The Space Thread

[Dave D]

1 hour ago, littletedwest said:

Even as a kid this freaked me out. Whats at the end of the universe? Nothing.But even nothing is something 

Ive puzzled over this- it cant have a defined edge/barrier?? 

 

Ive also pondered, if Space is infinite, how we decide what route to take. In my infantile assumption, you get yourself into Space, then go left or right?

 

What happens if we just go up? Or indeed, down? 

 

Most images of the Solar system suggest it broadly level, orbiting the Sun- any craft that has left the solar system is adjudged to have done so by getting to the edge, somewhere around Pluto. 

Missing a trick there, just go up or down 

[johnsusername]

10 minutes ago, Dave D said:

Ive puzzled over this- it cant have a defined edge/barrier?? 

 

Ive also pondered, if Space is infinite, how we decide what route to take. In my infantile assumption, you get yourself into Space, then go left or right?

 

What happens if we just go up? Or indeed, down? 

 

Most images of the Solar system suggest it broadly level, orbiting the Sun- any craft that has left the solar system is adjudged to have done so by getting to the edge, somewhere around Pluto. 

Missing a trick there, just go up or down 

 

[Poor Scouser T]

22 minutes ago, Dave D said:

Ive puzzled over this- it cant have a defined edge/barrier?? 

 

Ive also pondered, if Space is infinite, how we decide what route to take. In my infantile assumption, you get yourself into Space, then go left or right?

 

What happens if we just go up? Or indeed, down? 

 

Most images of the Solar system suggest it broadly level, orbiting the Sun- any craft that has left the solar system is adjudged to have done so by getting to the edge, somewhere around Pluto. 

Missing a trick there, just go up or down 

Good question.

[Elite]

29 minutes ago, Dave D said:

Ive puzzled over this- it cant have a defined edge/barrier?? 

 

Ive also pondered, if Space is infinite, how we decide what route to take. In my infantile assumption, you get yourself into Space, then go left or right?

 

What happens if we just go up? Or indeed, down? 

 

Most images of the Solar system suggest it broadly level, orbiting the Sun- any craft that has left the solar system is adjudged to have done so by getting to the edge, somewhere around Pluto. 

Missing a trick there, just go up or down 

Infinite would be in all directions. 

 

So whatever way you tell the cabbie to go, he's going to rip you off.

[Rico1304]

This is the wiki page for one of the astronauts killed in the challenger disaster.  
 

Trigger warning: it’ll make you feel pretty hopeless. 
 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Resnik

[Gnasher]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/08/ring-discovered-around-dwarf-planet-quaoar-confounds-theories

 

 

[Gnasher]

Fucking mad this.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/08/moon-dust-moonshot-geoengineering-climate-crisis

 

 

[dockers_strike]

2 hours ago, Gnasher said:

Fucking mad this.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/08/moon-dust-moonshot-geoengineering-climate-crisis

 

 

 

We'd create our own 'Tabby's star' effect for any alien astronomers gazing our way when the Earth \ Moon system passed in front of the Sun!

 

They'd wonder WTF was going on in that star system?

[johnsusername]

On 28/01/2023 at 15:15, Rico1304 said:

This is the wiki page for one of the astronauts killed in the challenger disaster.  
 

Trigger warning: it’ll make you feel pretty hopeless. 
 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Resnik

My 5 year old asked me when I'm going to be an astronaut. I think she just assumes everyone gets a go. I had to let her down gently, since I'm 43 and of average intelligence.

 

There's a 'good' documentary on Netflix about the Challenger disaster (not that a disaster can be good). It's thought the crew may have been conscious (possibly but probably not awake) after the explosion - they spent almost three minutes falling to earth and hit the ocean at 200mph.

[dockers_strike]

On 24/01/2023 at 16:29, Dave D said:

Ive puzzled over this- it cant have a defined edge/barrier?? 

 

Ive also pondered, if Space is infinite, how we decide what route to take. In my infantile assumption, you get yourself into Space, then go left or right?

 

What happens if we just go up? Or indeed, down? 

 

Most images of the Solar system suggest it broadly level, orbiting the Sun- any craft that has left the solar system is adjudged to have done so by getting to the edge, somewhere around Pluto. 

