TheLastColdBeer Posted October 15, 2015 Member ID: 489 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 51 Topic Count: 548 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 4674 Content Per Day: 0.87 Reputation: 5863 Achievement Points: 41109 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 14 Joined: 09/22/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 16 hours ago Birthday: 01/09/1963 Device: Kindle Fire Share Posted October 15, 2015 http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/stories/alien-technology-possibly-spotted-orbiting-distant-star?ref=yfp Whoo-hoo! Point the radio-telescopes their way! hxtr, spinpuppy and little_old_man 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
loaderXI Posted October 16, 2015 Member ID: 252 Group: +++ COD2 Head Admin Followers: 71 Topic Count: 392 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 6420 Content Per Day: 1.19 Reputation: 6496 Achievement Points: 54363 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 30 Joined: 09/05/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: Tuesday at 04:27 PM Birthday: 03/22/1965 Device: Windows Share Posted October 16, 2015 Im moving little_old_man 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
little_old_man Posted October 16, 2015 Member ID: 1194 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 40 Topic Count: 436 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 6692 Content Per Day: 1.29 Reputation: 11691 Achievement Points: 53094 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 76 Joined: 02/27/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: April 16, 2023 Birthday: 04/15/1960 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Sounds like a good time for a new gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Damage_inc- Posted October 16, 2015 Member ID: 2048 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 294 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 6689 Content Per Day: 1.36 Reputation: 4709 Achievement Points: 48999 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 5 Joined: 12/15/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: November 29, 2023 Birthday: 05/30/1967 Device: Windows Share Posted October 16, 2015 fascinating- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Astronomer Posted October 16, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.49 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Device: Windows Share Posted October 16, 2015 Heh. It makes for a good headline. Sure, it's *possible*. *Probable* is a different beast. Look for the simplest option, it's always usually the best. Unfortunately, that option won't sell newspapers or make you click on the headline. eidolonFIRE and Blackbart 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
TheLastColdBeer Posted October 16, 2015 Member ID: 489 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 51 Topic Count: 548 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 4674 Content Per Day: 0.87 Reputation: 5863 Achievement Points: 41109 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 14 Joined: 09/22/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 16 hours ago Birthday: 01/09/1963 Device: Kindle Fire Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 All too true. As with most events witnessed in the cosmos, it's not a question of "what" is seen, but "when" it's seen. Something that's 1400 light years away is also that many years in the past. If you could snapshot a moment in the universe, and then instantly travel around to view objects, their actual positions and conditions would be radically different than what you observed from Earth's vantage point. Does make for speculation though. Blackbart, Leadfinger and Astronomer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
eidolonFIRE Posted October 16, 2015 Member ID: 2759 Group: **- Inactive Registered Users Followers: 17 Topic Count: 199 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3496 Content Per Day: 0.75 Reputation: 3021 Achievement Points: 26464 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 08/22/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 16, 2017 Birthday: 07/27/1990 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) I hate how these "science" articles always jump to the possibility that sells the most clicks and just run with it. There are other more probable causes to detecting light reflections around the star. It reminds me of every time somebody does a cool experiment with light photons you see articles about how we can now create light-sabers.... stfu lol. Edited October 16, 2015 by eidolonFIRE little_old_man and Leadfinger 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eidolonFIRE Posted October 16, 2015 Member ID: 2759 Group: **- Inactive Registered Users Followers: 17 Topic Count: 199 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3496 Content Per Day: 0.75 Reputation: 3021 Achievement Points: 26464 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 08/22/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 16, 2017 Birthday: 07/27/1990 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) Here's the real published paper http://arxiv.org/pdf/1509.03622v1.pdf Checkout all the cool graphs! I also don't see any mention of an alien structure in the document... Quote: Our most promising theory invokes a family of exocomets. One way we imagine such a barrage of comets could be triggered is by the passage of a field star through the system. And, in fact, as discussed above, there is a small star nearby (∼ 1000 AU; Section 2.3) which, if moving near to KIC 8462852, but not bound to it, could trigger a barrage of bodies into the vicinity of the host star. On the other hand, if the companion star is bound, it could be pumping up comet eccentricities through the Kozai mechanism. Measuring the motion/orbit of the companion star with respect to KIC 8462852 would be telling in whether or