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Bad Astronomy

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  • P Paul Watson

    Here is one blog that Code Project members should love; Bad Astronomy[^]. That post on magnetars is frankly mind blowing. That something 50,000 light years away can, and did, physically effect Earth. :wtf:

    cheers, Paul M. Watson.

    D Offline
    D Offline
    Douglas Troy
    wrote on last edited by
    #8

    Paul, There's always some kind of Universal disaster happening that could shred our piss ant little blue speck of a planet to star dust, but fortunately, its all been too distant, or not properly aligned. I believe there was another recent event, much like the Magnetar energy release, that could have cause some serious problems on Earth; I originally thought it was a Gamma Ray Burst that, had Earth been in direct alignment, well ... that day would have sucked ... but now I'm not sure it was a Gamma Ray Burst, might have been something else (tried to find Phil's blog entry on it, but I can't). - I'm going to send him an Email and ask, because now it's making me crazy. If you want to get an idea as to what it would take to destory Earth, there's a website dedicated it: http://qntm.org/?destroy[^] And BTW - Earth has been destroyed a total of 1 times thus far (see the website for details). [edit] Ok, I found the blog entry on the other event that happened, you can read about it here: Gamma Ray Burst[^]


    :..::. Douglas H. Troy ::..
    Bad Astronomy |VCF|wxWidgets|WTL

    modified on Thursday, June 18, 2009 6:06 PM

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    • D Douglas Troy

      Paul, There's always some kind of Universal disaster happening that could shred our piss ant little blue speck of a planet to star dust, but fortunately, its all been too distant, or not properly aligned. I believe there was another recent event, much like the Magnetar energy release, that could have cause some serious problems on Earth; I originally thought it was a Gamma Ray Burst that, had Earth been in direct alignment, well ... that day would have sucked ... but now I'm not sure it was a Gamma Ray Burst, might have been something else (tried to find Phil's blog entry on it, but I can't). - I'm going to send him an Email and ask, because now it's making me crazy. If you want to get an idea as to what it would take to destory Earth, there's a website dedicated it: http://qntm.org/?destroy[^] And BTW - Earth has been destroyed a total of 1 times thus far (see the website for details). [edit] Ok, I found the blog entry on the other event that happened, you can read about it here: Gamma Ray Burst[^]


      :..::. Douglas H. Troy ::..
      Bad Astronomy |VCF|wxWidgets|WTL

      modified on Thursday, June 18, 2009 6:06 PM

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      Skymir
      wrote on last edited by
      #9

      We might get lucky enough to see Betelgeuse go NOVA from only hundreds of light years away too. They're still iffy about the whole thing though. I'm waiting to see the next update on that one.

      The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.

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      • S Skymir

        We might get lucky enough to see Betelgeuse go NOVA from only hundreds of light years away too. They're still iffy about the whole thing though. I'm waiting to see the next update on that one.

        The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.

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        Dan Neely
        wrote on last edited by
        #10

        Baring major advances in stellar evolution modeling, I suspect the first warning we'll see is it going boom. Fortunately, unless it zaps us with a GRB it's too far away to cause any major problems (and it shouldn't because its spin axis is pointed away from us). The current best of our models at the end of the stars life can be summed up as "because it changes fuel types very rapidly stuff on the surface should also change very rapidly". Recent data indicates a 15% shrink in radius in the last 15 years, which is rapid change, but one of the earlier fuel changes with a timescale of hundreds or thousands of years before the next one would also significantly change the core energy dynamics and resulting surface activity (once).

        It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. -- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

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        • P Paul Watson

          Here is one blog that Code Project members should love; Bad Astronomy[^]. That post on magnetars is frankly mind blowing. That something 50,000 light years away can, and did, physically effect Earth. :wtf:

          cheers, Paul M. Watson.

          M Offline
          M Offline
          Mycroft Holmes
          wrote on last edited by
          #11

          I once read a book about creatures that lived on one of these, the neutron star was passing close to the solar system and it was investigated by humans. The book was written from the POV of the creatures, fascinating book just can't remember the title.

          Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

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          • M Mycroft Holmes

            I once read a book about creatures that lived on one of these, the neutron star was passing close to the solar system and it was investigated by humans. The book was written from the POV of the creatures, fascinating book just can't remember the title.

            Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

            V Offline
            V Offline
            Vikram A Punathambekar
            wrote on last edited by
            #12

            Hey, that sounds very interesting. I googled and came across Dragon's Egg. I'll add it to my wishlist.

            Cheers, Vikram.

            Recent activities: TV series: Friends, season 8 Books: Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen J Dubner.


            Carpe Diem.

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            • V Vikram A Punathambekar

              Hey, that sounds very interesting. I googled and came across Dragon's Egg. I'll add it to my wishlist.

              Cheers, Vikram.

              Recent activities: TV series: Friends, season 8 Books: Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen J Dubner.


              Carpe Diem.

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              M Offline
              Mycroft Holmes
              wrote on last edited by
              #13

              Yep that's the one, very dated now but an excellent read.

              Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

              V 1 Reply Last reply
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              • M Mycroft Holmes

                Yep that's the one, very dated now but an excellent read.

                Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

                V Offline
                V Offline
                Vikram A Punathambekar
                wrote on last edited by
                #14

                If you're interested in older SF, I'd recommend City[^] Came across it on CP, as a matter of fact.

                Cheers, Vikram.

                Recent activities: TV series: Friends, season 8 Books: Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen J Dubner.


                Carpe Diem.

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • V Vikram A Punathambekar

                  Hey, that sounds very interesting. I googled and came across Dragon's Egg. I'll add it to my wishlist.

                  Cheers, Vikram.

                  Recent activities: TV series: Friends, season 8 Books: Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen J Dubner.


                  Carpe Diem.

                  D Offline
                  D Offline
                  Dan Neely
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #15

                  There's a decent sequel as well. star quake[^]

                  It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. -- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

                  V 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • D Dan Neely

                    There's a decent sequel as well. star quake[^]

                    It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. -- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

                    V Offline
                    V Offline
                    Vikram A Punathambekar
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #16

                    Thanks, Dan, will add that to my list as well :)

                    Cheers, Vikram.

                    Recent activities: TV series: Friends, season 8 Books: Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen J Dubner.


                    Carpe Diem.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • D Douglas Troy

                      Paul, There's always some kind of Universal disaster happening that could shred our piss ant little blue speck of a planet to star dust, but fortunately, its all been too distant, or not properly aligned. I believe there was another recent event, much like the Magnetar energy release, that could have cause some serious problems on Earth; I originally thought it was a Gamma Ray Burst that, had Earth been in direct alignment, well ... that day would have sucked ... but now I'm not sure it was a Gamma Ray Burst, might have been something else (tried to find Phil's blog entry on it, but I can't). - I'm going to send him an Email and ask, because now it's making me crazy. If you want to get an idea as to what it would take to destory Earth, there's a website dedicated it: http://qntm.org/?destroy[^] And BTW - Earth has been destroyed a total of 1 times thus far (see the website for details). [edit] Ok, I found the blog entry on the other event that happened, you can read about it here: Gamma Ray Burst[^]


                      :..::. Douglas H. Troy ::..
                      Bad Astronomy |VCF|wxWidgets|WTL

                      modified on Thursday, June 18, 2009 6:06 PM

                      P Offline
                      P Offline
                      Paul Watson
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #17

                      Douglas Troy wrote:

                      http://qntm.org/?destroy\[^\]

                      Excellent link, thanks Doug. "This is left as an exercise to the reader." always makes me laugh.

                      cheers, Paul M. Watson.

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