The real question that has to be answered is ‘what is the prevalence of simple life forms vs advanced technological life forms in the cosmos?’ I think the universe is teaming with simple life, like the stuff that was around up until about 1 BYO here on Earth. But advanced technological civilisations are a different matter and the consensus now amongst most credible scientists (Avi Loeb IMV is not amongst their number and quite why he still has tenure at Harvard is simply a reflection of how far tertiary education has sunk in the advanced economies) is that they are extremely rare with an upper prevalence of one per galax and a lower prevalence on just one in the whole cosmos. Why? Because intelligence is not the end destination of evolution. Filling every available niche and adapting to change is. Intelligence and the ability to manipulate the environment on a grand scale that comes from that is pure fluke. We are an accident of nature.
It’s called random optimization. It takes a lot of iterations to see improvement, most of them fail.
I really don't know why we worry about Intelligent Life on Other Stars. We can't realistically get to them anyway. Speed of Light an' all that.
Intelligent Life on Earth is a rarity anyway, as people often realise through experience. Most of us can only hope to have a pleasant disposition, and intellectual curiosity, IMO.
Amongst my many ongoing investigations, I learn that the 2 Boeing Starliner astronauts are officially "MAROONED IN SPACE!". 🤣
https://gizmodo.com/nasa-might-dela...-to-return-stranded-starliner-crew-2000483330
Who designed this garbage, and who authorised its launch? 5 Helium leaks and an unexplained thruster failure out of its 28 total suggests that only a mug would try and get back to Earth alive in it.
I really can't imagine why Liquid Helium is even needed in a space capsule. It's untrustworthy stuff in my experience.
There seems little need to have a second source of capsules, since Elon's Dragon seems to go like a good un', and may pick up the hapless Boeing astronauts.
My Physics book (Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli) is descending into the usual dullness and predictabilty, albeit he demolishes a lot of current Physics nonsense like Hidden Variables and Multiverses in Quantum theory. Much talk of Quantum Entanglement, which I really don't find interesting. We sorted it pages back, its just how it works:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/does-this-explain-what-generates-gravity.393908/page-226
I suppose I must plod onto the end with it. I am actually keener to have a bash at the Dirac Equation for the Electron:
https://www.privatdozent.co/p/when-feynman-met-dirac-25b
Dirac's equation, uniting quantum mechanics, special relativity and half spin worked well from the ground up with the Anomolous Zeeman effect, but failed to explain the Lamb Shift in Hydrogen 2s and 2p levels.
Feynman's theory calculated the Lamb Shift as a first order loop AFAIK, but Dirac considered it ugly. "Is it Unitary?" he demanded of Feynman. No I don't know what that is either. except some sort of symmetry.
Finally, a bit of an update on the Blaze Star or Nova, T CrB:
https://gizmodo.com/move-over-eclipse-a-new-celestial-wonder-is-set-to-tak-1851399742
It could go not just Nova, but even Supernova at any minute! 😀
A Physicists life is INTENSE.
Intelligent Life on Earth is a rarity anyway, as people often realise through experience. Most of us can only hope to have a pleasant disposition, and intellectual curiosity, IMO.
Amongst my many ongoing investigations, I learn that the 2 Boeing Starliner astronauts are officially "MAROONED IN SPACE!". 🤣
https://gizmodo.com/nasa-might-dela...-to-return-stranded-starliner-crew-2000483330
Who designed this garbage, and who authorised its launch? 5 Helium leaks and an unexplained thruster failure out of its 28 total suggests that only a mug would try and get back to Earth alive in it.
I really can't imagine why Liquid Helium is even needed in a space capsule. It's untrustworthy stuff in my experience.
There seems little need to have a second source of capsules, since Elon's Dragon seems to go like a good un', and may pick up the hapless Boeing astronauts.
My Physics book (Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli) is descending into the usual dullness and predictabilty, albeit he demolishes a lot of current Physics nonsense like Hidden Variables and Multiverses in Quantum theory. Much talk of Quantum Entanglement, which I really don't find interesting. We sorted it pages back, its just how it works:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/does-this-explain-what-generates-gravity.393908/page-226
I suppose I must plod onto the end with it. I am actually keener to have a bash at the Dirac Equation for the Electron:
https://www.privatdozent.co/p/when-feynman-met-dirac-25b
Dirac's equation, uniting quantum mechanics, special relativity and half spin worked well from the ground up with the Anomolous Zeeman effect, but failed to explain the Lamb Shift in Hydrogen 2s and 2p levels.
Feynman's theory calculated the Lamb Shift as a first order loop AFAIK, but Dirac considered it ugly. "Is it Unitary?" he demanded of Feynman. No I don't know what that is either. except some sort of symmetry.
Finally, a bit of an update on the Blaze Star or Nova, T CrB:
https://gizmodo.com/move-over-eclipse-a-new-celestial-wonder-is-set-to-tak-1851399742
It could go not just Nova, but even Supernova at any minute! 😀
A Physicists life is INTENSE.
You should start a blog system7, or do something on Instagram. Call yourself 'The Outrageous Physicist' or something similar. Some science mixed in with a bit of sarcasm and a dash of humour for good measure. Very British.
😉
😉
But, could they get to us? Einstein–Rosen bridges an' all that.
Perhaps they're already here and are collectively called Steve! 😊
I woke up today feeling sluggish. Had the charge on the electron decreased overnight? 😕
Decided to watch a movie after a coffee, in the hope things might be quickly restored by the electricity engineers:
http://dingercatadventures.blogspot.com/2012/
IN THE LHC NOBODY CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM... 🤣
Pretty good actually. Especially if you like Zombie films with all their gory predictability. Best thing since "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" IMO.
