https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Texas State University New research from The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University uncovers a concerning decline in the state's groundwater resources, finding that the number of dry springs has nearly tripled since the early 1980s. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-texas-crisis-highlights-overwhelming-dry.html Environment Wed, 28 Feb 2024 17:04:02 EST news628362241 New research from an international team of scientists—including Mona Wells, director of climate science at The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University—finds significant flaws in the environmental management of the container ship industry and recommends new methods to streamline environmental impact assessments of container ship disasters. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-shortcomings-ship-industry-environmental-response.html Environment Wed, 05 Apr 2023 12:51:04 EDT news599917861 Johannes Vermeer is one of the most celebrated artists of the 17th century's Dutch Golden Age period. Widely known today for his "Girl with a Pearl Earring," he was famed for his mastery in rendering the effects of light and shadow. Nowhere is this technical precision more evident than in his masterpiece, "View of Delft", a vibrant cityscape that has captivated viewers for centuries. Because few details of Vermeer's life survive to the present day, little is known about when "View of Delft" was painted. Art historians have long assumed Vermeer painted it sometime during late spring or early summer of 1660. Based on the lighting, scholars have offered a wide variety of times of day: morning, mid-day, afternoon and sunset have all been mentioned. Now, a team of researchers led by Texas State University astronomer, physics professor emeritus and Texas State University System Regents' Professor Donald Olson has applied his distinctive brand of celestial sleuthing to Vermeer's masterpiece, using the artist's signature gift for depicting light and shadow to resolve the long-standing uncertainty over when it was painted. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-celestial-sleuth-vermeer-masterpiece-view.html Astronomy Wed, 15 Jul 2020 08:57:48 EDT news514022266 June 6 marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, arguably the biggest turning point of World War II. While the invasion of Normandy involved a never-before seen mobilization of people and resources, the role astronomy played in the operation's planning is often overlooked. https://phys.org/news/2019-06-full-moon-normandy-celestial-sleuth.html Space Exploration Wed, 05 Jun 2019 09:22:02 EDT news478945315 For decades, researchers believed the Western Hemisphere was settled by humans roughly 13,500 years ago, a theory based largely upon the widespread distribution of Clovis artifacts dated to that time. In recent years, though, archaeological evidence has increasingly called into question the idea of "Clovis First." https://phys.org/news/2018-07-gault-site-date-earliest-north.html Archaeology Mon, 16 Jul 2018 07:26:25 EDT news450944776 Legendary photographer Ansel Adams created many stunning black-and-white landscape images during his lifetime, and one of his most striking masterpieces is "Denali and Wonder Lake" (formerly known as Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake). https://phys.org/news/2018-04-documents-exact-ansel-adams-texas.html Space Exploration Wed, 04 Apr 2018 06:33:29 EDT news442042399 What do the moon, Jupiter and the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history have in common? Exactly 200 years ago they all combined to inspire renowned British Romantic poet Lord Byron in writing "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage," the work that made the poet famous. https://phys.org/news/2017-06-celestial-sleuth-lord-byron-stellar.html Space Exploration Wed, 28 Jun 2017 07:12:04 EDT news417852712 The Ring Nebula is one of the most spectacular deep-sky objects in the heavens. It is easily located by backyard astronomers, intensely studied by astrophysicists and relied upon for show-stopping images on countless book covers and calendar pages. https://phys.org/news/2017-04-celestial-sleuth-credits-messier-discovery.html Astronomy Mon, 24 Apr 2017 15:57:37 EDT news412268238 It is, perhaps, the most iconic kiss in American history—a U.S. sailor and a woman in white impulsively locking lips in New York City's Times Square to celebrate Japan's surrender and the end of World War II Aug. 14, 1945. https://phys.org/news/2015-06-afternoon-shadows-iconic-vj-day.html Space Exploration Tue, 23 Jun 2015 06:47:28 EDT news354260833 The Impressionist movement of the late 19th century takes its name from French artist Claude Monet's moody, dreamlike painting Impression, Soleil Levant (Impression, Sunrise). Now, Texas State University astronomer and physics professor Donald Olson has applied his distinctive brand of celestial sleuthing to Monet's masterpiece, uncovering new details about the painting's origins and resolving some long-standing controversies over what the canvas depicts and when it was painted. https://phys.org/news/2014-09-monet-impressionism-birth-dated-texas.html Other Wed, 03 Sep 2014 08:20:02 EDT news328947948 Famed French Impressionist Claude Monet created a striking scene of the Normandy coast in his 1883 painting, Étretat: Sunset. Now, a team of Texas State University researchers, led by astronomer and physics professor Donald Olson, has applied its distinctive brand of forensic astronomy to Monet's masterpiece, uncovering previously unknown details about the painting's origins. https://phys.org/news/2014-01-monet-cliff-sea-beckons-celestial.html Space Exploration Thu, 23 Jan 2014 08:00:01 EST news309684729 One of the turning points of the U.S. Civil War occurred during the Battle of Chancellorsville, May 2, 1863, when Confederate Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was mistakenly shot by his own troops and later died of complications from his wounds. His death deprived Confederate commander Robert E. Lee of his most daring and trusted general two months before the fateful Battle of Gettysburg. https://phys.org/news/2013-04-celestial-sleuths-moon-death-stonewall.html Space Exploration Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:21:52 EDT news286564852 (Phys.org)—A century ago, one of the most spectacular astronomical sights ever recorded lit up the skies when a grand procession of meteors blazed their way through the Earth's atmosphere. The event made headlines from Toronto to Pennsylvania and New York, and in the days that followed eyewitness reports poured in from as far away as Western Canada and Bermuda. https://phys.org/news/2013-01-celestial-sleuths-track-historic-meteor.html Space Exploration Thu, 24 Jan 2013 05:42:03 EST news278228415