5 ms·
Two of my cousins (twins, as an anecdotal fun fact) are both astronomers. I remember one of them explaining to me how little of their job is actually looking at
by sharkweek 5y ago
Two of my cousins (twins, as an anecdotal fun fact) are both astronomers. I remember one of them explaining to me how little of their job is actually looking at badass pictures of space objects but instead staring at numbers representing badass happenings in space.
The fun part to me is when they explain what they’re seeing in the numbers in layperson’s terms. One of them published on evidence of “star theft” when two galaxies pass near/through one another, how the composition of some stars signal they once belonged to a different galaxy than their current home. Fascinating to think about cosmic events as large as two galaxies passing near/through one another.
- dekhn 5y agoWhen astronomers first detected extrasolar planets it was "just a periodic dip in the light intensity of the sun" (the graphs look funny because the absolute amount of dip is tiny compared to the full output of the star) but now they're starting to be able to do direct imaging. I like direct imaging and other techniques a lot more than ones that are purely numerical, or require reconstruction.
- dylan604 5y agoThose tiny deeps means less time looking at nothing with direct imaging and much higher likely that something will actually be seen. Those tiny dips also help loosen the grip on the purse strings when it comes to financing new projects to peer at those tiny dips.
- dekhn 5y agoAgreed but it's not an area I'd want to work in. I need to have tangible, visible imaging results.
- jointpdf 5y ago> Fascinating to think about cosmic events as large as two galaxies passing near/through one another. This simulation of Andromeda doing a mating dance with the Milky Way is definitely fascinating: https://youtu.be/fMNlt2FnHDg https://youtu.be/fMNlt2FnHDg
- andrewflnr 5y agoFirst time I've heard it called a mating dance, thanks for that. :-/
- chasil 5y agoThis particular event is a type-2 supernova. Type-2 means that hydrogen is fully present in the emission spectra, which implies that this is not a type-1 detonation of a white dwarf. Type-2 means the end of "silicon burning" and the collapse of an iron core. Iron is the ultimate "ash" of a stellar core. This explains the final stage of silicon burning, which lasts hours. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon-burning_process https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon-burning_process