The dedicated Science/Space thread!
Discussion
Space is infinite
It is dark
Space is neutral
It is cold
Stars occupy minute areas of space
They are clustered a few billion here
And a few billion there
As if seeking consolation in numbers
Space does not care, space does not threaten
Space does not comfort
It does not speak, it does not wake
It does not dream
It does not know, it does not fear
It does not love, it does not hate
It does not encourage any of these qualities
Space cannot be measured, it cannot be
Angered, it cannot be placated
It cannot be summed up, space is there
Space is not large and it is not small
It does not live and it does not die
It does not offer truth and neither does it lie
Space is a remorseless, senseless, impersonal fact
Space is the absence of time and of matter
It is dark
Space is neutral
It is cold
Stars occupy minute areas of space
They are clustered a few billion here
And a few billion there
As if seeking consolation in numbers
Space does not care, space does not threaten
Space does not comfort
It does not speak, it does not wake
It does not dream
It does not know, it does not fear
It does not love, it does not hate
It does not encourage any of these qualities
Space cannot be measured, it cannot be
Angered, it cannot be placated
It cannot be summed up, space is there
Space is not large and it is not small
It does not live and it does not die
It does not offer truth and neither does it lie
Space is a remorseless, senseless, impersonal fact
Space is the absence of time and of matter
FeatherZ said:
Recent article on Universe Today states that nearly every star in our Milky Way, has atleast 1 planet orbiting it, which if true is mind boggling, for me atleast.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=e...This is the story that caught my eye. Given the distances involved, I wonder if we'll ever find others, let alone in my life time, but the notion that there are billions of planets out there is such food for thought.
There are I suppose two possibilities - us alone or life everywhere and either scenario is an amazing state of affairs.
There are I suppose two possibilities - us alone or life everywhere and either scenario is an amazing state of affairs.
Bedazzled said:
Amazing if true, plug that number into the Drake equation and our galaxy must be teeming with life. Apparently the estimate is based on a gravitational microlensing technique, but only 4 planets found this way have been confirmed so far, according to Wiki. And yet they think they can estimate an average for a whole galaxy of 200-400 billion stars??
Most of our explanet numbers are 'speculation' despite finding many hundred I think at the last count. Unless we find something unique about the stars in question then they can only assume, logically, that it is the norm. TheHeretic said:
Bedazzled said:
Amazing if true, plug that number into the Drake equation and our galaxy must be teeming with life. Apparently the estimate is based on a gravitational microlensing technique, but only 4 planets found this way have been confirmed so far, according to Wiki. And yet they think they can estimate an average for a whole galaxy of 200-400 billion stars??
Most of our explanet numbers are 'speculation' despite finding many hundred I think at the last count. Unless we find something unique about the stars in question then they can only assume, logically, that it is the norm. Discoveries have been growning exponentially in the last few years and based on that, billions of planets and planets around nearly every star doesn't suprise me.
R300will said:
Why wouldn't there be planets around every star? they've all blown up at some stage and matter will have collected in different spots like it did in ours forming them?
I think that has been the suspicion, but it is only recently we have developed techniques to actually confirm it. As those techniques are refined, more and more planets are being revealed.tank slapper said:
R300will said:
Why wouldn't there be planets around every star? they've all blown up at some stage and matter will have collected in different spots like it did in ours forming them?
I think that has been the suspicion, but it is only recently we have developed techniques to actually confirm it. As those techniques are refined, more and more planets are being revealed.NismoGT said:
Mind boggling 
Dark matter makes up 83 per cent of the universe's matter, but is invisible, so its presence must be inferred from its gravitational influence.
Yeah, it's one of those indirect evidence. Rather than direct evidence things. Even if proven wrong later on, they always seem to have some stunning imagery to go with them.Dark matter makes up 83 per cent of the universe's matter, but is invisible, so its presence must be inferred from its gravitational influence.
Isn't this the essence of astronomy? Because we have inferred how our solar system evolved, we can predict others and extrapolate the prediction to the universe. yet it remains just that, a prediction until observation confirms or dispels the prediction.
This is why the exoplanet discoveries are exciting to me, it's confirmation of something we suspect, but hitherto didn't know for certain.
This is why the exoplanet discoveries are exciting to me, it's confirmation of something we suspect, but hitherto didn't know for certain.
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