not it is associated, and we would then be able to put stricter predictions on the timescale and repeatability of comet showers based on bound or unbound star-comet perturbing models. Finally, comets would release gas (as well as dust), and sensitive observations to detect this gas would also test this hypothesis. Edited October 16, 2015 by eidolonFIRE Astronomer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astronomer Posted October 17, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.49 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Device: Windows Share Posted October 17, 2015 My local RASC (Royal Astronomical Society of Canada) Centre hosted a lecture by Dr. Stan Metchev this evening. He searches for planets around other stars using some cutting-edge techniques, and he presented some not-yet-published data and images that's just amazing. I'm looking forward to the papers. Anyway, he knows one of the principal investigators on this discovery and a cometary cloud is the likeliest explanation. The story of an alien civilization's creation causing the dimming came up when someone stumbled on one of the author's personal blogs where he was speculating in a "wouldn't it be cool" science-fictiony kind of way. The press picked up on it and BOOM!: TheLastColdBeer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
TheLastColdBeer Posted October 17, 2015 Member ID: 489 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 51 Topic Count: 548 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 4674 Content Per Day: 0.87 Reputation: 5863 Achievement Points: 41109 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 14 Joined: 09/22/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 16 hours ago Birthday: 01/09/1963 Device: Kindle Fire Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 I'll agree, and I'm just as guilty. I don't believe it's alien artifacts either, but it sure beats politics for a topic of discussion. The slight dimming of a star could mean any number of hypothesis. Could be a collision of planetary objects & the debris field passing across that particular star. Don't know, but it's worth a glance. Too bad sensationalism & grant money takes precedence over actual science anymore, but hey.....phd's gotta pay bills too. Blackbart, eidolonFIRE and Astronomer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Sonovabich Posted October 17, 2015 Member ID: 82 Group: ** Registered Users Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1534 Topics Per Day: 0.29 Content Count: 5020 Content Per Day: 0.93 Reputation: 5171 Achievement Points: 131490 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 116 Joined: 09/02/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 12 hours ago Device: Windows Share Posted October 17, 2015 http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/stories/alien-technology-possibly-spotted-orbiting-distant-star?ref=yfp Whoo-hoo! Point the radio-telescopes their way! Hope it's not the Death Star.....maybe they are coming to punish us for being such a fucked up planet...we probably deserve it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Toes Posted October 17, 2015 Member ID: 87 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 57 Topic Count: 98 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 3789 Content Per Day: 0.70 Reputation: 3589 Achievement Points: 27249 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 09/02/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: March 18, 2022 Birthday: 04/02/1871 Share Posted October 17, 2015 eidolonFIRE, LtLaszlo, Leadfinger and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Damage_inc- Posted October 17, 2015 Member ID: 2048 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 294 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 6689 Content Per Day: 1.36 Reputation: 4709 Achievement Points: 48999 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 5 Joined: 12/15/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: November 29, 2023 Birthday: 05/30/1967 Device: Windows Share Posted October 17, 2015 Heh. It makes for a good headline. Sure, it's *possible*. *Probable* is a different beast. Look for the simplest option, it's always usually the best. Unfortunately, that option won't sell newspapers or make you click on the headline. how do you feel about the 5-6k old sumerian texts and the claim the Sumerians show maps of all the planets we now know of and describe there atmospheres previous to our scientific discoveries of them all...crazy fascinating stuff to me what do you feel about nemesis or nebiru/ planet x.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Astronomer Posted October 17, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.49 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Device: Windows Share Posted October 17, 2015 What is cool about the data that started this story is 1) the main dimming event lasted about a day (or 2, I can't recall), not the usual microseconds, and there were 3 other smaller dimming events. 2) these were not periodic events as would be expected for planets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Damage_inc- Posted October 18, 2015 Member ID: 2048 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 294 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 6689 Content Per Day: 1.36 Reputation: 4709 Achievement Points: 48999 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 5 Joined: 12/15/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: November 29, 2023 Birthday: 05/30/1967 Device: Windows Share Posted October 18, 2015 (edited) What is cool about the data that started this story is 1) the main dimming event lasted about a day (or 2, I can't recall), not the usual microseconds, and there were 3 other smaller dimming events. 