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Space: The Final Frontier

N

NumberTwo

Paper or plastic?
Just a random musing.

Something has intrigued me for quite a while. And that is the prospect of exploring just how advanced a ship we can humans can construct...given unlimited funding and co operation between nations.
 
B

beelzebozo

Jealous Bastard
this is a great book that discusses some very interesting phenomena related to space (wow! signal, pioneer anomaly, etc.) and the sciences. can anyone recommend anything similar to it? i am hunting more great non-fiction related to astronomy. i've read some neil degrasse tyson, for the record, and love him.

13 Things That Don't Make Sense

13_things_that_dont_make_sense.large.jpg
 
S

Snaku

Banned
YE090.jpg


A 10-year-old girl in Canada has become the youngest person to discover a supernova - an exploding star which can briefly outshine a whole galaxy.

Kathryn Gray was studying images taken at an amateur observatory which had been sent to her father.

She spotted the magnitude 17 supernova on Sunday.
Click to expand...

"Kathryn pointed to the screen and said: 'Is this one?' I said yup, that looks pretty good," Mr Gray told the newspaper.

"It's fantastic that someone so young would be passionate about astronomy. What an incredible discovery. We're all very excited," said Deborah Thompson of RASC.

The new supernova is called Supernova 2010lt.

The last supernova in our galaxy occurred several hundred years ago.
Click to expand...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12110747

Daaaaaw....
 
O

Orgun

Member


Andromeda’s Once and Future Stars

Two European Space Agency observatories combined forces to show the Andromeda Galaxy in a new light. Herschel sees rings of star formation in this, the most detailed image of the Andromeda Galaxy ever taken at infrared wavelengths, and XMM-Newton shows dying stars shining X-rays into space...
Click to expand...
 
N

noah111

Still Alive
ianp622 said:
And as that cute girl smiled, billions of aliens were burnt alive as their star exploded and the scorching gases enveloped everything they once held dear.
Click to expand...
:lol :lol :lol That one got me good. Cool story though.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Does anyone know if there's a good repository of visible-light only images and/or video (!) of space, or taken in space? I'm curious for a project I'm doing.
 
F

fallout

Member
gofreak said:
Does anyone know if there's a good repository of visible-light only images and/or video (!) of space, or taken in space? I'm curious for a project I'm doing.
Click to expand...
Hm? Most images are taken in visible light only. Unless it says infrared or x-ray, you're probably seeing it in visible light.
 
O

Orgun

Member
fallout said:
Hm? Most images are taken in visible light only. Unless it says infrared or x-ray, you're probably seeing it in visible light.
Click to expand...

I think he might mean photographs that havent been touched up by an artist?
 
F

fallout

Member
Orgun said:
I think he might mean photographs that havent been touched up by an artist?
Click to expand...
This is somewhat common, but it's usually only to clear out imperfections in some of the images. The colours you see in the photographs are a result of the sensitivity of cameras and taking long exposures with multiple filters, stacked together. For instance, here are some single-exposure images taken without any post-processing.

http://davidharveyphotography.blogspot.com/2009/06/gufi-first-light.html

These aren't fully representative of what one would see with the naked eye, as the eye can detect some amount of colour. The amount of colour that can be seen will change from person to person, though. The simple fact is that cameras do not see what our eyes see. This is true for pictures of your face, but it's just not as noticeable.
 
T

TOP SHOTTA

Member
I learned that if the supergiant star Betelgeuse went supernova (and it is a prime candidate, scientists say anywhere from today to 1,000,000 years from now it could go) it would be so bright that it would outshine every star or planet in the sky. It would even outshine the moon. And it would be 100% visible during the daytime. It would cast a shadow.

This is according to a Discovery channel documentary by the way.

Worse, and this I was a concept I was able to find elsewhere, thankfully most experts don't think Betelgeuse is "pointing" at us in quite the right way, but the right kind of supernova could even pose a very serious threat to life on Earth. Even from that far away. 650 light years. 650 light years is far, but it's nothing in Universe terms.