(Also available on youtube.)
But it is 75 minutes I must warn you, which may stretch some people's attention spans. I am thinking of @Galu here. 😀
Decided to watch a movie after a coffee, in the hope things might be quickly restored by the electricity engineers:
http://dingercatadventures.blogspot.com/2012/
IN THE LHC NOBODY CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM... 🤣
Pretty good actually. Especially if you like Zombie films with all their gory predictability. Best thing since "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" IMO.
(Also available on youtube.)
But it is 75 minutes I must warn you, which may stretch some people's attention spans. I am thinking of @Galu here. 😀
That story misses the point even though it links to this Ars Technica article:
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/...the-launch-of-crew-9-due-to-starliner-issues/
The 7th and 8th paragraphs say (talking about burying the lede):
It's easy enough to think of horrible scenarios. If the astronauts were to become disabled before docking or after undocking, the Starliner could (apparently) not be controlled and they would literally be lost in space or lost in a random reentry. And apparently there's no way to undock the Starliner WITHOUT an astronaut inside controlling it.
My nighttime photography escapades is going so and so... if anyone winded 🙂
But shame to whom that gives up.
//
But shame to whom that gives up.
//
I don't know how observations by @TNT are going up near the North Pole, but my night-time Nova observations yielded absolutely ZIP as usual. 😡
I know the quality is abysmal, but you have no idea what I am up against:
Hardly Dark-Sky friendly is it? This horror was installed by the local council around their shabby garages next door.
Bringing shame upon our otherwise lovely Southsea street, and adversely impacting neighbourhood property values.
That is a microwave if anyone wants it. People usually throw them out when they need cleaning, so I expect it works.
The one I found outside the flats opposite, when my old one had rusted away, works just great. 😎
I know the quality is abysmal, but you have no idea what I am up against:
Hardly Dark-Sky friendly is it? This horror was installed by the local council around their shabby garages next door.
Bringing shame upon our otherwise lovely Southsea street, and adversely impacting neighbourhood property values.
That is a microwave if anyone wants it. People usually throw them out when they need cleaning, so I expect it works.
The one I found outside the flats opposite, when my old one had rusted away, works just great. 😎
To continue my rant about streetlights, here's a couple of pictures of WHAT I AM UP AGAINST... 🙁
Those garage lights and others are doing a splendid job of illuminating the sides of our building, rather than walkways:
You can also see the glow of City lights over the Naval Dockyard and Gunwharf Quays Eastwards, along with the Red warning lights of the Spinnaker Tower.
Rendering anything under 30 degrees unobservable.
Corona is above the front corner of the building, Arcturus above the back corner, though only the camera reveal them.
I think the City made an understandable effort to preserve the gas-mantle "warm white" Dickensian appearance of our streetlights, but could have done better with downward directed bulbs.
I spoke to the street engineer whilst he was measuring and noting voltages on them. Amazingly they are now WiFi controlled and dim 50% after 10 PM.
I complimented him on his work to save the planet. He told me that it was just a job, and he didn't know much about the city lighting really.
There is no excuse for that bright "cool white" round thing on the corner of the flats though.
Alas, we have no windows directly facing it, so I can't complain. Perhaps I should riot, like everybody else it seems, and simply put a hammer to it? 🤣
Those garage lights and others are doing a splendid job of illuminating the sides of our building, rather than walkways:
You can also see the glow of City lights over the Naval Dockyard and Gunwharf Quays Eastwards, along with the Red warning lights of the Spinnaker Tower.
Rendering anything under 30 degrees unobservable.
Corona is above the front corner of the building, Arcturus above the back corner, though only the camera reveal them.
I think the City made an understandable effort to preserve the gas-mantle "warm white" Dickensian appearance of our streetlights, but could have done better with downward directed bulbs.
I spoke to the street engineer whilst he was measuring and noting voltages on them. Amazingly they are now WiFi controlled and dim 50% after 10 PM.
I complimented him on his work to save the planet. He told me that it was just a job, and he didn't know much about the city lighting really.
There is no excuse for that bright "cool white" round thing on the corner of the flats though.
Alas, we have no windows directly facing it, so I can't complain. Perhaps I should riot, like everybody else it seems, and simply put a hammer to it? 🤣
At my summer house it's quite dark but 45km outside of city centre there is still a glow. In the discussed direction of the color star there are high pine trees that obscure the sky. Here is a few with a 40/2,8. I had to twist the camera about 45 deg in hope to get some
thing more then "the star" so north here is 45 deg left.
Checking the captures gave nothing. I must resort to long exposure but I dont have a stand here. Need too innovate.... 🙂
Steve... a nebula or a specular highlight?
//
thing more then "the star" so north here is 45 deg left.
Checking the captures gave nothing. I must resort to long exposure but I dont have a stand here. Need too innovate.... 🙂
Steve... a nebula or a specular highlight?
//
I picked up a very nice fully working Sony CD player off the street when I was living in Japan. I had it for 3 or 4 yrs before gifting it to IIRC my son who was also living there at the time.
Humans are natural scavengers. I was earning a fat salary at the time and could have gone out and bought a new CD player to add to my collection, but the thrill of getting something for free with no strings attached seems to good to be true. I now know how hyenas feel when they steal a hapless leopards dinner.
Now I'm setup for some hopefully nice captures...
Set to M mode I could dial in 25 sec exposure but for some reason f was stuck at 5,6 and I could not maker it one step wider which the lens support... iso 1600... Haven't done this much before so a bit excited 🙃
This should give a good coverage with the crazy star in the left/lower part of capture... and hopefully some more ones in order to know the location..
//