blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Aug 9, 2007 12:43:58 GMT -5
A real eye opener.
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Post by hermatite on Aug 9, 2007 12:48:58 GMT -5
yep...nothing like a total perspective vortex to turn your thinking around.
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wm7734
spending too much on rocks
wheres my rockhammer ?
Member since January 2007
Posts: 252
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Post by wm7734 on Aug 9, 2007 13:23:53 GMT -5
we are hardly even a mote in gods eye
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Post by Lady B on Aug 9, 2007 13:38:26 GMT -5
Though we are a mere mote, we're a really incredible little mote, aren't we? Sure am glad there's a Higher Power that keeps everything spinning in its own rightful place in the Universe. Imagine the chaos if something were to vere off course!!
Beautiful production, Dan. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
Lady B
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Post by Tweetiepy on Aug 9, 2007 20:08:29 GMT -5
I didn't recognize any of those after they showed the sun - what are all those things (no I'm not blonde but I might be out of the loop)
Where are all those other ?planets? ?
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Post by Bikerrandy on Aug 9, 2007 20:17:17 GMT -5
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Post by Lady B on Aug 9, 2007 20:21:34 GMT -5
I think at least some of them are stars way out in our Milky Way.
Lady B
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blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Aug 9, 2007 21:26:51 GMT -5
Though we are a mere mote, we're a really incredible little mote, aren't we? Sure am glad there's a Higher Power that keeps everything spinning in its own rightful place in the Universe. Imagine the chaos if something were to vere off course!! Beautiful production, Dan. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Lady B When the size of the Earth is put into perspective it's quite humbling. I thought you might like it. It's amazing to see... It's almost like everything 'knows' what to do huh? I didn't recognize any of those after they showed the sun - what are all those things (no I'm not blonde but I might be out of the loop) Where are all those other ?planets? ? Tweetie, I'm pretty sure all of the stars that were pictured can be seen with the naked eye in our night skies. They are all in the Milky Way. Several of the super giant stars are prominent in well know constelations. The one Randy pointed out... Rigel is the brightest star in Orion. VV Cephei is the largest know star and is 1900x larger than Sol.. our sun. Hard to imagine... but I guess that's what the movie is for.. hehe |
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Post by Tweetiepy on Aug 10, 2007 7:21:07 GMT -5
I see, so they're stars and not planets - now that I've read your explanation, Orion does ring a bell, but what does Betelgeuse have to do with our solar system??? Is that a real name? It's kind of cool though
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Post by flintfish on Aug 10, 2007 8:10:12 GMT -5
Cheers Blarneystone, thar was a nice little movie, puts things in to scale, I love astronomy for bending my perspective and streatching my understanding.  Betelgeuse - pronounced bet-el-gur-ze - sometimes written as betelgeux - is the second brightest star in the Orion constellation. It is the bright red star top left of his body - on his right shoulder. OK so lotsa dinky wee planets Earth, Neptune etc... Very local neighbours - until we get to the stars- our sun - very small as stars go - but also very young so no worries there, Then we look at bigger and bigger stars but the sequence is wrong  , Stars often start small, but get much bigger as they age, when they get quite old, they "blow off" and shrink massively back to tiny twinklers, sometimes they wink out and become black holes. And they are a lot further away from us, than the other planets - which is why they are so bright in our nights sky in comparison to the stars they are then compared to - obviously, planets are bright from reflected light from the sun. The movie is great for perspective - but bad for clarity - none of these stars are related in any way except some fall in a similar part of the sky - from our perspective. Sirius - Most notable star in Canis Major - and brightest in sky - only because it's quite close to us. Pollux - bright and recognisable star in Gemini - twinned with Castor, Arcturus the bear watcher is the brightest star in the constellation bootes, Anteres is very clear in the southern sky in the UK at the moment - sometimes called the sister of mars due to it's very red colour, My and W Cephi are the big boys - biggest yet seen, and theoretically as big as it can get. Generally the colour of the star can tell you how old, how hot, and how big they are likely to be, old white and blue stars are often very small in comparison to type M - Solaris "Sun" type stars, which are yellow infant/babies, orange stars are teenage and getting bigger, and red giants are middleaged monsters, then they burn out and become little blue/white oldies, Astronomy is a magical subject - and the mind warping perspectives are the best bits if you ask me - just check out the distance to the nearest other solar system, and then compare to the nearest other galaxy. Now compare to the edge of observed space (the most distant observed galaxy), scale is everything! Nothing to worry about but in 5 billion years the sun will go Red and swell up, this is purely natural, but when it happens, earth will boil off in to space, first the atmosphere will evaporate, and then the oceans, then it'll get really hot, befroe the rocks and mountains melt, and the planet itself if destroyed, take a look at the baked pebble that is mercury - damn hot over there!  It's thought that the edge of the sun when it swells will expand to somewhere between ourselves and mars, so earth will fall in to the sun and disappear when this happens, as they say this side of the pond - Last orders please! Drink up! Hope this helps clarify a little, there are some amazing comparisons in astronomy, anyone who wants to mind expand in this way should check out Slooh.com - well worth a subscription for the interested Astro fan. Harry |
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nightop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2007
Posts: 132
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Post by nightop on Aug 10, 2007 14:17:38 GMT -5
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Post by flintfish on Aug 11, 2007 7:54:16 GMT -5
That was cool Nigtop, very nicely done, Scales a wonderful thing! For anyone with their eyes to the skies - It's Persid Meteor Time - get out and look up! for next 3 or 4 night's - it could be good!
Harry
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Post by Lady B on Aug 11, 2007 8:53:15 GMT -5
WOW! And then: WOW! again! Thank you for sharing! Double WOW! Lady B |
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blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Aug 11, 2007 9:48:00 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up Harry. It's always a treat to witness a meteor shower. I'll have to get away from the light polution near my home to get a good view but it's worth the effort.
Here's yet another video regarding the size of the universe. Current data shows the universe to be 47 billion light years accros. It's wonderfully narrated.
enjoy!
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181lizard
Cave Dweller 
Still lurking :)
Member since December 2005
Posts: 2,171
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Post by 181lizard on Aug 11, 2007 13:06:58 GMT -5
Whoa...
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KG1960
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2008
Posts: 512
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Post by KG1960 on Aug 11, 2007 15:33:27 GMT -5
I find these subjects extremely facsinating. I especially liked the last one from Blarneystone.
Weather is supposed to be clear (but humid so I hope haze is minimized) tonight and tomorrow night. I'll try to see the meteors, too.
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Post by sbreed on Aug 11, 2007 22:14:49 GMT -5
cool video!
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, Stars often start small, but get much bigger as they age, when they get quite old, they "blow off" and shrink massively back to tiny twinklers, sometimes they wink out and become black holes. And they are a lot further away from us, than the other planets - which is why they are so bright in our nights sky in comparison to the stars they are then compared to - obviously, planets are bright from reflected light from the sun.
It's thought that the edge of the sun when it swells will expand to somewhere between ourselves and mars, so earth will fall in to the sun and disappear when this happens, as they say this side of the pond - Last orders please! Drink up! 
