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Space and Astronomy Thread |
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#3176 |
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Join Date: Sep 2011
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There's an interesting planetary new update from the Planetary Society's Emily Lakdawalla including an excellent picture of Comet P67 backlit by the Sun: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily...pril-2016.html
In other news, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown have now gone on record as saying that they think that the proposed new Planet Nine could be found within just 2 years. There are some links to more Planet Nine news below: http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...d-planet-nine/ http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1...t-nine-040616/ https://www.newscientist.com/article...en-by-the-sun/ Mike Brown, in particular, could hardly have been more forthcoming with his opinions. He's been blogging constantly. You seem to be implying that now that it's there for all to read it might be (more) likely to be true, or that having "now gone on record" is a step in that direction.
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#3177 |
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Supernovae showered the Earth with radioactive debris.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...n-earth-space/ http://phys.org/news/2016-04-superno...ve-debris.html |
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#3178 |
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SpaceX successfully landed a first stage on their floating barge last night. Dragon capsule is on course to be picked up by the space station tomorrow. http://www.spacex.com/webcast
I watched the launch and landing live. It was awesome. |
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#3179 |
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SpaceX successfully landed a first stage on their floating barge last night. Dragon capsule is on course to be picked up by the space station tomorrow. http://www.spacex.com/webcast
I watched the launch and landing live. It was awesome. ![]() Could do without all the cheering and hollering at every single stage of the launch though... |
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#3180 |
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Thanks for the link, that was absolutely breathtaking stuff. How do they do that????
![]() Could do without all the cheering and hollering at every single stage of the launch though... |
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#3181 |
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The search for exoplanets and the Milky Way's youngest Supernova.
http://phys.org/news/2016-04-worlds.html http://www.livescience.com/54357-mil...use-found.html |
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#3182 |
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I agree, i had to mute it, i can't stand all of that kind of crap, it cheapens the moment.
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#3184 |
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Well, the Starshot Project as certainly grabbed the headlines as we can see below:
http://suttonnick.tumblr.com/image/142703345801 Starshot Project: Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg launch most ambitious alien-finding project ever. The backers hope that the project can send tiny rockets 25 trillion miles into space in just 20 years – and send back pictures, potentially showing worlds that could support life While I think it is well-intentioned, it's going to cost $ Insane billions and take decades. Furthermore, I don't see any value in sending such interstellar probes to external solar systems if the only type of planet they have is Mercury star roasters, for example. If it were up to me, I'd much rather spend the money on human trips to Mars (and a base there) and improved, larger space telescopes to specifically look for Earth-like planets around the nearest Sun-like stars. |
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#3185 |
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Quote:
Well, the Starshot Project as certainly grabbed the headlines as we can see below:
http://suttonnick.tumblr.com/image/142703345801 Starshot Project: Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg launch most ambitious alien-finding project ever. The backers hope that the project can send tiny rockets 25 trillion miles into space in just 20 years – and send back pictures, potentially showing worlds that could support life While I think it is well-intentioned, it's going to cost $ Insane billions and take decades. Furthermore, I don't see any value in sending such interstellar probes to external solar systems if the only type of planet they have is Mercury star roasters, for example. If it were up to me, I'd much rather spend the money on human trips to Mars (and a base there) and improved, larger space telescopes to specifically look for Earth-like planets around the nearest Sun-like stars. ![]() It's the possibility of the sheer speed that excites me - finally a plausible method of propulsion that could send a (very tiny) spacecraft through the interstellar gulfs in decades rather than tens of millennia. ![]() http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36025706 http://www.livescience.com/54384-ste...auri-star.html http://www.livescience.com/54382-ste...hot-video.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...tarshot-space/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMkW...ature=youtu.be http://phys.org/news/2016-04-alpha-centauri-life.html |
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#3186 |
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I've always thought that if aliens ever visited the Earth they'd be far more likely to be much smaller than us rather than bigger or the same size. If Star Trek is anything to go by then most aliens will be remarkably similar to humans
but the chances of a human-sized alien creating an interstellar spacecraft are far less likely than mouse-sized or ant-sized aliens due to the differing energy requirements.[Edit] I'm reminded of the Vl'Hurgs from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
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#3187 |
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I've always thought that if aliens ever visited the Earth they'd be far more likely to be much smaller than us rather than bigger or the same size. If Star Trek is anything to go by then most aliens will be remarkably similar to humans
but the chances of a human-sized alien creating an interstellar spacecraft are far less likely than mouse-sized or ant-sized aliens due to the differing energy requirements.[Edit] I'm reminded of the Vl'Hurgs from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. ![]() https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_...xt_Generation)
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#3188 |
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Could do without all the cheering and hollering at every single stage of the launch though... I attended a New Scientist astronomy lecture day last Autumn, and one of the speakers was the mission controller for the Pluto flypast. When you hear some of the back stories you understand the emotion that is released when a mission is successful. One anecdote he told us was that just a week before reaching Pluto - 14 years into the mission from when they first started - they decided to compress the photos they had taken so far to make room for the fly by photos. However, simultaneously they did a software update and these two things had not been done together before. The computer crashed, and it was several nerve wracking days before they got it working again.. |
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#3189 |
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A more dedicated Trekker would know the reason for this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_...xt_Generation) ![]()
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#3190 |
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Here are some more links to Breakthrough Starshot.
