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Astronomy/Cosmology/Astrophysics thread - Even though there are no gods I still pray

I'll respond properly to your Inflation post as and when I have access to a proper keyboard again, Stee, but thanks for the expansion :)

(see what i did there)

In stargazer news, which planet is it that I've been seeing so prominently this last week or so? I'm gonna guess at Jupiter cos it's just so damnably big and bright for a naked eye celestial object. Appears in either the NW or SW (ish) sky (please excuse poor sense of orientation :of) after sunset and has been fairly low (15-20 degrees or so to my inexpert eye). The most notable feature is the sheer size and brightness though. Any more observant observers observed it?

Also, welcome, madammadeline! I take it the stargazing is good amongst the murdered by parents community?
 
Shambles said:
...but thanks for the expansion :)

(see what i did there)
Click to expand...

I did =D very nice. Always good to wake up with a grin.

Haven't seen the object you have described but to be honest I haven't been out (full stop, never mind after dark).

Cracking Venus during the sunset yesterday mind. I could gander that bast through the kitchen window.
 
Just cos I love to think about this kinda stuff - and it is so rare to see it in mainstream news...

Mysterious 'cold spot' in space could be proof of a parallel universe, scientists say

But just to bring us all back down to Earth... a somewhat more sober analysis of the selfsame data...

The Cold Spot As Evidence Of The Multiverse? Not So Fast

As a theory though, I'm still a bit of a fan. Feels fundamentally ugly - or at the very least excessive - but still (according to folk far cleverer than I) mathematically pleasing, feasible and - crucially for my more average bloke thinking - just about the only extant possibility that allows for free will within the Universe. Which is a very hard concept to let go of no matter how mathy the maths get ><
 
Yeh, I read that - but couldn't quite grasp the quantum leap required to equate a miniscule difference in average temperature with an infinite number of alternate universes. In fact, it's inspired me to draw a cartoon​ in parody. But don't hold yer breaths, cos I'm a lazy cunt...
 
Interesting. It won't be long now until we figure out our universe is just a speck of dust in a midget's bedroom. The cold spot is just an effect from one of the ice-cubes in his G&T.
 
F.U.B.A.R. said:
Yeh, I read that - but couldn't quite grasp the quantum leap required to equate a miniscule difference in average temperature with an infinite number of alternate universes. In fact, it's inspired me to draw a cartoon​ in parody. But don't hold yer breaths, cos I'm a lazy cunt...
Click to expand...

As I'm sure you would know, quantum leaps are the smallest possible motion within an atom so you would be correct - all it takes is reading the relevant literature and/or watching a few lectures. The relationship between the two is simple. Whether it means what it could possibly mean is a different beast entirely. Personally I'm a cautious fan of multiverse theory (in one form or another). The issue for me comes with messiness and redundancy. Just feels wrong on that level. On what may be called a more "spiritual" level it would be a pretty much perfect solution for a great many things... but we are so far away from that there's barely even any point speculating too much cos it all becomes metaphysical mush.

Still, nice braincandy, innit.
 
Another great recent PooToob find is Isaac Arthur's Science & Futurism Channel. Stumbled across it a couple weeks back and have been steadily trawling through every upload therein since.

As you may gather from the title, the topics are mostly those mainly found in science-fiction but are discussed in terms of very real science - largely to the point of assuming no significant technological advance at all (although practical nuclear fusion tech is almost always considered a huge bonus).

The areas covered should interest many here, and the level of detail (rather a lot whilst still remaining largely "our" level* as far as equations go) should probably be in the proverbial Goldilocks Zone for many too. Mind candy with a healthy underpinning of nutritious FACT! per portion. Add in a healthy dash of dry humour and I'd have to say the channel qualifies as a Good Thing that I'd heartily recommend to those that peruse this small, but unusually delicious, slice of the EADD Pie of Wondrousness.

PS: Yes I did make that last word up and yes the spellcorrected alternatives are probably more appropriate for my posts ><

*apologies to Julie and others who can actually count :o
 
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Another PooToob channel recommendation...

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

... is a top-notch series of 5-10 minute long vids on a variety of science-based topics* with plenty covering the cosmology/astronomy/astrophysics remit of this thread. They are extremely clear and explain a wide-range of complex subjects in remarkably concise and surprisingly in-depth manner.

I'd particularly recommend them to beginners (maybe a partner who wonders what it is that the nerdier of us spend hours doing and have precisely zero interest in sparing more than a few minutes to see wha'gwarnin), those brushing up on a specific area, or - especially - children in one's immediate vicinity one would be unlikely to be arrested for asking if they fancy watching a few vids on tinterwebz.

*and philosophy, politics, technology, etc
 
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RIP Prof xxxxx <3

BBC - Stephen Hawking dies aged 76

DYOgNSZW4AEDPz5.jpg
 
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steewith2ees said:
RIP Prof xxxxx <3

BBC - Stephen Hawking dies aged 76

DYOgNSZW4AEDPz5.jpg
Click to expand...

This news was the very first thing I heard when I awoke this morning. A very sad day indeed! I'm also annoyed at the number of times I've heard him called 'Stephen Hawkins' on the radio today.

R.I.P. <3

Edit: I've just found this - I'm sure he would have seen the funny side...

 
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herbavore said:
^He would have! And it is. Humor: the best humans have come up with.=D
Click to expand...

This joke can be interpreted in two ways: as well as the obvious "this is awkward - how am I going to climb the stairway to heaven in this bastard chair?", There's also the "this is awkward, I never believed in God" angle. I reckon the creator (pun intended) of this joke intended both - otherwise he would have just put summat like "Aw, fuck!!"

Or am I overthinking this..? :\
 
Sad as it is to see him go, it has to be said he had a damn good innings. Isn't he the longest-living ALS patient ever? Not to mention being a bit of a sarcy fukker and all around cleverbox (both in the very best possible ways). Look forward to not seeing you on the lack of other side, fella <3

In suspiciously well-timed (if it weren't for the months of build-up) news, PBS SpaceTime finally got around to their Hawking Radiation episode this week. Not sure if they brought it forward slightly under the circumstances but was due out very soon anyway after a lengthy run-up of "prior knowledge" vids.

FWIW, I suspect all of us who post here regularly have the gist of Hawking Radiation but the good thing here is the context and pointing out of pop-sci's fuzzy fallacies. Admittedly still as fuzzy as prosaic explanations will be for us plebs, but "less wrong" as they say. Joyously melancholic timing and well worth a watch (along with the prior playlist linked in the clip if you missed the others)...

 
Just watching the live coverage of the InSight lander on it's final descent towards the Martian surface.

Was going to watch it from orbit in my YT-1300 Corellian but unfortunately, due to the compressor that cunt Unkar Plutt put on the hyperdrive I've decided to just stop in and watch the NASA stream on YouTube.

Good luck to all at JPL and NASA, I cannot over comprehend just how clever these folks are.
 
Yay! Landed safe about 90 seconds ago.

One of the lead scientists is called Dr Bruce Banner!

Fucking amazing tho, they managed to get a picture about 2 mins after landing once all of the dust had settled (so it wouldn't screw up the components) and the spaceship has phoned home to say all is fine, its safe and down and all is working.
 
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