The Space Thread

[Kobayashi Maru]

The edge of the universe, a Hubble 'ultra deep field' image showing the earliest galaxies at the edge of the universe - the starfields circled in green were the very first and are so far away that this is how they looked shortly after the univere itself came into existance.

 

This is where it all began.

 

Feeling small yet?

 

 

 

Just to add my 2 pence, those picts are what we are seeing 13.5 billion light years ago....a light year speed being 6 trillion miles. What we see of Betelgeuse in the sky is from 25 years ago, in contrast to our own sun of 8 mins (from watching 'The Universe' - The History channel, at the moment). We're completely insignificant, irrelevant and just plain rubbish.

[mars]

Just to add my 2 pence, those picts are what we are seeing 13.5 billion light years ago....a light year speed being 6 trillion miles. What we see of Betelgeuse in the sky is from 25 years ago, in contrast to our own sun of 8 mins (from watching 'The Universe' - The History channel, at the moment). We're completely insignificant, irrelevant and just plain rubbish.

 

Speak for yourself, Mukky. The way I see it, without me there is no observable Universe.

[Section_31]

Speak for yourself, Mukky. The way I see it, without me there is no observable Universe.

 

Agreed. If there is no intelligent life out there, the human eye and mind are nature's most flawless creation. Without it, it's all just shadows and dust.

 

SHADOWS AND DUST!

[Kobayashi Maru]

Speak for yourself, Mukky. The way I see it, without me there is no observable Universe.

 

Good point, can't argue with that tbf.

 

The hottest planet yet, where a year constitutes just over 29 hours.

 

 

Hottest planet is hotter than some stars

 

* 02:49 19 January 2011 by David Shiga

 

Astronomers have found the hottest planet yet, a gas giant with a temperature of nearly 3200 °C, which is hotter than some stars.

 

A collaboration called the Super Wide Angle Search for Planets (SuperWASP) announced hints of the planet's existence in 2006. The group had observed periodic dimmings of the parent star possibly caused by a planet about 1.4 times the size of Jupiter passing in front of the star once per orbit.

 

Follow-up measurements confirmed the planet's presence in 2010, showing distortions of the star's light spectrum that could only be due to a planet's influence. The measurements showed the planet's mass is less than 4.5 times that of Jupiter.

 

Called WASP-33b, the planet orbits its star at less than 7 per cent of Mercury's distance from the sun, whipping around the star once every 29.5 hours.

Hot star, close planet

 

That is not the tightest orbit known, but WASP-33b's parent star is one of the hottest known to host a planet. The star is a scorching 7160 °C, far hotter than the sun, whose visible surface is about 5600 °C.

 

The combination of its close orbit and its parent star's temperature heat WASP-33b to nearly 3200 °C, according to new infrared measurements made with a camera on the William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands. Alexis Smith of Keele University in Staffordshire, UK, led the study.

 

WASP-33b's incredible temperature is higher than some red dwarf stars. It is also about 900 °C hotter than another sizzlingly hot planet, WASP-12b, which was measured at around 2300 °C.

Puzzling planets

 

WASP-33b might help astronomers gain new insight on hot planets, whose properties have proven puzzling, says Drake Deming of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who is not a member of Smith's team.

 

For example, the outer atmospheric layers of some star-hugging planets appear to be colder than the deeper layers, which is surprising given that they are heated externally by intense radiation from their stars.

 

This might be due to complex carbon-based chemicals that change the way the planets' atmospheres respond to radiation, Deming says. Such chemicals could be formed by the action of ultraviolet light from the parent stars, which would be especially intense in the case of WASP-33b, given how hot its parent star is, he says.

 

"This certainly would be a planet that you would want to look at," he says. "It's a really exceptional opportunity to study a planet around a really hot star."

 

Journal reference: arxiv.org/abs/1101.2432

 

When this article was first posted, the sentence "It is also about 900 °C hotter than another sizzlingly hot planet, WASP-12b…" incorrectly stated "It is also about 700 °C hotter than another sizzlingly hot star, WASP-12b…"

[Dougie Do'ins]

if you want to read about awesome and destructive things you need not look outside the atmosphere. I'm reading some stuff about Yellowstone park at the moment and it's some mindblowing shit.

Watched a documentary about Yellowstone a while back. Talk about a ticking bomb.

[Fugitive]

Watched a documentary about Yellowstone a while back. Talk about a ticking bomb.

 

This sounds fucking leathal.

 

Scientists have warned politicians to take preventative action as a superstorm' date=' dubbed the 'Big One', is expected to hit California. US Geological Survey scientists predict that the storm could last 40 days, producing up to 10-feet of rain and causing £190 billion ($300 billion) worth of flooding damage, which would make it the most destructive storm in California's modern history.

