Science Thread

[Xann]

They're on a very similar plane.

This is how it happens.

 

[Chindie]

It's a bit sad, but one of the more fundamental, simple, but still kinda thrilling science-y things I've done this year is look at the sky at night and been able to understand that the really bright thing in the sky was Jupiter.

[blandy]

55 minutes ago, Chindie said:

It's a bit sad, but one of the more fundamental, simple, but still kinda thrilling science-y things I've done this year is look at the sky at night and been able to understand that the really bright thing in the sky was Jupiter.

Looking at the Sky on a clear night is superb.

if/when you get a chance to look at it from a place where there's no artificial light, it's utterly mind blowing. I did that for the first time a long time ago on holiday in Barbados in an outdoor Nightclub at 3 or 4 in the morning when there was a complete power cut on the Island - it was just epic, the Sky seemed almost as full of stars as the black bits, and again in the Australian outback, nearly every night  - the Milky Way so clearly visible in detail, even with the naked eye, and Stars everywhere.

[Brumerican]

2 hours ago, Chindie said:

It's a bit sad, but one of the more fundamental, simple, but still kinda thrilling science-y things I've done this year is look at the sky at night and been able to understand that the really bright thing in the sky was Jupiter.

There are plenty of free star finder apps and they are great teachers.  From knowing nothing I am now able to to to get my bearings and name about 20 bodies without even looking at the app. The big dipper is a good starting point as the more angled side of the sauce pan is made of 2 stars that point pretty much at Polaris.   Polaris appears stationary  as it is closer to our axis of spin than the magnetic poles.  Once you can find  Polaris it's easier to to go around the clock to find the others .    Venus is easy as it stays next to the Sun but Mars is all over the shop as it's past our orbit . You can find it though as it does have a red blur even with the eye.

[Brumerican]

This just plays one sound on loop but you will either hear "Brainstorm" or "Green Needle"

The fun part is you can change it with your mind just by wanting to hear your preferred word.

 

[A'Villan]

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/4/100409-black-holes-alternate-universe-multiverse-einstein-wormholes/

Quote

 

Every Black Hole Contains Another Universe?

And our universe may sit in another universe's black hole, equations predict.

5 MINUTE READ

BY KER THAN, FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEWS

PUBLISHED APRIL 12, 2010

Like part of a cosmic Russian doll, our universe may be nested inside a black hole that is itself part of a larger universe.

 

 

[chrisp65]

 

[villakram]

Alien visitation caught on camera in the aptly named Providence, Rhode Island!

Spoiler

Actually an incredibly rare known phenomena. 

" This was not a typical sun pillar. Just after sunrise two weeks ago in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, a photographer, looking out his window, was suddenly awestruck. The astonishment was caused by a sun pillar that fanned out at the top. Sun pillars, singular columns of light going up from the Sun, are themselves rare to see, and are known to be caused by sunlight reflecting from wobbling, hexagon-shaped ice-disks falling through Earth's atmosphere. Separately, upper tangent arcs are known to be caused by sunlight refracting through falling hexagon-shaped ice-tubes. Finding a sun pillar connected to an upper tangent arc is extraordinary, and, initially, took some analysis to figure out what was going on. A leading theory is that this sun pillar was also created, in a complex and unusual way, by falling ice tubes. Few might believe that such a rare phenomenon was seen again if it wasn't for the quick thinking of the photographer -- and the camera on his nearby smartphone."

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

 

 

[Brumerican]

Just now, villakram said:

Alien visitation caught on camera in the aptly named Providence, Rhode Island!

  Hide contents

Actually an incredibly rare known phenomena. 

" This was not a typical sun pillar. Just after sunrise two weeks ago in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, a photographer, looking out his window, was suddenly awestruck. The astonishment was caused by a sun pillar that fanned out at the top. Sun pillars, singular columns of light going up from the Sun, are themselves rare to see, and are known to be caused by sunlight reflecting from wobbling, hexagon-shaped ice-disks falling through Earth's atmosphere. Separately, upper tangent arcs are known to be caused by sunlight refracting through falling hexagon-shaped ice-tubes. Finding a sun pillar connected to an upper tangent arc is extraordinary, and, initially, took some analysis to figure out what was going on. A leading theory is that this sun pillar was also created, in a complex and unusual way, by falling ice tubes. Few might believe that such a rare phenomenon was seen again if it wasn't for the quick thinking of the photographer -- and the camera on his nearby smartphone."

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

 

 

Ooooh look ... A vesica piscis.  That's nature calling us a clearing in the woods.

[Brumerican]

 

[Brumerican]

 

[fruitvilla]

On 22/12/2020 at 03:00, Seat68 said:

Planets. Am I right that planets move in a circle round the sun? 

lol

Tough question ... The answer is yes and no.

If we think in terms of geometry we learnt at school (Euclidean geometry) the answer would be almost, approximately, or sort of. Technically they move in ellipses. For example the Earth is a tiny fraction closer to the Sun in December than in June. So that is the yes part. 

The no answer is ...  if we believe in Einstein's theories then the Earth is moving in a straight line and that it is space that is curved. It is hard for me to comprehend. This is a little mind blowing, yet things like our GPSs use Einstein's theories to get it to work. Euclidean geometry would not work.

[Brumerican]

56 minutes ago, fruitvilla said:

The no answer is ...  if we believe in Einstein's theories then the Earth is moving in a straight line and that it is space that is curved. It is hard for me to comprehend. 

A good way to visualise how matter tells space to curve and how space curvature tells mass to move.

 

[fruitvilla]

Now try visualizing the gravity well in three dimensions ...   

[Brumerican]

Just now, fruitvilla said:

Now try visualizing the gravity well in three dimensions ...   

Done.

Now what ?

[fruitvilla]

Just now, Brumerican said:

Done.

Now what ?

Were you successful?

My point was the traditional parabolic representation of a plane  is or can be misleading.  Satellites orbiting around the two poles and the equator sort of thing.

[Brumerican]

Just now, fruitvilla said:

Were you successful?

My point was the traditional parabolic representation of a plane  is or can be misleading.  Satellites orbiting around the two poles and the equator sort of thing.

Yes.

If you know that then what part are you struggling to comprehend ?

[fruitvilla]

Just now, Brumerican said:

Yes.

If you know that then what part are you struggling to comprehend ?

What do you think I am struggling to comprehend? I am just saying the "two" dimensional demo has to be converted to three dimensions. 

 

 

[Brumerican]

Just now, fruitvilla said:

What do you think I am struggling to comprehend? I am just saying the "two" dimensional demo has to be converted to three dimensions. 

 

 

You tell me  ?   I replied to this sentence .

"The no answer is ...  if we believe in Einstein's theories then the Earth is moving in a straight line and that it is space that is curved. It is hard for me to comprehend. 

 

[fruitvilla]

You think curved space is easy to comprehend? OK in the video an elastic fabric is being curved. What is being curved in reality?

I think the demo you showed is OK, it shows the behaviours of a curved space. But it does not help with what is being curved.