The Official Space and Astronomy Thread v. Well, this is weird.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Found this nice photo of the Andromeda Galaxy:

"Andromeda Galaxy and Sunset over the unique rock formations of White Pocket, Arizona."

[Orbert]

Holy Crap!

Wait, you can see the Andromeda with the naked eye?

[Phoenix87x]

That is utterly incredible. I had no idea you could see it with the naked eye.

[Adami]

You have to be naked to see Andromeda?

[Orbert]

Everything's better when naked.

[BlobVanDam]

Holy Crap!

Wait, you can see the Andromeda with the naked eye?

The photo probably had to be taken in a particularly clear area away from civilization and probably with a really long exposure. Fantastic picture regardless though.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

It looks kind of "close" but when you start thinking that what you see is not another star in the nightsky but an entire new galaxy the distance to it starts to get a bit too abstract. We humans can't grasp the distance to Andromeda other than to read and imagine a giant number.  We can't even wrap our heads around the seize of our own galaxy, it's to abstract and Andromeda is an entire diffrent galaxy. It's scary when you think about it but also beautiful.

[Kotowboy]

Everything's better when naked.

this is true.

[Kotowboy]

It looks kind of "close" but when you start thinking that what you see is not another star in the nightsky but an entire new galaxy the distance to it starts to get a bit too abstract. We humans can't grasp the distance to Andromeda other than to read and imagine a giant number.  We can't even wrap our heads around the seize of our own galaxy, it's to abstract and Andromeda is an entire diffrent galaxy. It's scary when you think about it but also beautiful.

The more I think about outer space and the fact that we are LITERALLY on a massive rock in an infinite void hurtling around a gargantuan ball of fire....

And Earth is the right distance from the sun for us to live and the moon is the right distance to keep our oceans in place etc etc...

And how vast Space is and everything...

I just can't bring myself to accept it was just an accident.

[BlobVanDam]

All things considered, I don't know how you could consider such chaos to not be an accident. An incredible one though.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

The way I see it despite what I said about distance being too abstract for us to grasp I still think that because of the unimaginable scale of the universe the likelyhood that we're NOT alone is greater and even if the human race never finds intelligent lifeforms in it's lifetime, that still dosen't mean we're alone or that we exist by accident no matter how depressing it may sound.

Of course I base my opinion on my doctors exam in farts.

[Phoenix87x]

In my opinion, there's life everywhere. we just are WAY too far away to explore/study/discover it. And when I say life, I aint talking little green men or klingons. Extremophile bacteria is almost certainly in other places with-in this galaxy (perhaps even this solar system).

There are 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone, and then there are 100 billion galaxies in the known universe. Each one of those stars has stuff orbiting around it. Bacteria? absolutely. Fully evolved intelligent life? perhaps. Will it be anything like humans? I doubt it. 

Finding life somewhere else wouldn't surprise me all that much. Discovering what happened before the big bang, now that's another story. 

[Dublagent66]

Anybody hear the latest theory about dying stars?  Evidently, astronomers aren't seeing enough supernovae in their observations.  At least not as many as they think they should be seeing (based on how many stars are out there).  Apparently (or not) some super giant stars are just disappearing.  They don't explode but just collapse into a black hole immediately without any critical mass being reached which would cause an explosion.  However, the conditions have to be "just right" for this to happen.  So, this is the latest theory from astronomers and they are called "Un-Novas" or "Un-Novae" as they say.

Doesn't this violate some law of relativity?  I thought critical mass explosions are what caused black holes to form if the star of course is large enough.

[jonny108]

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

Live stream starting in 10 minutes regarding new results regarding ocean worlds in our Solar System.  Exciting.

[cramx3]

Anybody hear the latest theory about dying stars?  Evidently, astronomers aren't seeing enough supernovae in their observations.  At least not as many as they think they should be seeing (based on how many stars are out there).  Apparently (or not) some super giant stars are just disappearing.  They don't explode but just collapse into a black hole immediately without any critical mass being reached which would cause an explosion.  However, the conditions have to be "just right" for this to happen.  So, this is the latest theory from astronomers and they are called "Un-Novas" or "Un-Novae" as they say.

Doesn't this violate some law of relativity?  I thought critical mass explosions are what caused black holes to form if the star of course is large enough.

I don't know anything about it, but I think this just goes to show how little we know about our universe even though we've learned so much.

[Azyiu]

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

Live stream starting in 10 minutes regarding new results regarding ocean worlds in our Solar System.  Exciting.

I kid you not, I was just watching a re-run of NASA Unexplained File or something on the Discovery Channel about Enceladus the night before... and when I woke up I read about it... wow! Wondering what a space sea bass might look like, lol! 

[Chino]

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

Live stream starting in 10 minutes regarding new results regarding ocean worlds in our Solar System.  Exciting.

I kid you not, I was just watching a re-run of NASA Unexplained File or something on the Discovery Channel about Enceladus the night before... and when I woke up I read about it... wow! Wondering what a space sea bass might look like, lol! 

