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The Fine Structure Constant
There's a unique, non dimensional atomic constant in physics known as “alpha” or the “Fine Structure Constant”. It is better known by it's reciprocal number which is essentially equivalent to 1/137. It is related to the probability of electrons or other charged particles absorbing or emitting photons, and is the ratio of the strength of electromagnetism compared to the strong nuclear force.
"It has been a mystery ever since it was discovered more than fifty years ago, and all good theoretical physicists put this number up on their wall and worry about it. Immediately you would like to know where this number for a coupling comes from: is it related to pi or perhaps to the base of natural logarithms? Nobody knows" Richard P. Feynman (1985). QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter. Princeton University Press. p. 129. |
The number is required to know how specific wavelengths of light interact in precise ways with atoms and how electromagnetic forces hold atoms together. Hence we know that this number is one of the core factors that determine the size of the atoms and, therefore, the form and structure of the universe.
To calculate α, you start with the square of an electron's charge, divide it by the speed of light and Planck's constant, then multiply the whole lot by two pi. The units of this number are coulombs, meters per second and joules per second but they cancel out, leaving a dimensionless ratio, applicable in any measurement system.
Remarkably, this value can be obtained from the two key creation verses in the Bible. Calculating the gematria values of Genesis 1:1 (2701) and John 1:1 (3627), we have:
To calculate α, you start with the square of an electron's charge, divide it by the speed of light and Planck's constant, then multiply the whole lot by two pi. The units of this number are coulombs, meters per second and joules per second but they cancel out, leaving a dimensionless ratio, applicable in any measurement system.
Remarkably, this value can be obtained from the two key creation verses in the Bible. Calculating the gematria values of Genesis 1:1 (2701) and John 1:1 (3627), we have:
- 27013627² = 7.29736...e14 (α to an accuracy of 99.999%)
- actual value α = 7.29735... x 10e-3
The inverse fine-structure constant is essentially equivalent to 1/137, although the precise figure is 137.035999786… Remarkably, it can be approximated by these elegant equations:
It can also be derived (to an accuracy of 99.9999%) using 137 and π in a Pythagorean triangle: The close relationship between π and the fine structure constant can be seen by adding the sum of the squares of the first 7 digits of π :
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The fine-structure constant controls how strong chemical bonds are, how we see light and the vast majority of the things in the world. It also controls fusion in stars, which is important as that’s how all the chemical elements are created. It governs—among other things—the energy levels of an atom formed from negatively charged electrons and a positive nucleus. When electrons jump between these energy levels, they absorb and emit light of particular frequencies. These frequencies show up as lines (dark for absorption; bright for emission) in a spectrum. When many different energy levels are involved, as they are in the spectrum of a chemically mixed star, the result is a fine, comb-like structure—hence the constant's name.
The fact that α is dimensionless has led some physicists to speculate that its value has some fundamental significance. It describes a fundamental property of the universe, and the question is whether its value is just an accident of how the universe happened to be put together, or whether its value is determined by some deep principle that we have yet to discover. What is the reason for this peculiar number which appears to underpin the whole of nature? Why alpha takes on the precise value it has, so delicately fine-tuned for life, is a deep scientific mystery.
If the value of α varied even slightly more or less, life as we know it could not exist on this planet.
If the value of α varied even slightly more or less, life as we know it could not exist on this planet.
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The separation of light from darkness, as governed by α, is intrinsic to the creation story. It is the subject of the Bible's fourth verse, and this verse has profound implications. Not only does it have a gematria value 1776, but the mysterious 137 also makes an appearance.
Word 37 in the Bible starts with letter 137. This occurs in the exact verse which describes the function of the fine structure constant, which has a gematria value of 1776.
A verse from the second book of Corinthians has an isopsephia value of 6577, where even the verse number indicates the fine structure constant:
- 37 x 48 = 1776
- α x 48 = 6577
A verse from the second book of Corinthians has an isopsephia value of 6577, where even the verse number indicates the fine structure constant:
- 2 Co 9:15 gives 2 + 9 x 15 = 137
Professor Laurence Eaves talks about the fine-structure constant.
