saac

3 minutes ago, Ags said:

@vlaiv That's the best equation I have seen this decade! Does it have a name?

Euler's (pronounced Oiler)  equation .

Jim

25 minutes ago, andrew s said:

It is unfortunate that pop science goes for the wow rather than genuine wonder.

For me understanding how the classical world emerges from the quantum is much more fascinating than the endless repetition of is the cat dead or alive. The fact is cats are just too big to be in a quantum super position.

Regards Andrew 

PS there would be no QM without the imaginary numbers and no SR without hyperbolic ones

 

Could not agree more. That bloody cat, dark energy, dark matter , spin, colour, flavours. Oh how  I wish I could have strangled those terms at birth.  They are gifts to "pop" science and lazy media journalists.  It's the professional physics community that are to blame.  They come up with these ever so poetic media friendly terms but they ultimately end up being so easily misinterpreted either by choice or ignorance.  Take, "dark matter" or "entanglement"  so now we have thousands of pop science videos from eager presenters claiming evidence for a  Star Wars "force" like phenomena which links everything in the universe.     And as for that stupid feline , the number of times that it has been cited incorrectly with equally fanciful conclusion drawn really gets me. Argggggggggh.  

As for imaginary numbers sorry James but I don't fully agree they are very much present in the real world - radar propagation and ranging, electrodynamics, fluid mechanics just  a few  very real examples.  I do agree with your sentiments though , not everything possible in mathematics is necessarily manifest in the physical world. 

Jim 

1 hour ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

I must admit when I left school at 16 I did well in the sciences and understood everything up to O level standard as it was in the 70's. (but then what did our teachers know - atoms were made of 3 particles ha ha) . But some of the new stuff is well beyond me and it always seemed that when a bit of a theory did not fit the real world then an unknown variable was added to make it work and left for someone to find that variable at a later date. Forgive my simplistic view I just aren't that clued up but from my simple view of the universe that's how it seems.

Steve

That's about right and so it should be. We still do teach that the atom comprises 3 particles  - quite appropriate for o level standard (age and stage) .  The Bohr model, followed by the standard model and an introduction to quantum follows in the more senior years when they are more disposed to these ideas.  I agree with you about the new stuff - to be honest unless you are working in the rarefied field of cosmology  or particle physics, and I am certainly not nor capable, then it will be beyond most.  Im happy with my broad based understanding. I like to see it as walking in the foothills where I can look across and experience the views of the whole mountain range without seeing the detail.  From what I've seen of academia, once you are in the world of research your view narrows; in physics, mathematics starts to dominate , and to be honest, I think some of the childlike fun disappears.  So , in my humble opinion there is a lot to be said for your school level science , celebrate it for giving you a good broad understanding and you will be surprised how far it gets you. 

Jim 

18 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

According to The Hidden Universe (by Anthony Peake), since we are now creating ever more sophisticated simulations of "reality", then perhaps some advanced civilisation in the past has already created a simulated universe........and we now occupy it.  

The end might come when someone just pulls the plug!

Doug.

 

 

Is there a binge watch option like we have with Netflix ? Come to think if it I guess that is life

Jim 

Too much cloud and not enough clear sky to keep us busy going by this thread   

Jim 

2 minutes ago, Roy Challen said:

Damn, my previous post sounds somewhat depressing reading back. Sorry about that.

Hey occasional melancholy is cool  

Jim 

At the risk of turning the thread morbid !    "Sleep, those little slices of death — how I loathe them."    Edgar Allan Poe, I had always thought it was Shakespeare that made that reference.  A quick google search shows that the idea of sleep being like "little mini deaths" is apparently an ancient one. I must admit I do love my sleep - hopefully eternity will be just as restful  but may it be a wee will longer before I find out  

Jim 

12 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

Indeed.  Truth to tell, I'm cribbing a thought of Mark Twain's here. He was an atheist and said of death, 'I was dead for billions of years before being born and it didn't inconvenience me in the slightest.'  As I move nearer to the fatal bellman I do find this thought reassuring!

😁lly

Yes true Olly, but once you have tasted a fine wine it is all you long for.

Jim 

13 hours ago, andrew s said:

Like  the OP, it has bilpped into existance and will then disappear without trace.

Regards Andrew 

Perhaps he is undergoing metric expansion and can no longer see his keyboard as he recedes from it faster than the speed of light  

Jim

9 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Given that universe is all there is - I maintain that the size of universe is precisely 1.

Yep a quantized unit, I like that.  

Jim 

Just now, Alien 13 said:

I thought that the Universe being infinitely small was still a viable theory..as is holographic projection.

Alan

Your right Alan I believe it is still current although I must admit I never fully understood it. I was just teasing you  

In frivolous moments I like to think that at the end of the universe we would find Doctor Who, suspended in space, with the Tardis door open taking in the view.  What would you give to be there with him    In a kind of similar vein I've wondered what it would be like to travel back in time to  witness the very moment the first stars switched on.  It's kind of sad in a way that such a thing wasn't witnessed except now indirectly I guess by our telescopes and the ghostly records of the light we gaze on.