 

National Weather Service images show an atmospheric river system - a huge hose-like flow of Pacific Ocean moisture - moving onto the state increasing the risk of the winter weather phenomenon.

 

The storm scenario, combining prehistoric geologic flood history with modern flood mapping and climate-change projections, was released at an ARkStorm Summit in Sacramento, California last week.

 

The scenario suggests that a quarter of houses in the Golden State could be battered by flooding.

 

Weather experts say the statewide weather event, which strikes once every 100-200 years could bring an unprecedented scale of destruction. There is also a considerable risk of wind damage to the eastern part of the state, according to chief scientist Lucy Jones.

 

The last superstorm hit California between 1861 and 1862, but scientists predict that the threat of another one looms closer as weather patterns become more volatile, due to rising temperatures in the atmosphere.

 

US Geological Survey Director, Marcia McNutt said: "The time to begin taking action is now, before a devastating natural hazard event occurs. This scenario demonstrates firsthand how science can be the foundation to help build safer communities. The ARkStorm scenario is a scientifically vetted tool that emergency responders, elected officials and the general public can use to plan for a major catastrophic event to help prevent a hazard from becoming a disaster."

 

Jones added: "This is not just a Californian problem. There will be disruption to ports and transportation systems. The economic impact will be felt across the country."

 

"For a storm which can cause four times as much damage as earthquakes, Californians are less aware of risks they face from floods."

 

Federal and state emergency management officials met last week to discuss emergency preparations for possible superstorms.

[/quote']

[Fugitive]

I love one of Saturns moons, Mimas. It's the Death Star and the fact Star wars was made 3 years before the first pic of it was taken makes it even more ace.

 

[Dougie Do'ins]

This sounds fucking leathal.

 

Scientists have warned politicians to take preventative action as a superstorm, dubbed the 'Big One', is expected to hit California. US Geological Survey scientists predict that the storm could last 40 days, producing up to 10-feet of rain and causing £190 billion ($300 billion) worth of flooding damage, which would make it the most destructive storm in California's modern history.

 

National Weather Service images show an atmospheric river system - a huge hose-like flow of Pacific Ocean moisture - moving onto the state increasing the risk of the winter weather phenomenon.

 

The storm scenario, combining prehistoric geologic flood history with modern flood mapping and climate-change projections, was released at an ARkStorm Summit in Sacramento, California last week.

 

The scenario suggests that a quarter of houses in the Golden State could be battered by flooding.

 

Weather experts say the statewide weather event, which strikes once every 100-200 years could bring an unprecedented scale of destruction. There is also a considerable risk of wind damage to the eastern part of the state, according to chief scientist Lucy Jones.

 

The last superstorm hit California between 1861 and 1862, but scientists predict that the threat of another one looms closer as weather patterns become more volatile, due to rising temperatures in the atmosphere.

 

US Geological Survey Director, Marcia McNutt said: "The time to begin taking action is now, before a devastating natural hazard event occurs. This scenario demonstrates firsthand how science can be the foundation to help build safer communities. The ARkStorm scenario is a scientifically vetted tool that emergency responders, elected officials and the general public can use to plan for a major catastrophic event to help prevent a hazard from becoming a disaster."

 

Jones added: "This is not just a Californian problem. There will be disruption to ports and transportation systems. The economic impact will be felt across the country."

 

"For a storm which can cause four times as much damage as earthquakes, Californians are less aware of risks they face from floods."

 

Federal and state emergency management officials met last week to discuss emergency preparations for possible superstorms.

That'll seem like a stroll in the park compared to what will happen if the volcano erupts.

[bri]

YouTube - The Known Universe

 

after watching this I came to the conclusion that we should all pack in work and spend time contemplating the space, time continuum. We would all belong to a society where money didn't exist and we would all belong to something that's sole existence was to further one's knowledge of ourselves and the universe.

[Guest San Don]

Just to add my 2 pence, those picts are what we are seeing 13.5 billion light years ago....a light year speed being 6 trillion miles. What we see of Betelgeuse in the sky is from 25 years ago, in contrast to our own sun of 8 mins (from watching 'The Universe' - The History channel, at the moment). We're completely insignificant, irrelevant and just plain rubbish.

 

And just to be clear, a light year is a measurement of distance not time. So, we are not seeing those galaxies as they were 13.5 billion light years ago.

 

We are seeing them as they were 13.5 billion years ago and the light they emitted travelled approximately 13.5 billion light years before it reached our retinas.

[thechap]

I love one of Saturns moons, Mimas. It's the Death Star and the fact Star wars was made 3 years before the first pic of it was taken makes it even more ace.

 

 

You're right but I bet Lucas had seen it for himself - in person - somehow. No human could have a neck like Lucas'.