Apollo in Pericolo - The Miracle in Space
The inverse value of the fine structure constant is a calculation of the velocity of the electron in the Bohr model divided by the speed of light in a vacuum. The Bohr model, introduced in 1913, depicts the electrons orbiting the nucleus much as a planet orbits the sun. Whilst planetary orbits are bound by gravity, the orbit of the electron is bound by electrostatic forces. The Bohr model has been superceded by more sophisticated models, which depict the electrons as a probability cloud. In the diagram of the helium atom, the position of the electrons are represented as a probability cloud. The electrons are more likely to be in the darker areas, but could be anywhere within the probability cloud.
Despite being superceded, the Bohr model accurately and quantitatively predicts the energy levels of one electron atoms (hydrogen). Using this model, the velocity of the hydrogen electron can be calculated using the formula v = h/2πmr where:
h = Planck's constant = 6.62606957 e-34 m² kg / sec
m = mass of electron = 9.10938215(45) e−31 kg
r = radius of electron orbit = 5.29177 e-11 m
Plugging the numbers into the formula gives the velocity of the hydrogen electron:
(6.62606957*10^-34)/(2π*9.10938215*10^-31*5.29177*10^-11) = 2,187,692 m / sec.
Dividing this by the speed of light (299,792,458m/ sec) calculates the inverse fine structure constant, or 1/137.0359.
The relationship between the hydrogen atom and the number 137 doesn't end there however. It turns out the electron wave frequencies of the hydrogen atom also reveal the mysterious 137.
h = Planck's constant = 6.62606957 e-34 m² kg / sec
m = mass of electron = 9.10938215(45) e−31 kg
r = radius of electron orbit = 5.29177 e-11 m
Plugging the numbers into the formula gives the velocity of the hydrogen electron:
(6.62606957*10^-34)/(2π*9.10938215*10^-31*5.29177*10^-11) = 2,187,692 m / sec.
Dividing this by the speed of light (299,792,458m/ sec) calculates the inverse fine structure constant, or 1/137.0359.
The relationship between the hydrogen atom and the number 137 doesn't end there however. It turns out the electron wave frequencies of the hydrogen atom also reveal the mysterious 137.
To recap for tor those who haven't read these pages sequentially, important gematria values to consider are:
Unix time is used in many computer operating systems to describe instants in time. The Unix epoch is the time 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, so a Unix timestamp of 8880888 represents the number of seconds since then.
Expressed in hours, the Unix timestamp 8880888 can therefore be represented as electron cloud (2,1). electron wave (6). This may be dismissed as mere coincidence, but at least consider the probability of this happenstance. Consider a range of numbers from 1 to 9999, and we need two of them. The number of combinations is 9999 x 9999 = 99,980,001. Of these, there are 81 possible combinations using the nine numbers from the above diagram. So the odds of this event happening are (9 x 9) in (9999 x 9999) or 1 in 1,234,321 - some coincidence!
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe." John 1:6-7
That the number 8880888 is the product of 2701 (Gen 1:1) and 3288 (first hydrogen electron wave) is even more remarkable when you consider the radius of the hydrogen atom (r), expressed in miles:
- 888 (Jesus)
- 1480 (Christ)
- 2701 (Genesis 1:1)
Unix time is used in many computer operating systems to describe instants in time. The Unix epoch is the time 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, so a Unix timestamp of 8880888 represents the number of seconds since then.
- 8880888 seconds = 148014.80 minutes
- 8880888 seconds = 2466.9133 hours
Expressed in hours, the Unix timestamp 8880888 can therefore be represented as electron cloud (2,1). electron wave (6). This may be dismissed as mere coincidence, but at least consider the probability of this happenstance. Consider a range of numbers from 1 to 9999, and we need two of them. The number of combinations is 9999 x 9999 = 99,980,001. Of these, there are 81 possible combinations using the nine numbers from the above diagram. So the odds of this event happening are (9 x 9) in (9999 x 9999) or 1 in 1,234,321 - some coincidence!
