Official Space is Awesome Thread

[rsj1360]

Spent a lot of time listening to this back at UMASS in 1979/80:

[media=]http://youtu.be/lNhmzyc_OrE[/media]

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='Thrillhouse' timestamp='1421208960' post='10743509']
[quote name='hogans71' timestamp='1421190045' post='10741711']
I'm just freaked out by the fact that it goes on forever.

FOREVER. I mean, even if there was an end to it, there'd have to be something on the other side...

Freaky indeed.
[/quote]

On top of this based on one theory it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Really makes you wonder what existed before all of this. Was it really nothing? Like there was nothing and then all of a sudden an explosion and now all sorts of stuff?

That's crazy to think about, nothing existing at all.
[/quote]

It's hard to stay on top of all the theories, and just as hard to understand them if you are not a genius. I know at one point a theory was that space bends in a way that there is no end, it's not that it's just expanding forever, but you can't get to an end because there's no end, it just curves to another point not necessarily further. Like if you went forever you'd end up back where you started

I know other theories are that the universe might expand and contract over and over ....over billions of years

[scotee]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1421368511' post='10753987']
[quote name='Thrillhouse' timestamp='1421208960' post='10743509']
[quote name='hogans71' timestamp='1421190045' post='10741711']
I'm just freaked out by the fact that it goes on forever.

FOREVER. I mean, even if there was an end to it, there'd have to be something on the other side...

Freaky indeed.
[/quote]

On top of this based on one theory it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Really makes you wonder what existed before all of this. Was it really nothing? Like there was nothing and then all of a sudden an explosion and now all sorts of stuff?

That's crazy to think about, nothing existing at all.
[/quote]

It's hard to stay on top of all the theories, and just as [color=#ff0000]hard to understand[/color] them if you are not a genius. I know at one point a theory was that space bends in a way that there is no end, it's not that it's just expanding forever, but you can't get to an end because there's no end, it just curves to another point not necessarily further. Like if you went forever you'd end up back where you started

I know other theories are that the universe might expand and contract over and over ....over billions of years
[/quote]

[color=#000000]Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things................[/color]

[Chief Illiniwek]

I'm way into all the space shows as well. Although I will say that I've seen "non celebrity" physicists complain that so much of what you see on tv is just pure speculation founded in very little actual mathematics. Basically the more sensational it sounds, the better it is for tv and book sales. It was an interesting take I had never considered. I came across that info after I read Brian Greene's book Fabric of the Cosmos because, as an idiot, I didn't understand 90% of it and was looking for explanations of what I had just read online. :-)

[Imp]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEheh1BH34Q"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEheh1BH34Q[/url]

[driverwedge]

[quote name='Imp' timestamp='1421584400' post='10768735']
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEheh1BH34Q"]https://www.youtube....h?v=HEheh1BH34Q[/url]


[/quote]

Didn't I post that in #14?

[Imp]

Whoops. But that's so one page ago!

[driverwedge]

[quote name='Imp' timestamp='1421597313' post='10769631']Whoops. But that's so one page ago![/quote]

Like totally!

[drpino]

Our closest observations of Pluto and the Kuiper Belt are coming up in July with the New Horizons mission:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_belt

2014 was a great year for space exploration. 2015 is supposed to be even better. Mars colony by 2035? 20 odd years until Total Recall: the Reality.

StarTalk Radio has been mentioned in other topics (i.e. What podcasts do you listen to?). NDT makes a lot of the science and info more accessible to the average layperson. http://www.startalkradio.net

[dn0614]

[quote name='Eagle006' timestamp='1421275575' post='10747563'][quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421192594' post='10741975']
For anyone wondering how big our Earth/Solar System is in relation to what else we know is out there, check out this huge wikipedia comparison pick:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Earth%27s_Location_in_the_Universe_%28JPEG%29.jpg

And this is only what we KNOW is out there. Its absurd.
[/quote]

Mind blowing for sure. That's a great diagram, thanks for posting.

Someone mentioned feeling humbled by space and I would certainly agree with that. I also find looking at the stars very much helps keeps certain life events in perspective. Things take on a new dimension when considered in the context of the universe as a whole and indeed our own minuscule and no doubt fleeting place within it.[/quote]

Agree. Another mind blowing fact is that we can only see objects within 13.8 billion light years of earth, no matter how much telescopes improve. Everything outside of that range is invisible to us.

[RJRJRJ]

[quote name='dn0614' timestamp='1421639887' post='10774269']
[quote name='Eagle006' timestamp='1421275575' post='10747563'][quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421192594' post='10741975']
For anyone wondering how big our Earth/Solar System is in relation to what else we know is out there, check out this huge wikipedia comparison pick:

[url="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Earth%27s_Location_in_the_Universe_%28JPEG%29.jpg"]http://upload.wikime...erse_(JPEG).jpg[/url]

And this is only what we KNOW is out there. Its absurd.
[/quote]

Mind blowing for sure. That's a great diagram, thanks for posting.

