The Gator
Footballguy
Pretty cool lineup of the planets and moon this week
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Physics and astronomy thread (1 Viewer)
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Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
How big is the biggest black hole?
www.livescience.com
"...if the black hole was placed in the center of the solar system, by the time you reached Pluto, you would be less than 5% of the way from the center of the black hole to its edge."
That's a big Twinkie.
What's the biggest black hole in the universe?
What's the biggest black hole in the universe, and is there a limit to how big black holes can get?
"...if the black hole was placed in the center of the solar system, by the time you reached Pluto, you would be less than 5% of the way from the center of the black hole to its edge."
That's a big Twinkie.
Galileo
Footballguy
Interestingly, there are a couple of black holes that are "estimated" to have masses larger than TON 618 and larger than the theoretical limit described in this article. Obviously, this poses a problem. Either those estimations are unreliable or there is another way massive black holes could form which is not accounted for by the current models.How big is the biggest black hole?
What's the biggest black hole in the universe?
What's the biggest black hole in the universe, and is there a limit to how big black holes can get?
"...if the black hole was placed in the center of the solar system, by the time you reached Pluto, you would be less than 5% of the way from the center of the black hole to its edge."
That's a big Twinkie.
Galileo
Footballguy
Something else pretty amazing to contemplate...as massive as these black holes may be, their event horizons are so huge that the average density of the black hole is very small. Using the data presented in the article for TON618 of 40 billion solar masses and a radius of 1000 astronomical units calculates to an average density of about 0.0056 kg/m^3. For comparison, the density of air is about 1.3 kg/m^3 at standard temperature and pressure. So, the density of this supermassive black hole is about 200 times less than air!!
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
That’s crazy.
Al Czervik
Not wearing pants
SpaceX Starship launch this morning.
More links here.
EDIT: sounds like it isn't going to happen today.
More links here.
EDIT: sounds like it isn't going to happen today.
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Phil Elliott
Footballguy
Scrubbed. But was highly expected as they are being cautious. At least 48 hour wait.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I was awol and haven't been keeping up to date... but Ginny made trip #50 over the last week. 10x the amount they had hoped for, and long ago mission-changed and turned into an advanced scout for Percy. one of the previous trips they went higher and faster than she'd ever gone before- pushing the envelope to see how it would go (aces).
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Question about gravitational lensing...
The idea is that massive objects bend space-time and then light follows that path.
But light has mass, doesn't it? If so, wouldn't that be "attracted" to the massive body?
So is the lensing effect because light is following the bend or because it's being bent itself?
The idea is that massive objects bend space-time and then light follows that path.
But light has mass, doesn't it? If so, wouldn't that be "attracted" to the massive body?
So is the lensing effect because light is following the bend or because it's being bent itself?
Light is massless.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Ah, I'd forgotten that. Good thing it doesn't since things gain mass as they approach the speed of light IIRC.
Galileo
Footballguy
Yes, but it depends on the reference frame of the observer. In short, as observed from an inertial reference frame, moving faster => greater energy => greater relativistic rest mass. E=mc^2 establishes energy and rest mass to be equivalent. Light, on the other hand, can never be at rest (always measured at a constant speed regardless of reference frame) and thus has no energy associated with a rest mass. Thus it has no rest mass. All of the energy of a photon can be attributed to it's momentum.
Galileo
Footballguy
Ooooh, since we are talking about light, here is a cool recent development. If you have taken some introductory physics, you are probably familiar with the classic double slit experiment first performed by Thomas Young. Light shined through 2 slits produces an interference pattern as viewed on a screen. This effect results from the diffraction of light in the space around the slits. Well, we don't just exist in space. We exist in space-time. For the first time, physicists have observed the phenomenon in time! I believe this was first conceptually conceived of about 70 years ago.
Brief article: https://physicsworld.com/a/physicists-demonstrate-youngs-double-slit-interference-in-time/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVzQfhoS7U&t=2s&ab_channel=AntonPetrov
Brief article: https://physicsworld.com/a/physicists-demonstrate-youngs-double-slit-interference-in-time/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVzQfhoS7U&t=2s&ab_channel=AntonPetrov
Phil Elliott
Footballguy
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
couple live YT channels showing it now but looks like cloud cover is an issue
Waterloo WI
Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
foxco
Footballguy
This stuff always gives me the feels for mankind, just so amazing.
Galileo
Footballguy
Back in 2015 gravitational waves were detected for the very first time. The source of these spacetime ripples was the merger of 2 stellar sized black holes. As would be expected (a consequence of relativity theory), we now seem to have evidence for a veritable sea of gravitational waves permeating the universe. This background is believed to have originated from the interplay of supermassive (galactic) black holes throughout the evolution of the universe. Four different groups with sets of individually collected data studying pulsars are arriving at the same conclusions. There will be a press conference today at1 pm EST for those interested.
