Astronomy & Space Exploration

[Mr Pigeon]

I would've thought that with all of the doom and gloom people have been expecting (hoping for) this would've been bumped already today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59914936

 

[Salt Bailly]

I would've thought that with all of the doom and gloom people have been expecting (hoping for) this would've been bumped already today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59914936

Longest period of squeaky bum time ever.

 

[backofthenet]

It's not done yet. Need to wait and see if everything is still working

 

[Cheimoon]

I would've thought that with all of the doom and gloom people have been expecting (hoping for) this would've been bumped already today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59914936

Nice! I had missed that today, very happy this has worked out perfectly as well!

 

[Mr Pigeon]

Nice! I had missed that today, very happy this has worked out perfectly as well!

I still can't comprehend the immense level of engineering behind this. Absolutely nothing is allowed to go wrong with it - zero - otherwise you've just got an incredibly expensive piece of debris. It really is a wonder of the world. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon can feck right off.

Can't wait for all of the composite images that are blurred by someone's fingerprint now...

 

[Cheimoon]

I still can't comprehend the immense level of engineering behind this. Absolutely nothing is allowed to go wrong with it - zero - otherwise you've just got an incredibly expensive piece of debris. It really is a wonder of the world. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon can feck right off.

Yeah, it's absolutely mindboggling how they can make something so perfect in the first place, fold it up while it still says perfect, and then fecking shoot it into space in a rocket, with all the enormous movement that comes with that - only to fold it out again into flawless perfection.

Can't wait for all of the composite images that are blurred by someone's fingerprint now...

But yes, how nothing like that goes wrong is beyond my imagination. (Until it does and the world is normal again.)

 

[Mihai]

James Webb telescope arrived at L2

“Webb, welcome home!” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Congratulations to the team for all of their hard work ensuring Webb’s safe arrival at L2 today. We’re one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe. And I can’t wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer!”

 

[Denis79]

James Webb telescope arrived at L2

So far so good. I read that it will take around 3 months to calibrate the mirrors now.

 

[11101]

So far so good. I read that it will take around 3 months to calibrate the mirrors now.

They're 99.9% of the way there now. The mirror motors are all working and unlocked, so it's just fine tuning now. Nothing left that could have gone wrong during launch.

 

[Denis79]

They're 99.9% of the way there now. The mirror motors are all working and unlocked, so it's just fine tuning now. Nothing left that could have gone wrong during launch.

I am completely in awe at the minds that got this done. The engineering and knowledge behind this project is mindblowing.

 

[Mihai]

So far so good. I read that it will take around 3 months to calibrate the mirrors now.

Yes, fingers crossed. From what I read, they expect the first pictures to be available in summer.

 

[nickm]

Well, hope the bloody pictures are good now

 

[Amarsdd]

So far so good. I read that it will take around 3 months to calibrate the mirrors now.

Not exactly sure just for calibrating, but passive cooling and (then) calibrating was supposed to take around 6 months from the day of launch.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

Really, really can't wait to see the first images.

Well, hope the bloody pictures are good now

Pictures?

@Cheimoon was it you or me that was meant to install the camera lens?

 

[Raoul]

Well, hope the bloody pictures are good now

I'm looking forward to images that completely change our conventional wisdom about the nature of the universe.

 

[Cheimoon]

Really, really can't wait to see the first images.


Pictures?

@Cheimoon was it you or me that was meant to install the camera lens?

Oh, that wasn't for my phone?

 

[George Owen]

Blasts of flashing radio waves coming from mysterious nearby object in space

‘That was completely unexpected,’ says one scientist. ‘It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there’s nothing known in the sky that does that’

 

[Raoul]

Blasts of flashing radio waves coming from mysterious nearby object in space

‘That was completely unexpected,’ says one scientist. ‘It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there’s nothing known in the sky that does that’

Kneel before Zod

 

[backofthenet]

I for one welcome our new alien overlords

 

[Moston Red]

I’m currently having an extension done and one of the prerequisites, from me, is a room to put a telescope in. It’s going to be a North facing room.

I’m a proper amateur at the moment but hope to learn more.

 

[nimic]

I’m currently having an extension done and one of the prerequisites, from me, is a room to put a telescope in. It’s going to be a North facing room.

I’m a proper amateur at the moment but hope to learn more.

Cool!

 

[George Owen]

SpaceX loses 40 satellites to geomagnetic storm a day after launch

 

[nimic]

Hope all Starlink satellites fall to the ground, but that's a good start.

