Space: The Final Frontier

[Emphyrio]

As I'm sure there's fellow nerds here into this kinda stuff. I love these stories

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-mars-perseverance-rover-provides-front-row-seat-to-landing-first-audio

Is it me or does this stuff feature in a more mainstream way the last few years? As we've collectively made a balls of this planet, space exploration is more important than ever in practical terms, rather than 50 years ago where it was a mickey measuring contest between Russia and America.

Either way, it's a subject I've always been, at least mildly, interested in, ever since my main man Jean-Luc Picard started busting chops on behalf of the Federation.

[Ollkiller]

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Universe-in-Your-Hand-Christophe-Galfard/9781447284109?redirected=true&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=Base1&utm_source=IE&utm_content=The-Universe-in-Your-Hand&selectCurrency=EUR&w=AFFPAU961PS01YA8VRPK&pdg=pla-293946777986:cmp-10333900495:adg-102993026076:crv-443150513206:pos-:dev-m&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7NKBBhDBARIsAHbXCB6sE9iBINMnQEbixrnCVeb00bH5cBrres_ikZzSpOp7GOGpO_s3cCcaArpFEALw_wcB

The universe in your hand. Give it a read. It's fascinating.

[Carnage]

Sounds interesting, like a Bill Bryson guide to the universe.

[Emphyrio]

Looks a good read. Ta.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Friends got us this one for the wee lad to grow up alongside:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Planetarium/9781787411579

Not a comprehensive thing like the Galfard book there, but the illustrations are sublime; reminded me exactly of the kind of fact type, space or dinosaur or whatever book I'd get lost in over and over again for hours at a time as a kid. Magic.

[astfgyl]

I fuckin buzz hard off the space exploration. The coolest thing about it is how the more we find out the more questions it throws up. If ever there was something to define the phrase "the only thing we know for sure is that we know nothing" it's that great big universe out there.

Really looking forward to seeing what comes of this current mission

[son of the Morrigan]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..................... hardly a mention on mainstream media about the insane Space X project building a privately controlled network of communications/surveillance satellites around our own planet, the regulation of which seems to be a massive grey area. its for " the greater good" I'm sure.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..................... hardly a mention on mainstream media about the insane Space X project building a privately controlled network of communications/surveillance satellites around our own planet, the regulation of which seems to be a massive grey area. its for " the greater good" I'm sure.

The vast majority of satellites have been privately owned and controlled for the last couple of decades. Why would the media make a special case of Space X in particular? Especially considering that the mainstream media are reliant on....privately owned satellites!

[son of the Morrigan]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..................... hardly a mention on mainstream media about the insane Space X project building a privately controlled network of communications/surveillance satellites around our own planet, the regulation of which seems to be a massive grey area. its for " the greater good" I'm sure.

The vast majority of satellites have been privately owned and controlled for the last couple of decades. Why would the media make a special case of Space X in particular? Especially considering that the mainstream media are reliant on....privately owned satellites!

my point exactly.

[Ollkiller]

Sounds interesting, like a Bill Bryson guide to the universe.

Kinda of actually. Mind bending stuff in it. Like how the edge of the universe is just that. The edge. Light behaves differently past the edge. And gravity is not a force. The bit about vacuums blew my mind. Just loads of "fucking hell" moments.

[Ollkiller]

Friends got us this one for the wee lad to grow up alongside:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Planetarium/9781787411579

Not a comprehensive thing like the Galfard book there, but the illustrations are sublime; reminded me exactly of the kind of fact type, space or dinosaur or whatever book I'd get lost in over and over again for hours at a time as a kid. Magic.

Gonna grab that so.

[astfgyl]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..................... hardly a mention on mainstream media about the insane Space X project building a privately controlled network of communications/surveillance satellites around our own planet, the regulation of which seems to be a massive grey area. its for " the greater good" I'm sure.

Stood out in the garden one evening last year in the hope of seeing that string of satellites but alas, no dice. Did get a look at the space station though which is pretty cool. The issue of space debris is going to get more coverage in the next few years I reckon.

[Born of Fire]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..................... hardly a mention on mainstream media about the insane Space X project building a privately controlled network of communications/surveillance satellites around our own planet, the regulation of which seems to be a massive grey area. its for " the greater good" I'm sure.

Funnily enough I actually saw this about Space X satellites and broadband testing in Kerry today

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2021/0223/1198738-spacex-and-co-kerry/


The Universe is a fascinating subject. I went to see Professor Brian Cox the last time he was at the 3 Arena (live entertainment, remember that?!?!). He has a great ability to present mind boggling ideas in such a way that you can follow them at a surface level at least. Picked up Stephen Hawkings Brief History of Time recently but haven't gotten round to reading it yet.

[Eoin McLove]

I've become fascinated by all this stuff in recent years and try to wrap my one remaining
brain cell around it in some small way. I was thinking about black holes a year or so ago and had a little Eureka moment. First I was thinking that if black holes actually bend space dragging it in a given direction, then that must mean that the universe has an up and a down. Then mulling it for another minute or two I realised I had been picturing them the wrong way all along as they are always depicted as a hole in two dimensions,  presumably for convenience, but rather, when a star goes supernova it expands in three dimensions,  then crushes back down into a point in its centre. This must mean that the space around it warps in three dimensions as well,  so a black hole is three dimensional, like a sphere of nothingness rather than how I'd have previously imagined it as like a stocking shape. One of you eggheads can probably explain the flaw in my thinking.

Or perhaps to put it more clearly, the event horizon is a sphere, not a ring.

[astfgyl]

I haven't a clue, but the visualisation of the black hole in Interstellar was fairly cool.