A new age of astrophysics is dawning as we begin to tap the wealth of information that would be preserved in these waveforms.
A new age of astrophysics is dawning as we begin to tap the wealth of information that would be preserved in these waveforms.
Galileo
Footballguy
With recent observations from James Webb of mature galaxies in the early universe that shouldn't exist, researchers have been prompted to re-think aspects of our standard cosmological model. A researcher from the University of Ottawa, Rajendra Gupta, has invoked ideas originally conceived by Paul Dirac (who developed a relativistic wave equation consistent with both quantum mechanics and special theory of relativity) regarding the evolution of coupling constants blended with redshift effects which points to a claimed age of 26.7 billion years compared to the currently accepted value of 13.7 billion years.
Reinventing cosmology: New research puts age of universe at 26.7 -- not 13.7 -- billion years
Our universe could be twice as old as current estimates, according to a new study that challenges the dominant cosmological model and sheds new light on the so-called 'impossible early galaxy problem.'
www.sciencedaily.com
Hastur
Footballguy
JWST making people rewrite books. I love it.With recent observations from James Webb of mature galaxies in the early universe that shouldn't exist, researchers have been prompted to re-think aspects of our standard cosmological model. A researcher from the University of Ottawa, Rajendra Gupta, has invoked ideas originally conceived by Paul Dirac (who developed a relativistic wave equation consistent with both quantum mechanics and special theory of relativity) regarding the evolution of coupling constants blended with redshift effects which points to a claimed age of 26.7 billion years compared to the currently accepted value of 13.7 billion years.
Reinventing cosmology: New research puts age of universe at 26.7 -- not 13.7 -- billion years
Our universe could be twice as old as current estimates, according to a new study that challenges the dominant cosmological model and sheds new light on the so-called 'impossible early galaxy problem.'www.sciencedaily.com
The Z Machine
Footballguy
If they want to look back at the first galaxies, which direction do you look?
Maybe I'm incorrect, but we don't know where the origin was.
Maybe I'm incorrect, but we don't know where the origin was.
Runkle
Footballguy
Every direction leads back to the origin point. Remember TV static? The random black and white dots and noise that would bombard you if you didn't tune into a station? Which came at your antenna from every direction? That was the light from the Big Bang just getting to your house... right... now!
Also, every point in space is the origin point. That is, the Andromeda Galaxy? Alpha Centauri? The top of the Eiffel Tower? The atom at the tip of your... finger? All of those are the exact location of the center of the Universe and the origin point of the Big Bang.
Galileo
Footballguy
Today is the 10 year anniversary of "The Day the Earth Smiled", the greatest selfie ever taken!
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Yall read about these theoretical "dark stars" where the energy is generated from dark matter "WIMPs" collisions / annihilations instead of proton fusion?
The theory is that some of the "galaxies" we see that are hella far away are really just a single puffy dark star with significant dark matter. Also that these dark stars might be the origin of the supermassive black holes we find at the center of galaxies.
The theory is that some of the "galaxies" we see that are hella far away are really just a single puffy dark star with significant dark matter. Also that these dark stars might be the origin of the supermassive black holes we find at the center of galaxies.
Galileo
Footballguy
Yeah, these are a pretty fascinating concept. And in another cool twist, their namesake is actually inspired by the Grateful Dead song.
ETA: Here is a link to the research paper for anyone interested: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2305762120
El Floppo
Footballguy
read about them?- I saw one first hand as a kid.
Galileo
Footballguy
Not sure why that would need to be an "either/or" decision. There is room for both.
matttyl
Footballguy
There is, of course. Though the department does have a budget, not unlimited funds. How should those funds be used?
dkp993
Footballguy
What really bakes my noodle is the thought that there is no center to the expanding universe.
dkp993
Footballguy
Both. Some of our most impactful day to day use items are results of the space race. We all benefit from the technological advancements. NASA is woefully underfunded
Sand
Footballguy
Finding life on Europa or Enceladus.
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In other related news I have hotel reservations in Jonesboro, AR to get ready for April 8th next year. The last one was awesome and this is realistically the last chance in my life to see another.
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BlackCrowes
Footballguy
I’m lucky this time. I get 3 mins of totality from by back porch
Galileo
Footballguy
What do you have planned? Might it be a small gathering to share stories about why you missed the eclipse the day before?
Sand
Footballguy
Typo. We have reservations for Sunday night to catch it on Monday. This is a bonus - last time it went over Clemson stadium and ended up being the best sky in the country to see it. My whole family got to sit there and watch the whole thing. It was absolutely amazing.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
So SpaceX just notified me that my Starlink receiver is finally available. I signed up like 2 years ago... now my wife says that Elon is such a **** that we're not going to get it. 
