Stargazing and Space Exploration

[Jerry]

Not exactly Stargazing but potentially something that could lead to mankind one day being able to visit other star systems either in person or with probes.
DARPA researchers have created by accident a warp bubble, a very tiny warp bubble but a warp bubble all the same.

DARPA Researchers Create First Genuine Warp Bubble by Accident

The image above is of an actual, real world warp bubble. Image credit: Dr. Harold G. White of the Limitless Space Institute.

scifi.radio

 

[rollo]

There is an article in todays Sunday Times about the James Webb telescope the largest ever sent into space and is due to be launched this month and will take up station one million miles from earth where apparently it will experience no gravitational effect from the earth or the sun which for some reason beyond me is important.

It is 100x more powerful than the Hubble telescope and is able to look back in time up to 13billion light years close to the time of the big bang scientists believe.

The first photographs should be available after five months following set up and testing.

 

[Jerry]

for some reason beyond me is important.

I believe that they are called Lagrange points and the telescope itself needs to be kept extremely cold to observe the infrared range without interference which is why it's going to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. I think originally it was supposed to be launched in the late 2000s and is pretty delayed.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

There is an article in todays Sunday Times about the James Webb telescope the largest ever sent into space and is due to be launched this month and will take up station one million miles from earth where apparently it will experience no gravitational effect from the earth or the sun which for some reason beyond me is important.

I'm really looking forward to the photos we will see from this. Those from the Hubble space telescope were stunning (once it had it's short sightedness corrected). Being 100x more powerful the photo From the James Webbs should be spectacular.

The Lagrange points are areas where the Earth's, and the Sun's gravitational forces cancel each other out, so the telescope can sit there unperturbed by gravity.

It's explained very well here (although, the Maths gets a bit heavy, but I think you can get the gist without understanding that) -

Lagrange point - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Kevin

 

[rollo]

I believe that they are called Lagrange points and the telescope itself needs to be kept extremely cold to observe the infrared range without interference which is why it's going to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. I think originally it was supposed to be launched in the late 2000s and is pretty delayed.

Thanks for that Jerry, the article explained the long delays were not down to incompetence but due to the fact that technology was advancing so much and rapidly that they wanted to incorporate as much as possible for this once in a lifetime opportunity so took the delays as a quid pro quo.

 

[Jerry]

Thanks for that Jerry, the article explained the long delays were not down to incompetence but due to the fact that technology was advancing so much and rapidly that they wanted to incorporate as much as possible for this once in a lifetime opportunity so took the delays as a quid pro quo.

Yes hopefully the wait will be worth it once it starts sending back data!

 

[JENNYJET]

Hoping something good arises from this endeavour, I struggle to see what good comes from looking backwards in time, it may satisfy Physicists and loosely Historians or Theologians but not my little brain! I agree with others, the images will perhaps be something else to behold.

 

[Jerry]

Hoping something good arises from this endeavour, I struggle to see what good comes from looking backwards in time, it may satisfy Physicists and loosely Historians or Theologians but not my little brain! I agree with others, the images will perhaps be something else to behold.

Part of the mission is also to look for more exoplanets in star systems which could one day be explored by mankind and also learning about the universe billions of years ago can only expand our scientific knowledge of the universe and how it was formed.

 

[JENNYJET]

Yes, it may satisfy the Historian but can it solve the problems of today? I am not against the telescope just being Devil's advocate! or a bloody minded lawyer, take your pick!

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Yes, it may satisfy the Historian but can it solve the problems of today?

It will help add knowledge to the overall Scientific database. We never know when this newly acquired knowledge may be of benefit, but it will have it's uses at some point. The Human race is an inquisitive species and without that, I doubt we would have progressed further than living in caves. In fact, fire and the wheel would probably have been beyond us. More likely our species would have become extinct. We need exploration, to satisfy our hunger for advancement.
With all due respect, Human Laws are just that - Human Laws. These can be interpreted differently in different countries, or even different times and do not apply to other species (when Humans are extinct, so will be their Laws). The laws of Physics (or the Laws of the Universe) are universal. Humans cannot put forward an argument against Physical Laws, and thus have them changed. We can only observe and revise our understanding based on new facts. A great example, is that Newton's Laws of Motion still perfectly describe the motion of the planets in the Solar system (and, thus the graviational effects they have on each other). However, on a much grander scale they break down and it took Einstein to develop his Theory of Relativity to explain new observations. Observations that came about from advancements in Scientific knowledge. Perhaps, the James Webb Telescope will reveal new data that will require amendments to the Theory of Relativity - only time will tell.

Kevin

 

[JENNYJET]

I agree totally about human laws, so open to interpretation and terribly complex to a practitioner, and I add again, for the benefit of members, I do not practice the law, just avail myself of the subject in specific areas. As fascinating to me as a science is to a Scientist.

I am probably not making myself clear with regards to the telescope, partly because of the absence of sufficient knowledge and skills to put across my views satisfactorily. For that, I apologise.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

The delightful Dr Rebecca 'Becky' Smethurst has just released a YouTube video, featuring the planetary alignment that I previously referred to (along with other Astronomical delights, such as the bright light that will pass over the UK at around 6:50am on the 25th Dec - is it Father Christmas' sleigh, or the International Space Station?). The planetary alignment is the first part of the video, so you don't need to watch it all, but there are other delights included.

Kevin

 

[Elmdon80slad]

New one of mine - moon with some cloud.

E.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Just had a great view of the Moon showing as a crescent (tipped back about 45degrees), with Jupiter directly above it. Also visible, was the Earthshine on the Moon. The crescent is lit directly by the Sun, but the unlit portion gets light reflected back from the Earth making it faintly visible. Looks great, but very difficult to photograph as the crescent is so bright.
The Moon is now below the horizon from the UK, but might be worth looking out for tomorrow just after dark (weather permitting).

Kevin

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Just back from a walk to the local shop and got chatting to my neighbour. While we talked, we were looking at the stars and I noticed a faint light moving slowly across the sly. There were no strobes, so I assumed it was a satellite. It then grew brighter (brighter than any of the stars and I wondered if an aircraft had turned on it's landing lights) before fading. The whole thing only lasted about 2 to 3 seconds and it only travelled a small distance in that time. It seemed to be too slow to be a meteor, so was it possibly some space junk burning up?

Kevin

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I was having a play in Photoshop with a photo of the Moon that I took a few years ago. I'm quite pleased with the result -

It's a little 'burnt out' on the brightest parts but otherwise OK.

Kevin

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Venus and Jupiter Conjunction

Venus and Jupiter will appear to almost touch on Sat 30 April and Sun 1 May, but you'll need to be up early (05:00) and hope the sky is clear.

Venus and Jupiter Conjunction: Planets to almost touch in night sky

The dazzlingly bright planets appear extremely close together in the dark sky this weekend.

www.bbc.co.uk

Kevin

 

[Aviador]

That'll be me then on Sunday morning. Where in the sky will I need to look?

 

[Aviador]

We spent a week in a farm cottage in the Yorkshire Dales a few weeks ago. The night sky was phenomenal. You don't appreciate just how many stars you can see when your in the heavily lit urban areas.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

That'll be me then on Sunday morning. Where in the sky will I need to look?

Using my free (and highly recommended) Stellarium program, I fast forwarded to 05:00 on 1 May and found it to be in the East. Be aware that it's very low to the horizon and as dawn is breaking, so there may not be long to view it.

Kevin