Jimbob Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 This is a subject/topic that i am fond of, and have a keen interest in. Not many of you knew that did you. I have been interested in Space since i was in Cubs back in 1994, where in order to get the badge for it i had to visit an Observatory and spot 3 star constellations and a planet using the telescope. I also had to see if i could spot the same 3 with the naked eye and the planet i saw (in this instance, it was Mars). Just this trip got me interested in Space and i tend to watch "In the Night Sky" on BBC every month. I'm also interested in what NASA will come up with to replace the Space Shuttle which is due to be dis-continued soon. Use this topic to discuss Space, the Universe and absolutly anything to do with Space.
Retro_Link Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 (edited) I absolutely LOVE the topic of space, have done since I was little! I remember going to the Kennedy Space Centre when I must have been around 8 years old and bringing back a model kit of the Saturn V Rocket, which I built and took in to 'show and tell' (or whatever it was) at primary school. The scale of the rocket just blew me away! I've always wanted to see a Space Shuttle Launch and I'm pretty gutted that they are ending the programme soon. There was going to be one 2 weeks or so after I left the US a few weeks ago, which was pretty frustrating. I'm quite tempted to try and make it to the last one in Febuary 2011... but if they are going to start it up again in a few years time, then it's not so special!... Dilemma! I've always remembered my facts about the planets/moon in our solar system and love learning more about them, and for that reason really enjoy watching programmes such as the recent 'Wonders of the Solar System' and will occasionally watch The Sky at Night, and find out about/try and observe meteor showers. Also always wanted to get a telescope and hope to eventually look into it and get around to buying one sometime! Edited July 30, 2010 by Retro_Link
Happenstance Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 (edited) I always love space stuff, the scale of it all really does baffle you sometimes. Some of my favourite images: Edited July 30, 2010 by Happenstance
Paj! Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 I like space in fiction. But only when it's "normal people" in space. Like Alien. And Battlestar Galactica. Obligatory mentions tbf
Grazza Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 I watch The Sky at Night, but am very ignorant about astronomy. Has Venus been visible recently? I believe I've seen it on three different nights. What I'm seeing appears brighter and larger than stars (from my perspective), but is much smaller than the Moon. Also, do you believe there are aliens out there? There must be, surely? Intelligent ones too, I assume.
Emasher Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 There's some evidence that there was at one point bacteria on mars. The fact that there was some form of life on another planet so close to us makes it seem very likely that somewhere out there there is other intelligent life.
Retro_Link Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 Has Venus been visible recently? I believe I've seen it on three different nights. What I'm seeing appears brighter and larger than stars (from my perspective), but is much smaller than the Moon.You should be able to see Venus every night, it's always visible to us. Other than the moon it's the brightest object in the sky, so it will be one of the earliest things to appear every night. And it has a slight yellowish colour to it compared to all the stars.
Tales Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 You should be able to see Venus every night, it's always visible to us. Other than the moon it's the brightest object in the sky, so it will be one of the earliest things to appear every night. And it has a slight yellowish colour to it compared to all the stars. Also, it doesn't twinkle. As for the universe, I have always wanted to know where it ends and what's on the other side.
Cube Posted July 30, 2010 Posted July 30, 2010 Also, it doesn't twinkle. As for the universe, I have always wanted to know where it ends and what's on the other side. We know roughly where it ends and there is nothing of considerable mass for a very large distance afterwards. It's just a big empty space. I've been interested in space for as long as I can remember, hence why I tried to do Astrophysics at uni.
Emasher Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 Very clever post, thanks for sharing. Although there was one point which made me raise my non-existent eyebrows: Now mind-reading is a possibility, and even if they don't know the language, doesn't mean they cannot obtain some information nevertheless...or even influence our minds. Its not mine, I just thought it was relevant. But please, explain how mind reading is possible.
david.dakota Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 Love all things space, me. I've been fascinated by Space since I was a boy, just the endless possibilities and the distances, I remember being awed by distances as a child (I still am now in fairness). And that wonderful idea that all that black contains things, many millions of things. And the mind bending idea that as we look up, we're looking back in time by hundreds, thousands of years. If you've not visited Hubble Site, do so. Its a really interesting site - and they've some stunning images in the gallery too. Nasa's Earth Observatory is worth bookmarking too. Its really easy to think of Space as 'up there', the black surrounding our rock - we tend to think of Space as something seperate to our planet (perhaps we still can't get the idea that Earth is not the centre of the universe). We're all affected by the same laws of physics as everywhere else in the Universe. We are part of Space. Space is facinating, Earth makes is magical. Google Earth has, for some time, offered both the Moon and Mars for viewing. Google also offers Sky Maps for Android phones, which is fabulous for casual star-spotting. And if you've not read A Brief(er) History of Time, shame on you!
Grazza Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 But please, explain how mind reading is possible. I would say it's easily possible for an advanced species. Human technology is already beginning to read people brainwaves and literally build up images of what they are seeing. It's quite feasible that an alien could scan our brains and know exactly which brainwave means what. After all, any aliens that could travel to earth would be advanced beyond belief. Even if they couldn't read our minds (which I'm sure they could), they could have a database of every language on earth and have machines that translated everything instantly.
