Comments on: Through the Looking Gas http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:11:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: icemith http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19013 icemith Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:04:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19013 Evolving Squid Says: "The only way to see more would be to use a telescope to photograph an area on higher magnification." Yeah, that's what I meant. I didn't quote a method, just the desire. But it is, would you not agree, a case of " ... dogs have flees, with littler flees upon them, ad infinitum"! And that ties in with another subject in the last few days, (Phil, how is the newly acquired Pup settling in? Does she bring you your slippers yet? Ivan. PS, Don't know what happened, but my comments did not up-load before the timeout, so I was able to add a couple of things. Hope it is not a double post. And where can I find out exactly how to do Quotes correctly and use italics etc? Evolving Squid Says:

“The only way to see more would be to use a telescope to photograph an area on higher magnification.”

Yeah, that’s what I meant. I didn’t quote a method, just the desire.

But it is, would you not agree, a case of ” … dogs have flees, with littler flees upon them, ad infinitum”!

And that ties in with another subject in the last few days, (Phil, how is the newly acquired Pup settling in? Does she bring you your slippers yet?

Ivan.

PS, Don’t know what happened, but my comments did not up-load before the timeout, so I was able to add a couple of things. Hope it is not a double post. And where can I find out exactly how to do Quotes correctly and use italics etc?

]]> By: Gary Ansorge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19012 Gary Ansorge Tue, 15 Aug 2006 16:50:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19012 Gee, quantum consciousnes,,, trying to get a peek into this universe thru a really small key hole,,, "Hey, get that stick out of my I,,," Said to a physicist at the CERN labs,,, GAry 7 Gee, quantum consciousnes,,, trying to get a peek into this universe thru a really small key hole,,,

“Hey, get that stick out of my I,,,”
Said to a physicist at the CERN labs,,,

GAry 7

]]> By: Evolving Squid http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19011 Evolving Squid Tue, 15 Aug 2006 16:15:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19011 <i>Now, let’s see. If I enlarge this little Galaxy that was obscured, a few hundred times, I wonder if there will be another galaxy visible through that, and then if I enlarge…. just wondering.</i> Possibly, to a point, but because it's a photograph and there's an upper limit to how much information is in it. In a digital representation, the smallest unit it the pixel and you can blow a single pixel up to the size of Wyoming and it will still be uniform. In a film print, the limitation is the grain of the film, and the same style of enlargement limit applies. The only way to see more would be to use a telescope to photograph an area on higher magnification. Now, let’s see. If I enlarge this little Galaxy that was obscured, a few hundred times, I wonder if there will be another galaxy visible through that, and then if I enlarge…. just wondering.

Possibly, to a point, but because it’s a photograph and there’s an upper limit to how much information is in it. In a digital representation, the smallest unit it the pixel and you can blow a single pixel up to the size of Wyoming and it will still be uniform.

In a film print, the limitation is the grain of the film, and the same style of enlargement limit applies.

The only way to see more would be to use a telescope to photograph an area on higher magnification.

]]> By: icemith http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19010 icemith Tue, 15 Aug 2006 11:53:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19010 Now, let's see. If I enlarge this little Galaxy that was obscured, a few hundred times, I wonder if there will be another galaxy visible through that, and then if I enlarge.... just wondering. Ivan. Now, let’s see. If I enlarge this little Galaxy that was obscured, a few hundred times, I wonder if there will be another galaxy visible through that, and then if I enlarge…. just wondering.

Ivan.

]]> By: jess tauber http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19009 jess tauber Tue, 15 Aug 2006 04:43:16 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19009 Me, I like the sinusoidal chains of stars in open clusters- assuming that's what we're looking at. Seems to be an open question- some people say its all coincidental alignment of stars at many different distances, combined with human propensity to detect patterns, others say its for real, with various forces conspiring to create helical structures. As for the former explanation, if its mostly coincidence, then why don't we see other patterns (zigzags, straight lines, graph lines, etc) just as often? Me, I like the sinusoidal chains of stars in open clusters- assuming that’s what we’re looking at. Seems to be an open question- some people say its all coincidental alignment of stars at many different distances, combined with human propensity to detect patterns, others say its for real, with various forces conspiring to create helical structures.

As for the former explanation, if its mostly coincidence, then why don’t we see other patterns (zigzags, straight lines, graph lines, etc) just as often?

]]> By: Evolving Squid http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19008 Evolving Squid Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:02:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19008 There's a bunch of very cool face-on spirals in there. I didn't count them, but there are definitely hundreds of galaxies easily visible. There’s a bunch of very cool face-on spirals in there. I didn’t count them, but there are definitely hundreds of galaxies easily visible.

]]> By: Shawn S. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19007 Shawn S. Mon, 14 Aug 2006 23:35:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19007 Pictures like this make me wonder why some folks feel they need magic in their life. Reality like that is every bit as mysterious, wonderous, and mind-blowing as they wish it were. They're just lazy! I used to be one of 'them' and what turned me to reality was a friend's insistance that I read a book called "A Brief History of Time". This led to harder things like "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene and "Quantum Reality" by Nick Herbert. After those reads all the woowoo crap I was into just paled in comparison. Somehow I managed to avoid going the route of those silly fools who buy into the 'quantum consciousness' nonsene. Pictures like this make me wonder why some folks feel they need magic in their life. Reality like that is every bit as mysterious, wonderous, and mind-blowing as they wish it were. They’re just lazy! I used to be one of ‘them’ and what turned me to reality was a friend’s insistance that I read a book called “A Brief History of Time”. This led to harder things like “The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene and “Quantum Reality” by Nick Herbert. After those reads all the woowoo crap I was into just paled in comparison. Somehow I managed to avoid going the route of those silly fools who buy into the ‘quantum consciousness’ nonsene.

]]> By: gar http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19006 gar Mon, 14 Aug 2006 23:15:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19006 Nothing in the night sky bores me, even after 41 odd years. I'll even stare at the moon for moments at a time in wonder. Thanks for the great pic! Nothing in the night sky bores me, even after 41 odd years. I’ll even stare at the moon for moments at a time in wonder. Thanks for the great pic!

]]> By: Kevin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/comment-page-1/#comment-19005 Kevin Mon, 14 Aug 2006 22:02:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/14/through-the-looking-gas/#comment-19005 Amen Phil. We just had nearly 300 people at our observatory's public night last Saturday, and I'm sure each and every one of them were "taken" by the wonderful things we showed them through the telescopes, and just casual constellation tours outside the building. And even though sometimes we may become complacent about what we observe, the enthusiasm of the public can bring us back to the realization that everything out there has a "wow" factor. The amazement of the people who got to see Uranus and Neptune through my scope shows that even while I am "familiar" with those planets and their look through the scope, they are something wonderful to the new observer. And there are times when I just like to leave the telescope, lay on the ground, and just look up.. and wonder... Amen Phil.

We just had nearly 300 people at our observatory’s public night last Saturday, and I’m sure each and every one of them were “taken” by the wonderful things we showed them through the telescopes, and just casual constellation tours outside the building.

And even though sometimes we may become complacent about what we observe, the enthusiasm of the public can bring us back to the realization that everything out there has a “wow” factor. The amazement of the people who got to see Uranus and Neptune through my scope shows that even while I am “familiar” with those planets and their look through the scope, they are something wonderful to the new observer.

And there are times when I just like to leave the telescope, lay on the ground, and just look up.. and wonder…

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