- 1234321 is a reflective number
- 2701 plus it's reflection 1072 = 3773
- 37 x 73 = 2701
- 2701 x 3288 = 8880888
- 8880888 / 137 = 64824
- 64824 / 37 = 1532
- 64824 / 73 = 888
- 1532 + 888 = 2640
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe." John 1:6-7
- in the original Greek, του φωτος ("the Light") has an isopsephia value of 2640
That the number 8880888 is the product of 2701 (Gen 1:1) and 3288 (first hydrogen electron wave) is even more remarkable when you consider the radius of the hydrogen atom (r), expressed in miles:
- Bohr radius = 5.2918 e-11 meters
- r (miles) = 5.2918 e-11 / 1609.344 = 3.288 e-14
- 3288 = 888 + 2400
- 2400 = 1480 (duodecimal)
- 3288 / 137 = 24
- 888 / 37 = 24

Following on from the successful moon landing in 1969, Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission of the Apollo space program. The goal was another moon landing but, Houston, there was a problem. After traveling 199,994 miles from Earth, cryogenic gas tank #2 exploded, crippling the spacecraft and endangering the lives of the three astronauts on board. Between the time of the first indication of a problem and the gas tank explosion, the Unix timestamp registered 8880888.
- oxygen tank #2 maximum pressure = 1008 psi
- hydrogen atomic weight = 1008 u
- combined diameter (Earth + moon) = 10080 miles
- moon radius = 1080 miles
Something strange happened around the Unix timestamp of 8880888, and it wasn't just the oxygen tank explosion. There is a phenomenon mentioned in the Bible, which has intrigued it's readers for millennia. The prophet Isaiah cried unto the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward. In fact, this occurrence is the topic of no less than four Bible verses:
"And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz." 2 Ki 9-11
"Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down." Isa 38:8
Uncharacteristically, NASA's Apollo 13 timeline includes timeclock errors surrounding the 8880888 Unix timestamp. This screenshot from the relevant NASA website has the incorrect times circled.
The following table isolates the erroneous entries in more detail:
You can see that the number of entries where the time went backwards matched the number of Bible verses referring to this phenomenon. In the first of these, the margin of error was 38 minutes and two seconds. In that time, the sun would describe an arc of 9.508 degrees (2282/86400 x 360), or ten degrees rounded to the nearest whole number (as the biblical authors were wont to do).
- 2701 x 137 = 370037
- time from previous timeline entry to 8880888 = 3700 seconds
- final GMT error = 37 minutes
- hydrogen covalent radius = 0.37 angstroms
After the gas tank explosion, the spacecraft orbited the moon, whose gravitational force was used to slingshot Apollo 13 back towards Earth.
The spacecraft's computer navigation system had to be shut down due to insufficient power. Normally under these circumstances, astronauts have an on-board sextant, which enables them to navigate by the position of the stars, as sailors do. There are 37 stars (including the sun) that would allow the Apollo 13 astronauts to steer their way through the heavens. But the debris from the explosion glimmered, and they couldn't differentiate them from the stars. So instead they had to navigate by the Earth's terminator line (which separates light from darkness). |
The terminator line recalls another verse from the Bible:
"And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." Gen 1:4
וירא אלהים את האור כי טוב ויבדל אלהים בין האור ובין החשך
333 68 212 62 86 52 17 30 212 401 86 217 = 1776
The commander of Apollo 13, Jim Lovell, was also a member of the crew of Apollo 8, which was the first spacecraft to leave the Earth and orbit the moon. Lovell and his fellow crew members were the first humans to view the planet Earth from the perspective of space. They were so inspired by the sight, they were moved to read from the book of Genesis to the people of the Earth. This was Jim Lovell's chosen passage:
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day." Gen 1:5-8
"And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." Gen 1:4
וירא אלהים את האור כי טוב ויבדל אלהים בין האור ובין החשך
333 68 212 62 86 52 17 30 212 401 86 217 = 1776
- 1776 = 888 + 888
The commander of Apollo 13, Jim Lovell, was also a member of the crew of Apollo 8, which was the first spacecraft to leave the Earth and orbit the moon. Lovell and his fellow crew members were the first humans to view the planet Earth from the perspective of space. They were so inspired by the sight, they were moved to read from the book of Genesis to the people of the Earth. This was Jim Lovell's chosen passage:
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day." Gen 1:5-8
The safe return of Apollo 13 with her crew truly was remarkable. For those who haven't seen it, the 1995 movie "Apollo 13", as well as being an excellent movie, provides a truthful account of the voyage.