[Dougie Do'ins]

Awesome, just watching The Sky at Night with Sir Patrick, and apparently 'something' the size of the Earth hit Jupiter recently.

 

 

We'd be so royally fucked without this bad boy in The Terran System drawing all this shit out of our path with its huge gravity well, it's like where Arnie first comes across John Connor in The Galleria and takes all those bullets in the back from the T-1000.

Try telling that to the dinosaurs.

[Anny Road]

[YOUTUBE]BS88G5WBcfQ[/YOUTUBE]

[Section_31]

A cosatline on Titan, looks a bit like Morecombe - except the ocean is methane and therefor more pleasant.

 

 

 

The atmosphere of Titan is largely composed of nitrogen; minor components lead to the formation of methane and ethane clouds and nitrogen-rich organic smog. The climate—including wind and rain—creates surface features similar to those of Earth, such as sand dunes, rivers, lakes and seas (probably of liquid methane or ethane) and shorelines, and, like on Earth, is dominated by seasonal weather patterns. With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titan is viewed as analogous to the early Earth, although at a much lower temperature.

[Steve Holt]

Awesome, just watching The Sky at Night with Sir Patrick, and apparently 'something' the size of the Earth hit Jupiter recently.

 

 

We'd be so royally fucked without this bad boy in The Terran System drawing all this shit out of our path with its huge gravity well, it's like where Arnie first comes across John Connor in The Galleria and takes all those bullets in the back from the T-1000.

 

Actually there's just as much chance that Jupiter will throw something our way as there is that it will stop something that's coming for us. Asteroids in the asteroid belt could get a gravitational kick from it that sends them toward Earth.

 

Jupiter could destroy us as well as save us.

[neko]

sorry, RL - I'll bump the original thread as well.

 

[dennis tooth]

Neptune is about to celebrate its first birthday. On 12 July it will be exactly one Neptunian year - or 164.79 Earth years - since its discovery on 24 September 1846. But why do we still know so little about the distant planet?

 

BBC News - Neptune's birthday and a beautiful piece of maths

[silverlining]

The soundtrack to this thread should be "Grava 4" by the superlative Detroit electro band Drexciya.

 

There is also a star named Drexciya, which is beyond cool.

[Section_31]

Neptune is about to celebrate its first birthday. On 12 July it will be exactly one Neptunian year - or 164.79 Earth years - since its discovery on 24 September 1846. But why do we still know so little about the distant planet?

 

BBC News - Neptune's birthday and a beautiful piece of maths

 

The Yakubu of planets.

[Redder Lurtz]

I fucking love Neptune, me.

[Magic Sponge]

Poor mans Uranus.

[Redder Lurtz]

Poor mans Uranus.

 

GTFO. It's immense, blue, the farthest planet from the sun, made of ice and methane and has storms of 1200 miles an hour winds. Neptune would kick the shite out of Uranus in a fight.

[Section_31]

 

Titan: Nasa scientists discover evidence 'that alien life exists on Saturn's moon' - Telegraph

 

Researchers at the space agency believe they have discovered vital clues that appeared to indicate that primitive aliens could be living on the moon.

 

Data from Nasa's Cassini probe has analysed the complex chemistry on the surface of Titan, which experts say is the only moon around the planet to have a dense atmosphere.

 

They suggest that life forms may have been breathing in the planet’s atmosphere and also feeding on its surface’s fuel.

 

Astronomers claim the moon is generally too cold to support even liquid water on its surface.

 

The research has been detailed in two separate studies.

 

The first paper, in the journal Icarus, shows that hydrogen gas flowing throughout the planet’s atmosphere disappeared at the surface. This suggested that alien forms could in fact breathe.

 

The second paper, in the Journal of Geophysical Research, concluded that there was lack of the chemical on the surface.

 

Scientists were then led to believe it had been possibly consumed by life.

 

Researchers had expected sunlight interacting with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce acetylene gas. But the Cassini probe did not detect any such gas.

 

Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at Nasa Ames Research Centre, at Moffett Field, California who led the research, said: “We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan, similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth.

 

"If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth.”

 

Professor John Zarnecki, of the Open University, added: “We believe the chemistry is there for life to form. It just needs heat and warmth to kick-start the process.

 

“In four billion years’ time, when the Sun swells into a red giant, it could be paradise on Titan.”

 

They warned, however, that there could be other explanations for the findings.

 

But taken together, they two indicate two important conditions necessary for methane-based life to exist.

[dennis tooth]

The Yakubu of planets.

 

Yep, and it also looks like purple aki.

[William_Ulsterman]

Thought this was a photoshop attempt at first, either that or the cover from a Sci-Fi novel, turns out its real...

 

 

Detail here

 

APOD: 2008 September 29 - A True Image from False Kiva

 

ive sat inside that cave (not at night)