by Bric » Thu Oct 21, 2010 3:52 pm
You say that the nebula has lasted 150,000 years, a cosmic blink of an eye compared to the 10 billion year age of the star. This is inaccurate. The nebula lasts approximately 1.5e-4 of the life of the star. On the other hand, the human eye blinks in about 350 milliseconds, so if the average person lives about 70 years, an eyeblink represents 1.6e-10 of a human life. So the nebula has survived for more than one million cosmic eye blinks, or about a half a cosmic week. This does not detract from the amazing longevity of the nebula, nor its beauty.
You say that the nebula has lasted 150,000 years, a cosmic blink of an eye compared to the 10 billion year age of the star. This is inaccurate. The nebula lasts approximately 1.5e-4 of the life of the star. On the other hand, the human eye blinks in about 350 milliseconds, so if the average person lives about 70 years, an eyeblink represents 1.6e-10 of a human life. So the nebula has survived for more than one million cosmic eye blinks, or about a half a cosmic week. This does not detract from the amazing longevity of the nebula, nor its beauty.