The Swamp

Here's a good write up about where I'm working: The Brain’s Inner Language

Hey, I think I recognize that dude. We overlapped at medical school.

Great audio of Richard Feynman explaining his view of beauty in nature.

He's brilliant. I could watch those videos all day.

howard wrote:Hey, I think I recognize that dude. We overlapped at medical school.

Really? I've not met him (Clay Reid) yet, but I am working for guys that are part of his team.

Huge discovery yesterday. It appears the researchers in the north pole found hard evidence for the BB and inflation theory. I'm not great at physics but cosmic inflation was first theorized by this guy Linde in 1980. Here's one of the researchers showing up at his door unannounced to give him the news. His reaction is absolutely priceless.

Good stuff.

I also just watched and listened to the Richard Feynman video above, too. Brilliant.

NDT talking about Newton slowed down makes it seem like's he's cocked out of his skull and it's hilarious...

New documentary set to annihilate everything we thought we knew about astronomy...



No...that's not satire, kids.

I saw this image posted on the @SciencePorn Twitter feed, and it reminded me of something I read in Neil Armstrong's autobiography First Man.



In the book, Armstrong wrote that one of the most disorienting things about being on the Moon is that you could see the curvature of the Moon if you looked at the horizon. This made some astronauts feel like they were walking downhill. If you look at all three horizons in that picture, you can see the curvature in both the Mars and Moon horizons. You don't see it in the Earth's horizon because that's what humans are used to seeing when looking at a horizon.

Can't see the image but speaking of Mars, go outside and look up tonight.

Jerloma wrote:Can't see the image but speaking of Mars, go outside and look up tonight.

Any basic pointers to locate it, for somebody who knows almost zilch about the constellations/astronomy?

sancarlos wrote:

Jerloma wrote:Can't see the image but speaking of Mars, go outside and look up tonight.

Any basic pointers to locate it, for somebody who knows almost zilch about the constellations/astronomy?

This site might help.

It will appear as a reddish-orange "star" in the sky. It's one of the brightest objects in the night sky.

ETA: Also, there will be a total lunar eclipse on April 15 that will be visible to just about everyone in North America.

Thanks!

btw, Sabo - since I forgot my suit jacket at the bar we visited in SF, the next day my wife and I went there to pick it up, and for lunch and a beer. I'm now a devotee of Captain Eddie Rickenbacher's.

sancarlos wrote:Thanks!

btw, Sabo - since I forgot my suit jacket at the bar we visited in SF, the next day my wife and I went there to pick it up, and for lunch and a beer. I'm now a devotee of Captain Eddie Rickenbacher's.

Nice! That place was pretty good, and actually fairly reasonable for a downtown SF bar.

I'm coming up empty on this Mars thing. I thought it was supposed to be a completely obvious thing.

Jerloma wrote:I'm coming up empty on this Mars thing. I thought it was supposed to be a completely obvious thing.

I am pretty sure I spotted it right away. Brightest star in the sky at 9:00 when I went to the gym, brighter and orangey when I came out.

Here's some more info about why Mars is so bright right now.

I remember the August 2003 opposition, because I brought my telescope out of mothballs and looked at Mars. The view was good enough that I could see one of the polar ice caps and some duskiness along the equator. Not bad considering I was just in my back yard and not at a dark-sky site.

Sabo wrote:Here's some more info about why Mars is so bright right now.

I remember the August 2003 opposition, because I brought my telescope out of mothballs and looked at Mars. The view was good enough that I could see one of the polar ice caps and some duskiness along the equator. Not bad considering I was just in my back yard and not at a dark-sky site.

Now I'm confused. If Earth is directly in between the Sun and Mars, wouldn't we be unable to see Mars because the sun light is blocked by the Earth? Essentially, Mars would be in the Earth's shadow? I assume Mars doesn't provide any luminescence other than reflecting the sun's light.

The Sybian wrote:

Jerloma wrote:I'm coming up empty on this Mars thing. I thought it was supposed to be a completely obvious thing.

I am pretty sure I spotted it right away. Brightest star in the sky at 9:00 when I went to the gym, brighter and orangey when I came out.

I know. Supposedly 10 times brighter than the stars. I looked for it all night and saw nothing.

The Sybian wrote:

Sabo wrote:Here's some more info about why Mars is so bright right now.

I remember the August 2003 opposition, because I brought my telescope out of mothballs and looked at Mars. The view was good enough that I could see one of the polar ice caps and some duskiness along the equator. Not bad considering I was just in my back yard and not at a dark-sky site.

Now I'm confused. If Earth is directly in between the Sun and Mars, wouldn't we be unable to see Mars because the sun light is blocked by the Earth? Essentially, Mars would be in the Earth's shadow? I assume Mars doesn't provide any luminescence other than reflecting the sun's light.

No, the only way the Earth could eclipse Mars is if the two planets are on the same plane. Just because they're in line with the Sun doesn't mean they're on the same plane.

And I think it's virtually impossible for Earth's shadow to complete block the Martian surface so it wouldn't be visible from the Earth's sky. It's just too far away for the shadow to be wide enough to block the Martian surface. If the Earth eclipsed Mars, an observer on Mars wouldn't see a total solar eclipse. Instead, they would see what's called a transit, which is when a planet appears to cross the Sun's surface.