Graphene - The Miracle Material
If the fine structure constant varied just marginally, stars wouldn't be able to make carbon and oxygen, which would have made it impossible for life as we know it to exist. Carbon, the basis for many biological molecules, is an incredibly versatile element. Depending on how atoms are arranged, it can produce hard diamonds or soft graphite. In 2010, researchers from Manchester University were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for extracting a thin flake of carbon from graphite. Just one atom thick, graphene can be used to determine the value of the fine structure constant.
It's one of the greatest damn mysteries of physics: a magic number that comes to us with no understanding by man.
You might say the "hand of God" wrote that number, and "we don't know how He pushed his pencil." Richard Feynman
When you write or draw with a pencil, the graphite (the 'lead' of the pencil) slides off in thin layers to leave a trail - the line on the paper. By continually separating these thin graphite layers (using scotch tape!), the physicists eventually a arrived at a single layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating honeycomb pattern of hexagons. Graphene is one million times thinner than paper; so thin that it is actually considered two dimensional.
Defying its flimsy appearance, graphene is the strongest material in the world - some 200 times stronger than structural steel. To give an idea of how strong, it has been said that to break a sheet of graphene the thickness of saran wrap (cling film) would require the weight of 'an elephant balancing on a pencil'. In addition to its strength, graphene has exceptional properties drawn from the world of quantum physics. As a conductor of electricity it performs as well as copper. As a conductor of heat it outperforms all other known materials. It is almost completely transparent, yet so dense that not even helium or hydrogen, the smallest gas atoms, can pass through it.
These properties open up a world of potential uses for this new miracle material, as evidenced by the patent goldrush that has seen some 8,000 patents taken out thus far. Potential uses include the fields of biological engineering, optical electronics, ultrafiltration, composite materials, photovoltaic cells and energy storage. One only needs to search for graphene on Google News to see the latest advances.
The unique electronic structure of graphene makes it remarkably opaque for such a sheer substance, absorbing ≈ 2.3% of white light. Because of its opacity, a one atom thick sheet of graphene is visible to the naked eye! This can be observed in this photographic image comparing the relative opacity of 0, 1 and 2 layers of graphene.
These properties open up a world of potential uses for this new miracle material, as evidenced by the patent goldrush that has seen some 8,000 patents taken out thus far. Potential uses include the fields of biological engineering, optical electronics, ultrafiltration, composite materials, photovoltaic cells and energy storage. One only needs to search for graphene on Google News to see the latest advances.
The unique electronic structure of graphene makes it remarkably opaque for such a sheer substance, absorbing ≈ 2.3% of white light. Because of its opacity, a one atom thick sheet of graphene is visible to the naked eye! This can be observed in this photographic image comparing the relative opacity of 0, 1 and 2 layers of graphene.
The amazing thing is that the opacity of graphene is determined by a most elegant equation using the two constants π and α:
- graphene optical absorption = πα
= 2.29% opacity (a surprisingly large value for an atomically thin material)
The hexagon shape of the graphene mesh is actually two interpenetrating carbon molecules, as seen below:
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The Star of David is also known as the Shield of David or in Hebrew Magen David (מגן דוד) which has a gematria value of 107. This number recalls 5778, which is the 107th triangular number.
- T(107) = 5778
137 is a Pythagorean Prime
Not only is 137 a prime number, it is also a Pythagorean prime. Numbers 37 and 73 also belong to this number sequence.
Professor Laurence Eaves talks about Pythagorean primes.
