Olympics
Celebrate the 'AstrOlympics' During the Winter Games in Italy
The ‘AstrOlympics’ project connects the amazing physical feats of the athletes competing in the Olympic Games to the spectacular physical phenomena discovered by NASA and other telescopes in space.
By comparing examples of speed, acceleration, time, mass, rotation, density, and more of athletes on the ground to objects in space, viewers of AstrOlympics may find new appreciation and inspiration from both.
The AstrOlympics project, which runs for both the Summer and Winter Games, has been celebrating cosmic and athletic triumphs since 2016. It was conceived of and developed by the science center for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which is operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory on behalf of NASA.
The Winter 'AstrOlympics' Kick Off
As the athletes get set to compete in Pyeongchang, Korea, the public can explore the Olympic Games in a different way through an innovative project blending science and sports. “AstrOlympics” relates the amazing feats of Olympic athletes with the spectacular phenomena found throughout space.
This project from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory highlights the physical connections between sport and space. Examining various topics including speed, distance, time, mass, rotation, and pressure, AstrOlympics explores the impressive range of these different physical properties.
Astrophysics and the Olympics
It's not every day that we can mention "Chandra" and the "Olympics" in the same sentence, but today we can. That's because Stacie Powell, who will compete in the 10-meter platform diving competition for Great Britain at the London Olympics beginning today, is also working on her Ph.D. in astrophysics.