The Sybian wrote:

Sabo wrote:Here's some more info about why Mars is so bright right now.

I remember the August 2003 opposition, because I brought my telescope out of mothballs and looked at Mars. The view was good enough that I could see one of the polar ice caps and some duskiness along the equator. Not bad considering I was just in my back yard and not at a dark-sky site.

Now I'm confused. If Earth is directly in between the Sun and Mars, wouldn't we be unable to see Mars because the sun light is blocked by the Earth? Essentially, Mars would be in the Earth's shadow? I assume Mars doesn't provide any luminescence other than reflecting the sun's light.

Like Sabo said, it's certainly not an exact straight line. Just close. And the earth's shadow is too small to be an issue anyway. Things in space are WAY far from each other.

It was cloudy here last night, but they broke for a moment or two and Mars was the ONLY celestial thing I could see. Super bright.

Sabo wrote: No, the only way the Earth could eclipse Mars is if the two planets are on the same plane. Just because they're in line with the Sun doesn't mean they're on the same plane.

And I think it's virtually impossible for Earth's shadow to complete block the Martian surface so it wouldn't be visible from the Earth's sky. It's just too far away for the shadow to be wide enough to block the Martian surface. If the Earth eclipsed Mars, an observer on Mars wouldn't see a total solar eclipse. Instead, they would see what's called a transit, which is when a planet appears to cross the Sun's surface.

Thanks, like an idiot I was thinking in 2D. Looked at the picture without thinking about plane. Assuming they were in an exact straight line and on the same plane, I get that the view from Mars would be a solar eclipse, but wouldn't the view from Earth be such that Mars reflected no light? My brain hurts thinking about this stuff. Back to the effects of new labor laws and the right to waive unemployment insurance in a severance agreement.

Sabo wrote:A review of Jane Goodall's field notes reveal a war between two chimpanzee groups lasted four years.

Why can't they be like bonobos and just fuck it out? Instead, they have to act like us.


SE Cupp tells Bill Nye that he is bullying people with science.



(obligatory Syb comment about how much he wants to hate-fuck SE Cupp to follow...)

It's not just Syb who wants to hatefuck Sippee Cupp. I think he called dibs on her the way I called dibs on Michelle Malkin.

Also, what kind of world do we live in when the science nerds are being labeled bullies. I mean...seriously? That's some serious projecting.

Johnnie wrote:It's not just Syb who wants to hatefuck Sippee Cupp. I think he called dibs on her the way I called dibs on Michelle Malkin.

Also, what kind of world do we live in when the science nerds are being labeled bullies. I mean...seriously? That's some serious projecting.

Have I commented on SE Cupp that many times? Malkin gets Donkey punched. I love it, bullying with evidence and proof. Are these people claiming to be so feeble-minded that stating empirical evidence is bullying?

It reminds me of an EEO complaint I handled when I was with the government. The Union rep insisted on inserting himself into the claim, despite having no right to be involved. He misunderstood a legal concept, and yelled at me that he didn't care what I thought the term meant, he was using his understanding of the term. I tried not to laugh and explained that there is an actual definition, and you can't change legal proceedings based on one person's misunderstanding of a concept. He accused me of throwing around my legal education to intimidate him. The Judge ripped him a new asshole when he spoke out of turn during the hearing, then kicked him out of the room the second time he tried to speak.

Nice article. The minute any expert steps an inch outside their area of expertise, they are in deep water.

Sabo wrote:A new meteor shower will be visible late Friday night/early Saturday morning, and it's possible the shower could see rates of hundreds of meteors per hour.

BTW, fuck you for making me get out of the tent at 215 and 300 to see this shitshow. NOTHING. And that was with a clear sky.

Brontoburglar wrote:Well, yeah...

Jeez, bronto. SPOILERS!

Brontoburglar wrote:Well, yeah...

That's what I hated about physics; there is always more factors involved. Sticky tires is what NdT missed, right? While I agree with you that NdT brought some attention to himself from the NASCAR crowd, I have a hard time believing there is much crossover viewership between NASCAR and Cosmos.

Oh, and Jimmie Johnson isn't an athlete.

AB_skin_test wrote:

Sabo wrote:A new meteor shower will be visible late Friday night/early Saturday morning, and it's possible the shower could see rates of hundreds of meteors per hour.

BTW, fuck you for making me get out of the tent at 215 and 300 to see this shitshow. NOTHING. And that was with a clear sky.

I can't help it you're silly enough to listen to me.

(I didn't see anything either.)

Is Pentagonz ever around anymore?

Apparently Wyoming is banning teaching climate science in schools because it's bad for bidness.

http://io9.com/wyoming-says-teaching-cl ... ednesdayAM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Because...screw the children!

Science!

Shirley wrote:Is Pentagonz ever around anymore?

Apparently Wyoming is banning teaching climate science in schools because it's bad for bidness.

http://io9.com/wyoming-says-teaching-cl ... ednesdayAM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He's on the twitters, but haven't seen him here in years.

He's been penta-departed since last April.