Shock and awe

[dav1d]

I was in the back yard earlier, taking a break from trying to image Saturn & taking a gander at Spica instead.

And it suddenly occurred to me that 200+ years ago, some physical process caused a particular photon to be generated, which then travelled uninterrupted for billions & billions of miles, until it was refracted by the earth's atmosphere & angled into my OTA, where it bounced of two mirrors, through a lens & then hit me in the face, imparting momentum and therefore mass that was generated over 250 years ago.

It just amazed me & I thought I'd share.

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

then hit me in the face

I lolled.

[Katen]

It so mindblowing when you think of it like that.

[symesie04]

What’s even more amazing is that the photon was actually generated millions of years ago but has had an incredibly long and arduous journey from the stars core to its surface, before it began its comparatively short journey on route to hitting you in the face.

[wulfrunian]

I agree, you do get those awe inspiring realisations sometimes, this is such a great hobby despite the difficulties!

I do just have to be a bit pedantic however so forgive me - photons have no mass

[philby]

I never thought of it like that.. and will give a little more consideration in the future.

The mind is one of the Great wonders of the universe:)

[dav1d]

I do just have to be a bit pedantic however so forgive me - photons have no mass

True, however they do have momentum, and when absorbed by an atom, the mass of that atom increases.

Astronomy makes your eyes heavy - and it's not just because you're tired