Missing a trick there, just go up or down 

 

Bit late, I know but:

 

If the Universe is infinte, it has no boundary or edge. By definition, infinite means never ending so even if the stars and galaxies get fewer and fewer the further away from Earth you go, that doesnt mean those fewer stars and galaxies are at the' edge' of the Universe, just that there's what we call 'nothing' beyond them. That makes people thing there's an edge. Reality would be there's still be some atoms of gas etc and emptyness that goes on and on and on.

 

As for what route do we take, the answer is depends where you want to go. It's like the perenial question where is the centre of the Universe? The answer is, because it may be infinite, the centre is wherever you are at the time of asking. This would mean if you were an alien civilisation in Andromeda, the centre of the Universe would be where you \ they are compared to anyone in the Milky Way Galaxy.

 

There's no up or down in space and this goes back to the where is the centre of the Universe. Again, if it is infinite, you can go 'up' or 'down' or 'sideways' as much as you want but really, that direction is only relative to Earth and your intended destination because humans are conditioned to travelling in a 'direction.'

 

The Solar System is only level to your reference point on Earth. It isnt level with the plane of the galaxy or many other galaxies. It in fact rises and falls relative to that plane over a period of about 60 odd million years.

 

Then again, when you start talking about the 'observable' Universe you can argue from our perspective that there is an edge to it. But again, if someone was 10 billion light years away from us, they'd only 'see' 30 odd billion light years beyond us one way and 40 + 10 billion light years the other way from our perspective.

 

All fascinating stuff and blows my mind!

[Dave D]

2 hours ago, dockers_strike said:

 

Bit late, I know but:

 

If the Universe is infinte, it has no boundary or edge. By definition, infinite means never ending so even if the stars and galaxies get fewer and fewer the further away from Earth you go, that doesnt mean those fewer stars and galaxies are at the' edge' of the Universe, just that there's what we call 'nothing' beyond them. That makes people thing there's an edge. Reality would be there's still be some atoms of gas etc and emptyness that goes on and on and on.

 

As for what route do we take, the answer is depends where you want to go. It's like the perenial question where is the centre of the Universe? The answer is, because it may be infinite, the centre is wherever you are at the time of asking. This would mean if you were an alien civilisation in Andromeda, the centre of the Universe would be where you \ they are compared to anyone in the Milky Way Galaxy.

 

There's no up or down in space and this goes back to the where is the centre of the Universe. Again, if it is infinite, you can go 'up' or 'down' or 'sideways' as much as you want but really, that direction is only relative to Earth and your intended destination because humans are conditioned to travelling in a 'direction.'

 

The Solar System is only level to your reference point on Earth. It isnt level with the plane of the galaxy or many other galaxies. It in fact rises and falls relative to that plane over a period of about 60 odd million years.

 

Then again, when you start talking about the 'observable' Universe you can argue from our perspective that there is an edge to it. But again, if someone was 10 billion light years away from us, they'd only 'see' 30 odd billion light years beyond us one way and 40 + 10 billion light years the other way from our perspective.

 

All fascinating stuff and blows my mind!

 

I cant fathom it in my mind- the Earth is a round sphere. We launch out of it rising above it.

 

Surely you could then change course and go underneath it?  As you say, a quick google explains in some depth (that I dont fully comprehend) that its not possible as we only get our "up and down" sense from Gravity with Earth being central.

 

But with that in mind- how do you land on the moon? At some point you have to lower yourself onto it- which in itself is a very definite change of direction. Or even reach it in the first place? Is it, that as long as you are central with Earth you could pretty much fly in any direction and reach the moon?

 

My head hurts     

[dockers_strike]

38 minutes ago, Dave D said:

 

I cant fathom it in my mind- the Earth is a round sphere. We launch out of it rising above it.

 

Surely you could then change course and go underneath it?  As you say, a quick google explains in some depth (that I dont fully comprehend) that its not possible as we only get our "up and down" sense from Gravity with Earth being central.

 

But with that in mind- how do you land on the moon? At some point you have to lower yourself onto it- which in itself is a very definite change of direction. Or even reach it in the first place? Is it, that as long as you are central with Earth you could pretty much fly in any direction and reach the moon?

 

My head hurts     

 

A lot of it is because as humans, we're conditioned to ups and downs, edges and borders and something being finite. I think it helps if you ignore that conditioning when you talk about space.

