Starship Asterisk*

PrinsEdje80, Thanks for the link! Wow! So Einstein understood this before there was any documented evidence.

If it is not intuitive, I seem to have difficulty wrapping my head around the phenomenon. Sometimes, science seems too fanciful for me

Czerno, Not sure but I think they are showing us through the link "faintly visible" http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/2001/32/content/0132w.jpg I don't understand how we can see two images of the same object... it seems to me that since we are looking through the "gravational lense&...

How high is up anyway? (sorry Art, couldn't help myself...) :wink: I have heard it is twice as far as halfway up. (Actually I heard that from a shuttle technician before he became a shuttle technician!) I also believe that if you are traveling faster than the speed of light... well... never mind... ...

You're right! but now I think I see more??? maybe 7

Expounding on UP... WHAT'S UP? - Or as my daughter likes to say, "wuzup"... Is this a mental or directional question? Why do we throw this question out so casually to people we see? Perhaps it is because we want to make certain that, like ourselves, no one else knows the answer either. Thi...

Yes, I noticed the two men. Looks like the upper fellow is looking into the camera???

The two men posing in the structure reminded me of M.C. Escher's 'Relativity' http://www.mcescher.com/Gallery/back-bmp/LW389.jpg

Don't think I would learn much myself if I didn't make mistakes and/or say stupid things... Actually, there is no guarantee either way

It is interesting and fun to ponder first hand conditions off of planet earth. And since we need orientation to a some point or set of points for mental security purposes ;>)... For example, our northern hemisphere is "up"... I am wondering... since the same side of the moon always faces e...

Yes, very nice image. The support structure is incredible. It is cool how the structure "clam shells" onto the shuttle. (It took me a few minutes of study to realize the giant cylindrical "door hinge". ) I wonder if the angled "almost appears to be suspended" white rect...

What is the slowest possible relative speed of a "loose" and natural solar system object? I assume you mean the slowest speed an object could strike Mercury with? That would be the same as it's surface escape velocity, which according to Wikipedia is 4.25 km/s or about 9500 mph. In realit...

Yes, apodman is very insightful! I liked his answer too...

So it is safe to say that science and fantasy are partners at more than one point. Such as during the initial stages of an idea/concept/visualization/map naming/APOD intrepretation.

It's also a good name if you wanted to sell real estate

Sea front property on the moon... a place to ride your lunar surf board without the danger of preditory moon sharks

Strike that...

Sea front property on the moon... over the calmest of seas!

What is the slowest possible relative speed of a "loose" and natural solar system object?

No, but I'm venturing a guess that it has to do with its geometry.

Art, (hope I'm not being too presumptuous) (cool first name) Seems my 4D source question may be answered in the "'Hole in the Universe' possible explanation" Asterisk thread... the 4D source is inferred if I understand enough of what I read. This was my initial understanding from my Asteri...

The universe that is visible to us in the electromagnetic spectrum is finite. What about the 4D origin that we can't see??? Is the 4D source inferred or somehow defined from the known physical spectrums? (assuming there are no wormholes around through which one can actually travel to a different un...

Thanks for the links! You are very helpful and patient!

So the wrinkly plasma proves the universe is finite?

iamlucky13 wrote: Also, the universe is not, according to the big bang theory, thought to be infinite.

Not that it is or isn't, but how do we prove the universe is finite since we are looking outwardly back in time and cannot 'see' the 4D origin?

You’re welcome! I had the fortune (as part of an engineering team) to work support at JPL for a couple of months integrating an infrared imaging system into a multi-mission polar orbiter in the late 80’s… fun times! One of the many interesting things about JPL involves a piece of punctuation in thei...

What caused Comet Holmes to greatly brighten?

Is this just a reaction to its proximity to the sun?

What do the sudden outbursts indicate?

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=Holmes&orb=1

We may get a close hand look in about 3 billion years.

http://www.cita.utoronto.ca/~dubinski/tflops/

Don't be mislead by the first impression of the webpage title

Arramon wrote: We won't lose any gas giants any time soon (or venus even, which ironically is more protected by the sun than anything).

How is Venus more protected by the sun?

hi sinpix,

I know of one software package that helps me locate objects but I am not sure if it is OK to post things like that here at APOD.

Do a google search on "astronomy programs" or "distant suns" for example.

Hope this helps.

hi memmd, Welcome to APOD! http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080207.html A very interesting question... 8) I imagine it is many differences becoming a messy sameness until the samenesses are sorted back into some new differences :wink: (Hope you're not offended, I like your question and I like to try and ...

Interesting what you can learn when strangers in different rooms only have a high tech typewriter, pictures and some cute emoticons to communicate with. It is far more challenging without face to face contact. Speaking of far... I saw them with my own eyes this morning… however, Jupiter is “miles an...