Star explodes halfway across universe

[moparacer]

However, NASA has no reports that any skywatchers spotted the burst, which lasted less than an hour.

OMG it takes 7.5 Billion years to get here and lasts less then a whole freakin hour.......

Hope the trip was worth the wait!

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: moparacer

However, NASA has no reports that any skywatchers spotted the burst, which lasted less than an hour.

OMG it takes 7.5 Billion years to get here and lasts a whole freakin hour.......

Hope the trip was worth the wait!

Heh, the first thing on my mind when I go out to stare at the sky is "God damn I better telephone NASA, they're gonna wanna know how beautiful this is!".

 

[aphex]

I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: aphex
I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

Probably a satellite or even the Space Station.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: aphex
I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

Probably a satellite or even the Space Station.

I think that those would have looked more like meteors than odd stars, moving across the sky.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: aphex
I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

Probably a satellite or even the Space Station.

I think that those would have looked more like meteors than odd stars, moving across the sky.

Nope, they move very slowly and blink blue, red, or white usually. Kinda like seeing an airplane, except they take many hours to pass.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: aphex
I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

dude, you saw it!

edit: by the way, sweet thread. makes me want to break out the old astronomy texts from school!

 

[tyler811]

Geez When I first read Star explodes I thought Britney finally offed someone in the paparazi

 

[JoeyM]

This explains the disturbance in the force I felt. Hmmm....

 

[Analog]

Originally posted by: JoeyM
This explains the disturbance in the force I felt. Hmmm....

Nope, the force is instantaneously felt and transcends the speed of light. This happened back when Obi Wan was still alive; A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away....

 

[JoeyM]

Originally posted by: Analog

Originally posted by: JoeyM
This explains the disturbance in the force I felt. Hmmm....

Nope, the force is instantaneously felt and transcends the speed of light. This happened back when Obi Wan was still alive; A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away....

LOL

 

[invidia]

There's too much light pollution here and I can't see jack in the sky at night. Sometimes a full moon is visible.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: invidia
There's too much light pollution here and I can't see jack in the sky at night. Sometimes a full moon is visible.

i know what you mean. it is quite amazing to see the difference that only a few miles can make. where i live it is slightly better than the city, but if i go to my Dad's farm a little more out in the county, it is quite amazing to see the night sky! you can actually see the band of the Milky Way. those are the nights you could just lay down and stare at the stars for hours. so amazing, so awe-inspiring, so beautiful.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: pulse8
How do they know it's half way?

THIS universe is 14~15 billion years old

corrected.

There are some newer ones in different dimensions that i'd like to visit one day.

I do wonder how old the megaverse is.... thats probably infinite.

there could also be infinite universes. there's even one in which you did not reply to this thread.

oh what i would give to be in that universe

 

[BREALL5]

its cool very interesting anything can happen

 

[Spacehead]

Originally posted by: sandorski
I've been watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos recently an he mentions a similar event that occurred a thousand(ish) years back. It was recorder by the Mayans(IIRC) or other Civilization. According to records it was actually brighter than the Moon.

1054?

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: aphex
I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

Probably a satellite or even the Space Station.

I think that those would have looked more like meteors than odd stars, moving across the sky.

Nope, they move very slowly and blink blue, red, or white usually. Kinda like seeing an airplane, except they take many hours to pass.

Um, no. Space station, even if it's near zenith takes about 4-5 to to go from horizon to horizon, and it orbits the Earth every 90 minutes or so.
Satellites, typically you can't see them for very long because there not very bright, few minutes maybe.
Iridium flares can be quite bright(-7 or -8) but are just that... flare ups that last a few seconds.
Geostationary satellites aren't very bright at all i don't believe (can you even see them naked eye?)


I'm gunna guess aphex saw Sirius.

edit-
not sure where aphex is so i picked St. Petersburg Fla
27°46'18"N 82°38'16"W, azimuth 90° (E)
Fri 2008 Mar 21 7:05 UTC

Vega maybe?

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Spacehead

Originally posted by: sandorski
I've been watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos recently an he mentions a similar event that occurred a thousand(ish) years back. It was recorder by the Mayans(IIRC) or other Civilization. According to records it was actually brighter than the Moon.

1054?

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: aphex
I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

Probably a satellite or even the Space Station.

I think that those would have looked more like meteors than odd stars, moving across the sky.

Nope, they move very slowly and blink blue, red, or white usually. Kinda like seeing an airplane, except they take many hours to pass.

Um, no. Space station, even if it's near zenith takes about 4-5 to to go from horizon to horizon, and it orbits the Earth every 90 minutes or so.
Satellites, typically you can't see them for very long because there not very bright, few minutes maybe.
Iridium flares can be quite bright(-7 or -8) but are just that... flare ups that last a few seconds.
Geostationary satellites aren't very bright at all i don't believe (can you even see them naked eye?)