It's the potential gamma ray burst that would hurt this planet. Basically it would rip apart the ozone layer and pummel us with radiation. Very damaging to plants, animals, us, and the atmosphere. They say the Earth atmosphere would almost immediately start trying to regenerate itself and might have hospitable parts in 20-50 years after the supernova's effects reached us. But they really think that. It is truly considered an extinction level event.

That just blows my mind if it's true and I don't have any reason to suspect it's not true.

I just had no idea there was any sort of threat from another star like that possible - absolutely nothing, except for a black hole potentially consuming the solar system. I have heard of that. Not about the supernova problem.

Yuck.
 
I

iidesuyo

Member
I found this one on the web, it's an article from July 1932 from a magazine called "Popular Mechanics". It's about galaxies and the possible age of the earth. I love this kind of stuff, at that time people didn't even know what the earth looked like from space.

http://books.google.com/books?id=a-IDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58&dq=popular+mechanics+July+1932+airplane&hl=en&ei=ELQRTfL4NYO_nAeC4uTTDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=popular mechanics July 1932 airplane&f=true



Somewhat OT, first reports of what would later become the Hindenburg:

http://books.google.com/books?id=a-IDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64&dq=popular+mechanics+July+1932+airplane&hl=en&ei=ELQRTfL4NYO_nAeC4uTTDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=popular%20mechanics%20July%201932%20airplane&f=true

It was supposed to have telephone and TV? Were there even TV programmes at the time??
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
fallout said:
This is somewhat common, but it's usually only to clear out imperfections in some of the images. The colours you see in the photographs are a result of the sensitivity of cameras and taking long exposures with multiple filters, stacked together. For instance, here are some single-exposure images taken without any post-processing.

http://davidharveyphotography.blogspot.com/2009/06/gufi-first-light.html

These aren't fully representative of what one would see with the naked eye, as the eye can detect some amount of colour. The amount of colour that can be seen will change from person to person, though. The simple fact is that cameras do not see what our eyes see. This is true for pictures of your face, but it's just not as noticeable.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm sure someone has to have a sort of filtered collection of images somewhere...if I find one I'll post a link in case anyone else is looking for similar.
 
O

orion434

Member
awesomeapproved said:
I learned that if the supergiant star Betelgeuse went supernova (and it is a prime candidate, scientists say anywhere from today to 1,000,000 years from now it could go) it would be so bright that it would outshine every star or planet in the sky. It would even outshine the moon. And it would be 100% visible during the daytime. It would cast a shadow.
Click to expand...

I always find it interesting that if Betelgeuse went Supernova 300 years ago we wouldn't find out for another ~ 340 years.
 
B

bone idle

Member
awesomeapproved said:
I learned that if the supergiant star Betelgeuse went supernova (and it is a prime candidate, scientists say anywhere from today to 1,000,000 years from now it could go) it would be so bright that it would outshine every star or planet in the sky. It would even outshine the moon. And it would be 100% visible during the daytime. It would cast a shadow.

This is according to a Discovery channel documentary by the way.

Worse, and this I was a concept I was able to find elsewhere, thankfully most experts don't think Betelgeuse is "pointing" at us in quite the right way, but the right kind of supernova could even pose a very serious threat to life on Earth. Even from that far away. 650 light years. 650 light years is far, but it's nothing in Universe terms.

It's the potential gamma ray burst that would hurt this planet. Basically it would rip apart the ozone layer and pummel us with radiation. Very damaging to plants, animals, us, and the atmosphere. They say the Earth atmosphere would almost immediately start trying to regenerate itself and might have hospitable parts in 20-50 years after the supernova's effects reached us. But they really think that. It is truly considered an extinction level event.

That just blows my mind if it's true and I don't have any reason to suspect it's not true.

I just had no idea there was any sort of threat from another star like that possible - absolutely nothing, except for a black hole potentially consuming the solar system. I have heard of that. Not about the supernova problem.

Yuck.
Click to expand...

That which gives life can also take it away.