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The year 1997 was a 'prime' year and, like 1993, also a 'Pythagorean' year. The next year this happens will be 2017 ( 9, 44, √2017 ).
- the year 5778 on the Hebrew calendar commences on 21 Sept 2017
1840 and The Wellsprings of Wisdom
"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." Gen 7:11
The Zohar interprets this verse as a prediction that: "...in the [Jewish] year 600 of the sixth [year 5600 corresponds to 1840 CE], the gates of wisdom above and the wellsprings of wisdom below will be opened, and the world will prepare to enter the seventh [millennium], just as a person prepares himself toward sunset for the Sabbath...."(I Zohar 117a).
In the language of the Zohar, the "gates of wisdom above" refers to spiritual knowledge, while "wisdom below" refers to secular science. This was an amazingly accurate prophesy from the Zohar, which first appeared in Spain during the thirteenth century. The advances in science, technology, medicine and industry since 1840 have transformed the world, and the advances in transport and communication has witnessed widespread propagation of knowledge on an unprecedented scale.
According to the Zohar, this dual revolution came to prepare the world for the "seventh millennium" -- the era of Moshiach, when the six "workday" millennia of history will culminate in an age "that is wholly Shabbat and tranquillity for life everlasting."
Powered by the energy from fossil fuels, the world has seen exponential growth in population, income and living standards that would have been unimaginable in 1840:
The Zohar interprets this verse as a prediction that: "...in the [Jewish] year 600 of the sixth [year 5600 corresponds to 1840 CE], the gates of wisdom above and the wellsprings of wisdom below will be opened, and the world will prepare to enter the seventh [millennium], just as a person prepares himself toward sunset for the Sabbath...."(I Zohar 117a).
In the language of the Zohar, the "gates of wisdom above" refers to spiritual knowledge, while "wisdom below" refers to secular science. This was an amazingly accurate prophesy from the Zohar, which first appeared in Spain during the thirteenth century. The advances in science, technology, medicine and industry since 1840 have transformed the world, and the advances in transport and communication has witnessed widespread propagation of knowledge on an unprecedented scale.
According to the Zohar, this dual revolution came to prepare the world for the "seventh millennium" -- the era of Moshiach, when the six "workday" millennia of history will culminate in an age "that is wholly Shabbat and tranquillity for life everlasting."
Powered by the energy from fossil fuels, the world has seen exponential growth in population, income and living standards that would have been unimaginable in 1840:
If we were to graphically represent the changes that have been wrought since 1840, we can turn to the advances in rail transport which played such an important role in the industrial revolution. In 1825, George Stephenson built the Locomotion for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, north east England, which was the first public steam railway in the world. For the first few years,until the success of steam was assured, only the freight wagons were pulled by locomotives. The passenger coach, called Experiment, was horsedrawn.
The benefits of the industrial revolution were not universal, however. In 1820, Asia accounted for just under 60 per cent of total global output, with China and India together accounting for nearly half of global GDP. This was followed by nearly two centuries of economic decline in Asia, ignited by the European industrial revolution—a trend that has now been reversed. What we are now seeing is not the emergence of Asia, but the re-emergence of Asia.
We all know (but pretend to ignore) the fact that the fossil fuels now being burned at an unprecedented rate, are finite. The exponential growth in population and living standards cannot be sustained, and something has to give. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the amount of CO₂ in the Earth's atmosphere has also been increasing at an exponential rate. In 1950, it reached 300 parts per million for the first time for over 650,000 years. Since then it has increased to 380 ppm, and there is no end in sight. Humans continue to release 7 billion tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere every year - that's a ton for every person on Earth!
This animated documentary "There's No Tomorrow" provides an excellent insight into the energy conundrum:
1840 and Subatomic Particles
The relative masses of the proton, neutron and electron are another example of the exquisite fine tuning that enables life as we know it to exist. The mass of the neutron is slightly more than the combined masses of the proton and electron. If the mass of the neutron was exactly equal to the combined masses of the proton and electron, then all the protons and electrons of the primeval universe would simply have combined into stable neutrons. The result of this is that there would not have been enough hydrogen to act as the fuel for stars. If the mass of a neutron was any more than a proton and electron combined, then neutrons would decay more readily and there wouldn’t be enough neutrons to make larger stable atoms - perhaps just hydrogen and helium.