I'm gunna guess aphex saw Sirius.

edit-
not sure where aphex is so i picked St. Petersburg Fla
27°46'18"N 82°38'16"W, azimuth 90° (E)
Fri 2008 Mar 21 7:05 UTC

Vega maybe?

I'm in Sarasota, but only about 40 miles south of St. Pete so its probably the same. Whatever it was, it was much brighter than I usually notice stars to be. It was E-ESE right around 2:15-2:30am.

I look up pretty much every night when I walk my dog for the past few years (different times of night), and I can honestly say I hadn't seen something this bright, nor as flickery as this was (word?). It was bright enough that it caught my eye as soon as I walked out the door while looking straight forward, so it was bright.

 

[Spacehead]

Originally posted by: aphex
I'm in Sarasota, but only about 40 miles south of St. Pete so its probably the same. Whatever it was, it was much brighter than I usually notice stars to be. It was E-ESE right around 2:15-2:30am.

I look up pretty much every night when I walk my dog for the past few years (different times of night), and I can honestly say I hadn't seen something this bright, nor as flickery as this was (word?). It was bright enough that it caught my eye as soon as I walked out the door while looking straight forward, so it was bright.

Arcturus, or possibly Spica.
Arcturus is brighter with a slight orangish tint.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Spacehead

Originally posted by: sandorski
I've been watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos recently an he mentions a similar event that occurred a thousand(ish) years back. It was recorder by the Mayans(IIRC) or other Civilization. According to records it was actually brighter than the Moon.

1054?

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: aphex
I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

Probably a satellite or even the Space Station.

I think that those would have looked more like meteors than odd stars, moving across the sky.

Nope, they move very slowly and blink blue, red, or white usually. Kinda like seeing an airplane, except they take many hours to pass.

Um, no. Space station, even if it's near zenith takes about 4-5 to to go from horizon to horizon, and it orbits the Earth every 90 minutes or so.
Satellites, typically you can't see them for very long because there not very bright, few minutes maybe.
Iridium flares can be quite bright(-7 or -8) but are just that... flare ups that last a few seconds.
Geostationary satellites aren't very bright at all i don't believe (can you even see them naked eye?)


I'm gunna guess aphex saw Sirius.

edit-
not sure where aphex is so i picked St. Petersburg Fla
27°46'18"N 82°38'16"W, azimuth 90° (E)
Fri 2008 Mar 21 7:05 UTC

Vega maybe?

You're probably correct about the Space Station. All I know is that when I lived in the toolies and would go outside for late night/early morning smokes(regular tobacco, no funny stuff ), I'd see these things all the time. They were not stars nor were they aircraft, but they were there, they blinked, and moved very slowly. I suspect they were Communications or similar satellites that require relative stationary orbit for obvious reasons.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: aphex
I went out and walked my dog very late 2-3am EST last night and saw a really weird looking star nearly due east, about 40-50 degrees above the horizon. It was flickering all tons of colors and fairly bright.

I even recall remarking to myself how odd it looked.

Probably a satellite or even the Space Station.

It's too big to be a space station...

 

[ManBearPig]

am i retarded or is a ly a unit of distance, and not time? i thought it was 7.5 billion light years away, not 7.5 billion years ago. so since light travels that much distance in 1 year, that happened that long ago?

also, just because the universe is 15 billion years old does it mean thats how many light years across it is (or whatever you guys meant)? then you're saying that every year the universe grows 1 light year in distance, and thus since its 15 billion years old its 15 billion ly across?

not trying to sound like an ass, but if im wrong, i've got things wrong my whole life (which i guess is possible).

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: Kazaam
am i retarded or is a ly a unit of distance, and not time? i thought it was 7.5 billion light years away, not 7.5 billion years ago. also, just because the universe is 15 billion years old doesnt mean thats how many light years across it is (or whatever you guys meant)...does it? then you're saying that every year the universe grows 1 light year in distance, and thus since its 15 billion years old its 15 billion ly across? wtf...either i am wrong or you are.

not trying to sound like an ass, but if im wrong, i've got things wrong my whole life (which i guess is possible).

A light year is the distance it takes light to travel in one year

1 Light year = 5.87849981 × 10^12 miles

 

[ManBearPig]

ok so since it happened 7.5bil ly away then it means it happened 7.5bil years ago? guess it makes sense...why cant i grasp this concept? lol

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Originally posted by: Kazaam
ok so since it happened 7.5bil ly away then it means it happened 7.5bil years ago? guess it makes sense...why cant i grasp this concept? lol

Yes

 

[ManBearPig]

kill me now, please. why didnt i even think about that?