Someone mentioned feeling humbled by space and I would certainly agree with that. I also find looking at the stars very much helps keeps certain life events in perspective. Things take on a new dimension when considered in the context of the universe as a whole and indeed our own minuscule and no doubt fleeting place within it.[/quote]

Agree. Another mind blowing fact is that we can only see objects within 13.8 billion light years of earth, no matter how much telescopes improve. Everything outside of that range is invisible to us.
[/quote]

Whats the reason behind this?

[dn0614]

[quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421644545' post='10774561'][quote name='dn0614' timestamp='1421639887' post='10774269']
[quote name='Eagle006' timestamp='1421275575' post='10747563'][quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421192594' post='10741975']
For anyone wondering how big our Earth/Solar System is in relation to what else we know is out there, check out this huge wikipedia comparison pick:

[url="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Earth's_Location_in_the_Universe_(JPEG).jpg"]http://upload.wikime...erse_(JPEG).jpg[/url]

And this is only what we KNOW is out there. Its absurd.
[/quote]

Mind blowing for sure. That's a great diagram, thanks for posting.

Someone mentioned feeling humbled by space and I would certainly agree with that. I also find looking at the stars very much helps keeps certain life events in perspective. Things take on a new dimension when considered in the context of the universe as a whole and indeed our own minuscule and no doubt fleeting place within it.[/quote]

Agree. Another mind blowing fact is that we can only see objects within 13.8 billion light years of earth, no matter how much telescopes improve. Everything outside of that range is invisible to us.
[/quote]

Whats the reason behind this?[/quote]

It is because the universe is 13.8 billion years old, which means that light has only had time to travel 13.8 billion light years. Any star which is farther away than that is not visible to us because it's light hasn't got to Earth yet.

FWIW, whether scientists are correct about the age of the universe or not, the age of the universe will be equal to the radius of the visible universe to us.

[Jseale]

[quote name='dn0614' timestamp='1421645149' post='10774601']
[quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421644545' post='10774561'][quote name='dn0614' timestamp='1421639887' post='10774269']
[quote name='Eagle006' timestamp='1421275575' post='10747563'][quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421192594' post='10741975']
For anyone wondering how big our Earth/Solar System is in relation to what else we know is out there, check out this huge wikipedia comparison pick:

[url="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Earth's_Location_in_the_Universe_(JPEG).jpg"]http://upload.wikime...erse_(JPEG).jpg[/url]

And this is only what we KNOW is out there. Its absurd.
[/quote]

Mind blowing for sure. That's a great diagram, thanks for posting.

Someone mentioned feeling humbled by space and I would certainly agree with that. I also find looking at the stars very much helps keeps certain life events in perspective. Things take on a new dimension when considered in the context of the universe as a whole and indeed our own minuscule and no doubt fleeting place within it.[/quote]

Agree. Another mind blowing fact is that we can only see objects within 13.8 billion light years of earth, no matter how much telescopes improve. Everything outside of that range is invisible to us.
[/quote]

Whats the reason behind this?[/quote]

It is because the universe is 13.8 billion years old, which means that light has only had time to travel 13.8 billion light years. Any star which is farther away than that is not visible to us because it's light hasn't got to Earth yet.

FWIW, whether scientists are correct about the age of the universe or not, the age of the universe will be equal to the radius of the visible universe to us.
[/quote]
I've never thought about this but it's one of those ideas that makes my head hurt. Really anything concerning the speed of light is pretty tough to wrap my mind around.

[RJRJRJ]

[quote name='Jseale' timestamp='1421646203' post='10774657']
[quote name='dn0614' timestamp='1421645149' post='10774601']
[quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421644545' post='10774561'][quote name='dn0614' timestamp='1421639887' post='10774269']
[quote name='Eagle006' timestamp='1421275575' post='10747563']

Mind blowing for sure. That's a great diagram, thanks for posting.

Someone mentioned feeling humbled by space and I would certainly agree with that. I also find looking at the stars very much helps keeps certain life events in perspective. Things take on a new dimension when considered in the context of the universe as a whole and indeed our own minuscule and no doubt fleeting place within it.[/quote]

Agree. Another mind blowing fact is that we can only see objects within 13.8 billion light years of earth, no matter how much telescopes improve. Everything outside of that range is invisible to us.
[/quote]

Whats the reason behind this?[/quote]

It is because the universe is 13.8 billion years old, which means that light has only had time to travel 13.8 billion light years. Any star which is farther away than that is not visible to us because it's light hasn't got to Earth yet.

FWIW, whether scientists are correct about the age of the universe or not, the age of the universe will be equal to the radius of the visible universe to us.
[/quote]
I've never thought about this but it's one of those ideas that makes my head hurt. Really anything concerning the speed of light is pretty tough to wrap my mind around.
[/quote]

Seriously. I would never have put that all together, but now just knowing this is completely mind boggling.

