I just booked my ticket to Geneva, Switzerland for the first SteemStem (@steemstem) meetup. This is no ordinary Steemit meetup, since we are fortunate enough that @LeMouth is an former employee of the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, known as CERN which stands for Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, and was able to arrange a tour of what is arguably one of the highest tech laboratories in the world.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

While I know next to nothing about particle physics, CERN is going to be interesting for many differerent reasons. I'll be writing about some of these topics and many more, as I get more information and hopefully pictures, if we are allowed to take pictures (I will be finding out more details as the February date approaches).

Awesome Facts About the CERN Supercollider You Never Thought to Ask About

1. It so high tech and controversial that some people claim it's looking for the 'God Particle' and were worried it might even create a black hole! ⁽¹⁾
2. At 17 miles in circumference, the actual collider is the largest single machine in the world⁽²⁾. Ironically, the largest machine in the world is used to have confirmed the smallest particle in the world!
3. It's built underground at a depth of 575 feet (175 meters), which required major engineering feats to accomplish
4. The rock around the collider actually moves a tiny amount due to the gravitational pull of the moon. It's only a tiny amount, but since the machine requires exquisite precision, this becomes a factor⁽³⁾
5. The ring also changes size minutely due to changes in rain levels, which may be used for further studies on rain and snow levels in the area⁽⁴⁾
6. The superconducting magnets it contains have to be kept so cold that liquid helium is run across them, keeping them at a temperature of minus 456.3 °F (‑271.3°C)⁽⁵⁾. That's only about 3 degrees higher than absolute zero at minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit (-273.15 degrees Celsius), which is the theoretical temperature at which nothing can be colder ⁽⁶⁾! That's really cold!
7. It's so large and it had to be so precise that the curvature of the earth had to be taken into account on it's building, and survey methods were used that had not even existed in Europe before it's build⁽⁷⁾

The Aerial View of CERN: Reminds me of a megalithic cairn
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

I will certainly be doing more research about the work they are doing at CERN before I go so that I can have at least a slight understanding of the work being done and how it furthers our knowledge of science.

If you are interested in learning anything in particular about CERN, let me know in the comments and I'll try to get the answers to specific questions or get pictures of anything specific people are interested in.

In the meantime, if you are interested in science, please join us at the SteemStem project, @steemstem and help us further science on Steemit.