The Official Space and Astronomy Thread v. Well, this is weird.

[BlackInk]

Ah, U1.27. That has been the center of my attention for the last weeks. I missed out on the start of this thread so I'm commenting on this rather late. U1.27 has spawned an interest in quasars in me and I now think that they are among the most fascinating objects in the universe.

[wasteland]

Baby ISON and adult PANSTARRS captured on film a couple of days ago!

[Chino]

 

[wasteland]

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Mother Of God! 

Ok had to convert to grasp it: 6920179.2 km/h (or roughly 0.000000731 light year) from 1 meter!  I still don't grasp it though other than that's one helluva freefall! 

[BlackInk]

Strong gravity like that is very fascinating. It can even be a source of energy faaar greater than fision or even fusion.

[Chino]

You're moving through the universe at something like 2.7 million mph and you don't even feel it.

[BlackInk]

You're moving through the universe at something like 2.7 million mph and you don't even feel it.

Relative to what? On an astronomical scale measuring speed isn't at all as simple as here on earth.

[wasteland]

You're moving through the universe at something like 2.7 million mph and you don't even feel it.

Relative to what? On an astronomical scale measuring speed isn't at all as simple as here on earth.

Judging from the order of magnitude it must be the motion towards the great attractor. Of course you can hardly feel it, as the Local Group of Galaxies is as much of a good aprroximation an inertial system as you can get.

[BlackInk]

Judging from the order of magnitude it must be the motion towards the great attractor

I thought we were recieding away from that? Considering the redshift and all.

[Chino]

Judging from the order of magnitude it must be the motion towards the great attractor

I thought we were recieding away from that? Considering the redshift and all.

I think it's from the center from which all galaxies are traveling away.

[Chino]

A little old but cool.




With the combined power of NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, as well as a cosmic magnification effect, astronomers have spotted what could be the most distant galaxy ever seen. Light from the primordial galaxy traveled approximately 13.2 billion light-years before reaching NASA's telescopes, shining forth from the so-called cosmic dark ages when the universe was just 3.6 percent of its present age.

[kári]

You're moving through the universe at something like 2.7 million mph and you don't even feel it.

.... So? Are you implying you wouldn't "feel" it if you were close to a neutron star?

[Chino]

You're moving through the universe at something like 2.7 million mph and you don't even feel it.

.... So? Are you implying you wouldn't "feel" it if you were close to a neutron star?

Not at all, lol. I'm just fascinated by the fact that my body is screaming through space at a ridiculous speed and I don't even notice. It's breathtaking.

[wasteland]

You don't see the effects because there is no tangible (by immediate senses) frame of reference with respect of which you are moving at that speed.

And you don't feel any effect on your skin because there is no percieveble force acting on you. I just quickly computed the acceleration acting on you resulting from the revolution of the Earth around the Sun (which takes place with a linear average speed of about 30km/s): it's about 0.006 m/s^2. Compare it with the 9.81m/s2 due to Earth's gravity! Absolutely negligible! And you will guess that the centripetal acceleration due to our solar system's motion around the galaxy can be neglected without any second thought as far as our every day dynamics go.

I won't speak about the matter of our expanding universe because I don't know enough of it to avoit talking out of my ass 

[kári]

You're moving through the universe at something like 2.7 million mph and you don't even feel it.

.... So? Are you implying you wouldn't "feel" it if you were close to a neutron star?

Not at all, lol. I'm just fascinated by the fact that my body is screaming through space at a ridiculous speed and I don't even notice. It's breathtaking.

Ok.
I find the fact that we are moving fascinating, but the fact that you don't notice is just basic physics.

[Chino]

You're moving through the universe at something like 2.7 million mph and you don't even feel it.

.... So? Are you implying you wouldn't "feel" it if you were close to a neutron star?

Not at all, lol. I'm just fascinated by the fact that my body is screaming through space at a ridiculous speed and I don't even notice. It's breathtaking.

Ok.
I find the fact that we are moving fascinating, but the fact that you don't notice is just basic physics.

Oh I know. That's why it's so fascinating to me. I love it. The overall size, speed, and power of the cosmos is the most heartwarming thought... at least to my brain. The last time our solar system was in this position relative to the center of the Milky Way, dinosaurs were just starting to evolve.  That thought blows my mind, and the fact that I can understand it makes me smile.

