Science - a symposium. (Feat. SMBP)

Nique · 01-08-2012, 03:54 AM

I've been watching Cosmos alongside a few other specials on astrophysics and admittedly sometimes I'm not so much watching it as I am passed out in front of it with a melted bowel of ice cream in my lap, but it's all still pretty amazing.

I have some concerns regarding the age of the universe. If time moves more slowly and, practically, stands still within the event horizon of black holes, does that mean that parts of the universe are actually younger than others? We currently think the universe is about 13,000,000,000 years old but time is not as linear as we tend to think since it is affected by gravity.

Also! Did you know that if a star goes supernova in a certain way it can create a gigantic death-ray that would wipe out anything in it's path with a beam of gamma radiation? I thought that was pretty wild.

Anyway, yeah, space. It's big. Really really big, and there's a lot of weird stuff out there!

A Zarkin' Frood · 01-08-2012, 04:08 AM

I was watching German astrodude Harald Lesch on TV some years ago and recently youtube'd his stuff because I always thought shit be fascinating. He's not one of the dudes who get boring mathy unless it's absolutely necessary. Which is kinda essential for me because my shitty education only covered Kindergarten level maths.

He also one time blamed communists for stealing his chalk.

EDIT: I made two icons because I can shit them out in five seconds with the help of google and an image editor that is not photoshop, but one didn't get saved and now the program doesn't work and I'm too lazy to make it again. Luckily, it was the serious one that got lost.

Professor Smarmiarty · 01-08-2012, 03:17 PM

I think we should have a sticky for science topic. Like I pretty regularly read interesting science news which I think people would enjoy but not really long enough for a thread but doesnt' work in the links thread.

The best communist science stealing story was this visitng professor from Moscow I was talking to. He had worked in Soviet Russia on gold/TiO2/ethanol systems. He had massive chunks of gold just sitting on his desk, nobody touched it but he had to lock up his ethanol at night

Amake · 01-08-2012, 04:21 PM

There should be a theoretical speed of time in a gravity-less vacuum. I say theoretical because there's nowhere in the universe completely without gravity. But it would be interesting to measure the age of the universe from a reference point where there's been the least possible time dilation since the universe began. I bet the universe would be like ten times older there than it is on Earth.

Yes, that last sentence is a chronologically sound statement.

And speaking of death rays, how about that galaxy where the central black hole is consuming large amounts of stars to shoot a plasma jet out several hundred thousand light years at a right angle to the galaxy? I don't remember the details, but man, it's a plasma gun powered by detonating suns.

Azisien · 01-08-2012, 04:59 PM

On the OP title, I would be interested in a science-y sticky akin to our political sticky.

On the OP content, as you say the age of the universe is only our best estimate. The measurement is riding heavily on the assumption that the various models they use are accurate. I guess you could generalize that to like, everything in science, but they are really really riding on it.

***Fenris*** · 01-08-2012, 05:02 PM

Thread stuck.

Let this be the place for science related topics that would otherwise not warrant their own thread or something like that.

shiney · 01-08-2012, 10:28 PM

Updated thread title.

In re: post icon, these balls aren't gonna suck themselves

Kyanbu The Legend · 01-08-2012, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nique

I've been watching Cosmos alongside a few other specials on astrophysics and admittedly sometimes I'm not so much watching it as I am passed out in front of it with a melted bowel of ice cream in my lap, but it's all still pretty amazing.

I have some concerns regarding the age of the universe. If time moves more slowly and, practically, stands still within the event horizon of black holes, does that mean that parts of the universe are actually younger than others? We currently think the universe is about 13,000,000,000 years old but time is not as linear as we tend to think since it is affected by gravity.

Also! Did you know that if a star goes supernova in a certain way it can create a gigantic death-ray that would wipe out anything in it's path with a beam of gamma radiation? I thought that was pretty wild.

Anyway, yeah, space. It's big. Really really big, and there's a lot of weird stuff out there!

No I did not know that, sounds like it would hurt like a bitch if such a thing hit earth.

Arhra · 01-08-2012, 10:42 PM

Don't worry, your death (and the death of everything else on the planet) would be practically instantaneous.

Nique · 01-09-2012, 02:25 AM

Heard that Higgs Boson might not be a thing after all, which, is that huge tunnel useful for anything else?

01-08-2012, 04:08 AM	#2
A Zarkin' Frood formerly known as Prince. Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Right here, with you >:) Posts: 2,396	I was watching German astrodude Harald Lesch on TV some years ago and recently youtube'd his stuff because I always thought shit be fascinating. He's not one of the dudes who get boring mathy unless it's absolutely necessary. Which is kinda essential for me because my shitty education only covered Kindergarten level maths. He also one time blamed communists for stealing his chalk. EDIT: I made two icons because I can shit them out in five seconds with the help of google and an image editor that is not photoshop, but one didn't get saved and now the program doesn't work and I'm too lazy to make it again. Luckily, it was the serious one that got lost. __________________ >:( C-: Last edited by A Zarkin' Frood; 01-08-2012 at 04:57 PM.

01-08-2012, 04:21 PM	#4
Amake Keeper of the new Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: A place without judgment Posts: 4,506	There should be a theoretical speed of time in a gravity-less vacuum. I say theoretical because there's nowhere in the universe completely without gravity. But it would be interesting to measure the age of the universe from a reference point where there's been the least possible time dilation since the universe began. I bet the universe would be like ten times older there than it is on Earth. Yes, that last sentence is a chronologically sound statement. And speaking of death rays, how about that galaxy where the central black hole is consuming large amounts of stars to shoot a plasma jet out several hundred thousand light years at a right angle to the galaxy? I don't remember the details, but man, it's a plasma gun powered by detonating suns. __________________ Hope insistent, trust implicit, love inherent, life immersed

01-08-2012, 05:02 PM	#6
*Fenris* Administrator Join Date: May 2005 Location: East Coast Posts: 6,806	Thread stuck. Let this be the place for science related topics that would otherwise not warrant their own thread or something like that. __________________ "FENRIS IS AN ASSHOLE" - shiney

01-08-2012, 10:28 PM	#7
shiney Derrrrrrrrrrrrrp. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The land of fartz and buttz Posts: 8,266	Updated thread title. In re: post icon, these balls aren't gonna suck themselves __________________ boop

01-08-2012, 10:42 PM	#9
Arhra Ara ara! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Neo Venezia Posts: 5,013	Don't worry, your death (and the death of everything else on the planet) would be practically instantaneous. __________________ This post is a good source of Ara ara, ufufu.* *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This post is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

01-08-2012, 03:17 PM	#3
Professor Smarmiarty Sent to the cornfield Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: K-space Posts: 9,758	I think we should have a sticky for science topic. Like I pretty regularly read interesting science news which I think people would enjoy but not really long enough for a thread but doesnt' work in the links thread. The best communist science stealing story was this visitng professor from Moscow I was talking to. He had worked in Soviet Russia on gold/TiO2/ethanol systems. He had massive chunks of gold just sitting on his desk, nobody touched it but he had to lock up his ethanol at night

01-08-2012, 04:59 PM	#5
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	On the OP title, I would be interested in a science-y sticky akin to our political sticky. On the OP content, as you say the age of the universe is only our best estimate. The measurement is riding heavily on the assumption that the various models they use are accurate. I guess you could generalize that to like, everything in science, but they are really really riding on it.