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

[steewith2ees]

No heavy content for me 2nite, i need to catch up on the stargazing lives i have saved from last week followed by a talking book at bedtime, one ive previously got 30 minutes into before falling asleep...

Michio Kaku - 'Einsteins Cosmos: How Albert Einsteins Vision Transformed our Understanding of Time and Space - an easily digestible biography from a fantastic science communicator that makes a vivid account of the young mans visions and thought experiments, visions that gave him the insight into some of natures apparent contradictions, contradictions that led him to question newton and develop the most comprehensive, accurate and downright melon twisting theory of graavity that we all know (if not quite understand) and rely on in aspects of our daily life.

Thats like, a synopsis of the book although ive only heard the first chapter, named from a literal vision he had as a child - "what would it be like to ride on a beam of light"

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Nice one stee, i was contemplating starting a thread of this nature, but as a self confirmed procrastinator, i never quite got around to it....

 

[steewith2ees]

I started one last year last time s/gazing live was on but it didnt take

i suppose if id posted in it myself a conversation may have started

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Perhaps the mods might like to transfer the relevant posts from your eclipse thread to this one?

 

[Eveleivibe]

Yes that would save us having two eclipse threads Good idea for a thread, Stee.

Evey

 

[steewith2ees]

No no no - to much random cosmology just floating about with everyone trying to get there ultimate theory/model/concept in with the hope it will be followed.

Best to start fresh and simple - ill see if anything from this book would be a good starting point for a conversation

Otherwise, you and the other folk at EADD are free to share any starry thoughts, experiences, concepts, science - if whatever is on your mind is located any higher from where that red bull jumped, your in the right place.

Eclipse discussion is like SO last friday

 

[steewith2ees]

Yes that would save us having two eclipse threads Good idea for a thread, Stee.

Evey

Evey - your obsessed with merging threads - like i said,, both kates and my eclipse threads have started to plummet down the charts already

what your saying makes sense 99.99999% of the time, especially when consolidating drug topics - but there was too much random astronomical info on the eclipse thread.


I want a fresh start so we can all follow and hopefully contribute to the discussion from the word go

 

[Eveleivibe]

OK no problem.

What's people's thoughts on black holes?

Evey

 

[Allein]

what your saying makes sense 99.99999% of the time,

With all due respect to all involved I have to beg to differ on your number at least

What's people's thoughts on black holes?

My thoughts ?? they are an pretty well established feature of the universe, my thought are pretty much in line with Mr Hawkins on this one, as is the rest of the scientific community.....there not really holes BTW %)

 

[felix]

I love Orion's Belt, and the other things you can extrapolate from its presence.

I also love the Big Dipper, and the connotations of slaves making their escape northwards back in the 1800s.

I've just joined the forum at http://www.cloudynights.com , and they're a lovely bunch who know everything there is to know about binoculars and stars and all that. It's like Bluelight for middle-aged stargazers. :D

 

[Rachella666]

I love Orion's Belt, and the other things you can extrapolate from its presence.

I also love the Big Dipper, and the connotations of slaves making their escape northwards back in the 1800s.

I've just joined the forum at http://www.cloudynights.com , and they're a lovely bunch who know everything there is to know about binoculars and stars and all that. It's like Bluelight for middle-aged stargazers. :D

orions belt through a scope is magnificent, in particular the nebula, hell ive spotted all planets bar neptune with the naked eye xxxRachelxxx?

 

[felix]

orions belt through a scope is magnificent, in particular the nebula, hell ive spotted all planets bar neptune with the naked eye xxxRachelxxx��

Indeed. :D

I've seen the rings of Saturn at the public observatory in Dundee, and learned a lot from the the lovely old man working there. I will never forget that. %)

 

[Shambles]

The crescent moon is especially pretty tonight around these parts and Jupiter has been rather impressive with the nekkid eye of late too.

... there not really holes BTW %)

They're also not black. Hawking Radiation innit.

