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Its funny how physical systems of vastly different scale and physics get visually mapped by our brain into images that feel somehow "familiar" (wispy clouds).

Its funny how physical systems of vastly different scale and physics get visually mapped by our brain into images that feel somehow "familiar" (wispy clouds). In fact truly "alien" imagery is not easy to come by. Star fields and galaxies are too abstract, they dont generate a sense of place. On the other hand most inner solar system images are startingly familiar, the sense that you could be walking there is palpable. One exception I recall is the high resolution images of Jupiter clouds on its polar regions. A magical cauldron where bizarre formations are the norm.

NL807 3y ago
> In fact truly "alien" imagery is not easy to come by. It is an interesting observation and comes to show that matter follows the same rules everywhere when they interact with each other like particle systems. I think if we were to come across something that appears truly alien, it will be a system that has a computational property of some kind. Life is one example of this, but it doesn't have to be.
- nologic01 3y ago
  > matter follows the same rules everywhere when they interact with each other like particle systems yes, I suspect that is a major factor, though it falls in the realm of complexity physics that, afaik, has not yet formalized such universality the other factor might purely internal (our visual processing latching on to known patterns). this bias starts already from the point astronomers process the collected data and compose these images.
- skywal_l 3y ago
  But the forces do change at different scale. Gravity does not influence particules for example. And my understanding is that at gigantic scale (galaxies) gravity is not sufficient to explain all observations. Thus we create those dark concepts (dark matter, dark energies) that might well be misunderstood new forces operating at these scales.
  - NL807 3y ago
    "Particles" as in a model of particle-like interaction. So the particles in question could be individual stars on a larger scale. Or asteroid sized clumps in solar system scale. In fact, much of the simulations for all these systems involve particle representation.
hammock 3y ago
How about anglerfish or giant tube worms?

NL807 3y ago

> In fact truly "alien" imagery is not easy to come by. It is an interesting observation and comes to show that matter follows the same rules everywhere when they interact with each other like particle systems. I think if we were to come across something that appears truly alien, it will be a system that has a computational property of some kind. Life is one example of this, but it doesn't have to be.

nologic01 3y ago
> matter follows the same rules everywhere when they interact with each other like particle systems yes, I suspect that is a major factor, though it falls in the realm of complexity physics that, afaik, has not yet formalized such universality the other factor might purely internal (our visual processing latching on to known patterns). this bias starts already from the point astronomers process the collected data and compose these images.
skywal_l 3y ago
But the forces do change at different scale. Gravity does not influence particules for example. And my understanding is that at gigantic scale (galaxies) gravity is not sufficient to explain all observations. Thus we create those dark concepts (dark matter, dark energies) that might well be misunderstood new forces operating at these scales.
- NL807 3y ago
  "Particles" as in a model of particle-like interaction. So the particles in question could be individual stars on a larger scale. Or asteroid sized clumps in solar system scale. In fact, much of the simulations for all these systems involve particle representation.

hammock 3y ago

How about anglerfish or giant tube worms?