Comments on: David or Goliath? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/ 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. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:01:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Magnum http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32166 Magnum Fri, 09 Mar 2007 18:54:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32166 I'm surprised that astronomers are still fumbling around in the dark so much that they can't tell if a galaxy is 13 million or 150 million light years away. But after reading the linked article I see it was (presumably) quite easy to determine the distances by observing the red-shifts, and there was also some good information about chemical composition (from spectography I guess). So much to learn! I’m surprised that astronomers are still fumbling around in the dark so much that they can’t tell if a galaxy is 13 million or 150 million light years away. But after reading the linked article I see it was (presumably) quite easy to determine the distances by observing the red-shifts, and there was also some good information about chemical composition (from spectography I guess). So much to learn!

]]> By: Mark Martin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32167 Mark Martin Fri, 09 Mar 2007 11:27:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32167 Our galaxy never got a population boom. It's still estimated to be in the neighborhood of between 100 & 200 billion stars. The "trillion" figure was just someone's mistake. Our galaxy never got a population boom. It’s still estimated to be in the neighborhood of between 100 & 200 billion stars. The “trillion” figure was just someone’s mistake.

]]> By: Angelo http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32168 Angelo Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:42:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32168 Gary took my question, when did our galaxy increase from approx. 1 billion stars to trilllions of stars? I think what is meant is the whole shebang is trillions of stars and more. And I also agree with Din, We 'adapted 'to our part of the universe, not vice versa which makes it look as if the universe was made for us. Gary took my question, when did our galaxy increase from approx. 1 billion stars to trilllions of stars? I think what is meant is the whole shebang is trillions of stars and more. And I also agree with Din, We ‘adapted ‘to our part of the universe, not vice versa which makes it look as if the universe was made for us.

]]> By: Walabio http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32169 Walabio Fri, 09 Mar 2007 06:38:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32169 Gary 7: > Gary Ansorge Says: >> So, when did the Milky Way get boosted from 100 billion or so stars to 1 trillion? I guess I missed that? > Gary 7 They did not. The Milky Way has about four hundred billion stars. The total stellar mas in the Milky Way is about an hundred billion solar masses (most stars are less massive than the sun. The total baryonic mass of the Milky Way is about two hundred billion solar masses. About three fourths of the milky Way is nonbaryonic mass (dark matter). Scientists hypothosize that the dark matter is neutrinoes, but no-one knows for sure. If you believe that dark matter is strange, than you should check out dark energy: * - http://wikipedia.org/wiki/dark_matter * - http://wikipedia.org/wiki/dark_energy Gary 7:

> Gary Ansorge Says:

>> So, when did the Milky Way get boosted from 100 billion or so stars to 1 trillion? I guess I missed that?

> Gary 7

They did not. The Milky Way has about four hundred billion stars. The total stellar mas in the Milky Way is about an hundred billion solar masses (most stars are less massive than the sun. The total baryonic mass of the Milky Way is about two hundred billion solar masses. About three fourths of the milky Way is nonbaryonic mass (dark matter).

Scientists hypothosize that the dark matter is neutrinoes, but no-one knows for sure. If you believe that dark matter is strange, than you should check out dark energy:

* - http://wikipedia.org/wiki/dark_matter

* - http://wikipedia.org/wiki/dark_energy

]]> By: Gary Ansorge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32170 Gary Ansorge Thu, 08 Mar 2007 14:58:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32170 Saw the big dipper last night. Clear skiis and low light polution are more common where I live now than they were in Los Angeles. So, when did the Milky Way get boosted from 100 billion or so stars to 1 trillion? I guess I missed that? Gary 7 Saw the big dipper last night. Clear skiis and low light polution are more common where I live now than they were in Los Angeles.

So, when did the Milky Way get boosted from 100 billion or so stars to 1 trillion? I guess I missed that?

Gary 7

]]> By: Mark Martin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32172 Mark Martin Thu, 08 Mar 2007 11:22:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32172 The 8th one up is "Find the Big Dipper". Quite a feat. The 8th one up is “Find the Big Dipper”. Quite a feat.

]]> By: bassmanpete http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32186 bassmanpete Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:28:22 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/03/07/david-or-goliath/#comment-32186 So what is the 8th from bottom of the List of things to do while you're alive? The list of things to do after is probably quite short, I imagine :) So what is the 8th from bottom of the List of things to do while you’re alive? The list of things to do after is probably quite short, I imagine :)

]]>