Scientists Take Advantage of Rare Celestial Opportunity

[Jaebird]

No 2001: A Space Odyssey music? For shame.

=P

 

[Arcanist]

See, this is why Measuring the Marigolds [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeasuringTheMarigolds] is such a load of crap. We're witnessing the genesis of a new world, the stuff of creation itself - and we only got here because of scientific inquiry.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

Neat. I think I saw this process in Spore once, the birth of planets and stars... Something incredible knowing we came from a simple star dust cloud. Nature sure is amazing.

Also I think this is appropriate:
Edit: Look like I have been ninja'd

 

[thiosk]

I implore all of humanity to consider this dangerous new world an enemy planet.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Science is really interesting, why did I not take it in Collegue?! XD

 

[Socken]

Actually, o we know for sure that this happened 350 years ago?

The article said it was happening now...maybe the scientists are just very patient?

The star is 350 light years away. 1 light year is the distance light travels in one year. Hence the light we see now started travelling 350 years ago. So what we see now happened 350 years ago. We will not be able to see what is happening there right now until 350 years from now.
It's simple really.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Actually, o we know for sure that this happened 350 years ago?

The article said it was happening now...maybe the scientists are just very patient?

The star is 350 light years away. 1 light year is the distance light travels in one year. Hence the light we see now started travelling 350 years ago. So what we see now happened 350 years ago. We will not be able to see what is happening there right now until 350 years from now.
It's simple really.

You don't consider waiting for 350 years to be very patient?

 

[Socken]

Actually, o we know for sure that this happened 350 years ago?

The article said it was happening now...maybe the scientists are just very patient?

The star is 350 light years away. 1 light year is the distance light travels in one year. Hence the light we see now started travelling 350 years ago. So what we see now happened 350 years ago. We will not be able to see what is happening there right now until 350 years from now.
It's simple really.

You don't consider waiting for 350 years to be very patient?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Who's waiting for what? They see it happen now, so it happened 350 years ago. No waiting involved. It's not like they knew 350 years ago that it was gonna happen and decided to only tell everyone now.

I dunno, maybe you're making a joke and I just don't get it.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I dunno, maybe you're making a joke and I just don't get it.

Yeah, my awesome humour seems not to have worked this time.

Everyone who has not commented on my post probably thinks it's funny, and there's no proof otherwise.

 

[InnerRebellion]

I declare this new planet to be our enemy!

 

[Nuckelavee]

Awwww, I was dissapointed. I thought the news piece would involve a group of rather crafty scientists saddeling up to a celestial phenomenon and one of them saying:
"So? I here your a celestial opportunity, a rare one at that. Can I buy you a drink?"
Cut to the Celestial opportunity waking up amongst the scientists and realising what a bad choice it was, the odd taste of roofies in her mouth and a night filled with bad memories.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

I declare this new planet to be our enemy!

EVERY PLANET IS OUR ENEMY.

IT'S A GOOD DAY TO DIE, IF YOU KNOW THE REASONS WHY. CITIZENS, WE FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT.

A NOBLE SACRIFICE, WHEN DUTY CALLS; YOU PAY THE PRICE. FOR THE FEDERATION I WILL GIVE MY LIFE.



...anyway. OT: I find it hyperbolic in nature to say that something that happened 350 years ago is happening now. It's like saying, "hey guys! This Jesus guy is totally passing through Jerusalem right now!! ...I mean a couple thousands years ago!!"

 

[Vrach]

And that's why I'm going to major in Astronomy/Astrophysics.

Cause you suck at naming things?

Seriously though, cool stuff, but isn't the process of celestial body formation too long to actually "witness" per se?

 

[agnosticOCD]

Sharing this link. It ought to be of help to my classmates in my Natural Sciences class that are still skeptical of science and believe the world was created in 6 days.

Live (sorta) planet formation. Getting a glimpse of that is indeed a rare opportunity. Rekindles a bit of hope in humanity for me.

 

[Nephilium]

Did anyone else interpret "may be in the process of birthing a planet, though it could just be gas" as a toilet humor joke? Good show if that was the intention.

Your forgor to mention the Brown Dwarf and link it into the toilet humor.

 

[martin's a madman]

And that's why I'm going to major in Astronomy/Astrophysics.

Cause you suck at naming things?

Seriously though, cool stuff, but isn't the process of celestial body formation too long to actually "witness" per se?

I like your post, I think I'll call it, 'Post which says the words that it says'.

 

[CommanderKirov]

I will sound very stupid... But that's CGI right?

 

[Reed Spacer]

Yeah, I had gas once. Felt like I had a planet in me.

 

[Scabadus]

If they could build bigger and more powerful telescopes, they could "jump ahead" to see the planet develop faster.

No you really, really couldn't. No matter how big your telescope is, light from the star will still reach it at the same speed (what with it being a universal constant and all (and for the one inevitable person who quotes this and starts talking about mediums along with relative speeds and gravity: shut up. I know.))

I also find it hilariously ironic that an institute named after Max Planck, who gave the world the Planck Length, studies astronomy. Little distance-related humour there.

And while scientists certainly are

amazingly uncreative namers

you can't argue with how effective it is. You see the name Very Large Telescope, you know that's one huge telescope.