Frank Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 I've always found it funny that the vast majority of people assume that aliens, if they do exist, are mush more advanced than us. For all we know, they could be in the equivalent of the stone age or even more primitive. Who knows? I also believe that it is very possible to have more life on other planets etc. Isn't it a little naive of us to think that in the entire universe over a period of billions of years, we are the only planet to ever have life.
Cube Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 Statistically, there is life on other planets. Sentient life, too. As for non-sentient life there are still possibilities of life in our system. Discoveries in the depths of the ocean and in caves suggest that there could be life on a few moons or under the surface of Mars.
Dannyboy-the-Dane Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 I've always found it funny that the vast majority of people assume that aliens, if they do exist, are mush more advanced than us. For all we know, they could be in the equivalent of the stone age or even more primitive. Who knows? I also believe that it is very possible to have more life on other planets etc. Isn't it a little naive of us to think that in the entire universe over a period of billions of years, we are the only planet to ever have life. Because aliens would have to be vastly superior to us technologically if they were to visit us, seeing as there doesn't seem to be intelligent life anywhere else in our solar system, meaning any potential alien visitors would have to have mastered intergalactic travel in order to come here. It's entirely plausible that there are primitive alien races out there, but those wouldn't be the ones contacting us.
david.dakota Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 Because aliens would have to be vastly superior to us technologically if they were to visit us Not necessarily. Basic life could, possibly, hitch a lift with an asteroid. Its not outside the realms of possibility that an ice planet is hit with a rock meteor, fracturing the planet and send in shards out into space.
Jimbob Posted July 31, 2010 Author Posted July 31, 2010 I did take some snaps whilst in the Science Museum, London. Wonder if anyone can guess where i spent the most time?? Was a fascinating day out as well.
Emasher Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 (edited) Perfect audio for reading this post Audio Heh, why not? Many spiritual traditions, including yoga and Buddhism, agree that with consistent practice, some forms of extrasensory perception may be awakened. However, not all people unlock these, and they are not the goal of the practice anyway...Furthermore, we're talking about intensive and dedicated, long-term practice here...not a single sitting of meditation Basically, you're purifying your mind and body, so you can't expect this to happen overnight... So why do I consider this possible? I've read and listened to A LOT of stuff in this field...Meditation manuals, talks from Buddhist monks and abbots, biographies of Thai forest monks, discussion boards etc etc. Undoubtedly some people seem to have these sorts of experiences...in relation to persistent spiritual practice. Also, I know a few people personally, who exhibit this kind of heightened sensitivity to either bioenergy or what people are feeling / thinking...have had some pretty interesting talks as well. As for myself, I cannot verify if extrasensory perception is true or not. Still, I do consider it possible...guess we'll see ;D I've been doing yoga for about 2 years now, and meditation for some years before that. What I can say...is that these kinds of practices do purify your body and mind. Thus I am quite interested in finding out how deep that silence inside your mind can really become... Google "Cold Reading" ---- As for the scientific methods, perhaps, but you still have to take into account the possibility that their 'brains' have evolved differently from ours, and that they still may have trouble interpreting any findings if they're any different to ours. The article, I imagine was just trying to make it clear that you shouldn't expect them to be able to read your mind, and that put in this situation, you're most likely going to have to find a way of communicating. Not necessarily. Basic life could, possibly, hitch a lift with an asteroid. Its not outside the realms of possibility that an ice planet is hit with a rock meteor, fracturing the planet and send in shards out into space. Its not likely that anything could survive the extremely cold temperatures that would exist outside of a star system without technology. They would also somehow need to make the jump to earth from the asteroid. Edited July 31, 2010 by Emasher
Charlie Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 Its not mine, I just thought it was relevant. But please, explain how mind reading is possible. Stare at someone who isn't looking at you. They'll turn around. Just because that humans can't do something it's perfectly possible that another race can. It's a shortfall of humans that we can't see outside of what we know. That's why aliens are pretty much always pictured as species similar to ourselves or forms of life we know on Earth; legs, arms and a head. There's no reason to suggest that extraterrestrial life will be anything like this at all. In terms of believing in extraterrestrial life, i'm 100% convinced there it exists. We've got an infinite universe so there are infinite possibilities of there being life.
Dannyboy-the-Dane Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 Not necessarily. Basic life could, possibly, hitch a lift with an asteroid. Its not outside the realms of possibility that an ice planet is hit with a rock meteor, fracturing the planet and send in shards out into space. Are we talking one-celled organisms, bacteria and the like?
Emasher Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 Stare at someone who isn't looking at you. They'll turn around. Just because that humans can't do something it's perfectly possible that another race can. It's a shortfall of humans that we can't see outside of what we know. That's why aliens are pretty much always pictured as species similar to ourselves or forms of life we know on Earth; legs, arms and a head. There's no reason to suggest that extraterrestrial life will be anything like this at all. In terms of believing in extraterrestrial life, i'm 100% convinced there it exists. We've got an infinite universe so there are infinite possibilities of there being life. Its more the idea of them actually being able to communicate with us in that way. If they are different enough from us that they can read their own minds, its likely that they're minds are different enough from ours that they can't read our minds as well.
Grazza Posted August 1, 2010 Posted August 1, 2010 I just wanted to say The Sky at Night's on tonight at 12:10am.
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