Technology

Schlieren Optics

This is a Schlieren image (hi-res version), which reveals differences in the density of air around the candles. For more information, visit Schlieren Optics and Schlieren Photography Principles.

For more schlieren images, please see the Science Photo Library and search for "schlieren."

(This feature was updated on November 30, 2009.)

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Edison Invents!

Visit this site, Edison Invents!, for the story of Thomas Edison, produced by the Lemelson Center of the Smithsonian Institution. You'll find a pictorial history of his life, his bio, a matching game of his inventions, and even an activity to make a light bulb.

This feature was updated on November 30, 2009.

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Image credit: Super-Kamiokande Collaboration

Nova: Hunting Solar Neutrinos

This image (hi-res version) shows the neutrino emission from the sun. Neutrinos are uncharged and massless or nearly massless particles that hardly interact at all with ordinary matter. For more than 30 years, there was a discrepancy between theory and experiment called the solar neutrino problem. To learn about the resolution of this problem, visit Nova: Hunting Solar Neutrinos, a NOVA interview with John Bahcall.

Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity

To learn about the Marie Curie's investigations of radioactivity, visit The Discovery of Polonium and Radium, part of the Center for the History of Physics' online exhibit on Marie Curie. Check out the whole exhibit at Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity.

(This feature was updated on July 5, 2013.)