The Astronomy thread

[Garson007]

The largest photo ever taken...

From Cracked, in relation to the Hubble photo:

Relevant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_expansion_of_space

[Ro$hi]

I was watching that Stephen Hawking show on Discovery a few months ago, and saw something like this:



Some scientists have suggested that this is what the universe looks like. So that picture onona posted would be like, a fraction of a pinprick if you had to look for it in this picture.

It was quite beautiful to see it in motion on Hawking's show.

[pArkEr]

if it is assumed that inflation began about 10−37 seconds after the Big Bang, then with the plausible assumption that the size of the universe at this time was approximately equal to the speed of light times its age, that would suggest that at present the entire universe's size is at least 1023 times larger than the size of the observable universe.

Wow... mind-boggling.

@Garson: just out of interest, do you study these subjects, like the big bang and the expansion of the universe, in physics? Or is it more the realm of astro?

@image above: reminds me of this picture:



Is the universe fractal? mind-humping.

[Garson007]

@Garson: just out of interest, do you study these subjects, like the big bang and the expansion of the universe, in physics? Or is it more the realm of astro?

You would if you were doing astrophysics. See what I did there? Tbph, I don't think that there is an academic field that deals with astronomy, without itself being astrophysics - albeit I could be wrong.

Unfortunately my current university doesn't offer astrophysics, so we don't even get taught the basics of general relativity, although we do have a grasp on tensor analyses. UCT however is one of the prime astrophysics universities in Africa.

[echo]

Just a pretty picture.

[onona]

Heh, I've been working on a project where we've been recreating the ISS in super high detail in 3D. So I can name all the modules in that photo :B

[onona]

Bumpity bump.

I know I've plugged Professor Brian's documentaries on this site before, but over the last two evenings I've been re-watching my Blu-ray set of Wonders of the Universe, and would highly, HIGHLY recommend it to everyone. It's only four one hour episodes, but they're absolutely excellent.

You can order it on amazon. Go ahead.

The episode on gravity is actually quite profound.

Also, if you have access to the BBC iPlayer, check out a great documentary they had on BBC2 last night, called "Space Shuttle: The Final Mission". It was a fantastic behind-the-scenes documentary about the weeks leading up to the final Atlantis launch. The best thing about it is that the presenter is a former NASA employee, so he was able to get access into areas not usually accessible by journalists. There was some seriously cool **** in there.

[Toxxyc]

^ Them videos remind me of those "Planet Earth" ones. If they are anything near as good, I'll gladly buy them.

[Nferno]

Wow. Just wow.

Read, watch and let your mind be blown away.

[Grimnebulin]

Wow. Just wow.

Read, watch and let your mind be blown away.

Oh.My.God. They've just invented the Total Perspective Vortex.

[Wight]

I might as well throw this out here: http://en.spaceengine.org/

I'm a bit lazy right now, so here's the definition on the home page:

SpaceEngine - is a free space simulation software that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, starting from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by human astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets!

Check it out! I've already sunk countless hours into this.

[echo]

This is a NASA project called the Polar Operational Environmental Satellites project. Also known as POES.

I sniggered.

[Nferno]

I sniggered.

and let us not forget our favorite children's book, loved by all:




Seriously though, subscribe to r/astronomy and be prepared to have your life waste away before your eyes. I've spent whole afternoons on the subreddit without realizing. Some great articles and discussions.

[echo]

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2011

There is a video with all the best pictures and voice overs explaining some of them. It's astounding.

[-Bouncer-]

NASA has not only discovered a strange bizarro planet that orbits two stars at once, but that astronomers involved are informally calling it Tatooine - after George Lucas' famed fictional Star Wars homeworld to both Anakin and Luke Skywalker.

Interesting

[echo]

This is kinda wow.

[echo]

So pretty.

[ZoRPA]

^^^
I watched a series by Prof Sean Carroll on Dark Matter and Dark Energy. In one of his lectures he explains what happened in the picture above. If I recall correctly, what you are seeing is two systems that moved through one another. The one moved from left to right, and the other vice versa. It actually looks like two giant clouds colliding and moving to the middle, when in fact they have already collided and are moving away from the centre.
If you can get the series it is really worth while, as it explains things in a simple manner; from atoms and what they are made of, into the bigger picture of the universe.

Also-

[FreakKing]

Hubble's Top Breakthroughs

Orbiting the Earth for over two decades, Hubble has helped to answer some of the most compelling astronomical questions of our time – and uncovered mysteries we never knew existed. Investigating everything from black holes to planets around other stars, Hubble has changed the face of astronomy, ushering in a new chapter of humanity’s exploration of the universe.

Interesting.

[ZoRPA]

Creation of One of the Largest Galaxies in the Universe -- Six Times Size of the Milky Way

"When this merger is complete, this will be one of the biggest galaxies in the universe."