 

[11101]

Image #1.

The 18 white dots are all how the 18 mirrors see the same star and start the process of focusing the mirrors on the same spot.

 

[Buster15]

My main interest is the understanding of how our Universe came into being.
Whether the JWST will fill in some of the many gaps in our understanding remains to be seen. Or whether it will be from things like the LHC or some form of new theory about how QM and Classic Physics can be mutually compatible.
But what we are about to see and learn is going to be quite amazing.

 

[MrMarcello]

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/...e-center-of-our-galaxy-is-actually-a-wormhole
There’s a Chance the Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy Is Actually a Wormhole
The odds are slim, but a new analysis shows it’s possible.




https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-we-ll-have-evidence-of-aliens-if-they-exist-by-2035
Why We’ll Have Evidence of Aliens—If They Exist—By 2035
New and diversified approaches to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence could yield results sooner than you might think.

-- But there is a completely different approach that has yet to be explored in much detail: to look for artifacts—engineering projects of an advanced society. Some astronomers have suggested an alien megastructure, possibly an energy-collecting Dyson sphere, as the explanation for the mysterious dimming of Tabby’s star (officially known as KIC 8462852). It is a serious possibility, but no evidence has yet been found to support it. --

 

[Cheimoon]

Another step forward: Webb's latest test shot is already "the highest resolution infrared image ever taken from space". Those qualifiers make it a little less impressive than it initially appears (infrared, from space), but still - all going well and Webb has already started impressing scientists!

JWST star image makes scientists giddy

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a crystal-clear image of a distant star as part of a test shot to calibrate its 18 hexagonal mirrors. It is the highest resolution infrared image ever taken from space. “The telescope performance so far is everything that we dared hope,” says JWST scientist Jane Rigby.

Full news report: James Webb Space Telescope has sent back its clearest image yet | New Scientist

And here it is (probably available in higher resolution somewhere as well):

All the 'thingies' in the back are galaxies, which CBC described as photobombing the picture.

 

[Raoul]

Another step forward: Webb's latest test shot is already "the highest resolution infrared image ever taken from space". Those qualifiers make it a little less impressive than it initially appears (infrared, from space), but still - all going well and Webb has already started impressing scientists!

Full news report: James Webb Space Telescope has sent back its clearest image yet | New Scientist

And here it is (probably available in higher resolution somewhere as well):

All the 'thingies' in the back are galaxies, which CBC described as photobombing the picture.

Hard to believe its already been about 3 months since launch. I would expect us to start seeing some magic by May.

 

[11101]

Another step forward: Webb's latest test shot is already "the highest resolution infrared image ever taken from space". Those qualifiers make it a little less impressive than it initially appears (infrared, from space), but still - all going well and Webb has already started impressing scientists!

Full news report: James Webb Space Telescope has sent back its clearest image yet | New Scientist

And here it is (probably available in higher resolution somewhere as well):

All the 'thingies' in the back are galaxies, which CBC described as photobombing the picture.

I read one of the things they're most impressed about is how it's still able to resolve all the galaxies that should be drowned out in the shadow of the target star.

 

[Cheimoon]

I read one of the things they're most impressed about is how it's still able to resolve all the galaxies that should be drowned out in the shadow of the target star.

This thing's gonna be fun.

 

[The Corinthian]

Distant star found by Hubble telescope may be earliest we will ever see
Light from Earendel has travelled for an estimated 12.9bn years to reach Earth

https://www.theguardian.com/science...pace-telescope-captures-distant-star-earendel

 

[Amarsdd]

Distant star found by Hubble telescope may be earliest we will ever see
Light from Earendel has travelled for an estimated 12.9bn years to reach Earth

https://www.theguardian.com/science...pace-telescope-captures-distant-star-earendel

Great name for the star as well!

 

[Tibs]

Do you think we will know everything about the universe whilst humans are in existance?

 

[El General 1994]

Do you think we will know everything about the universe whilst humans are in existance?

Only if we become a Type 2-3 civilisation.

 

[calodo2003]

Only if we become a Type 2-3 civilisation.

What are those?