As stated in the first video on this page (starting from 2:30) the proton to electron ratio is approximately 1840. From a Bible gematria perspective, the precise ratios are even more interesting.
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There is a verse in the Bible which has a gematria value of 1836, where the product of chapter and verse gives the number of a man:
"The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever." Psa 37:18
יודע יהוה ימי תמימם ונחלתם לעולם תהיה
420 176 534 530 60 26 90 = 1836
Remarkably, the precise neutron-electron mass ratio provides an uncanny reference to the number 5778!
Using 360 day prophetic years (when, for example, 1260 days = a time, and times and half a time):
"The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever." Psa 37:18
יודע יהוה ימי תמימם ונחלתם לעולם תהיה
420 176 534 530 60 26 90 = 1836
- Psalm 37:18 gives 37 x 18 = 666
Remarkably, the precise neutron-electron mass ratio provides an uncanny reference to the number 5778!
- mn/me = 1838.6836605
- 1838.6836605 x π = 5776.395079
Using 360 day prophetic years (when, for example, 1260 days = a time, and times and half a time):
- 5776.395079 years = 5776 years + 142.2 days
= 5778 years - 577.8 days
- 5778 prophetic years = 2080080 days
- 208 + 80 = 288
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is one of nature’s finest miracles. Through the photosynthetic process, green plants absorb sunlight in their leaves and the chlorophyll therein converts the sun's energy into chemical energy by synthesizing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the ground, stored as sugars in the plants’ biomass. Directly or indirectly, this process provides all the food we eat, not to mention the oxygen we breathe, produced as a by-product of photosynthesis.
Chlorophyll gives leaves their green color and absorbs light that is used in photosynthesis. Through this extraordinarily complex process, plants alone can synthesize the energy from the sun, while the rest of us are ultimately parasitic on their efforts.
- Remarkably, the chlorophyll molecule C55H72O5N4Mg consists of 137 atoms!
Cesium 137 and The Apocalypse
Just as the the number 137 has a key role in sustaining life, so also it has the potential to destroy it.
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." Isa 45:7
Radioactive cesium-137 is produced when uranium and plutonium absorb neutrons and undergo fission. Examples of the uses of this process are nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. The splitting of uranium and plutonium in fission creates numerous fission products. Cesium-137 is one of the more well-known and most dangerous fission products.
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." Isa 45:7
Radioactive cesium-137 is produced when uranium and plutonium absorb neutrons and undergo fission. Examples of the uses of this process are nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. The splitting of uranium and plutonium in fission creates numerous fission products. Cesium-137 is one of the more well-known and most dangerous fission products.
The half-life of cesium-137 is 30.17 years, which means it takes about 300 years to fully disperse from the environment. Because of the chemical nature of cesium, it moves easily through the environment, which makes the cleanup of cesium-137 difficult. What makes it particularly toxic to biological systems is its high water solubility. Because its physical and chemical properties are similar to those of potassium, it is readily absorbed by plants and animals. Worst of all from a human perspective, it is passed on up the food chain and becomes concentrated in higher species.
Cesium-137 that is dispersed in the environment is impossible to avoid. You cannot feel exposure to cesium-137, or taste or smell it. Like all radionuclides, exposure to radiation from cesium-137 results in increased risk of cancer. People may ingest cesium-137 with food and water, or may inhale it as dust. Exposure to cesium-137 may also be external (that is, exposure to its gamma radiation from outside the body).
