The Curio

It might just look like a blob of light to you - but it’s 4.7 billion light years away. Which means we’re talking Octillions of tons of exploding gas travelling thousands of miles a second, with enough radiation to fry pretty much any planet within a few trillion miles.

If you’re telling me you can even begin to visualise the scale and ferocity of this event, you’re lying. Or you didn’t count the zeros.

The Universe is just about the weirdest thing ever, and it hurts my brain.

Bad Astronomy Blog » Most. Powerful. Supernova. Evah.:

“When a star explodes, it’s a titanic event of mind-numbing violence. It can emit as much light in a few days as the Sun does over its entire lifetime.”

I’m still holding out for a possible zombie rising though.  It could happen.
 
Mysteries remain over Peru meteorite impact

“Conspiracy theorists will be disappointed. The object that exploded and formed a crater that emitted mysterious gases in Peru on 15 September was a meteorite that hit soil where the subsurface water table was high, according to the first official report from geologists who have returned from the scene.”

Deep Impact… the Second Visit:

“When Deep Impact smashed into Comet Tempel 1, it did its job well… too well. Yes, it did carve out a crater on the surface of the comet, releasing a plume of debris visible from here on Earth. But there was a problem…”

Except, it’s true.

Germs sent to space come back meaner:

“WASHINGTON (AP) — It sounds like the plot for a scary B-movie: Germs go into orbit on a spaceship and come back stronger and deadlier than ever.”

Having just returned from a trip to Prague, I’m somewhat disappointed I didn’t get to see much of the city. It’s is a shame because there’s so much to be seen, such as the old astronomical clock and it’s excellent vision of Death, nicknamed “Klapácek”:

He’s there to sound the bell, and number our days. There’s a suitably grim tale surrounding the clock’s maker, Hanus.

The Grim Fate of the Clockmaster:

“The legend of the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town of Prague seems to have come straight from the Brothers Grimm.”

I happen to live about 40 minutes drive away from Jodrell Bank and I just noticed this posting over on Bad Astronomy (see my blogroll).

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jodrell Bank, it’s an observatory that is also home to the 3rd largest steerable radio telescope in the world, the visually arresting Lovell telescope (which was actually the largest of it’s type when it was built in the 1950’s) The structure is 250ft in diameter.

The news marks the golden jubilee of the Lovell telescope, and represents the plans to celebrate 50 years of the space age, and presumably Jodrell Bank’s part therein.

Here’s a picture I took during a visit I made in 2005. Check out the ladder in the centre of the dish. The ladder is big enough for a man to climb, which should give you an idea of scale.

Click the image for the full size version.

So, if you can imagine that dish being used as a projector screen - it should be a pretty unique experience.

Universe Today » Hubble Sees Ancient Galactic Building Blocks:

“Let’s go back, way back, to an earlier time when the Universe was a fraction of its current age.”

Billion light-year-wide hole in the universe, future massive-scale instrumentation and your entire life captured - but what for? Plus, I admit to a little blog envy. Join me on my way back home along the M6 from Birmingham, UK.

Show links:

• Huge hole found in the universe
• Sensors give rise to “life recorders”
• Posthuman Blues

Music is “Mandelbrot Set” from the rather clever Jonathan Coulton, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network. Most excellent.

 

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The universe exhibits more high weirdness.

Unexplained Mysteries :: Huge hole found in the universe:

“The universe has a huge hole in it that dwarfs anything else of its kind. The discovery caught astronomers by surprise.The hole is nearly a billion light-years across.”

Philosophy and the unexplained, arrogant science, and witchcraft that can kill you if you let it. Plus - trial by Creationist, or trial by Scientist. Which would you prefer?

I may even provide answers to the meaning of life. Or, I may not.

Great end-of-week, road trip, heading home to the family music from Andrew Ryan, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

Show links:

Family members die after visiting grave

A philosophers view of the Enfield poltergeist

The excellent “Bad Astronomy” blog

 

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