Starship Asterisk*

Ann, your Flying Spaghetti Monster reminded me of last night's Nature.

GN-z11 is the oldest and most distant known galaxy yet identified in the observable universe, having a spectroscopic redshift of z=11.1 Universe age at 1+z = 12.1 was 414 Myr. GN-z11 size: 1.2 kpc (~ 0.303" at 1+z = 12.1) 1.6 μm HST resolution ~ 0.168" [ 1+z = 12.1 : gives a scale of 3.95...

Just as long as they aren't too " closeup" to Australia.

We don't need any more thawing.

With lots to do comes the freedom to dream. Possibly shoot the moon? If I can from two nights ago why not others in the future

Ecstatic penguins! Only eclipsed by a hoard of happy astronomers.

Noisy but enjoying each other’s company curiously.

Would it be fair or correct to describe Webb as the most sensitive thermometer ever launched? Designed to observe in IR by collecting photons emitted of a thermal origin, it makes me think of it as a temperature measuring device. Albeit one that might be able to block out a hot sun to see where ET ...

Would it be fair or correct to describe Webb as the most sensitive thermometer ever launched? Designed to observe in IR by collecting photons emitted of a thermal origin, it makes me think of it as a temperature measuring device. Albeit one that might be able to block out a hot sun to see where ET c...

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_220103.jpg Comet Leonard's Long Tail And still might -- if the comet survives today's closest encounter with the Sun, which occurs between the orbits of Mercury and Venus . Wonder how Leonard's orbit and outbursts have stacked up since this was made :?:

Why did ancient people build pyramids? To me they resemble stratovolcanoes. Egyptians and Mayans favored a volcano-like structure perhaps because of the angle of repose but why did they think pyramids would immortalize their leaders? New tech may help uncover some answers. :thumb_up: I do know Bojo ...

These two wonderful image mosaics made me think about the motion of a comet nucleus and what might be happening and why. It looks to me like the nucleus is traveling in a spiral, like a thrown football,and the tail is its "wake." The caption suggests: "Likely flares on the comet's nu...

Good thing these skiers don’t live in a world where water freezes into
lens-shaped crystals.

These folks would be toast.

Things We've Never Seen

Actually quite apropos! The bright area looks like an eye. The reflection is what we see now and above; a clearer view.

Today's APOD reminded me of a recent post. I was curious if we were high enough above the plane to notice the broad disc – minus the dust clouds?

After time to pause, I’m pretty sure I’m not high enough to notice. But that sun sure is bright!

Just as the universe evolves, so do viruses and us. Suppose it's why the us in virus is much closer than us in the universe?

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" is about right for interacting galaxies. But you might expect more double-nucleus barred spirals would be reported.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Nereus_Goldstone_radar_Nov30.gif <<4660 Nereus, provisional designation 1982 DB, is a small (about 0.33 kilometres asteroid. It was discovered by Eleanor F. Helin on 28 February 1982, approximately a month after it passed 4.1 million km from Earth...

Aren’t we all “ above” in the sense of the Milky Way? In that, we can all claim to be above the bottom of our larger home.

In our closer surroundings, the shadow of the moon is still awe-mazing!

We've progessed from bunts to home runs!

Let’s say a nearby star is going supernova today. Predicting that has some scientific evidence . If IK Pegasi gave us a forewarning, calculating its distance in our current time might have value to Earthlings. Are there any other situations knowing what a system would be doing at this moment that wo...

Perhaps what happened to Comet Holmes may happen to Comet Leonard. If so, we should celebrate with a frozen and fried desert.

They will be keeping an eye on it. It would be a Merry Christmas!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Sherlock_Holmes_and_Professor_Moriarty_at_the_Reichenbach_Falls.jpg Breaking up is hard to do. Getting together takes longer. :yes: << " You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?…It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve p...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwAxmiq1rnI <<NGC 7727 is a peculiar galaxy in the constellation Aquarius. This object is located at a distance of 76 million light years of the Milky Way and has a peculiar aspect, with several plumes and streams of irregular shape that explains its inclusion on Hal...

The text says this APOD spans about 40000 ly, and that the full galaxy's size is 170000 ly, or over four times the width and height of this image? That is, the full extent would fill this black space if imaged in its entirety? M101 full extent.JPG Seems hard to believe, unless those arms get really...

Unraveling the history of stars born in the Milky Way is like looking for individual strings in a ball of yarn.