kazoospec
kazoospec Dork
9/30/15 4:31 p.m.

If you have three minutes - you do, or you wouldn't be here - take a look at this.

http://inspiremore.com/nasa-just-released-the-largest-photo-ever-taken-what-it-shows-will-shake-you-up/

Cliffs: Survey of a quadrant of the Andromeda Galaxy = M I N D B L O W N

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
9/30/15 4:51 p.m.

Wow.

Grtechguy
Grtechguy UltimaDork
9/30/15 5:03 p.m.

I feel very insignificant now

The Hoff
The Hoff UltraDork
9/30/15 5:08 p.m.

Should have the X Files theme playing along with the words "We are not alone..."

bgkast
bgkast UberDork
9/30/15 5:10 p.m.

Very cool. Here is a less "clickbaity" link for the same thing:

https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-high-definition-panoramic-view-of-the-andromeda-galaxy

Lancer007
Lancer007 Dork
9/30/15 6:08 p.m.
NASA said: The panorama is the product of the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) program.

PHAT.......heh.

alfadriver
alfadriver UltimaDork
9/30/15 6:25 p.m.

Remember, we are the product of the remnants of a super-nova explosion.

It's where atoms larger than hydrogen and helium are made.

secretariata
secretariata Dork
9/30/15 8:15 p.m.

Photo looks like a painting. Kinda breath-taking.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
9/30/15 9:45 p.m.
Grtechguy wrote: I feel very insignificant now

Don't. The same elements that make up the galaxy and everything in it are the same elements within you.

We are all made of stars.

secretariata
secretariata Dork
9/30/15 10:16 p.m.

In reply to Appleseed:

Or precious snowflakes?

codrus
codrus Dork
10/1/15 12:44 a.m.
alfadriver wrote: Remember, we are the product of the remnants of a super-nova explosion. It's where atoms larger than hydrogen and helium are made.

Up through iron comes through regular stellar nucleosynthesis, it's the elements above that which are formed in a supernova.

Also, IIRC there's some thought now that a lot of the really heavy stuff comes from collisions between neutron stars.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
10/1/15 7:26 a.m.

Hard to believe there's no one else out there .....

WonkoTheSane
WonkoTheSane HalfDork
10/1/15 9:53 a.m.

Awesome!

Two things: Overview Effect

And obligatory: "Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space."

T.J.
T.J. UltimaDork
10/1/15 9:57 a.m.

I looked at the picture, but I am straining to see Andromeda.

slefain
slefain UberDork
10/1/15 10:02 a.m.

Thank goodness I already made my reservation.

bastomatic
bastomatic UltraDork
10/1/15 10:19 a.m.

I think it was the Radiolab podcast episode "Elements" that talked about the genesis of the heavier elements and supernovae. It was a great listen. We are starstuff, indeed.

singleslammer
singleslammer UberDork
10/1/15 1:15 p.m.
914Driver wrote: Hard to believe there's no one else out there .....

This kind of stuff is the only evidence that I need to know that we aren't.

KyAllroad
KyAllroad SuperDork
10/1/15 1:57 p.m.

Interesting thought. Given that Andromeda is 2 million light years away, that picture is really what it looked like 2 million years ago.

jimbob_racing
jimbob_racing Dork
10/1/15 2:25 p.m.
914Driver wrote: Hard to believe there's no one else out there .....

I'm sure they're out there. The problem is, IF they could travel to other stars quickly and easily, there's so many to choose from that they'd have a remote chance of finding somebody else. The odds are almost as long as the distance between the stars.

bastomatic
bastomatic UltraDork
10/1/15 4:56 p.m.

One of the current thoughts out there is that there is a very limited period of time in which a civilizations radio transmissions would be distinguishable from background noise.

After that period we (and presumably aliens) will have signal encryption strong enough to make it indistinguishable from background radiation. In human terms the length of time between invention of radio and signal encryption will be much less than 150 years, after which period it should be much less likely for discovery of alien civilizations.

carknut
carknut New Reader
10/1/15 4:58 p.m.

Or, might just be a dusty lens.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
10/1/15 6:45 p.m.
secretariata wrote: Photo looks like a painting. Kinda breath-taking.

It does look like a painting. Totally wow.

secretariata
secretariata Dork
10/3/15 12:32 a.m.
slefain wrote: Thank goodness I already made my reservation.

But did you put aside the $ in advance?

Lugnut
Lugnut Dork
10/3/15 10:45 a.m.

2.5 million light years away. Just think, that entire galaxy could not even be there anymore for all we know. Any time in the last 2.5 million years it could have been sucked up into a marble like Men in Black or devoured by some enormous black hole or the aliens that lived there sucked up their stars for energy and accidentally used up the last one. We won't know for millions of years.

Scott_H
Scott_H Reader
10/4/15 10:08 a.m.
bastomatic wrote: One of the current thoughts out there is that there is a very limited period of time in which a civilizations radio transmissions would be distinguishable from background noise. After that period we (and presumably aliens) will have signal encryption strong enough to make it indistinguishable from background radiation. In human terms the length of time between invention of radio and signal encryption will be much less than 150 years, after which period it should be much less likely for discovery of alien civilizations.

Take a look at the Fermi Paradox

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