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[Hawk SE]

i cant describe how some of the pictures, and facts about space in general make me feel, its so weird. its like a good feeling but im not sure what. all i know is i love space :lol

I'd put into those words too. There's just something isolating or amazing or overwhelming about space.

 

[owlbeak]

Artists Impression

Located roughly 10,000 light-years away in the constellation of Centaurus, the star IRAS 13481-6124 is twenty times the Sun's mass and about five times bigger in diameter. Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers discovered the star is still in the last stage before its "birth," encircled by a telltale disc of dust and gas.

That sort of disc has never been seen around such a massive star before. Astronomers already knew smaller stars had these prenatal discs before they reached final mass, but they were unsure whether such discs could survive the intensely bright light of stars more than ten times the mass of the Sun. However, without the extra mass that these dust discs provide, it wasn't clear how such stars ever attained their final mass. As an alternative, astronomers had proposed massive stars were actually the result of smaller stars falling into each other and merging.

Here's a link to the paper about the discovery.

 

[abstract alien]

GORGEOUS!

 

[WillyFive]

LENS FLARE!

J.J. Abrams was right!

 

[gofreak]

That's an incredible picture...

 

[owlbeak]

That's an incredible picture...

That doesn't even sum it up. My mind was totally blown. Just think about what you are actually looking at...amazing.

 

[Veidt]

We're witnessing the birth of a star.The people before us couldn't have even dreamed of this being possible. Great times to be living in.

 

[Neverender]

Hmm 10,000 years... would that star be in a relatively similar state after only 10,000 years?

 

[jett]

If they can take those amazing pictures of the cosmos is it possible to capture events such as the most recent picture in motion?

 

[Slightly Live]

If they can take those amazing pictures of the cosmos is it possible to capture events such as the most recent picture in motion?

Motion? You'd be waiting a few lifetimes for a few frames.

 

[owlbeak]

If they can take those amazing pictures of the cosmos is it possible to capture events such as the most recent picture in motion?

Not a chance, I'm sure the exposure time on that photo was weeks at least (?).

mm 10,000 years... would that star be in a relatively similar state after only 10,000 years?

I'd imagine. It's a slow process.

 

[owlbeak]

......We were all duped. Just saw that's an artist's impression...I like how that was not mentioned AT ALL in the article or caption for the picture. Looked pretty real to me.

I fail!

Edit: Here's the ACTUAL picture:

Not quite as mind-blowing haha.

 

[Hawk SE]

Oh well, pretty amazing stuff though

Need more real SPAAAACE

 

[CabbageRed]

If they can take those amazing pictures of the cosmos is it possible to capture events such as the most recent picture in motion?

Sorry for the but and these have likely been posted before, but I was poking through my subscribed thread and thought that you might like these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbig–Haro_object



V838 Monocerotis



S2 among others. I couldn't find a gif but click on the image for the video. I was hoping for a better link but Spore and Muse got in the way.

 

[Splinter]

Can someone post the prettiest "human eye" picture of the night sky? No long exposure pics, or touched up pics, just the best looking picture of what the human eye can see in the dark night sky.

 

[noah111]

Can someone post the prettiest "human eye" picture of the night sky? No long exposure pics, or touched up pics, just the best looking picture of what the human eye can see in the dark night sky.

I assume you mean with 0% light pollution, right? I can tell you from my experience a long time ago, it's just amazing. A picture will never do it justice, seeing it in person almost made it seem like there was actually a giant black cloth over the sky with holes in it, and the stars are just glimmers of what's behind it.. there are so many, different sizes and hues, it's really something everyone should try doing at one point or another..

 

[speculawyer]

I assume you mean with 0% light pollution, right? I can tell you from my experience a long time ago, it's just amazing. A picture will never do it justice, seeing it in person almost made it seem like there was actually a giant black cloth over the sky with holes in it, and the stars are just glimmers of what's behind it.. there are so many, different sizes and hues, it's really something everyone should try doing at one point or another..

I had a chance to see the night sky during the dark season in northern Greenland where there is zero light pollution and very little actual pollution. It was the most amazing sight I had ever seen. Laying down on the snow and looking up made me feel like I was actually in space. I saw probably 5 "shooting stars" per minute and it felt like I could jump off of Earth and right into space. It's something I would never forget.

And there were so many stars! Everything was so crisp and it made me envious of the old days before lights and pollution.

 

[Splinter]

I had a chance to see the night sky during the dark season in northern Greenland where there is zero light pollution and very little actual pollution. It was the most amazing sight I had ever seen. Laying down on the snow and looking up made me feel like I was actually in space. I saw probably 5 "shooting stars" per minute and it felt like I could jump off of Earth and right into space. It's something I would never forget.

And there were so many stars! Everything was so crisp and it made me envious of the old days before lights and pollution.

Did it look like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z3cVQcfb-w

Could you see the galactic center (epic name) this vividly?

 

[owlbeak]

Did it look like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z3cVQcfb-w

Could you see the galactic center (epic name) this vividly?

When I lived in West Virginia we would often go out to parties at a friends house who lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere. No lights for miles, and it wasn't as vivid as in that video, but you could clearly see the dust lanes and galactic center in the night sky overhead.

If you've never been to a truly DARK area, with no lights for miles, you are missing an amazing experience. I'd recommend just driving deep into a state park or something for a night in the summer. Everyone should experience it, I'd say it's life changing, but that sounds dumb/cliche, but it's true.

 

[speculawyer]

Did it look like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z3cVQcfb-w

Could you see the galactic center (epic name) this vividly?

