Starship Asterisk*

Geckzilla, You asked that I not "bother" posting similar links in the future. I agreed. At my agreement, which possibly angered you further, you suggested I leave. Agreed. I haven't been able to find a method to close my account, however, I've requested that the administrators close it. In...

Oh, brother. Just don't bother linking to articles with pay walls in the future. Find another reference... SA can't be the sole source of said theory. Geckzilla, I posted a link to an article I thought might be interesting to people. I have it in print. Back issues might be available by phone altho...

Both general relativity and quantum mechanics are incredible successful where they apply (in the "large" and "small", respectively). I completely ageee. However, it is also long known that both theories, as we currently understand them, are incompatible. Theoretical calculations...

John, I haven't been around here much the last couple of days. Needed elsewhere. You have the link and have chosen not to avail yourself. You may or may not have a nearby library and/or card. But I've discussed this to the extent I'm willing, and I'm trusting you to accept that. Thank you for your u...

I'm new and so I've only had a chance to look at a few of these submissions so far, but, oh my!!! If these are the submissions from which new APODs get chosen, I don't know how they ever decide. I wouldn't have set any aside that I've seen so far. Thank you everyone who takes these images. Absolutel...

Thanks Starobs. I've added both of these to my Element Charts Collection. I love the colors of the first and expanded reach of the second. But wow, even the newest one is still going with the same origin legend icons and excluding neutron star collisions as the best candidate for the origin of thing...

I can't read the whole article, but the first paragraph is nothing new. Hawking describes the falling astronaut who, "would not feel anything special as he reached the critical radius [event horizon]" (Brief History, p.88) Would s/he see anything different? Would light be blue shifted the...

For those of you interested in going beyond the current standard thinking regarding black holes, there was an interesting article in Scientific American a few months back. It's a fun read: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/black-hole-firewalls-could-change-physics-forever/ I have the issue, ...

Thanks for all the info on star evolution and on The Clouds everyone! I've just read through this whole thread three *more* times and am still trying to absorb the new information. What exciting times we live in - thanks for putting together these sources and thoughts. Love the images too. Will look...

Cmglee!!! This is such a fantastic chart. Putting the elements keyed together with their origins is so cool, and answers a wish I've had. Thank you for doing this! As for the gold (Au) issue, "correctness," etc., in chemistry, physics, and astronomy is, by nature, a moving target (literall...

You know Ann, as long as we're on the topic of the LMC and SMC, I read one article, and only one, several years ago about a diverging point of view that possibly instead of being true companions to the Milky Way, they were just "playing through." However, since then, everyone I've read has...

Ann, loved both your new posts above. Thanks for taking the time to offer such a wealth of illustrated info. I truly appreciate it. I've been studying the shells lately (evolution of stars) but was missing the magnesium layer in the little sketch I made for myself. So that's an additional bonus from...

moontrail wrote:I miss it were also mentioned as Ursa Major, the Great Bear.

You're right, the Big Dipper is part of Ursa Major.

The handle of the Big Dipper is the tail of the Great Bear.

Amd the cup of the Big Dipper is the haunch (hip, flank) of the Great Bear.

Fantastic elements chart. I was thinking very recently that I'd like more detail on the specifics of each element's origin, and APOD to the rescue! Gotta love synchronicity. One thing I looked for in the chart right off the bat was how this chart classified gold (Au). Awhile back, I read that some s...

The thing that really baffles me is how R136a1 can be so massive (the most massive known) when its radius isn't all that much bigger than our own little sun. (If the sun is one solar radius, then R136a1 is only about 29, whereas plenty of stars are much, much "bigger" ... maybe they're fl...

What an absolutely spectacular view! Gorgeous... And Ann, thanks for the wealth of colorful info. Oh, and I love how you iconed the image with the golden Betelgeuse in there :D A feast for the imagination! I'll probably be spending the next while chasing down your info sources. Good times 8-) Awhile...

Ooo, another lovely link Ann!!! Thanks so much :) I've seen so many wonderful pictures of the Rosette nebula (it's one of my favs) yet I never figured out it was in the vicinity of Orion! And I knew that the Witches Head was by Rigel, but in my mind, I had it upside down to this. APOD is the best. I...

Thanks Ann! Oh my, so lovely. 7 megs takes a big chunk out of my data plan LOL, but it was certainly worth it. What strikes me about the image you offer, and so many others, is the loveliness of areas that aren't even significant enough to make it into my Camb.Star.Atlas. Like the area to the left o...

This is such a great annotation! Like Boomer, above, I'd love to see more like this. I love the concept and implementation of this one! M106 looks to be on here too, though I could be wrong. If you draw a vertical line on this image, almost halfway between "Phad" and "Alioth" and...