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
So SpaceX just notified me that my Starlink receiver is finally available. I signed up like 2 years ago... now my wife says that Elon is such a **** that we're not going to get it.
Seems like an emotional decision. I’m sure the guy running your internet currently is a peach of a person.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Oh it's an emotional response for sure. She knows it, obviously I know it, but there's not much I can do about it. Not worth fighting about since our internet is working sufficiently. But its slow and expensive. I hate Comcast so much that I refuse to pay them money, also an emotional response. We use a local ISP called Port Networks (https://portnetworks.net/ ). The connection is a point to point microwace link from my roof to a tall building on Baltimore's inner harbor. The service and professionalism is exceptional. But the bandwidth is low for the cost.So SpaceX just notified me that my Starlink receiver is finally available. I signed up like 2 years ago... now my wife says that Elon is such a **** that we're not going to get it.
Seems like an emotional decision. I’m sure the guy running your internet currently is a peach of a person.
BlackCrowes
Footballguy
Researchers Claim They Developed a Room-Temperature Superconductor
A team of South Korean researchers report on a room-temperature superconductor in the pre-print server ArXiv.
thequantuminsider.com
Galileo
Footballguy
This is a gamechanger if it pans outResearchers Claim They Developed a Room-Temperature Superconductor
A team of South Korean researchers report on a room-temperature superconductor in the pre-print server ArXiv.
BlackCrowes
Footballguy
agree, although it’s been claimed before.This is a gamechanger if it pans outResearchers Claim They Developed a Room-Temperature Superconductor
A team of South Korean researchers report on a room-temperature superconductor in the pre-print server ArXiv.
Galileo
Footballguy
Some early test images from the Euclid Space Telescope are in.
The EST is the baby of the European Space Agency. Its mission is to basically create a 3D map of a section of the universe for the purposes of investigating the evolution of the universe over the past 10 billion years with the goal gaining insight into the nature of dark energy, dark matter, and gravity. It is equipped with visual and near infrared camera systems and intends to map out about a third of the sky. The test images seen on the link above (scroll through for several) comprise a section of the sky equivalent to about 1/4 of the area of the full moon.
The EST is the baby of the European Space Agency. Its mission is to basically create a 3D map of a section of the universe for the purposes of investigating the evolution of the universe over the past 10 billion years with the goal gaining insight into the nature of dark energy, dark matter, and gravity. It is equipped with visual and near infrared camera systems and intends to map out about a third of the sky. The test images seen on the link above (scroll through for several) comprise a section of the sky equivalent to about 1/4 of the area of the full moon.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
And Euclid also made it safely to L2. I wonder if that space will get crowded and they'll have to deorbit a space telescope after it reaches EOL.
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
Anybody else following this superconductor thing? I only know enough physics to have like an 8th-grade understanding of the issue here, but it sounds big, and it's exciting to watch a scientific breakthrough like this potentially occur in real time.
Galileo
Footballguy
Yes, definitely exciting, but best to stay on the reserved side for now. Other avenues to room temperature superconductors have been proposed/claimed in the past that haven't yet panned out. By all accounts, the claimed method here of producing the LK-99 is pretty straightforward and there should be some results in a very short time to substantiate the claims. One of the authors of the paper is quoted as saying the academic papers on LK-99 were not finished and that the papers were uploaded to arXiv without the permission of one of the originally credited authors who had left the research institute 4 months prior. That raises the eyebrow a little bit. Furthermore, if this proves to be a legit phenomenon, we are a long way from it changing the world. How practical is this LK-99 material to work for doing useful things with once it is synthesized? We will certainly find out, if indeed, the superconducting claims about it are valid. The products of the synthesis process of the LK-99 are Pb9Cu(PO4)6O + S(g). It is the lead based compound that is the superconducting part. I am sure the other product, the sulfur gas, is a pleasant odor... At least the synthesis process seems rather straightforward, so as stated previously we should know more soon.
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The Z Machine
Footballguy
I think someone whipped up a batch of that in the Wendy's restroom off I-95 outside Richmond, VA. At least it smelled that way when I went through 2 days ago...
Galileo
Footballguy
Lawerence Livermore Lab has upped its fusion game a little bit.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Cool to see. Keep up the good work, LLNL.
Then there's this: "During December's experiment, the lab used 192 ultra-powerful lasers to deliver 2.05 megajoules of energy to a tiny capsule smaller than a pea containing isotopes of hydrogen. It produced 3.15 megajoules of fusion energy output.
While the result was a net energy gain, 300 megajoules of energy was needed from the electrical grid to power the lasers."
So uh, not really close to break even yet, eh?
Galileo
Footballguy
This is the classic problem with fusion...