2) these were not periodic events as would be expected for planets. so with your knowledge what does that translate to in layman's terms Edited October 18, 2015 by Damage_inc- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Astronomer Posted October 18, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.49 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Device: Windows Share Posted October 18, 2015 so with your knowledge what does that translate to in layman's terms One of the methods astronomers use to detect planets around distant stars is to record their brightness over time, looking for dimming events. This is done along with other methods to eliminate sunspots rotating across the face of the star or interstellar dust between us and the star as reasons for the dimming. The measurable dimming that we look for is relatively small, maybe 1% of the light output from the star. Because of distance and sensitivity of current instruments using this method, the planets we can detect tend to be very large - the size of Jupiter or bigger - and are very close in to the star, and therefore they tend to orbit really fast. This means the dimming event is very quick, and most importantly, the dimming is periodic and predictable. This dimming event, or series of events, had none of the expected characteristics of a large orbiting planet. The dimming was very slow, and it has not repeated. Damage_inc-, eidolonFIRE and TheLastColdBeer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
TheLastColdBeer Posted October 19, 2015 Member ID: 489 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 51 Topic Count: 548 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 4674 Content Per Day: 0.87 Reputation: 5863 Achievement Points: 41109 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 14 Joined: 09/22/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 16 hours ago Birthday: 01/09/1963 Device: Kindle Fire Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 Another guess (and we're entitled to guess) is there is no law against large gas giants collecting their harems of planets & asteroids. These structures would not be visible, because they would not be orbiting a light emitting star system. It just might be that such a collection passed across our field of view, at a speed relative to earth's' rotation, and our own solar system's rotation, to provide the dimming effect that was recorded. That in itself would be cool, because it might boost interest in looking at locations in the heavens that aren't providing direct illumination. That would be a far more plausible explanation for missing mass in the universe vs. the dark matter argument. BTW, I think the dark matter issue is better explained by different dimensions, beyond our comprehension, causing events that we can't explain. Grant money, again. I also think our mathematics are inherently flawed, due to the fact it takes pages of calculations to describe simple reactions in physics. If our mathematics were precise, a simple event would easily be described. Damage_inc- 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Bazza Posted October 19, 2015 Member ID: 340 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 26 Topic Count: 75 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1079 Content Per Day: 0.20 Reputation: 393 Achievement Points: 6676 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/10/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: May 11 Birthday: 06/21/1971 Device: Windows Share Posted October 19, 2015 I love all the scifi stuff. Wish I could afford telescopes, and lived in a remote place so they don't pick up the cities smog layer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Sammy Posted October 19, 2015 Member ID: 3036 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 31 Topic Count: 219 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 9419 Content Per Day: 2.07 Reputation: 7515 Achievement Points: 62539 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 21 Joined: 11/29/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: December 30, 2023 Birthday: 04/26/2008 Device: Windows Share Posted October 19, 2015 I thought you meant actual alien neighbors of yours. In which case my first question would have been if there were any females and if they were hot. eidolonFIRE, Leadfinger and YACCster 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
YACCster Posted October 20, 2015 Member ID: 20683 Group: ++ COD4 Admin Followers: 138 Topic Count: 309 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 3356 Content Per Day: 0.88 Reputation: 4091 Achievement Points: 45301 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 22 Joined: 12/12/13 Status: Offline Last Seen: 11 hours ago Device: Macintosh Share Posted October 20, 2015 Oh c'mon there are totally more hot green ST vixen to chose from: Leadfinger and Damage_inc- 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
TheLastColdBeer Posted October 20, 2015 Member ID: 489 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 51 Topic Count: 548 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 4674 Content Per Day: 0.87 Reputation: 5863 Achievement Points: 41109 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 14 Joined: 09/22/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 16 hours ago Birthday: 01/09/1963 Device: Kindle Fire Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 Don't forget Yvonne Craig! RIP Yvonne, you were such a cute Batgirl too. YACCster, Sammy, Leadfinger and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
Blackbart Posted October 20, 2015 Member ID: 51 Group: Fallen Members Followers: 51 Topic Count: 342 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 5974 Content Per Day: 1.11 Reputation: 3766 Achievement Points: 45818 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 1 Joined: 09/01/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 27, 2021 Birthday: 06/26/1949 Share Posted October 20, 2015 eidolonFIRE, Damage_inc- and Leadfinger 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