These new lessons in survival are less than instinctive (gamma ray bursts, super novae, bolide impacts, etc), but our species can persevere if we dare to look beyond our own personal every-day comfort/survival. I reckon we'll need a more enlightened version of our inherited mammalian survival instinct to get through. This is not a DOOM post, but I sometimes wonder if we're cut out for long-term survival in the galaxy. (in other words, let's spread out as soon as possible to avoid planetary/species catastrophy)
 
F

fallout

Member
H

Hawk SE

Member
awesomeapproved said:
I learned that if the supergiant star Betelgeuse went supernova (and it is a prime candidate, scientists say anywhere from today to 1,000,000 years from now it could go) it would be so bright that it would outshine every star or planet in the sky. It would even outshine the moon. And it would be 100% visible during the daytime. It would cast a shadow.

This is according to a Discovery channel documentary by the way.

Worse, and this I was a concept I was able to find elsewhere, thankfully most experts don't think Betelgeuse is "pointing" at us in quite the right way, but the right kind of supernova could even pose a very serious threat to life on Earth. Even from that far away. 650 light years. 650 light years is far, but it's nothing in Universe terms.

It's the potential gamma ray burst that would hurt this planet. Basically it would rip apart the ozone layer and pummel us with radiation. Very damaging to plants, animals, us, and the atmosphere. They say the Earth atmosphere would almost immediately start trying to regenerate itself and might have hospitable parts in 20-50 years after the supernova's effects reached us. But they really think that. It is truly considered an extinction level event.

That just blows my mind if it's true and I don't have any reason to suspect it's not true.

I just had no idea there was any sort of threat from another star like that possible - absolutely nothing, except for a black hole potentially consuming the solar system. I have heard of that. Not about the supernova problem.

Yuck.
Click to expand...

Don't know which to believe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betelgeuse#Approaching_supernova

At its current distance from Earth, such a supernova explosion would be the brightest recorded, outshining the Moon in the night sky and becoming easily visible in broad daylight.[32] Professor J. Craig Wheeler of The University of Texas at Austin predicts the supernova will emit 1053 ergs of neutrinos, which will pass through the star's hydrogen envelope in around an hour, then reach the solar system several centuries later. Since its rotational axis is not pointed toward the Earth, Betelgeuse's supernova is unlikely to send a gamma ray burst in the direction of Earth large enough to damage ecosystems.[91] The flash of ultraviolet radiation from the explosion will likely be weaker than the ultraviolet output of the Sun. The supernova could brighten to an apparent magnitude of −12 over a two-week period, then remain at that intensity for 2 to 3 months before rapidly dimming. The year following the explosion, radioactive decay of cobalt to iron will dominate emission from the supernova remnant, and the resulting gamma rays will be blocked by the expanding envelope of hydrogen. If the neutron star remnant becomes a pulsar, then it could produce gamma rays for thousands of years.[92]
 
S

Smash88

Banned
When Andromeda and Milky Way crash into each other do we all die, would other planets just crash into us? If this happened lets say tomorrow.

Also sorry to sound stupid, I can't sleep and it's 4:45am. :lol
 
G

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
Smash88 said:
When Andromeda and Milky Way crash into each other do we all die, would other planets just crash into us? If this happened lets say tomorrow.

Also sorry to sound stupid, I can't sleep and it's 4:45am. :lol
Click to expand...
As i'm sure you already know, space is mostly empty, so no, the galaxies won't collapse or anything. Certainly there will be unpredictable gravitational interactions at work that will reshape countless celestial bodies, but it's just as likely for there to be no significant damage to the solar system

And in ~1 billion years (which is about 2 billion years before andromeda collides with the milky way) the earth will mostly resemble Death Valley and be uninhabitable for us and anything but simple microbes anyways.
 
J

Jasup

Member
gunther said:
why is it that we can't see stars in outer space but we can see planets?
Click to expand...
We can see stars in outer space, but not in pictures because the stars are not bright enough light sources. Exposure times are too short, especially when filming very bright objects like the Earth here.
 
M

McNei1y

Member
gunther said:
why is it that we can't see stars in outer space but we can see planets?
Click to expand...

We can see stars in outerspace. That type of camera isn't strong enough to take in all of the light/distance/time required though... thats my explanation of it. I'm probably wrong.
 
