81 replies to this topic

[Macker]

Well a little girl named Drew was sniffing blow and drinking soon after that movie at a tender age of 11??? Maybe she saw something?

[cousin it]

Of all the reports of UFOs over the years, some surely must be real.

I have to wonder why, after flying half way across the galaxy, they stop at Billy Bob's trailer instead of landing in Central Park.

[Mr. Roboto]

Didn't one just hang out over Phoenix lately?

[cousin it]

There was a V formation of lights, but isn't that typically the arrangement of flight formations? Anyway, even if not, it doesn't mean that it was extra-terrestrial.

[Mr. Roboto]

So you don't believe there is any life out there at all?

[cousin it]

No, not at all. The odds are that there are a vast number of examples of life in the Universe. Probably even in out galaxy. There are around 200 billion stars in the Milky Way; most of which have planetary systems. But, the problem with them visiting planet Earth is distance. With current technology, it would us 17,000 years to visit the closest star system-Alpha Centauri. That system is only about 4.3 ly distant. Physics is the same through out the Universe. There is a fundamental limit to the speed at which something can travel. Theoretically, that is the speed of light; the C in Einstien's e=mc². To accelerate an object of mass M to C requires all of the energy in the Universe. It looks kind of like one side of the graph of a parabola... the closer one gets to C, the more energy is required, until at C, E is essentially infinite. The closest stars are in the neighborhood of 50-100ly distant. The width of our galaxy is about 100,000ly. The next closest galaxy-Andromeda- is 2.5 millionly distant. Alpha Centauri at 4.2 ly away is about the distance of 270,000 AU(Earth-Sun distance), and it is right next door. The best odds for finding life is through radio, or optic, communication. And even then, traveling at the speed of light, it will take decades to get a response from even our neighboring stars... if any of them are populated with intelligent life that are listening.

[LISA]

hmmm..I have often thought that it is pretty presumptious of us as the human race to think we are the only intelligent lifeforms..come on Sman, there HAS got to be something smarter then us??!!?

[cousin it]

^^Sure, I think so too. Probably, a lot exo-life, a LOT smarter than us, but physics is physics. The laws don't change anywhere in the Universe. The same laws that governed the formation of everything are the same laws the apply today. While there are undoubtedly laws that haven't been discovered, they will incorporate the ones that we have. That is how it works.

[cousin it]

It is getting brighter.

[cousin it]

From Spaceweather.com

[cousin it]

THE GREEN COMET COMETH: The first thing that strikes most observers when they see Comet Lulin is the color: It's green! Astrophotographer Günther Strauch recorded the hue on Jan. 26th from his backyard observatory in Borken, Germany:

"This is a composite of 11 half-minute exposures I made using a Canon EOS 40D and a 16-inch Meade telescope," he says.

Green is a sign of poisonous gas. The comet's atmosphere contains toxic cyanogen (CN) and diatomic carbon (C2). Both substances glow green when illuminated by sunlight via a process called "resonant fluorescence."

Via [Spaceeather.com

[Macker]

Cool. Sman due to poor weather and light pollution I haven't been able to see the comet..I did see some more stars than usual but....

[cousin it]

I'm kind of hoping for a power loss with the ice storm. My luck... no power and overcast.

[cousin it]

I was able to check it out yesterday morning with my 10x50s. There was a lot of light pollution, so I was unable to see the tail(or anti-tail). It should continue to get brighter as it gets closer to Earth.

This was taken by Jack Newton of Arizona Sky Village Saturday morning.

[cousin it]

Tomorrow morning the comet will be very close(just north) to the naked eye double star Alpha Libra(Zubenelgenubi). Zubenelgenubi is the apex point in the triangle of Libra(see map above). This makes finding the comet much easier as there is a bright star nearby to guide your search. If you have trouble with Zubenelgenubi, locate the bright(visible from even the most light polluted cities) star Antares in Scorpius. Zubenelgenubi will be the brightest star that is located about the width of two fists held out at arms length. You will probably need a pair of binoculars to see the comet unless you are at a very dark site.