Dotini
(Banned)
- 15,742
- Seattle
- CR80_Shifty
Audio from Saturn: "Alien speech?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGeWBiLVn8g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGeWBiLVn8g
Space In General
- Thread starter BubbleBelly542
- 4,691 comments
- 279,510 views
- 111
- Liverpool
- MrSulu
I think this deserves a mention
http://www.nature.com/news/voyager-1-has-reached-interstellar-space-1.13735
http://www.nature.com/news/voyager-1-has-reached-interstellar-space-1.13735
- 31,670
- Buckwheat City
- Dennisch
Dammit!
I just came in here to post that.
Here is the NASA JPL link.
And a picture of Voyager 1's signal:
The VLBA made this image of Voyager 1's signal on Feb. 21, 2013. At the time, Voyager 1 was 11.5 billion miles (18.5 billion kilometers) away.
The image is about 0.5 arcseconds on a side. An arcsecond is the apparent size of a penny as seen from 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away. The slightly oblong shape of the image is a result of the array's configuration.
- 3,155
- 49°16'43.22"N 81°37'50.21W
- mikeybc
To put that into perspective 11.5 billion miles is the distance light would travel in around 17 hours. For light to reach the closest star it would take just over 4.2 years. So if Voyager was on a direct path to the nearest star it would take approximately 75,000 years to get there travelling around 36,500 mph....Pretty big place we have here
- 31,670
- Buckwheat City
- Dennisch
To put that into perspective 11.5 billion miles is the distance light would travel in around 17 hours. For light to reach the closest star it would take just over 4.2 years. So if Voyager was on a direct path to the nearest star it would take approximately 75,000 years to get there travelling around 36,500 mph....Pretty big place we have here
Ah yes, I see you have also realized that we are stuck in our Solar system.
- 31,670
- Buckwheat City
- Dennisch
50000 AU away. So reaching it won't happen for another 15000 year or so.
Since 1 AU is the distance from the Sun to the Earth and it takes about 8 Minutes for light to travel such a distance this problem can be solved by simple multiplication and division.
(50,000 AU)(8 Minutes)=400,000 Minutes/60 (Minutes/Hour)=6666.67 Hours/24 (Hours/Earth Day)=277.78 Days
So the answer is 277.78 Earth Days or 0.76 Earth Years!
Also, have a picture of the Sun:
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- 31,670
- Buckwheat City
- Dennisch
- 14,045
- Ireland
- driftking18594
- CiaranGTR94
I'm just wondering, if the Oort Cloud is real, how did all of those comets get ejected so far out from the Sun?
I guess the reason why we haven't found spheres similar to the Oort Cloud around other stars is the same reason we couldn't find extrasolar planets 20 years ago, our telescopes aren't powerful enough.
I guess the reason why we haven't found spheres similar to the Oort Cloud around other stars is the same reason we couldn't find extrasolar planets 20 years ago, our telescopes aren't powerful enough.
- 5,076
- Panama City, FL
One hypothesis is that during the birth of the sun and neighboring stars, and the very earliy times of the solar systems forming, stars pulled matter from each other before being separated into their own orbits within the Milky Way.
Personally, I'm not sure how that would form the theorized sphere, but I'm not what you'd call a recognized expert.
Personally, I'm not sure how that would form the theorized sphere, but I'm not what you'd call a recognized expert.
Dotini
(Banned)
- 15,742
- Seattle
- CR80_Shifty
Once there was an hypothesis that a planet exploded in our solar system, leaving behind what remains in the current so-called "asteroid belt". Long period comets would then have been originated from this explosion, and some cometary orbital calculations were said to be in agreement with this.
However, I haven't kept up with this, and this hypothesis may have been debunked.
- 862
- Northamptonshire
- Ryanswannell
Over the past week I noticed that there is what looks like a very close/big star (though it probably isn't one) relatively speaking to the horizon. Sorry it's a bit vague, but any ideas what it may be? I haven't seen it before.
I live in England by the way if that helps.
I live in England by the way if that helps.
CodeRedR51
Premium
- 55,307
- United States
East? West? There's a comet going by the Sun this month and it's supposed to be bright enough to see with the naked eye around the end of November, beginning of December. Right now it's visible with binoculars very early in the morning.
I think Venus? is relatively bright in the sky at the moment. Kind of south, south-west.
I think Venus? is relatively bright in the sky at the moment. Kind of south, south-west.
- 862
- Northamptonshire
- Ryanswannell
South east at about 6pm, but is at roughly north east-east by 9pm.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
There aren't any planets visible at that sort of time at the moment, so my best guess is the star system Capella, which would be roughly in the area of the sky you're describing at the times you describe.
Venus is below the horizon at the moment, and also in the western sky.
Venus is below the horizon at the moment, and also in the western sky.
- 862
- Northamptonshire
- Ryanswannell
It's just quite strange how bright/big it looks, i'd say its twice the size of the next brightest star I can see at the moment with the naked eye. Maybe it's a result of it being close to the horizon, much like how the sun looks bigger as it sets/rises?
- 8,100
- Guelph, Ontario
CodeRedR51
Premium
- 55,307
- United States
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Possibly. But it's the sixth brightest star overall in the night sky. Third brightest if you're talking ones visible from the northern hemisphere, and only Vega is brighter in the current sky, though it's more toward the west.
All that said, Jupiter has just risen above the horizon in the last hour or so directly below Capella in the sky. If you live in a built-up area there's no way you'll see it right now unless you've got a spot of empty horizon, but given another few hours it'll probably be quite visible.
Capella is quite bright though, because it's two binary star systems in close proximity. So you're getting the light of four stars.
- 9,262
- Corsham
- lipming
It's Jupiter. Venus sets at about 6 pm at the moment. Whilst Jupiter is currently passing through the Gemini constellation and is approaching opposition which will be on January 6th.
- 2,620
- Lincoln, NE
- huskeR_32
