derby378
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Sat Nov-06-10 07:20 PM
Response to Original message |
| 5. And therein lies one of the great conundrums of astronomy |
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The Hubble, Keck, and other telescopes have given us an expanded view of the universe which is our only window on the faraway cosmos.
At the same time, that image is also a lie.
Many of the objects we are seeing emitted that light over 10 billion years ago. By now, these objects may have dramatically shifted position, collided with each other, or just faded out of the heavens completely. But we cannot know with any certainty their current position or ultimate fate. Not until the light from those distant reaches finally finds its way to Earth.
Maddening, isn't it?
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| -Do you know how big the universe is? |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-06-10 07:14 PM |
#0 |
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Well it certainly puts ones problems into perspective. |
Lyric |
Nov-06-10 07:16 PM |
#1 |
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More than 100 Billion galaxies in the observable universe... |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-06-10 07:19 PM |
#2 |
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so if a rocket ship travelling at 17,000 miles an hour were to travel |
rurallib |
Nov-06-10 07:20 PM |
#3 |
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That's hard to say... he uses them for so many purposes |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-06-10 07:20 PM |
#6 |
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Depends (geddit) how often he changes |
ikri |
Nov-07-10 07:27 AM |
#62 |
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The Big Rip is far from comforting. |
denem |
Nov-06-10 07:20 PM |
#4 |
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That's one possible outcome |
derby378 |
Nov-06-10 07:22 PM |
#7 |
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I blame it on the Republicans. |
rurallib |
Nov-06-10 07:25 PM |
#10 |
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Black hole points of singularity would remain: |
denem |
Nov-06-10 07:32 PM |
#13 |
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So some see the Big Rip as half-empty, some see it as half-full? |
pinboy3niner |
Nov-07-10 01:58 AM |
#54 |
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And therein lies one of the great conundrums of astronomy |
derby378 |
Nov-06-10 07:20 PM |
#5 |
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It's even beyond that |
Xipe Totec |
Nov-06-10 07:24 PM |
#9 |
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We can only detect a 14 billion light year radius. |
the redcoat |
Nov-06-10 07:24 PM |
#8 |
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Or so it would seem... |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-06-10 07:28 PM |
#11 |
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I don't know about the "infinite volume" part |
derby378 |
Nov-06-10 07:35 PM |
#15 |
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I'm with you. I had a problem with that as well. |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-06-10 07:39 PM |
#21 |
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"must by definition have borders and therefore a center" -- No. Follow me. |
Commie Pinko Dirtbag |
Nov-06-10 07:52 PM |
#25 |
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And a sphere contains an infinity of circular sections.... |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-06-10 07:55 PM |
#26 |
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Make sure you understand the flatpeople's scenario first. |
Commie Pinko Dirtbag |
Nov-06-10 08:02 PM |
#28 |
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That 3D balloon shape, however, still has a center |
derby378 |
Nov-06-10 09:21 PM |
#33 |
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You're ignoring the most important part of the sentence you quoted: |
the redcoat |
Nov-06-10 08:12 PM |
#29 |
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No. nt |
Obamanaut |
Nov-06-10 07:32 PM |
#12 |
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'A Universe From Nothing' by Lawrence Krauss |
ipaint |
Nov-06-10 07:35 PM |
#14 |
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"From the begining not a thing is." - Hui Neng 700 AD |
RagAss |
Nov-06-10 07:40 PM |
#23 |
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I wouldn't miss the science behind the theory for anything. |
ipaint |
Nov-07-10 03:08 AM |
#55 |
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I think Bill O'Reilly's head is larger! n/t |
RKP5637 |
Nov-06-10 07:36 PM |
#16 |
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Not larger, but definitely stuffed with more fatty tissue (n/t) |
derby378 |
Nov-06-10 07:37 PM |
#17 |
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LOL !!! n/t |
RKP5637 |
Nov-06-10 07:38 PM |
#20 |
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Purely my opinion but... |
icnorth |
Nov-08-10 01:56 PM |
#80 |
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We can see only 0.5% of the universe. |
denem |
Nov-06-10 07:37 PM |
#18 |
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All we are is dust in the wind... |
leeroysphitz |
Nov-06-10 07:37 PM |
#19 |
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It's all about distribution |
Duer 157099 |
Nov-06-10 07:40 PM |
#22 |
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But first, someone must invent the hyperdrive |
derby378 |
Nov-06-10 07:46 PM |
#24 |
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Perhaps that's where we go when we die? |
Duer 157099 |
Nov-06-10 07:55 PM |
#27 |
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I just wonder what it is expanding into? |
razorman |
Nov-06-10 09:02 PM |
#30 |
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That's an excellent question |
derby378 |
Nov-06-10 09:29 PM |
#34 |
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All the big. |
Iggo |
Nov-06-10 09:04 PM |
#31 |
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I think you're wrong....n/t |
unkachuck |
Nov-06-10 09:05 PM |
#32 |
