Comments on: The radiant beauty of cosmic collisions

By: Steve_G

Steve_G — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:37:49 +0000

Just so we’re all clear, Embiggen (and Cromulent) are original words coined for/by the Simpsons cartoon TV Series, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_the_Iconoclast for an explanation
It’s all a just a bit of fun really!

By: Earth sci guy

Earth sci guy — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:03:57 +0000

Brilliant photo…great, colorful article…and the responses here are like watching Big Bang! There is nothing wrong with using/creating words like ‘embiggen’. It adds a bit of spice to life. Relax, enjoy, laugh!

By: Hubble Shows Us A Beautiful Collision « Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:03:23 +0000

[...] This image from the Hubble Space Telescope looks like a two-armed galaxy. Instead, what is actually captured in this image are two spiral galaxies in a high-speed collision 250 million light-years away. This double galaxy, NGC 2623 or Arp 243, is located in the constellation Cancer. The collision has caused the two galaxies to merge at their cores, but clusters of young stars are forming in the arms. For more information, see Discover. [...]

By: johnfruh

johnfruh — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:03:49 +0000

Buzz @ 43

Thanks again, Buzz. I do appreciate that the two models can be used to describe gravity and have their own uses in various circumstances.

I believe that I do understand your point and have no quarrel with it. Thanks also for the bit about the woo purveyors. Well said.

However, I don’t think that I have made my point clear as I still do not have an answer for it (although it might be hinted at by your use of the term “Model”).

So, let me try again. IS gravity a force or a curvature of spacetime? Or are both concepts just a “model” of gravity? If so, are we still no closer to understanding what it IS?

Tangentially, would it not be better to describe the effect of gravity on galaxies using GR terminology? After all, as you said, GR applies at large scales and galaxies are rather large. For instance, could it be that the curvature of the galactic tails is somehow due to the time it takes for the gravity at the centre of the interacting galaxies to get out there (after all, gravity can only “travel” at the speed of light, right?

Petrolonfire @47 … You’re welcome. And, no, embiggen is not a real word. I think that Phil is playing with a take off from the real word “enlarge”.

Cheers.

…John

By: ETF FOOL

ETF FOOL — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:19:41 +0000

[...] The radiant beauty of cosmic collisions [...]

By: Petrolonfire

Petrolonfire — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:20:28 +0000

@ 42. Johnfruh Says:

@ 36 PetrolonFire Definition: Elucidate: to make lucid or clear; throw light upon; explain: …John

Thanks. Ditto to #44 Buzz Parsec & seconded there.

So ..er .. was that a “real” word all along then? (Blushes.)

By: Readings | HighYields.com

Readings | HighYields.com — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:01:02 +0000

[...] The radiant beauty of cosmic collisions [...]