26 July 2010
Posted in Dr. Phillips CineDome

So you’ve just seen The Ultimate Wave Tahiti at the Orlando Science Center and now you want to go surf the big waves of Tahiti. Assuming you know how to surf (not an easy task!), you’ll probably want to learn the language of Tahiti. Well, here are some interesting facts about the Tahitian Language, or “Reo Tahiti.” Get out your pen and paper!

The Tahitian Language does not contain a “B,” even though one of the most famous islands in Tahiti is “Bora Bora.” This is because when early visitors heard of the island, they mistook “Pora Pora” for “Bora Bora.”

Another interesting fact about the Tahitian Language is that their alphabet includes what is called a “glottal stop,” or ‘eta. To English speakers, this would appear to be an apostrophe, but it is in fact a consonant. For example, the word for fish in Tahitian is i'a.

Now let’s say you’ve mastered all of the words in Tahitian. Something you’d have to keep in mind is the word order. In English, our general sentence structure is Subject Verb Object (SVO). For example, “I ate cake.” “I” is the subject, “ate” is the verb, and “cake” is the object. In the Tahitian Language, the order is “Verb Subject Object.” So a proper sentence in Tahiti would be “Ate I cake!”

If you haven’t seen The Ultimate Wave Tahiti, be sure to check it out at the Orlando Science Center.

 

26 July 2010
Posted in Science Live!

Answer: a mind (and toe, and finger, and just general body) numbing -100°C (or -148°F!). Where is this place, and what does it mean to you? Well, the coldest place on Earth is known as “Dome A,” or “Dome Argus,” and is located in the middle of Antarctica. It is known as the summit of the “East Antarctic Ice Cap,” which is in essence a large “mountain” of ice in Antarctica. What this means to you is that you would probably freeze to death in seconds if you went there unprotected (never mind the elevation and oxygen issues).

What is interesting to note is that dry ice (frozen Carbon Dioxide) is generally kept at around –78.5°C (or -109°F). This means that if you brought a block of dry ice to Dome A, it would actually get colder. We sure do live on a crazy planet!

To check out some substances that are actually hundreds of degrees colder than Dome A (or dry ice), check out the new Orlando Science Center show Sub-Zero, playing every Saturday in July.

 

20 July 2010
Posted in Dr. Phillips CineDome

In 1958 the largest wave ever recorded hit Lituya Bay on the southern coast of Alaska reaching a massive height of 1,720 feet high. The wave was a direct bi-product of an earthquake that measured an 8.3 on the Richter scale that shook loose an estimated 40 million cubic yards of glacier from a mountainside near the bay. Three fishing boats witnessed the colossal masterpiece, but only two were able to ride out the waves to tell the tale.

To see other gigantic waves and learn about the art of riding them watch the movie The Ultimate Wave Tahiti, now showing at the Dr. Phillips Cinedome.

16 July 2010
Posted in Science Live!

Saturday Evenings, 7:00 p.m., Through August 21

Here's a behind the scenes preview of our newest show - Sub-Zero. Extreme experiments take you right to the frozen edge and give you a close-up look at the transformative force of cold. From common colds, like ice and snow, to instant-freeze hazards like liquid Nitrogen and Carbonic Acid, Sub-Zero is the only way to chill!

09 July 2010
Posted in Science Live!

Saturday Evenings, 7:00 p.m., Through August 21

Here's another behind the scenes preview of our newest show - Sub-Zero. Enjoy J-Rex as he dips his toes into some of the coldest substances the world has ever seen. Bundle up and explore the science of Sub-Zero!

06 July 2010
Posted in Science Live!

From common colds, like ice and snow, to instant-freeze hazards like liquid Nitrogen and Carbonic Acid, SUB-ZERO is the only way to chill! Check out the coolest show in town with the Orlando Science Center’s latest live experience.