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help me make them believe we are stardust

turbotim

By turbotim
in The Astro Lounge

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turbotim

turbotim

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I have been bit by the astronomy bug for almost 2 years now and i am always watching informational videos and some of the stuff i cant believe my self, so i double check things and there facts.... Well when i try to tell my girl friend we come from stardust, and that pretty much everything you see comes from space. She tells me i'm stupid and gullible. Then i try to tell her that there are planets being created in space. And there's other planets out side our solar system. And she says (how do you no?) I say, cause we have space craft out there and because its unmanned she doesn't believe any of it. So i give up on her. I tell my boss at work that there are clouds in space made of beer. And he says (no way there can't be i don't believe you.) What point i'm trying to make here is our society is so screwed up alot of people are so closed minded i mean these are facts and i'm the nut! I wish i could explain to my girlfriend how we come from the stars, does any one have a good explanation i could give her to make her understand.

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Lesk86

Lesk86

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lol I have had this with my whole family. I had bible basher's knock on my door and i said "No sorry i believe in science over god" I was given a booklet stating science fact but in a way to seem it was written by themselves and they say do you think this is coincidence or was the world created! YES BY STAR DUST. I gave up trying a lonnnng time ago.

The only way to get through to the misses is - if she's intelligent enough and has the patients sit and make her watch a Brian Cox Documentary.

Lesk

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Quatermass

Quatermass

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I suggest making her sit through 8 hours of Professor Hawkins videos if that doesn't work try massive amounts of alcohol and cheese flan. Its funny I do believe in god but I have no trouble excepting that we come from star dust I think I'm right that it says somewhere we are made from dust and to dust we shall return so that's star dust as far as I see it.

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umadog

umadog

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Perhaps you're not explaining things mechanistically enough? It is indeed pretty incredible that we're made of star dust. In fact, it is unbelievable unless you understand how it happens. There's a lot of background stuff you need to know in order to accept the notion. You'd need to step through it on point at a time. Imagine that your are disbeliever: what evidence would it take to convince you? Track down that evidence through reading. Even if you can't convince your woman, you will learn a lot.

I'd say the stuff you need to communicate goes something like this: Our bodies are made of a lot of elements heavier than hydrogen. So where do those come from? You'd need to be able to explain the concepts of atomic number and nuclear fusion. Where does fusion happen? Stars. Now the key thing is not to just give facts, you have to explain how we know those facts. One way, for instance, is to examine the spectra of stars of different ages. Older stars contain heavier elements. You'd have to explain how the Fraunhofer absorption lines work and how we can use these to know the chemical composition of the sun and other stars. You'd have to explain the Hertzprung Russel diagram and stellar evolution: how stars form and how the die. Right now is a great time to do this. You can show her the supernova in M101 and you can show her some emission nebulae like M8. Hubble has taken images of protoplanetary disks and, I believe, stars igniting. Show her those.

She brings up a valid question "how do I know it's true?" If she asks that, then maybe she wants to know. There are many things that we don't experience first hand but we must accept as true. This holds for the very small as well as the very large. I can't see the transistors in microsprocessors or experience them directly, but I have to accept they are there. You can make similar arguments for things such as plate tectonics, DNA, and electrons. We live in a technological and scientific world: most of what we take for granted is rooted in things we can't directly experience or validate with our senses. That's perhaps a lesson that not everyone has ingested.

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JohnnyD333

JohnnyD333

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Some people really want to know why we are here and how we were made. Some people like simple explanations and prefer an easy explanation of life. Most people know there is more to life than what we have been told, but who wants to think about that when you have to worry about work, the kids, the bills etc. Only us crazy space nuts think of these things:)

Also, someone mentioned Brian Cox above, it really does work. His good looks and British accent (Americans love the accent) can lure the ladies right in to Physics and why we formed from supernova;)

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Kai

Kai

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Already on to it, I am gathering a team to get an expedition underway as we speak. :)

So if Heineken made Nebulas........:(

I have long subscribed to the theory that scrumpy makes your eyes relax so you can see more detail but unfortunately mine relax too far ;)

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RobH

RobH

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I had much the same conversation on a beach in Thailand many years ago with my first wife.....she also called me stupid and proceeded to try to belittle me.....that was the point that she became my soon to be ex wife :(

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Shibby

Shibby

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By calling you gullible, she's just trying to wind you up because she doesn't understand. Don't fall for it!

Most people know very little about the universe outside of our planet, primarily because it has no bearing on their lives, quite understandable really. If somebody isn't interested in science and learning the facts, there is unfortunately not much we can do!

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Keiran

Keiran

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Until the good lady asks why, drop it. Unfortunately you're wasting your time i feel.

I dont think there is a better way of putting it.... You cant expain something to somebody if they are not willing to listen and think about the facts offered.

If you still want to try... Brian Cox wonders of the solar system is a great place to start.

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Ender Of Days

Ender Of Days

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I couldn't imagine living with anyone who didn't share an interest with me,but I don't have much patience with people to start with :p

I split from my last GF when she wanted me to help fund a dish washer .. I funded a nice new Alu/CF Rd Bike,

all my mates tend to be odd balls so I guess I attract them ;):D

So Id ditch her and find a nice girl :):(

JJ..

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Uranium235

Uranium235

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Beer clouds? What filter do I need to pick those up? :)

I guess a more simplistic way of explaining the matter that makes us up is that any element heavier than Hydrogen or Helium is only seeded from the death of stars. Might need a short explanation of nuclear fusion though :(

Didnt she pay attention in science class?

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Beer clouds? What filter do I need to pick those up? :)

I guess a more simplistic way of explaining the matter that makes us up is that any element heavier than Hydrogen or Helium is only seeded from the death of stars. Might need a short explanation of nuclear fusion though :(

Didnt she pay attention in science class?

Science class? WAZZAT?

Besides, everyone knows the universe was sneezed out of the left nostril of the Great Green Argleseizure!

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