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Astronomy/Cosmology Discussion Thread

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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Use this thread for any interesting (it all is) talk about the universe(s?). Stars, galaxies, nebulae, the Big Bang, quasars, or whatever else brings out your inner Neil deGrasse Tyson or Michio Kaku. What do you think is the coolest thing you've learned about the Universe? Post pictures, videos, discussion, questions, upcoming events, and recent news/discoveries here.

I'll kick it off with that capture we all know and love: The Hubble Extreme Deep Field (XDF)
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“After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?”


Apr 22 2013 4:46PM
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RimJobber
Posts: 3313 - Karma: 10,058
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Apr 22 2013 4:46PM
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statuswhitegirl
Posts: 4058 - Karma: 883
threads
Apr 22 2013 4:57PM
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PON3
Posts: 3817 - Karma: 783
Threads, will be contributing tonight!
Apr 22 2013 5:05PM
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Miomo
Posts: 4302 - Karma: 14,133
Such a bad-ass. Built a particle accelerator in highschool.
Apr 22 2013 5:08PM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Seriously?
Apr 22 2013 5:08PM
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Miomo
Posts: 4302 - Karma: 14,133
Yup. I can't find any great online sources other than this: http://bigthink.com/videos/an-atom-smasher-in-the-garage
but a better story is supposed to be in his book.
Apr 22 2013 5:14PM
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a_burger
Posts: 5240 - Karma: 20,806
My dad discovered an asteroid with a homemade observatory in our backyard /claim
Apr 22 2013 5:24PM
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BdoubleU
Posts: 880 - Karma: 291

Astronomy is a fun subject.

Just had a test this morning...not so fun.

threads to see what others post up!

Apr 22 2013 5:26PM
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dhess
Posts: 223 - Karma: 58
That gliese 581g planet looks sick. Too bad its really far away. http://www.space.com/16673-gliese-581g-habitable-planet-existence.html
Apr 22 2013 5:26PM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Thanks for sharing. Really good article!
Apr 22 2013 5:42PM
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FerrisBueller
Posts: 8280 - Karma: 5,173
You sound like a 10 year old trying to be smart
Apr 22 2013 6:05PM
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FerrisBueller
Posts: 8280 - Karma: 5,173
ahahahahahahahahaha i get it
Apr 22 2013 6:14PM
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PON3
Posts: 3817 - Karma: 783
Funny science/political humor
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Apr 22 2013 7:08PM
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PON3
Posts: 3817 - Karma: 783
Now something more science/space related
Apr 22 2013 7:11PM
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PON3
Posts: 3817 - Karma: 783
Interesting article about how grains of sand from a super nova explosion unveils more about how the solar system is formed:

https://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/25306.aspx
Apr 22 2013 7:17PM
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Calb3rt
Posts: 6005 - Karma: 2,203
the Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight.  go watch.
Apr 22 2013 7:22PM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Time estimate?
Apr 22 2013 7:27PM
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Calb3rt
Posts: 6005 - Karma: 2,203
well it has been going on for almost a week now. it is supposed to peak tonight/ early tomorrow morning. but really as long as it is dark outside and you are patient you should see some.  I have been going out around midnight, alaskan time, the last few night and have seen plenty.
Apr 22 2013 7:34PM
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conchetler
Posts: 280 - Karma: 609
love this stuff, nothing to contribute yet but threads
Apr 22 2013 9:04PM
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act.resist
Posts: 8875 - Karma: 513
know whats cool? aurora borealis. that shit i like
Apr 22 2013 9:24PM
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GIF
Posts: 468 - Karma: 1,279
You want to travel up north with me?

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Apr 22 2013 9:25PM
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CheddarJack
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 7,380
Let's try not to ruin this thread, shall we?

Anyway,
Courtesy of Spinoza who just posted it in another thread, and I remember seeing this back in high school physics:

http://htwins.net/scale2/

It puts the entire universe to scale so you can zoom in to the smallest things known to the entire universe.

So. Damn. Cool.
Apr 22 2013 9:30PM
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act.resist
Posts: 8875 - Karma: 513
i already am up north nigga.


this thread has potential.

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Apr 22 2013 9:37PM
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trettzilla
Posts: 931 - Karma: 29
what are your guys' views on the multiple universe theory?
Apr 22 2013 9:38PM
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PON3
Posts: 3817 - Karma: 783
I have a twisted view of this, let me know if any one has any contradictions or similarities with my theory. Granted I am only a 22 year old finance major who only has a bachelors. So theories about the universe are up in the air of what I deem to be possible/plausible.

To start off with the multiple universe theory, I do believe there are multiple universes but to how many to the nth degree? cant say, no one can. But I DO believe about the big bang with multiple universes.

I believe the big bang was created by a older universe than ours, that collapsed in on its self, thus condensing to a near infant amount, then re exploding creating the beautiful amazing universe we see today. I can also see this certain event collapsing on its self and creating two smaller universes out of one bigger universe.

Apr 22 2013 10:00PM
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DERS.
Posts: 6299 - Karma: 1,293
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma7zxohGe71rzeavuo1_500.jpg

read this. REALLY FUCKING COOL.

we talk a little bit about this in my modern cosmology class (yo cole take that shit astr 2010 fuckin sickest class).


tl;dr
question: the universe had a distinct beginning, therefore what existed before???
(possible) answer: black holes are the entrances to different universes. and the big bang occurred when a black hole in another universe was created.

interested? read that shit!