I've seen the rings of Saturn at the public observatory in Dundee, and learned a lot from the the lovely old man working there. I will never forget that. %)

You sure you're not confusing that with the time you saw the rings of Uranus at a public lavatory in Scumdee with a certain ginger cunt?

 

[felix]

You sure you're not confusing that with the time you saw the rings of Uranus at a public lavatory in Scumdee with a certain ginger cunt?

Ah hahahha!!! :D

1. I've met Spade twice, but never in Dundee

2. I was with my cousin and her man when I visited the Observatory

3. I went up that same hill the second time I met kate. We didn't get into the Observatory but we certainly saw stars that weekend, thanks to some over-indulged 2C-E and a phone call to you asking us how to come back to reality. :D

That all gave me the biggest laugh of the day, Shammo.

 

[steewith2ees]

Orion is currently my favourite constillation for all the beautiful features mentioned but mainly because of 'a Ori' or Betelgeuse, the star that forms the upper left shoulder / hand of the hunter. Its a red supergiant, 427 light years away and with a diameter 800 times that of the sun. Its huge - and Its is visible to the naked eye as a twinkling red star, as its magnatude varies alot. Its size, instability and its late stage in stellar evolution (despite being a relatively young star) makes it the prime candidate out of all the stars in our galaxy to go supernova, as we are well overdue one (on average each galaxy experiences one supernova every century - our last was Keplar's S/N, a type Ia that went in 1604!).

When it does blow its thankfully just far away enough to not cause us any grief, but it will look spectacular, becoming brighter than the moon and easily visable in the day time. According to the experts, it could go any time now, but in astronomical terms, that could be any time over the next 1,000,000 years. Because observers are unsure of the stars initial mass, this makes predicting its death difficult, latest estimates reckon it will be about another 100,000 years before the fireworks begin but what the fuck do they know - ive decided its happening in my life time so thats that.

Betelgeuse will produce a type II supernova, and while the star isnt quite massive enough to leave a black hole it should leave behind my other favourite compact object, a neutron star, a fascinatingly dense stellar tombstones that's for another discussion.

STEES STELLAR FACT# 1 - it doesnt matter how many times you repeat the name of Betelgeuse, Michael Keaton is unlikely to appear.

Im still to watch any of this years bbc stargazing lives, and i dozed off again while listening to my book. It was well past my bedtime.

 

[steewith2ees]

well l killed that thread off with my whinging about merging and that.

We need a satillite to crash or something to rekindle interest

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

if whatever is on your mind is located any higher from where that red bull jumped, your in the right place.

Don't get this bit mate. What red bull are you referring to?

 

[steewith2ees]

Don't get this bit mate. What red bull are you referring to?

Im on about the Stratos project where red bull got that german showboat to jump from the balloon. I know someone else has done it from higher up but neither jump was from space

Im just trying to establish a boundary - any discussion about anything below the heights of these jumps would be primarily concerned with atmospheric weather, anything higher and were talking about space really

Ive used quite a crap analogy to be honest, ill be back with some definitions of where 'space' begins, its more of a subtle change in the pressure of atmospheric gasses than an absolutely definined limit

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Im on about the Stratos project where red bull got that german showboat to jump from the balloon. I know someone else has done it from higher up but neither jump was from space

Im just trying to establish a boundary - any discussion about anything below the heights of these jumps would be primarily concerned with atmospheric weather, anything higher and were talking about space really

Ive used quite a crap analogy to be honest, ill be back with some definitions of where 'space' begins, its more of a subtle change in the pressure of atmospheric gasses than an absolutely definined limit

Got ya, all I could think of was was 'hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the red bull jumped over the moon... Nah, that's not right'. At the risk of breaking your rules already, wasn't his landing fantastic? Iirc he didn't even roll, just hit the ground running and stayed upright. The last guy that did it wasn't quite so impressive.

 

[mister]

Real?

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world...o-make-contact-with-PARALLEL-UNIVERSE-in-days