Cesium-137 in the environment is anthropogenic (human-made). Until the building of the first artificial nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, in late 1942, it had not occurred on Earth for billions of years. By observing the characteristic gamma rays emitted by this isotope, it is possible to determine whether the contents of a given sealed container were made before or after the first atomic bomb explosion (Trinity test, July 16, 1945), which spread some of it into the atmosphere, quickly distributing trace amounts of it around the globe. Ominously, the Shoemaker-Levy comet collided with the planet Jupiter during a six day period commencing on the 50th anniversary (July 16, 1995) of the Trinity test. The history of nuclear tests and disasters can be traced by examining radioactivity in, for example, Bordeaux wine vintages.
Cesium-137 that is dispersed in the environment is impossible to avoid. You cannot feel exposure to cesium-137, or taste or smell it. Like all radionuclides, exposure to radiation from cesium-137 results in increased risk of cancer. People may ingest cesium-137 with food and water, or may inhale it as dust. Exposure to cesium-137 may also be external (that is, exposure to its gamma radiation from outside the body).
Cesium-137 in the environment is anthropogenic (human-made). Until the building of the first artificial nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, in late 1942, it had not occurred on Earth for billions of years. By observing the characteristic gamma rays emitted by this isotope, it is possible to determine whether the contents of a given sealed container were made before or after the first atomic bomb explosion (Trinity test, July 16, 1945), which spread some of it into the atmosphere, quickly distributing trace amounts of it around the globe. Ominously, the Shoemaker-Levy comet collided with the planet Jupiter during a six day period commencing on the 50th anniversary (July 16, 1995) of the Trinity test. The history of nuclear tests and disasters can be traced by examining radioactivity in, for example, Bordeaux wine vintages.
The most interesting aspect is the presence of peaks of activity, which show that the wine keeps in memory the atmospheric nuclear testing (years 1950-1963) and the accident of Chernobyl (1986), which in both cases led to the presence on French soil of measurable amounts of cesium 137.
There is a strong correlation between the rate of cesium-137 decay and the year the wine was produced. It is obvious that such a curve can be exploited as of now to estimate the age of a given wine, and to detect any possible anomalies. For example, a 1930 vintage wine should not contain cesium 137. Conversely, an unknown wine in which activities of about 1 Bq/l or more of cesium-137 are measured can only correspond to the year 1963. |
Chernobyl on April 26 1986, and Fukushima on March 11, 2011 were the only two nuclear disasters to measure Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, Chernobyl only contained 180 tons of nuclear material prior to the catastrophe; comparatively, Fukushima contained 1,760 tons of nuclear material. Because of the scale's limitations, it is difficult to compare the extent of these two recent disasters. Despite the fact that the initial release of radioactive material was far less at Fukushima, its potential for catastrophe was (and remains) far worse.
Naoto Kan, Japanese Prime Minister at the time of the accident, said that in the first days of the accident it looked like an "area that included Tokyo" and populated by 50 million people might have to be evacuated.
Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen, formerly a nuclear industry senior vice president, noted that the USA Nuclear Regulatory Council "says the chance of a nuclear accident is one in a million," that an accident would happen "every 2,500 years." This is predicated, he said, on what the NRC terms a probabilistic risk assessment or PRA. "I'd like to refer to it as PRAY." The lesson of "real life," said Gundersen, is that there have been five nuclear plant meltdowns in the past 35 years--Three Mile Island in 1979, Chernobyl in 1986 and the three at Fukushima Daiichi complex. That breaks down to an accident "every seven years."
As a result of the Chernobyl catastrophe, millions of hectares of agricultural lands are dangerously contaminated with Cs-137 with concentrations higher than 37 kBq/m² : in Belarus, 1.8 million hectares; in Russia, 1.6 million hectares; and in Ukraine, 1.2 million hectares. According to the Belarus Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural production now takes place on more than 1.1 million hectares of land contaminated with Cs-137 at a level from 37 to 1,480 kBq/m². Owing to internally absorbed radionuclides, radiation levels for people living in the contaminated territories of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia have been increasing steadily since 1994. More than five million people live in the contaminated territories.
In the second year after Chernobyl, four contamination density zones were identified, based on the extent of radiation contamination:
Naoto Kan, Japanese Prime Minister at the time of the accident, said that in the first days of the accident it looked like an "area that included Tokyo" and populated by 50 million people might have to be evacuated.
Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen, formerly a nuclear industry senior vice president, noted that the USA Nuclear Regulatory Council "says the chance of a nuclear accident is one in a million," that an accident would happen "every 2,500 years." This is predicated, he said, on what the NRC terms a probabilistic risk assessment or PRA. "I'd like to refer to it as PRAY." The lesson of "real life," said Gundersen, is that there have been five nuclear plant meltdowns in the past 35 years--Three Mile Island in 1979, Chernobyl in 1986 and the three at Fukushima Daiichi complex. That breaks down to an accident "every seven years."
As a result of the Chernobyl catastrophe, millions of hectares of agricultural lands are dangerously contaminated with Cs-137 with concentrations higher than 37 kBq/m² : in Belarus, 1.8 million hectares; in Russia, 1.6 million hectares; and in Ukraine, 1.2 million hectares. According to the Belarus Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural production now takes place on more than 1.1 million hectares of land contaminated with Cs-137 at a level from 37 to 1,480 kBq/m². Owing to internally absorbed radionuclides, radiation levels for people living in the contaminated territories of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia have been increasing steadily since 1994. More than five million people live in the contaminated territories.
In the second year after Chernobyl, four contamination density zones were identified, based on the extent of radiation contamination:
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The situation at Fukushima remains critical. TEPCO (the operator of the power plant), has come under severe criticism for what many view as its belated acknowledgement that contaminated water has been leaking for some time.
The government now says it is clear that 300 tons (71,895 gallons/272,152 liters) are pouring into the sea each day, enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool every eight days. In August 2013, TEPCO admitted that a cumulative 20 trillion to 40 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium had “probably” leaked into the Pacific Ocean since the disaster; the legal limit of radiation in water is 30 becquerels per liter.
Two years after the accident at Fukushima, the Japanese government finally relented to ask for international assistance to help solve this on-going crisis.
The government now says it is clear that 300 tons (71,895 gallons/272,152 liters) are pouring into the sea each day, enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool every eight days. In August 2013, TEPCO admitted that a cumulative 20 trillion to 40 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium had “probably” leaked into the Pacific Ocean since the disaster; the legal limit of radiation in water is 30 becquerels per liter.
Two years after the accident at Fukushima, the Japanese government finally relented to ask for international assistance to help solve this on-going crisis.
“The splitting of the atom changed everything save man’s mode of thinking, thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe." Albert Einstein
But there is a solution. "All 50 nuclear plants in Japan have now been closed", former Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said. And "without nuclear power plants we can absolutely provide the energy to meet our demands." Meanwhile, in the two-plus years since the disaster began, Japan has tripled its use of solar energy--a jump in solar power production that is the equivalent of the electricity that would be produced by three nuclear plants, he said. He pointed to Germany as a model in its commitment to shutting down all its nuclear power plants and having "all its power supplied by renewable power" by 2050. The entire world, said Kan, could do this. "If humanity really would work together...we could generate all our energy through renewable energy."
Solar power technology is developing rapidly - researchers have discovered that a material known for hundreds of years that could dramatically lower the cost of solar power. Researchers say that it could lead to solar panels that cost just 10 to 20 cents per watt. Solar panels now typically cost about 75 cents a watt, and the U.S. Department of Energy says 50 cents per watt will allow solar power to compete with fossil fuel. Read more about these developments at MIT Technology Review. There is absolutely no need to depend on nuclear power plants for our energy needs. Their endangerment of the planet is unjustifiable.
Solar power technology is developing rapidly - researchers have discovered that a material known for hundreds of years that could dramatically lower the cost of solar power. Researchers say that it could lead to solar panels that cost just 10 to 20 cents per watt. Solar panels now typically cost about 75 cents a watt, and the U.S. Department of Energy says 50 cents per watt will allow solar power to compete with fossil fuel. Read more about these developments at MIT Technology Review. There is absolutely no need to depend on nuclear power plants for our energy needs. Their endangerment of the planet is unjustifiable.
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