[Chino]

https://io9.com/5985923/dennis-tito-wants-to-send-humans-to-mars-and-back-by-2020-can-he-do-it

[rumborak]

I kinda have to agree with the article. You can't cramp a human being for 2 years into a compact car-sized volume.

[Azyiu]

Radiation... hmm, maybe the crew comes back, and they all become X-men or something. 

[BlobVanDam]

It would be great to see something so ambitious go ahead, but I don't think there's any chance of it happening. Is it really worth the trouble and risk for a flyby?
Man first landed on the moon long before my time, and I'd love to see humans top that in my lifetime, or even just to do it again. I know it's much more practical to just send a robot, and we learn just as much (if not more) from it, but it's just not as inspiring to witness. Given the technology they achieved it with back in the 60s/70s, you'd think it should be a piece of cake to fly to the moon and back in 2013.

[Azyiu]

It would be great to see something so ambitious go ahead, but I don't think there's any chance of it happening. Is it really worth the trouble and risk for a flyby?
Man first landed on the moon long before my time, and I'd love to see humans top that in my lifetime, or even just to do it again. I know it's much more practical to just send a robot, and we learn just as much (if not more) from it, but it's just not as inspiring to witness. Given the technology they achieved it with back in the 60s/70s, you'd think it should be a piece of cake to fly to the moon and back in 2013.

Mostly agreed with you there. And per Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's visions, we should've been travelled to at least Jupiter by now. On a side note, if not for politics and other world events, that might have been a reality. 

[Fiery Winds]

You guys are absolutely right, if not for the fact that the moon landing was staged. 

[BlobVanDam]

You guys are absolutely right, if not for the fact that the moon landing was staged. 

In which case, they should have no trouble staging a Mars mission with today's technology.

[Fiery Winds]

 

[BlackInk]

I would love to see something huge like this happen. A manned mision to Mars would be insanely awesome. I have also heard rumours of China setting up a base on the moon sometime and while that is probably bullshit, it would be really cool.

With the technology we have today, sending some people to Mars or even Jupiter wouldn't really be a problem. Just that it's damn expensive and money always ruins the chance for the coolest things to happen.

[Chino]

I would love to see something huge like this happen. A manned mision to Mars would be insanely awesome. I have also heard rumours of China setting up a base on the moon sometime and while that is probably bullshit, it would be really cool.

With the technology we have today, sending some people to Mars or even Jupiter wouldn't really be a problem. Just that it's damn expensive and money always ruins the chance for the coolest things to happen.

If we're not through the ice of Europa by the time I'm on my deathbed... I'm going to die pretty unhappy.

[wasteland]

I'm don't to die pretty unhappy.

Is my English failing or there's something wrong here?

New Panstarrs pic:



And the encouraging (updated) light curve. Initially it seemed that the comet was about to fizzle, but now the brightening has sped up quite steeply, which is, indeed, encouraging.

[Azyiu]

I'm don't to die pretty unhappy.

[Chino]

I literally just woke up and was still in bed. Eyes were blurry and brain at 1/4 throttle. You guys are hurting my feelings. 

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Don't worry, we all have the occasional brain fart.   

[wasteland]

As for Chino's actual post: who cares for Europa? It's not like we don't know already what's there, most likely! I want to see a fucking nearby supernova!

[Chino]

As for Chino's actual post: who cares for Europa? It's not like we don't know already what's there, most likely! I want to see a fucking nearby supernova!

I want to die knowing that life has been sustained outside of Earth. Even if they were just single celled organisms, I could die very happy.

I would also settle for an underground cave mission on Mars.

[BlackInk]

Europa is very fascinating because of the water. But I'm pretty sure there is no life there.

I want to see a fucking nearby supernova!

That'd be the last thing you ever see

[Chino]

Europa is very fascinating because of the water. But I'm pretty sure there is no life there.

What makes you say that? How do you explain the red coloring that emerges through all the crevasses? The Earth has lakes that are similar in color due to decaying organisms and lack of oxygen flow. There is extreme heat at its core that would be more than enough to provide organisms with an energy source.