Ok star gazers, to help bring cosmic merriment to your Memorial Day weekend comet SW3 will be passing by Earth on Monday night/Tuesday morning. First discovered in 1930, it has broken up into over 60 pieces and could potentially create a meteor shower spawning up to 1000 shooting stars an hour. This also corresponds with the new moon, so nighttime visibility should be perfect. Of course, astronomers say there is just as good a chance that it might be a total bust. Either way, a good excuse to lie on your back Monday night and watch the sky.
If the Milkyways stars were grains of sand….
- Thread starter 4pickupguy
- Start date
my only advise to any of you is stay away from black holes , or white holes for that matter, or any other matter ....... ok , ok , just stay in school and be safe !
and avoid dark energy , and Bozon the clown, in particular ( see what i did there?) especially if he wants to show you Mr. Wiggly
and avoid dark energy , and Bozon the clown, in particular ( see what i did there?) especially if he wants to show you Mr. Wiggly
What, and take a chance on getting hit by a falling piece of rock?
TG
Doctor of Teleocity
I like to try to envisage these things. The sizes....the distances....the numbers. It kind of gives me a reassuring calmness for some reason, like it's OK to live in the moment and do the best we can here, but overall it doesn't really matter.
I like to find the Andromeda galaxy in the night sky (we're out in the middle of nowhere and have very little light pollution). That little smudge of light is the furthest thing you can see with the naked eye and you are seeing it as it was about 2.5 million years ago. Those photons travelled that long though space and ended up in your retinas in your eyes. I think that's kind of cool.
Here's another topic that's interesting. I don't have accurate numbers, but as the amount of water on Earth is pretty well exactly the same as it always was and is constantly mixing it turns out that there is at any moment many millions of water molecules in your body that were in dinosaurs at some point. Every dinosaur, in fact.
I like to find the Andromeda galaxy in the night sky (we're out in the middle of nowhere and have very little light pollution). That little smudge of light is the furthest thing you can see with the naked eye and you are seeing it as it was about 2.5 million years ago. Those photons travelled that long though space and ended up in your retinas in your eyes. I think that's kind of cool.
Here's another topic that's interesting. I don't have accurate numbers, but as the amount of water on Earth is pretty well exactly the same as it always was and is constantly mixing it turns out that there is at any moment many millions of water molecules in your body that were in dinosaurs at some point. Every dinosaur, in fact.
if you crush a grain of sand.... are all the smaller pieces still sand?....
Tonetele
Poster Extraordinaire
Brian may in a lecture ( also on Youtube) recently said " Dust to dust, that's what we are, literally. I'm a scientist."
I'd ask him. Space must be vast. It takes light from our sun about 8 mins. 20 secs. to reach us at speed of light. And we're just a star and galaxy in a giant Mathematical patterned system.
I'd ask him. Space must be vast. It takes light from our sun about 8 mins. 20 secs. to reach us at speed of light. And we're just a star and galaxy in a giant Mathematical patterned system.
I think, I think I am, therefore I am, I think.
Of course you are my bright little star,
we're thinking stardust..
Of course you are my bright little star,
we're thinking stardust..
There you go man, keep as cool as you canI think, I think I am, therefore I am, I think.
Of course you are my bright little star,
we're thinking stardust..
Face piles
Of trials
With smiles
It riles them to believe
That you perceive
The web they weave
And keep on thinking free
I still don't see how those space telescopes can pick out a star in a galaxy outside of our own galaxy
jimmywrangles
Tele-Holic
Because those space telescopes have some world class software behind them resolving those distant objects, also we as a species have around 500 years worth of experience building lenses and we've gotten pretty good at it....fantastically good at it.
StuH
Friend of Leo's
Andromeda is visible to the naked eye however even in optimal viewing conditions, you likely won't see it if you are looking directly at it. It becomes visible when you look slightly away with averted vision.
Slightly off topic but blew me away when I first discovered this.
Slightly off topic but blew me away when I first discovered this.
I'm glad that sand on the beach isn't really Milky Ways, if it were, I'd probably have to eat the entire west coast.
4pickupguy
Doctor of Teleocity
I suppose I could have used Paydays, but everyone already knows those are light years apart…
4pickupguy
Doctor of Teleocity
Science still can’t explain how a vinyl disc on its own weighs mere ounces yet when placed in a box with a few others it increases in weight exponentially...
Neither can it solve “Fender Twin at midnight syndrome“.
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NoTeleBob
Friend of Leo's
Another interesting space fact: the Voyager 1 probe is now 13.5 million miles away but still sending data back. (There are a few current concerns with it but they think they can resolve those).
Voyager 2 is 12 million miles away and still transmitting.
They were launched in the mid to late 70's.
Voyager 2 is 12 million miles away and still transmitting.
They were launched in the mid to late 70's.
NoTeleBob
Friend of Leo's
Or why it's so easy to gain weight (mass) but so difficult to shed it. I blame a substance I've written a theory about called "sticky dark matter". Also known as chocolate cake.
Surely you meant “billion” instead of “million”.
They have traveled far, that’s for sure.
4pickupguy
Doctor of Teleocity
Yet it will take Voyager 2 30 thousand years to clear our solar systems Ort cloud….
I absolutely love this video:
I absolutely love this video:
burntfrijoles
Poster Extraordinaire
Now you've done it. I'm going to have to watch Animal House again.