Click for larger image

Apr 22 2013 11:02PM
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DERS.
Posts: 6299 - Karma: 1,293
this is a better article... http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Before-the-Big-Bang-Something-or-Nothing-20121205
Apr 22 2013 11:07PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13106 - Karma: 18,906
Black holes are fucking paradoxes. Do they make matter stop in time, or do they make matter dissapear into the event horizon? Does the quantum firewall destroy matter or does the information remain scattered on its event horizon? How can you possibly understand a 3 dimensional hole?
Apr 23 2013 1:33AM
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RimJobber
Posts: 3313 - Karma: 10,058
I was abducted and probed last night.
Apr 23 2013 11:23AM
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JzD.
Posts: 1615 - Karma: 153
The universe is greatly underestimated
Apr 23 2013 11:29AM
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MNS
Posts: 5386 - Karma: 3,241
That was supposed to be funny?
Apr 23 2013 12:54PM
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cbj
Posts: 2114 - Karma: 1,136
I explained black holes in the other thread. Sparknotes: they aren't holes, rather something like a star or planet super condensed with a shit ton of mass that is only black because gravity is too great to let light escape.

At the event horizon, time stops (for the matters perspective)
That being said, from our perspective the matter goes straight in and collides with the other matter in the centre. I think. I could be wrong on this one though...
Apr 23 2013 1:04PM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
The question of what happens to matter when it gets pulled into a black hole plagued even Stephen Hawking for some 30 years. For a long time he actually believed the matter was destroyed. The entire astrophysics community hated him for it. Then he decided to change his mind and now he believes that the matter is destroyed in our universe but still exists in another one. Feel free to correct what I may have had wrong there. I watched that documentary at least 2 years ago.


New question: How can distant galaxies be moving away from us at greater than the speed of light? This brings light to other light-speed/relativity related questions. Is the speed of light relative to the source of the light?
Apr 23 2013 10:55PM
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VoodooThursday
Posts: 257 - Karma: 793
pulsars and quasars just blow my mind
Apr 23 2013 10:58PM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Right here brotha! Dat density.

Also, everyone always forgets about magnetars. Magnetic field so strong it would very easily pull the iron straight from your blood.
Apr 23 2013 11:02PM
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VoodooThursday
Posts: 257 - Karma: 793
wow! ive never heard about magnetars but that is straight up amazing
Apr 23 2013 11:05PM
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Calb3rt
Posts: 6005 - Karma: 2,203
you can see the aurora in Michigan? Or how far north are you talking? This year has been really good for the northern lights. HAARP does a lot of interesting stuff with the aurora if you can get past all the conspiracy stuff that goes along with it.  Here at UAF they shoot rockets into them that make them brighter and also have a lot of recording instruments and shit. Pretty amazing light shows that we know so little about.
Apr 24 2013 7:06PM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Pretty sure we know all about aurora borealis and its cause...
Apr 24 2013 7:53PM
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Miomo
Posts: 4302 - Karma: 14,133
No. The speed of light, when in the same medium, is always the same, represented by the constant "c", which the the speed of light in a vacuum (299,792,458 m/s). In other words, you can be running 5 m/s and shine a flashlight, but it would still be moving the same speed as if you weren't running.
Apr 24 2013 8:30PM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Then how are the galaxies moving away at faster than the speed of light?
Apr 24 2013 10:37PM
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BikeMlatt69
Posts: 1947 - Karma: 60
There are actually some pretty cool, smart people on NS. Respect.
Apr 24 2013 11:36PM
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act.resist
Posts: 8875 - Karma: 513
indeed.

this is a vid courtesy of ns member mkvackay of marquette. we are substantially far north. not as far as alaska obviously. but we get real snow, so that's cool. how do you like UAF? i thought about transferring there at one point.


Two Green Nights: Northern Lights 4/24-25/12 - Upper Peninsula from Mike Kvackay on Vimeo.


Apr 25 2013 12:16AM
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Dirac
Posts: 1304 - Karma: 335
the expansion of space itself
Apr 25 2013 12:33AM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Ah yes thank you! I forgot. You're basically saying that since space-time isn't matter, it can expand faster than light-speed, simply carrying the galaxies with it?


Apr 25 2013 1:14AM
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Dirac
Posts: 1304 - Karma: 335
I think one of the most interesting things right now is the results from fermi that suggest space-time is smooth like Einstein thought (no quantum foam).
Apr 25 2013 1:14AM
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Dingo69
Posts: 1330 - Karma: -171
I like cosmic voids
Apr 25 2013 1:16AM
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doyle.
Posts: 1624 - Karma: 596
I have no knowledge on the subject but I find this stuff so interesting
Apr 25 2013 3:20AM
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cbj
Posts: 2114 - Karma: 1,136
I think perhaps the greatest thing to ever think about is time and space itself. Think of space time as a plane that can bend and fold, and it really fucks with things.

Also I have a theory. I have a theory that gravity is caused by particles that are only observable in a 4th spatial dimension and are only observed as gravity in our 3 spatial dimensions. Similar to how a 2 dimensional object will only see a cube as a diamond or square, only a cross-section of it. Well, the 3d cross section of these 4d particles is the force of gravity itself. Just pondering here.
Apr 25 2013 3:41AM
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Zimmerman
Posts: 6992 - Karma: 1,021
Intredasting.

Just watched a video explaining "why the Universe is flat." I'm not sure what they mean by this. How can the universe be flat if there are objects scattered and expanding in all directions?
Apr 25 2013 7:36PM
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Dirac
Posts: 1304 - Karma: 335
3d space is flat.
Apr 25 2013 8:24PM
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