I've mentioned this before, but as long as the lifeforms' chances of survival are increased based on their speed, whether it be to hunt, to flee, or to get to an energy source by a certain time, we can expect them to look relatively similar to sea creatures on Earth. The torpedo shape of the vast majority of our sea life is no accident. It's the most efficient shape when traveling through a fluid, and it's reinforced by the fact that both fish and the mammals that came later (whales and dolphins) arrived at near identical designs.

[Dublagent66]

Anybody hear the latest theory about dying stars?  Evidently, astronomers aren't seeing enough supernovae in their observations.  At least not as many as they think they should be seeing (based on how many stars are out there).  Apparently (or not) some super giant stars are just disappearing.  They don't explode but just collapse into a black hole immediately without any critical mass being reached which would cause an explosion.  However, the conditions have to be "just right" for this to happen.  So, this is the latest theory from astronomers and they are called "Un-Novas" or "Un-Novae" as they say.

Doesn't this violate some law of relativity?  I thought critical mass explosions are what caused black holes to form if the star of course is large enough.

I don't know anything about it, but I think this just goes to show how little we know about our universe even though we've learned so much.

True.  The fact that they call black holes singularities is because they don't know what else to call them. 

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

It's just amazing that a spacecraft launched 20 years ago are still in service and sending data back. Cassini is approaching it's last epic mission, crashing into the atmosphere of Saturn, while taking the closest pictures ever of the Planet.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft grabbed this raw image of a "giant hurricane" in Saturn's atmosphere during its first dive between Saturn and its rings on April 26.

[El Barto]

Yeah, NASA tends to do remarkably well when complacency isn't a factor. In the meantime, Opportunity is driving North and still sending back pictures, 13 years after it was supposed to die.

[jasc15]

This is happening:



https://ideas.lego.com/blogs/1-blog/post/137

https://imgur.com/a/Uan8W

[millahh]

Is that a diagram of the Up-Goer 5 in blue?   

[Chino]

This is happening:



https://ideas.lego.com/blogs/1-blog/post/137

https://imgur.com/a/Uan8W

Sign me up. That's sweet.

Yeah, NASA tends to do remarkably well when complacency isn't a factor. In the meantime, Opportunity is driving North and still sending back pictures, 13 years after it was supposed to die.

That fact always blows my mind. Spirit had a really good run too. It's a shame that is got permanently stuck in some soft sand and then slowly died. But still, the thing drove more than 10X the distance it was designed to.

[jasc15]

Is that a diagram of the Up-Goer 5 in blue?   

I thought the same 

[Azyiu]

This is happening:



https://ideas.lego.com/blogs/1-blog/post/137

https://imgur.com/a/Uan8W

Cute. For the hell of it, they should also release a "conspiracy theorist" add-on edition that, comes with studio lights, cameras and such, lol! 

[Prog Snob]

...and a George Noory action figure.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

A bit Deja-vu because it feels like i've been reading about plans like this for the last 20 years but now it seems more official than ever.

https://futurism.com/its-official-humans-are-going-to-mars-nasa-has-unveiled-their-mission/

[Phoenix87x]

I am down with any type of beyond Earth exploration. Space is the place 

[cramx3]

A bit Deja-vu because it feels like i've been reading about plans like this for the last 20 years but now it seems more official than ever.

https://futurism.com/its-official-humans-are-going-to-mars-nasa-has-unveiled-their-mission/

yes, Trump signed a bill to put NASA spending towards sending humans to Mars about a month or so ago.  Probably the coolest thing he's done as President.

[Chino]

A bit Deja-vu because it feels like i've been reading about plans like this for the last 20 years but now it seems more official than ever.

https://futurism.com/its-official-humans-are-going-to-mars-nasa-has-unveiled-their-mission/

yes, Trump signed a bill to put NASA spending towards sending humans to Mars about a month or so ago.  Probably the coolest thing he's done as President.

I'll get excited once we see vehicle designs and the allocating of funds to specific mission needs. We've had these plans come out several times in the past, and even though congress approved that funding, they still get final say how and if it can be spent. If NASA proposes a crucial piece of equipment, say something like an orbiting habitat around Mars, congress can come come back and say "nah bros, we don't see that as a good enough use of the money we set aside for you. We're not signing off on that".

[cramx3]

I think the date is 2033 set for humans on Mars.  I guess we will just continue to wait and see.

[Chino]

I think the date is 2033 set for humans on Mars.  I guess we will just continue to wait and see.

For NASA. I know Elon is confident he'll beat that by at least 5 years.

[cramx3]

I think the date is 2033 set for humans on Mars.  I guess we will just continue to wait and see.

For NASA. I know Elon is confident he'll beat that by at least 5 years.

We will see.  Elon says a lot of stuff will happen in the near future...

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/11/nasa-mars-mission-year-long-moon/

It looks like NASA will ask for help from private companies to get things done faster and cheaper. 

[Chino]

https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/11/nasa-mars-mission-year-long-moon/

It looks like NASA will ask for help from private companies to get things done faster and cheaper. 

I assumed this day would come, and I'm glad this is the direction it's going. This is how it should be. We need a global effort with both the government and private sector contributing.