J

Jasup

Member
It's like pictures of the full moon: you don't really see stars in those pictures, yet we all know the stars are there. It's just that to photograph a star requires a long exposure time and full moon requires a very short time. You can't take pictures of the stars because it'd become overexposed and ruined.

The same goes for moon landing pictures.
 
G

gunther

Member
jambo said:
Also it's pretty easy to see a planet in a shot when said planet takes up 80% of the frame.
Click to expand...

I was refering to jupiter and saturn you genius.

Thanks for the answers jasup and Mcnei.
 
F

fallout

Member
gunther said:
why is it that we can't see stars in outer space but we can see planets?
Click to expand...
We can see stars in space. We just don't see them very commonly from things like the Space Shuttle and ISS because we're more interested in taking pictures of Earth and the reflected light blocks out the light of the stars. In the case of that picture, we can see the Earth because sunlight is reflecting off of it. You can't see stars because that reflected sunlight is making it too bright to see them.

Maybe as an example, I can ask why we don't see stars in this picture?

http://www.kingpinmedia.co.uk/kingpin images/media_pix/SGP/SGPLarge/City Skyline_Night.jpg
 
J

Jasup

Member
Picture taken from the ISS showing not only aurora borealis over Europe but stars:
5196972891_ff78a23ff2_b.jpg


So yes, you can see stars in space.
 
U

UrbanRats

Member
I remember reading that you can't see the stars, from the moon (light side, ofcourse) because of the ground reflection, is it true?
 
N

noah111

Still Alive
UrbanRats said:
I remember reading that you can't see the stars, from the moon (light side, ofcourse) because of the ground reflection, is it true?
Click to expand...
Well if your above earth I would guess there's a hell of a lot more light pollution coming from the earth (clouds reflecting etc) than the moon. Either way it's true in one respect or another.
 
Melchiah

Melchiah

Member
Here's an interesting article, although it's not about space.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/06/magnetic-north-pole-shifts-forces-closure-florida-airport/
The planet's northern magnetic pole is drifting slowly but steadily towards Russia -- and it's throwing off planes in Florida.

...

The poles are generated by movements within the Earth's inner and outer cores, though the exact process isn't exactly understood. They're also constantly in flux, moving a few degrees every year, but the changes are almost never of such a magnitude that runways require adjusting, said Paul Takemoto, a spokesman for the FAA.

...

"Since the fields change relatively slowly, they're marked out at 10 degree increments," he explained. The field has swung from approximately 10 degrees east in the late 16th century to 25 degrees west in the early 19th century -- before returning to a current value of about 3 degrees west.

It wasn't immediately clear when or even if changes would be required at other airports. And even the rate of change is inconsistent, McKee said, noting that it's changing much more quickly at the poles themselves.

Beyond just sliding around the planet, the magnetic north and south poles have been known to completely flip as well; these reversals, recorded in the magnetism of ancient rocks, are unpredictable. The last one was 780,000 years ago. Are we overdue for another? No one knows.
Click to expand...
 
W

WillyFive

Member
The effects of the poles moving could be significant, to instruments, to birds, and other stuff.

If it does move, I wonder how gradual it will, as in a change over centuries (not that big a deal), or a change over years or less (quite a change).

Disaster move time!
 
T

TOP SHOTTA

Member
Willy105 said:
The effects of the poles moving could be significant, to instruments, to birds, and other stuff.

If it does move, I wonder how gradual it will, as in a change over centuries (not that big a deal), or a change over years or less (quite a change).

Disaster move time!
Click to expand...
I do know it's a 10,000 - 15,000 year wobble.

Don't quote me on this though, but if I'm not mistaken this would cause major climate & migratory problems. We'd survive but it would suck. They say it factors into ice ages, and that we're well on our way already for Vega to be our new North Star.

Right?
 
W

wetwired

Member
rayner said:
I always find it interesting that if Betelgeuse went Supernova 300 years ago we wouldn't find out for another ~ 340 years.
Click to expand...

I could have gone nova already and we just don't know it, as the light is the first thing to reach us.
 
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