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Really big, as Douglas Adams explained to us. |
DavidDvorkin |
Nov-06-10 10:01 PM |
#35 |
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So small that there is only one universe in it |
jberryhill |
Nov-06-10 11:16 PM |
#36 |
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Compared to us, it's really, really, really, big. |
Warren DeMontague |
Nov-06-10 11:18 PM |
#37 |
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Everything is relative. Compared to Admiral Nelson, the universe is quite large indeed. |
Richard Steele |
Nov-06-10 11:25 PM |
#38 |
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He may have had trouble comparing sizes, lacking that old |
dimbear |
Nov-07-10 01:20 AM |
#45 |
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The universe is a sphere about 5'11" through the center |
Zanzobar |
Nov-06-10 11:31 PM |
#39 |
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Be careful in high winds on flat surfaces.......n/t |
dimbear |
Nov-07-10 01:24 AM |
#46 |
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I can't believe nobody posted this yet: |
lightningandsnow |
Nov-06-10 11:34 PM |
#40 |
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... cuz there's bugger-all down here on earth. |
lumberjack_jeff |
Nov-06-10 11:38 PM |
#41 |
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That sort of stuff is why religion is completely laughable to me. |
Arugula Latte |
Nov-06-10 11:48 PM |
#42 |
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I didn't want to get into that in the OP because |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-07-10 08:37 AM |
#65 |
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And why would god send a son to a backward era with no technologies, no video, no printing press? |
AnArmyVeteran |
Nov-08-10 10:59 AM |
#72 |
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It basically means the chances of extrasolar life are extremely high. |
BzaDem |
Nov-06-10 11:53 PM |
#43 |
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It also means the chances of us ever interacting with extrasolar life are extremely low |
scheming daemons |
Nov-07-10 01:27 AM |
#48 |
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Indeed. :( Though wormholes and/or some other manipulation of spacetime itself could conceivably |
BzaDem |
Nov-07-10 01:40 AM |
#49 |
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And when discussing such probabilities in other contexts we call them certainties |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-07-10 08:43 AM |
#67 |
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Well to be fair, I think it is at least possible (though extremely improbable) that life is unique |
BzaDem |
Nov-08-10 10:44 AM |
#70 |
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This was explained to me a few years back |
jimlup |
Nov-06-10 11:55 PM |
#44 |
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Thats about as old as GOP economic policies. n/t |
deacon |
Nov-07-10 01:31 AM |
#47 |
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It also means them Aliens have the Same God/Goddess as we have...has to be. |
opihimoimoi |
Nov-07-10 01:43 AM |
#50 |
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bigger than a bread box |
DeadEyeDyck |
Nov-07-10 01:46 AM |
#51 |
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Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. |
JCMach1 |
Nov-07-10 01:49 AM |
#52 |
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I guess it means we could be squashed like a bug since we are but one little speck. |
dkf |
Nov-07-10 01:57 AM |
#53 |
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If the Universe IS the Universe, into what is it expanding? |
WinkyDink |
Nov-07-10 05:10 AM |
#56 |
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membranes |
meow mix |
Nov-07-10 05:21 AM |
#57 |
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delete |
meow mix |
Nov-07-10 05:21 AM |
#58 |
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sorry hippy |
Kltpzyxm |
Nov-07-10 05:23 AM |
#59 |
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and to think it all started from a peanut shaped asteroid. |
B Calm |
Nov-07-10 05:36 AM |
#60 |
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Short Answer: Freaking Huge |
Taitertots |
Nov-07-10 05:48 AM |
#61 |
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unprovable speculation |
Motown_Johnny |
Nov-07-10 07:32 AM |
#63 |
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au contraire |
Kurt_and_Hunter |
Nov-07-10 08:46 AM |
#68 |
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Isn't there some way we can blow it up? |
Toots |
Nov-07-10 07:39 AM |
#64 |
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Space and Time are artificial intellectual constructs. So questions like those are similar to |
KittyWampus |
Nov-07-10 08:43 AM |
#66 |
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Time is what enables you to exist as KittyWampus instead of inert Planck-scale goo |
derby378 |
Nov-08-10 10:36 AM |
#69 |
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So what time is it then? :) |
AnArmyVeteran |
Nov-08-10 11:02 AM |
#73 |
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Not familiar with that, actually |
derby378 |
Nov-08-10 11:04 AM |
#74 |
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The entire universe is probably just one cell of a hair on a massive creature in another dimension. |
AnArmyVeteran |
Nov-08-10 10:55 AM |
#71 |
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Bacteria all the way down; universes all the way up. |
immoderate |
Nov-08-10 12:35 PM |
#76 |
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No, and neither does anyone else. |
JackRiddler |
Nov-08-10 11:07 AM |
#75 |
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So, can we have your liver? |
montanto |
Nov-08-10 12:57 PM |
#77 |
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And we live on "a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam". Carl Sagan. |
A HERETIC I AM |
Nov-08-10 01:46 PM |
#78 |
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Big enough to have a minor species on a speck of dust think they're the center of it. |
Tierra_y_Libertad |
Nov-08-10 01:48 PM |
#79 |
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