Wow. Cool video.

Yes, it was that detailed, but add the crispness of your own vision and the surrounding darkness to the mix. In that video there were campers and whatnot walking around with some light. During my experience I couldn't see any light for miles and miles. The darkness would swarm over you. It was the creepiest and most awesome experience.

 

[kinoki]

I'd be so in love with religion if they abandoned the whole S:t Peter and Heaven, etc, and just said "After you die you spent an eternity exploring the universe in your astral form, taking in the majesty of creation." Because that'd be something special. I don't believe that it would happen unfortunatly, but I hope it happens.

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Watching Mars Rising. 2007.

They are talking about the old plan to go to the moon and make a base.

So depressing.

 

[Naked Snake]

It's amazing to think that before the advent of electricity and light pollution becoming the norm in cities, our ancestors witnessed the night sky in all its glory on every cloudless night.

Prof. Brian Cox talks about it here (from 2nd episode of Wonders of the Solar System): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SVi3QtqHAk#t=8m11s

Continued here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLHd0csaP_k

 

[Hootie]

Well folks, it's July 20th and that means it's the anniversary of man's first steps on the moon.

41 years!

 

[Treo360]

Wow. Cool video.

Yes, it was that detailed, but add the crispness of your own vision and the surrounding darkness to the mix. In that video there were campers and whatnot walking around with some light. During my experience I couldn't see any light for miles and miles. The darkness would swarm over you. It was the creepiest and most awesome experience.

You were probably in a Bortle region 3-4 area, maybe a 2. There are no region 1 areas in The United States (lower 48 that is)

 

[Kentpaul]

girls and love is the final fronter we will never understand it / them as much as we try :lol

 

[speculawyer]

You were probably in a Bortle region 3-4 area, maybe a 2. There are no region 1 areas in The United States (lower 48 that is)

That's a cool scale. But I think I was in a one. I was north of Thule, Greenland. According to the scale, at a two you are capable of making out silhouettes of buildings. This was total darkness where I was. I couldn't see a person sitting directly next to me. Especially creepy knowing there polar bears movin' about. lol

 

[Reno7728]

Biggest Star ever has seen has been discoverd

One of the objects, known simply as R136a1, is the most massive ever found.

Viewed today, the star has a mass about 265 times that of our own Sun; but the latest modelling work suggests at birth it could have been bigger, still.

Perhaps as much as 320 times that of the Sun, says Professor Paul Crowther from Sheffield University, UK.

"If it replaced the Sun in our Solar System, it would outshine [it] by as much as the Sun currently outshines the full Moon," the astronomer told BBC News.

 

[Nolan.]

Biggest Star ever has seen has been discoverd

Was just about to post this, the universe always has something to throw out there changing the ''rules''

 

[The Librarian]

Biggest Star ever has seen has been discoverd

In terms of mass, maybe, but VY Canis Majoris is the biggest star in terms of size.

 

[Hawk SE]

What other measurements make it the "Biggest Star" if not mass?

 

[EatChildren]

What other measurements make it the "Biggest Star" if not mass?

Mass =/= physical size. This new sucker may have a greater mass than VY Canis Majoris, though smaller size.

 

[noah111]

I don't get how it can be so small yet have such a mass. Wouldn't it collapse in on itself; black hole? Very interesting nonetheless.

 

[Sh1ner]

I don't get how it can be so small yet have such a mass. Wouldn't it collapse in on itself; black hole? Very interesting nonetheless.

It is fueled by the dust cloud I guess.

 

[fallout]

I don't get how it can be so small yet have such a mass. Wouldn't it collapse in on itself; black hole? Very interesting nonetheless.

There's a bit more to it than just mass. It also depends on the internal properties of the star and the amount of time required for it to burn up its fuel to the point where it will collapse. Given the mass of that star, we can reasonably predict what will happen and when (I'm guessing that this one will go supernova and produce a black hole).

This might be worth having a look at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrasekhar_limit

 

[Neuromancer]

I don't get how it can be so small yet have such a mass.

That's what she said

(OK I don't even know what that means)

 

[owlbeak]

That's what she said

(OK I don't even know what that means)

....girth?

 

[fallout]

That's what she said

(OK I don't even know what that means)

It's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean?

 

[Eiji]

Biggest Star ever has seen has been discoverd

Dat Mass!

 

[shuyin_]

Was this posted?

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/planet-tail.html

 

[Hawk SE]

I want this clarity where I live:

 

[Treo360]

I want this clarity where I live:

Goes outside to look up . . . I'm in a Bortle Dark sky level 9 area . . .

Fuck you!:lol

 

[Naked Snake]

The above image makes me want to wipe dust of my screen.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

I want this clarity where I live:

Where is this? Is this a real pic?

 

[Lucky Forward]

^^ It appears to be a time exposure...that's why the sky is so bright and the water looks all misty where it laps at the shoreline.

 

[fallout]

Most likely taken from the southern hemisphere, as well.

 

[HolyCheck]

Most likely taken from the southern hemisphere, as well.

Gosh I love living in the southern hemisphere outside of a major city

 

[Hawk SE]

Must be nice!

 

[Neverender]

I live in a pretty low light area in Australia and on any clear night I can see a much fainter version of the above picture (although you can clearly see the cloudy band stretch across the sky).

 

[Naked Snake]

I live in a pretty low light area in Australia and on any clear night I can see a much fainter version of the above picture (although you can clearly see the cloudy band stretch across the sky).

ugh, I'm so jealous!