[hogans71]

[quote name='dn0614' timestamp='1421645149' post='10774601']
[quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421644545' post='10774561'][quote name='dn0614' timestamp='1421639887' post='10774269']
[quote name='Eagle006' timestamp='1421275575' post='10747563'][quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1421192594' post='10741975']
For anyone wondering how big our Earth/Solar System is in relation to what else we know is out there, check out this huge wikipedia comparison pick:

[url="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Earth%27s_Location_in_the_Universe_(JPEG).jpg"]http://upload.wikime...erse_(JPEG).jpg[/url]

And this is only what we KNOW is out there. Its absurd.
[/quote]

Mind blowing for sure. That's a great diagram, thanks for posting.

Someone mentioned feeling humbled by space and I would certainly agree with that. I also find looking at the stars very much helps keeps certain life events in perspective. Things take on a new dimension when considered in the context of the universe as a whole and indeed our own minuscule and no doubt fleeting place within it.[/quote]

Agree. Another mind blowing fact is that we can only see objects within 13.8 billion light years of earth, no matter how much telescopes improve. Everything outside of that range is invisible to us.
[/quote]

Whats the reason behind this?[/quote]

It is because the universe is 13.8 billion years old, which means that light has only had time to travel 13.8 billion light years. Any star which is farther away than that is not visible to us because it's light hasn't got to Earth yet.

FWIW, whether scientists are correct about the age of the universe or not, the age of the universe will be equal to the radius of the visible universe to us.
[/quote]

That is freaking wild, mind blowing stuff... Damn..

[Emthree]

Just think, there might be a goup of aliens out there who are also stupid enough to whack a spherical object around, walk after it and get angry with themselves.

[littlepingman]

[quote name='hogans71' timestamp='1421190045' post='10741711']
I'm just freaked out by the fact that it goes on forever.

FOREVER. I mean, even if there was an end to it, there'd have to be something on the other side...

Freaky indeed.
[/quote]

This has always given me anxiety just trying to wrap my head around it. Is it even possible for something to never end? And if it does end, what's on the other side? Two questions I'll never know the answer to.

[hogans71]

[quote name='littlepingman' timestamp='1421711472' post='10779153']
[quote name='hogans71' timestamp='1421190045' post='10741711']
I'm just freaked out by the fact that it goes on forever.

FOREVER. I mean, even if there was an end to it, there'd have to be something on the other side...

Freaky indeed.
[/quote]

This has always given me anxiety just trying to wrap my head around it. Is it even possible for something to never end? And if it does end, what's on the other side? Two questions I'll never know the answer to.
[/quote]

There have a few times over these many years I've had that very same thought. Way too much for me

Time to flip on modern family our something..

[bscinstnct]

Whats at the end of the universe? Another universe. Maybe my twin is there. The one who can putt ; )

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2013/06/the-dark-flow-the-existence-of-other-universes-new-claims-of-hard-evidence.html

[TW15]

Cool video with music of the nasa pic
http://vidmax.com/video/97808-NASA-Releases-a-picture-of-the-Andromeda-Galaxy-1-5-Billion-pixels-taking-up-4-3-GB-of-space

[NV825]

Rings Like Saturn’s, but Supersized

 

... What he’s found is a giant ring system, sort of like Saturn’s, but some 200 times bigger, circling what may be an exoplanet between ten and 40 times the size of Jupiter...

 

 

Also I changed the thread to be how awesome space is. Please share any cool stuff because this stuff is mind blowing.

[RJRJRJ]

I thought this was the Office Space is Awesome thread. Was wondering what I had posted in it.

[Thrillhouse]

Rings Like Saturn’s, but Supersized

 

... What he’s found is a giant ring system, sort of like Saturn’s, but some 200 times bigger, circling what may be an exoplanet between ten and 40 times the size of Jupiter...

 

 

Also I changed the thread to be how awesome space is. Please share any cool stuff because this stuff is mind blowing.

 

That is really cool

[NV825]

I thought this was the Office Space is Awesome thread. Was wondering what I had posted in it.

 

Edit: Just realized you wrote office, not official. But we can throw that in here too

 

[dn0614]

[quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1422389345' post='10829679']I thought this was the Office Space is Awesome thread. Was wondering what I had posted in it.[/quote]

That thread needs to happen!

[Qqq123xx]

I woke up this morning totally spaced from a long night of carousing.

[bscinstnct]

http://news.yahoo.com/astronomers-oldest-known-star-earth-planets-191903312.html

 

Astronomers find oldest known star with Earth-like planets

 

[Fairway Robbery]

Anyone interested should check out the reboot of Sagan's "Cosmos" series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Entertaining and enlightening.

Space is awesome.

Andromeda eating us:
http://www.ibtimes.com/milky-way-will-be-consumed-andromeda-galaxy-5-billion-years-study-says-1692344

Sun consuming the earth in its bloated death:
http://www.space.com/23154-death-of-sun-will-destroy-earth-infographic.html

Mind-bending timeline of the death of the universe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_of_an_expanding_universe#Timeline

[chickenpotpie]

What always boggles my mind is that there is probably alien life somewhere millions of light years from here, and they are probably doing stuff like the Harlem shake or whatever right now. But, because they are so far away, we will never see it, and we'll probably each be long gone by the time we could see it (once the light could travel that far).

[drpino]

http://www.google.com/sky