Dorky stuff about the Universe

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  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    The Ghost of Summer Suns.... Hallows Eve week.

    Halloween is approaching, and this means that Arcturus, the star sparkling low in the west-northwest in twilight, is taking on its role as "the Ghost of Summer Suns.

    " What does this mean?

    For several days centered on October 29th every year, Arcturus occupies a special place above your local landscape. It closely marks the spot in your sky where the Sun stood at the same time, by the clock, during warm June and July — in broad daylight, of course.

    So, in the last days of October each year, you can think of Arcturus as the chilly Halloween ghost of the departed summer Sun.
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  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    Stars explode when they die. This event is called a supernova.
    However, very small percentages of stars explode. Most stars end their lives in different ways, some cool down to become white dwarfs and eventually fade into space and become black dwarfs....
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  • rollings
    rollings unknown Posts: 7,127
    SFfXU.gif
  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    Saturday, November 3

    • Standard Time returns (for most of North America) at 2 a.m. tonight. Clocks "fall back" an hour....
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  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,297
    :mrgreen::lol::lol::lol:

    Good slide, Rollings!
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    Saturday November 10th

    • Venus and the waning crescent Moon shine together low in the east early Sunday morning, from pre-dawn to sunrise...
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  • musicismylife78
    musicismylife78 Posts: 6,116
    heres a question for science nerds out there. i love thinking about the massive nature of the universe. That there are 200-400 billion stars in the milky way. And that there are billions of other galaxies out there, with hundreds of billions of stars in THEIR galaxies. Or that there are black holes in the galaxy and other galaxies that contain ANOTHER galaxy of billions and billions of starts in them.

    My question is this: how many PLANETS are their in other galaxies? Are planets stars? And are stars planets?



    The vastness of it all makes my brain hurt but its facinating.


    Also, heres a couple other questions ive always wondered when Aldrin and Armstrong made it to the moon, could you physically see it, like could an average citizen look in the sky and see them?

    And-what would happen to a person if they went to the moon and werent wearing those gigantic suits and helmets? What if you wore shorts and a t-shirt?

    Or-what would happen if you jumped off the side of the moon, into the empty space as it were? Would you float? Or fall? Where would you float or fall to?
  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    Sunday, November 11


    • On Monday morning before sunrise, look below bright Venus in the east for the thin waning Moon with Saturn to its left.... Saturn is just beginning its year-long 2012–13 apparition.
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  • rollings
    rollings unknown Posts: 7,127
    musicismylife78 wrote:
    My question is this: how many PLANETS are their in other galaxies? Are planets stars? And are stars planets?

    Also, heres a couple other questions ive always wondered when Aldrin and Armstrong made it to the moon, could you physically see it, like could an average citizen look in the sky and see them?

    And-what would happen to a person if they went to the moon and werent wearing those gigantic suits and helmets? What if you wore shorts and a t-shirt?

    Or-what would happen if you jumped off the side of the moon, into the empty space as it were? Would you float? Or fall? Where would you float or fall to?

    :corn:
  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    Every year the moon moves about 3.8cm further away from the Earth. This is caused by tidal effects. Consequently, the earth is slowing in rotation by about 0.002 seconds per day per century.

    Scientists do not know how the moon was created, but the generally accepted theory suggests that a large Mars sized object hit the earth causing the Moon to splinter off....
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  • Jeanwah
    Jeanwah Posts: 6,363
    Meteor shower November 17th!
    http://stardate.org/mediacenter/201111- ... ovember-17
  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    Jeanwah wrote:
    Meteor shower November 17th!
    http://stardate.org/mediacenter/201111- ... ovember-17


    There's no way that I will see this in my area.... lucky for those who can.
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  • Cosmo
    Cosmo Posts: 12,225
    musicismylife78 wrote:
    My question is this: how many PLANETS are their in other galaxies? Are planets stars? And are stars planets?
    That is unknown. Consider, each star is a Sun. That means each star could have planets orbiting it.
    Stars are stars... planets are planets. Just like the Sun is a star... the Earth is a planet. They are not the same.
    musicismylife78 wrote:
    Also, heres a couple other questions ive always wondered when Aldrin and Armstrong made it to the moon, could you physically see it, like could an average citizen look in the sky and see them?
    Nope. But, with the high grade telescopes, we can see the lunar landers. Granted, they are little specks that look like rocks... but, they are there.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlhBuPLjEYw
    Also, the live feed that day... you couldn't make out shit in the grainy black and white live pictures. It just looked like dark areas and light areas on your T.V. screen... for hours.
    musicismylife78 wrote:
    And-what would happen to a person if they went to the moon and werent wearing those gigantic suits and helmets? What if you wore shorts and a t-shirt?
    I would dress warmly...
    http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_a ... 70603.html
    musicismylife78 wrote:
    Or-what would happen if you jumped off the side of the moon, into the empty space as it were? Would you float? Or fall? Where would you float or fall to?
    The Moon has gravity... not as much as the Earth. you would come back down to the surface... just like Alan Sheppard's golf ball.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    On 2012 November 13/14, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses Earth's southern Hemisphere. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in northern Australia and crosses the South Pacific Ocean with on other no landfall. The Moon's penumbral shadow produces a partial eclipse visible from a much larger region covering Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific.

    For those in Australia for the eclipse, please note that the eclipse occurs on the morning of Nov. 14 local time.....
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  • catefrances
    catefrances Posts: 29,003
    pics of the total eclipse in northern australia

    http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/201 ... queensland
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    catefrances wrote:
    pics of the total eclipse in northern australia

    http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/201 ... queensland
    Marvelous! Did you see it?
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • catefrances
    catefrances Posts: 29,003
    brianlux wrote:
    catefrances wrote:
    pics of the total eclipse in northern australia

    http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/201 ... queensland
    Marvelous! Did you see it?


    im not in northern australia. we couldve seen it partially but there was total cloud cover here. :( and i got up early especially. booo mother nature. :lol:
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    catefrances wrote:
    brianlux wrote:
    catefrances wrote:
    pics of the total eclipse in northern australia

    http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/201 ... queensland
    Marvelous! Did you see it?


    im not in northern australia. we couldve seen it partially but there was total cloud cover here. :( and i got up early especially. booo mother nature. :lol:


    Oh bummer. We lucked out during the last (nearly full) solar eclipse- but no surprise- it was May (if I recall correctly).
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • catefrances
    catefrances Posts: 29,003
    brianlux wrote:

    Oh bummer. We lucked out during the last (nearly full) solar eclipse- but no surprise- it was May (if I recall correctly).


    yeah it was a bummer but im consolling myself with thoughts of a full moon over the pacific ocean when im cruising at the end of january. i know its perhaps not on par with a solar eclipse but im super excited.
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • pandora
    pandora Posts: 21,855
    Oh man this is so not dorky but...

    there is an amazing dark side of the moon out there tonight...
    amazing :D

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