 

[El General 1994]

What are those?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

Type I
A civilization "close to the level presently attained on Earth, with energy consumption at ≈4×1019 erg/sec" (4×1012 watts).[2] A Type I civilization is usually defined as one that can harness all the energy that reaches its home planet from its parent star (for Earth, this value is around 2×1017 watts), which is about four orders of magnitude higher than the amount presently attained on Earth, with energy consumption at ≈2×1013 watts as of 2020. The astronomer Guillermo A. Lemarchand defined Type I as a level near contemporary terrestrial civilization with an energy capability equivalent to the solar insolation on Earth, between 1016 and 1017 watts.[3

]Type II

A civilization capable of harnessing the energy radiated by its own star—for example, by means of the successful completion of a Dyson sphere or Matrioshka brain—with energy consumption at ≈4×1033 erg/sec.[2] Lemarchand defined civilizations of this type as being capable of using and channeling the entire radiation output of its star. The energy use would then be comparable to the luminosity of the Sun, about 4×1033 erg/sec (4×1026 watts).[3]

Type III
A civilization in possession of energy at the scale of its own galaxy, with energy consumption at ≈4×1044 erg/sec.[2] Lemarchand defined civilizations of this type as having access to power comparable to the luminosity of the entire Milky Way galaxy, about 4×1044 erg/sec (4×1037 watts).[3]

Kardashev believed that a Type 4 civilization was impossible, so he did not go past Type 3. However, new types (0, IV, V, VI) have been proposed.

 

[United in sin]

Do you think we will know everything about the universe whilst humans are in existance?

Not a chance in my opinion. Humanity's time on earth from beginning to end will be like a millisecond in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Buster15]

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/...e-center-of-our-galaxy-is-actually-a-wormhole
There’s a Chance the Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy Is Actually a Wormhole
The odds are slim, but a new analysis shows it’s possible.




https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-we-ll-have-evidence-of-aliens-if-they-exist-by-2035
Why We’ll Have Evidence of Aliens—If They Exist—By 2035
New and diversified approaches to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence could yield results sooner than you might think.

-- But there is a completely different approach that has yet to be explored in much detail: to look for artifacts—engineering projects of an advanced society. Some astronomers have suggested an alien megastructure, possibly an energy-collecting Dyson sphere, as the explanation for the mysterious dimming of Tabby’s star (officially known as KIC 8462852). It is a serious possibility, but no evidence has yet been found to support it. --

Two extremely interesting articles.
The first is a factual discovery. And with the next JWT, there will be many many more.
But the search for intelligent life is something completely different. And 2035 is not that far away.
Quite honestly, humanities greatest challenge is here on Earth. At least for the next few decades.
And that is Man Made Climate Change and how to stop the level of CO2 in our fragile atmosphere exceeding that necessary to stop global temperature rise exceeding +1.5C.

If there is indeed Extra Terrestrial Intelligent Life out there in our galaxy, there is plenty of time to discover it....or it us.

 

[Buster15]

Do you think we will know everything about the universe whilst humans are in existance?

No. I don't.
But I do believe that if humanity can live past this century, I do believe that we will be able to understand how the Known Universe operates.

However, the Universe is probably significantly larger than the Visible Universe making it highly improbable that we will ever get to even comprehend how large it is.

 

[Buster15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

Type I
A civilization "close to the level presently attained on Earth, with energy consumption at ≈4×1019 erg/sec" (4×1012 watts).[2] A Type I civilization is usually defined as one that can harness all the energy that reaches its home planet from its parent star (for Earth, this value is around 2×1017 watts), which is about four orders of magnitude higher than the amount presently attained on Earth, with energy consumption at ≈2×1013 watts as of 2020. The astronomer Guillermo A. Lemarchand defined Type I as a level near contemporary terrestrial civilization with an energy capability equivalent to the solar insolation on Earth, between 1016 and 1017 watts.[3
]Type II

A civilization capable of harnessing the energy radiated by its own star—for example, by means of the successful completion of a Dyson sphere or Matrioshka brain—with energy consumption at ≈4×1033 erg/sec.[2] Lemarchand defined civilizations of this type as being capable of using and channeling the entire radiation output of its star. The energy use would then be comparable to the luminosity of the Sun, about 4×1033 erg/sec (4×1026 watts).[3]

Type III
A civilization in possession of energy at the scale of its own galaxy, with energy consumption at ≈4×1044 erg/sec.[2] Lemarchand defined civilizations of this type as having access to power comparable to the luminosity of the entire Milky Way galaxy, about 4×1044 erg/sec (4×1037 watts).[3]

Kardashev believed that a Type 4 civilization was impossible, so he did not go past Type 3. However, new types (0, IV, V, VI) have been proposed.

Gosh. That really is interesting.
Just to speculate, unless it is already known, are we talking about the known or visible Universe. Or even beyond that?