Comments on: I think the Moon watched Bad Universe

By: Procyan

Procyan — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:20:22 +0000

Thanks for that explanation, good stuff…suggestion: periodically pick an unusual feature from various locations and give your analysis…There is so little exposition to go along with the myriad images as they accumulate. If you’re so inclined it would really be interesting to get a handle on some of the truly weird and seemingly inexplicable formations found in ice moons, comets, Mars, Venus …and soon I’m sure we will be seeing some facinating pictures from Vesta.

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:20:54 +0000

Ken B (16) said:

YKYBRBATLW * …

Eh? What is this “too long” of which you speak?

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:16:47 +0000

On the subject of blowing stuff up, the TV programme Brainiac: Science Abuse seems mostly to be about blowing stuff up. And the demonstrations of liquid O2 were quite interesting (for example, heating a diamond with a blowtorch then plunging it into the LOX and watching it burn).

They have a segment called “how hard is your thing” where they subject various items to three tests – a ton of bricks, an angle grinder (I think – it might be a different power tool) and a bucket of thermite. Pretty much nothing survives the thermite. But it’s usually very pretty.

Mmmmm . . . thermite.

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:09:23 +0000

@ nicolatesla (21) -
Eh? Are you seriously suggesting that the Japanese earthquake was not an earthquake at all, but the result of some nuclear attack?

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:00:59 +0000

Abadidea (23) said:

Because a pleasant day in May is just so suspicious.

Have you ever visited the UK? Just wondering . . .

By: abadidea

abadidea — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:36:10 +0000

DennyMo: Ugh, I’ve run into some internet people who believe in the “America intentionally caused the Japanese event with HAARP” piece of crazy. Uhhhh-huh. Someone very close to me (in real life even) believes that same HAARP was used to manipulate global weather patterns to guarantee a sunny day for the Royal Wedding. No, really. Because a pleasant day in May is just so suspicious.

By: kuhnigget

kuhnigget — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:58:11 +0000

@ Sean #19:

Whew! I’m not the only one with his mind in the gutter!

By: nikolatesla

nikolatesla — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:20:43 +0000

Um. @DennyMo… Are you one of those gifted and intelligent people that believes all this stuff happening on earth is random? I bet you’re a brilliant atheist too…

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:18:54 +0000

The BA said:

Also? It was hugely awesome to blow that hole. That’s a perk of being a scientist sometimes.

Darn it, I knew I should have gone for straight Chemistry. Us biological scientists never get to blow stuff up. Although the "playing god" part can be kinda fun.* [* Note for the hard of thinking: yes, I'm joking]

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:57:37 +0000

Phil, maybe you should reword that second to last sentence

By: Sam H

Sam H — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 01:42:44 +0000

Given the scale of the picture, if my mental measurements are correct those large boulders near the middle should be up to 20 meters wide!!

Holy Haleakala.

By: DrFlimmer

DrFlimmer — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:43:19 +0000

@ #5 Dave Chamberlin

The mushroom is mostly due to air pressure and not directly to gravity. Without air it should be (almost) perfectly spherical.

By: Ken B

Ken B — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:12:37 +0000

YKYBRBATLW * …

Our cable TV company has the Science Channel and the Oprah Channel next to each other. Yesterday, the Science Channel had a show named “Asteroids”. Right below it on the list was a show called “Dr. Phil”. Guess which Phil came to mind first?

* You know you’ve been reading “Bad Astronomy” too long when…

By: Stonez

Stonez — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:58:30 +0000

@Pete. I reject your statement and allow my alternative reality to prove true.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:56:53 +0000

@bigjohn756:

That’s why he went to the explosives range.
Duh.

By: bigjohn756

bigjohn756 — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:35:37 +0000

But don’t Adam and Jamie always tell us not to try this kind of stuff at home, Phil?

By: CameronSS

CameronSS — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:52:40 +0000

“the Moon has no air to carry a shock wave, for example”

Would there be vaporized rock from the impact that could have some of the same effects? Or would it get that hot?

By: Todd W.

Todd W. — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:20:24 +0000

You were on TV?

By: Magicthize

Magicthize — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:12:22 +0000

“That’s a perk of being a scientist sometimes.”

So you’re only sometimes a scientist who blows stuff up?

Or a scientist who sometimes blows stuff up?

By: Pete Jackson

Pete Jackson — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:56:16 +0000

@6 Stonez: Phil didn’t go to the moon. He just pressed the button.

By: Stonez

Stonez — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:47:56 +0000

I have a major problem with this! How the hell did Phil get to the moon to cause an explosion when we all know no human has ever set foot there…

By: kuhnigget

kuhnigget — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:40:25 +0000

For dave chamberlin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKvvrNrCOnw

By: dave chamberlin

dave chamberlin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:33:55 +0000

Furthermore, how are we ever going to find out what is in the middle of rocks and stuff in space if we don’t blow them up, and I don’t mean any wimpy crashes that cause dust getting thrown up into space, I mean demolished, enquiring minds want to know. I want to be a Bangologist. I just hope they don’t send me to school in Guantanamo.

By: dave chamberlin

dave chamberlin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:16:17 +0000

If I were a scientist (I’m an idiot instead) I would study blowing things up. What would the shape of a nuclear explosion be in space? It wouldn’t be mushroom, would it be perfectly round with no gravity and then just varying degrees of oblong with slight gravity? Can we make them colored, that would be spiffy. What if we blew up two at once fairly close to each other, what shape would they make. And why can’t we do this at night, right after dark on the fourth of July, what is the harm? Ok, it isn’t science, but what would the ratings be of a TV show called Blowed Up Real Good.

By: PsyberDave

PsyberDave — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:06:46 +0000

Comcast OnDemand has been running commercials with you in it, Phil. They are clips from one of the Universe shows you appeared in (Not your Bad Universe show). Comcast has been promoting that show as an OnDemand selection (of course, I watched it).

I’m sure if you were looking through the OnDemand menu and saw yourself pop up on the screen you’d be quite proud. I like to say, “Hey, I know that guy.”