What's happening to life forms in the Perseus A cluster?
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 2:36 pm
Hello, I'm new around here (and an English major, so please be gentle!)
Looking at today's APOD got me wondering--assuming that, statistically speaking, there are life forms that have evolved elsewhere in the universe, and that some of them have cropped up in the mass of galaxies falling into Perseus A's black hole, what's the quality of life like over there?
This sounds like a flippant question, I know, but it's more whimsical than anything. Looking at the image of Perseus A just got me wondering what it would be like to live on a planet circling a star that's falling headlong toward destruction. If the image is any indication, it looks like it would be quite bright because of all the stars in such close proximity. Would it follow that there'd be massive heat and gravity as well? Is life as we know it even possible in such an environment?
Please, speculate!
Looking at today's APOD got me wondering--assuming that, statistically speaking, there are life forms that have evolved elsewhere in the universe, and that some of them have cropped up in the mass of galaxies falling into Perseus A's black hole, what's the quality of life like over there?
This sounds like a flippant question, I know, but it's more whimsical than anything. Looking at the image of Perseus A just got me wondering what it would be like to live on a planet circling a star that's falling headlong toward destruction. If the image is any indication, it looks like it would be quite bright because of all the stars in such close proximity. Would it follow that there'd be massive heat and gravity as well? Is life as we know it even possible in such an environment?
Please, speculate!