Jim  

I introduced my Higher Physics class to "The Pale Blue Dot" photograph this week together with Sagan's very poetic speech.  It is usually the first paragraph that is quoted widely but here's the full text. I couldn't help but wonder what Sagan would have thought in the context of the damage we have caused to our precious Pale Blue Dot - now becoming self evident through species extinction levels global warming and potentially the present pandemic.   I still find his speech  one of the most powerful pieces of writing when taken with the photograph of the Pale Blue Dot.  God help us , as Sagan says "there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves ".

Sagan's Pal Blue Dot Speech

Jim

5 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

I am confused as to why the Universe could end when it is already minute in size and all we see is a holographic projection..

Alan

Alan, I will have a pint of whatever you have been smoking  

Jim 

Don't know if this has been reported before but I thought it interesting. Once you get past the "what the heck" I think it makes sense and that the good doctor has a fair point. Now where did I put my 4500 w laser  - I fancy a land grab.   

Hampshire Doctor Claims Mars Ownership Using Laser

Jim 

Andrew, are you doing the three star alignment routine - your reported " 1-2 ft off"   is that after your alignment routine?   What alignment stars are you using?  I have the same telescope and alignment and goto performance hasn't been a problem so it should be behaving better than you report. If you can are you able to give some more detail on the steps you are going through when aligning as that may help identify any obvious issues?

Jim

Shame I wanted to get 6 of these beauties but the max they sell is a group of 5 .  Oh well.  

Jim

27 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

Is there any universe if there are no observers, time would certainly have no meaning..

Alan

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once" - Albert Einstein  

Jim

5 minutes ago, Paul M said:

Interestingly, alouthough this topic has awakened us from our rain sodden slumber, the OP still has a post count of exactly 1. Can't have been that worried about the Universe! 🤣

Maybe his ended - I do hope not !

Jim

Dont't know if anybody has already mentioned this (sorry haven't read all way through) but hey don't go buying brake discs any decent garage will be happy to give you a scrap set from free if you explain what you want them for.  That's how I got a set when I did it.  

Jim 

2 hours ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Beetlejuice is 642.5 LY from Earth, so none of us would bee alive to see it  happen. That is unless it's already gone bang in say the last 642.5 yrs.

 

Paul honestly mate it did go bang exactly 234511.5 days ago (642.5 yrs)  we only got to wait one more night - happening tomorrow you'll see  

Jim 

ps unless it  is  cloudy  

3 hours ago, andrew s said:

Life seems to be slipping away  No phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus

Regards Andrew

It wasn't life as we never knew it Jim  

Jim

I always found the connection to Balloch fairly regular , part of the Clydebank/Dumbarton line .   Been a while since I have been across to the west coast so as Louise says things may have changed but here's a quick look at the train service around 1700/2100 .   If you are looking to use one of these parks I would definitely have company - carrying any equipment more than a pair of binos is going to attract attention certainly from the local youth. Most of it will be harmless but it can be off putting if you are not used to it.  Go in a small group , then head to the pub afterwards to warm up - Covid restrictions permitting  

Jim 

Just  a thought you may find some useful information from this group - may even be worthwhile joining.  Their planned public events may be curtailed at the moment though due to the pandemic. but worth an enquiry perhaps.

https://www.theasg.org.uk/

ps just checked their website and their dark observing site is Mugdock Country park  - I'm not familiar with it but they say it is on the outskirts of the city. 

Jim 

4 hours ago, Amy cello said:

Hi everyone,

I really want to get out and do some observing- it's been a long summer! 

Does anyone know of anywhere near Glasgow that you can get to by public transport that's ok for observing.

I'm not looking for super dark skies- I just want to do something.

I don't drive so mugdock, campsies etc are out of the question. Kelvingrove has been ruined by that glasglow event every winter. 

 

Thanks for any help!

Amy what about Balloch country park - train direct from Queen St or Central Stn underground from what I remember. I suspect relatively dark, as dark as you can get being so close to Glasgow but it also looks out onto Loch Lomond so much of the sky to the North should be pretty dark. Don't know what the park is like for security or if it closes at night so again maybe somewhere you would want to go with company.  Also need to check out time of last train home - you don't want to get stranded in Balloch    If you want to head south you could try Lanark  (Lanark park) - train connection from Argyle St Stn I think but you may have to change at Motherwell or Hamilton.   Strathclyde country park in Motherwell itself could be useful but being in Motherwell the light pollution would be bad/awful.

Jim 

I stumbled across this and can't help but think it is one of the best I have ever seen, absolutely stunning. 

https://twitter.com/AJamesMcCarthy/status/1316760737059008514/photo/1

Jim