hxtr Posted October 20, 2015 Member ID: 220 Group: **- Inactive Registered Users Followers: 147 Topic Count: 595 Topics Per Day: 0.11 Content Count: 16950 Content Per Day: 3.15 Reputation: 13538 Achievement Points: 129714 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 120 Joined: 09/04/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 26, 2023 Birthday: 04/05/1970 Device: Windows Share Posted October 20, 2015 I sure hope they are not liberals. That would be a communist shame. Then again Ants are communist. Humm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadfinger Posted October 21, 2015 Member ID: 4888 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 56 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 2020 Content Per Day: 0.49 Reputation: 3795 Achievement Points: 26312 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 01/12/13 Status: Offline Last Seen: July 29, 2023 Birthday: 08/29/1962 Device: Windows Share Posted October 21, 2015 I love all the scifi stuff. Wish I could afford telescopes, and lived in a remote place so they don't pick up the cities smog layer I miss the smog layer . . . . lol Dont give up on the wonders of the sky . . just when you start to get uninterested something really cool happens, I remember a few years back when the space shuttle was still flying and I would go to the NASA website to see when it was visible from where I lived. ( The space shuttle and the International Space Station reflect sunlight in the early morning and evening and made them visible to the naked eye if it was flying above your location) On this particular evening the space shuttle was docked with the International Space Station and would be flying almost directly over my house. I went out side at the listed time with binoculars and began looking in the area that it would be appearing in and like a scene from a movie the bright point of light appeared low on the horizon and was on a course to fly right over me. Looking through my binoculars I began to see the out stretched solar panels of the ISS ( I had seen it before on several other occasions) but this time the reflection was noticeably larger. Once I could see the space shuttle attached to the ISS flying over my house . . . . . it gave me goose bumps . . how cool is that? The total time the two attached space craft would be visible was only around 5-6 mins but it seemed like 15 mins. A couple of my neighbors came outside to see why I was looking up at the sky were were completely in awe of what they saw. Wait it gets better. Sometimes when the conditions are right a second viewing is possible around 40mins after the first one (that's approximately how long it takes for the ISS/ Space Shuttle to circle the earth) One of the few times I got lucky and this is one of those times. The sky was a bit darker 40 mins after the first sighting but the darker sky would give a better contrast and improve the viewing experience. My neighbors and I cracked a beer and waited the 40 mins until the next viewing and right on time the point of light appeared in the Western sky. As the ISS / Space shuttle became visible it was clear something was different this time. With the darkened sky making a perfect contrast to the sunlit ISS and space shuttle you didn't need to use binoculars to see them. Once I could see the 2 space craft clearly I noticed that they had separated and were no longer attached . .. you could clearly see that the 2 were drifting apart! . . . . . For me this was one of my most memorable moments sky watching. Just the idea that these spacecraft are visible to me without binoculars was fascinating and to see them on back to back orbits so clearly = Mind blown My kids bought me a 12" reflector telescope for Christmas and I was looking at Jupiter (really cool with a colored filter) I could clearly see 7 of Jupiter's moons as they orbited around Jupiter. I went and wrestled my kids from the TV and told them I could see 7 of Jupiter's moons and led them to the telescope. My son was the first to look and he was impressed that the moons were all in a line and that you could actually see them. About 20 mins later My daughter steps up and looks through the telescope and says "dad where did you come up with 7 moons . . .I only count 5" . . . . . I went over to make sure the telescope was focused and sure as shit there was only 5 moons now! Dumbfounded I thought for a min and realized that the other 2 moons had orbited around the back side of the planet and were no longer visible. Most people look into the sky and see stars and planets and unless there is a meteor shower nothing moves . . at least nothing we can see with just our naked eye ( the moon and sun not included) On that night me and my 2 kids saw something that was amazing and really spectacular . . . . . .The fact that the sky is alive and there are things moving and unless you look closely you will miss it. Blackbart, Astronomer and TheLastColdBeer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
TheLastColdBeer Posted October 21, 2015 Member ID: 489 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 51 Topic Count: 548 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 4674 Content Per Day: 0.87 Reputation: 5863 Achievement Points: 41109 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 14 Joined: 09/22/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 16 hours ago Birthday: 01/09/1963 Device: Kindle Fire Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Yep, hope they got enough information from that dimming event to plot possible courses for the "objects". Gas giants give off a thermal signature, along with radio emission, although that can be faint in the lower bandwiths. If you could estimate speed & course, you could plot an intercept with a variety of tools, might even predict another dimming event as they pass another star system. Leadfinger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Awards
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