![]() It's the possibility of the sheer speed that excites me - finally a plausible method of propulsion that could send a (very tiny) spacecraft through the interstellar gulfs in decades rather than tens of millennia. ![]() |
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#3191 |
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I totally agree. When something can happen within the current generation's lifetime it changes the game.
Repent all you sinners for the end is nigh! ![]() http://www.livescience.com/32879-wha...-sun-dies.html |
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#3192 |
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Of course I knew! How dare you question my Star Trek credentials!
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#3193 |
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I disagree. Don't forget this is their life's work, they will have put their heart and soul into this project, allow them a bit of emotion.
I attended a New Scientist astronomy lecture day last Autumn, and one of the speakers was the mission controller for the Pluto flypast. When you hear some of the back stories you understand the emotion that is released when a mission is successful. One anecdote he told us was that just a week before reaching Pluto - 14 years into the mission from when they first started - they decided to compress the photos they had taken so far to make room for the fly by photos. However, simultaneously they did a software update and these two things had not been done together before. The computer crashed, and it was several nerve wracking days before they got it working again.. Otherwise, surely handshakes all round and a "jolly well done" would have sufficed? |
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#3194 |
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Here are some more links to Breakthrough Starshot.
![]() It's the possibility of the sheer speed that excites me - finally a plausible method of propulsion that could send a (very tiny) spacecraft through the interstellar gulfs in decades rather than tens of millennia. ![]() Quote:
I totally agree. When something can happen within the current generation's lifetime it changes the game.
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#3195 |
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A bit of emotion, yes, but this was like they'd scored the winning goal in the cup final at every routine stage. I could have understood if they'd saved it all for the amazing shit if the landing, faster than I expected it to be.
I didn't find the cheering crass until they started chanting "USA! USA!". Then they came across as insular red-necks rather than rocket scientists. |
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#3196 |
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I do think though that it's only worth sending out these very expensive probes to the nearest other solar systems [see virtual stereogram here http://www.space.com/images/i/000/01...jpg?1319137355 ] where there's a planet that's like Earth or like Mars which is potentially terraformable otherwise the sense of disappointment could lead to the end of the missions just as we saw the Apollo missions cancelled early due to lack of public interest.
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#3197 |
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A more in depth article (from The Atlantic) on Starshot.
![]() http://www.theatlantic.com/science/a...ntauri/477669/ |
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#3198 |
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I love this sort of space stuff......glad im not the only one who keeps looking up.
I'd love to see(never ever in my lifetime or many generations of mine) the planet that has been discovered ....so carbon dense that in effect it is one mahoosive diamond and the couple of others that are so surreal but probably stunningly beautiful that they will not support human life(yet). They are out there and have been discovered. Keep looking up people. |
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#3199 |
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And of course a star that will outlive the sun, otherwise it's a bit pointless.
Quote:
A more in depth article (from The Atlantic) on Starshot.
![]() http://www.theatlantic.com/science/a...ntauri/477669/ Within that 20 light year radius of Earth I previously mentioned, my money is on there being at least one or more Earth- or Mars-like worlds out there that are worth sending Starshot probes to. Incidentally, Starshot would be very handy for the exporation of the outer solar system, e.g. Eris, Planet NIne (if and when it's discovered). And now for some dreamtime: https://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r...kepler186f.jpg http://annesastronomynews.com/wp-con...ble-Worlds.jpg http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/c...6_84457225.jpg |
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#3200 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
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A more dedicated Trekker would know the reason for this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_...xt_Generation) ![]() Also of course it was easier to cast human actors in alien roles
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Mike Brown, in particular, could hardly have been more forthcoming with his opinions. He's been blogging constantly. You seem to be implying that now that it's there for all to read it might be (more) likely to be true, or that having "now gone on record" is a step in that direction.




but the chances of a human-sized alien creating an interstellar spacecraft are far less likely than mouse-sized or ant-sized aliens due to the differing energy requirements.