 

As regards launching a rocket upwards if you're in the northern hemisphere and a rocket is launched from say Australia in the Southern hemisphere, rising or underneath becomes relevant to your perspective only. It can only be one to you but to someone in the southern hemisphere, that would be different.

 

The only common thing is a rocket launches away from the planet's centre of gravity or mass. Similarly when landing on the Moon, the landing is towards its centre of gravity or mass.

 

It's not wrong to think of launches as up and landings as down, but those terms are only really relevant to the centre of gravity or mass for those objects. Once freed from them in space, every direction is up, down and sideways at the same time.

 

Not saying all this is definitive, just the way I try and reconcile myself with it all!

 

[Dave D]

[dockers_strike]

The 'Are we alone?' question is fascinating. Some people frequently say the galaxy \ universe is so big, the sheer number of stars and planets means it is inevitable that we are not.

 

But, just because there are so many stars and planets, that might not be the case. This first vid uses the Drake Equation and what we know about star and planetary formation etc to be able do realistic number crunching. The result might surprise you.

 

 

 

The 2nd vid takes a different approach and theorises why complex life such as us, is a virtual one off in the whole universe!

 

[Section_31]

Casini footage of Europa and Io orbiting Jupiter.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/x639ko/europa_io_moons_orbiting_jupiter_captured_by_the/

[TheBitch]

What app do you nerds use to identify shit in space?

 

I can see 2 bright lights that I think are Venus and Jupiter. 
 

Photo taken with iPhone 3GS…

[manwiththestick]

55 minutes ago, TheBitch said:

What app do you nerds use to identify shit in space?

 

I can see 2 bright lights that I think are Venus and Jupiter. 
 

Photo taken with iPhone 3GS…

StarTracker

[easytoslip]

3 hours ago, TheBitch said:

What app do you nerds use to identify shit in space?

 

I can see 2 bright lights that I think are Venus and Jupiter. 
 

Photo taken with iPhone 3GS…

I seen them 

[easytoslip]

Can't quote, I seen them tonight in Denmead about 6.30 bright as fuck but when we got going back about 8.00 they where gone.

Jupiter and Venus ? Decent. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Section_31]

11 minutes ago, easytoslip said:

Can't quote, I seen them tonight in Denmead about 6.30 bright as fuck but when we got going back about 8.00 they where gone.

Jupiter and Venus ? Decent. 

 

Patrick Moore over here.

[easytoslip]

It was only in response to thebitch post who said that's what they were, I thought they were incoming planes but obviously they were to close together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Harry's Lad]

https://news.sky.com/story/nasa-tracking-new-asteroid-that-has-very-small-chance-of-impacting-earth-in-2046-12830428

[Paulie Dangerously]

KidD is determined to be a "space scientist" when she grows up and has asked for a telescope for her birthday in July. I've just picked up an entry level national geographic reflector telescope off of eBay for a good deal to stash away until then. 

 

Thinking of giving it to her earlier though if I can subtly set it up and get used to it. 

 

Anyone in Liverpool a star gazer? Are there any decent places to escape the light pollution? I see there's an a astronomer society who meet weekly near widnes with open public events, has anyone ever gone? 

[Fugitive]

9 minutes ago, Paulie Dangerously said:

KidD is determined to be a "space scientist" when she grows up and has asked for a telescope for her birthday in July. I've just picked up an entry level national geographic reflector telescope off of eBay for a good deal to stash away until then. 

 

Thinking of giving it to her earlier though if I can subtly set it up and get used to it. 

 

Anyone in Liverpool a star gazer? Are there any decent places to escape the light pollution? I see there's an a astronomer society who meet weekly near widnes with open public events, has anyone ever gone? 

That will be at Pex Hill in Widnes. There is an observatory there and also great for a walk around the old Quarry. I used to take the dog for a walk around there and imagine it would be an ideal place for star gazers due to the low light levels.

[Paulie Dangerously]

3 minutes ago, Fugitive said:

That will be at Pex Hill in Widnes. There is an observatory there and also great for a walk around the old Quarry. I used to take the dog for a walk around there and imagine it would be an ideal place for star gazers due to the low light levels.

Yeah that's it. Every week they meet there.