Search found 17468 matches

by Chris Peterson
Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:36 am
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Comet Holmes from Hubble Space Telescope (APOD 28 Nov 2007)
Replies: 32
Views: 9539

That I completely disagree with. You like the word transform. I think the correct word is ALTER. I use the word "transform" because it accurately describes the typical process used in scientific image processing. No new data is created. You can take the transformed image and reverse what ...
by Chris Peterson
Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:44 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

That is exactly why quantum mechanics states there are a finite number of units between 1 and 3, in both time and space. The imagination can perceive an infinite amount of units, the science of quantum cannot. I can't speak to the limitations of your imagination, but I assure you that quantum mecha...
by Chris Peterson
Thu Dec 13, 2007 2:38 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

I'm fully aware of the definition of infinity, infinity is simply no limit. That isn't any definition of infinity I've ever encountered. What happens if any of these values are assigned infinity? Values can't be "assigned infinity"; infinity itself isn't a value. If the "Whole" ...
by Chris Peterson
Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:59 pm
Forum: The Asterisk Café: Discuss Anything Astronomy Related
Topic: What's seen by the naked eye?
Replies: 3
Views: 1849

Re: What's seen by the naked eye?

Hello I'm wondering if all the stars we see with the naked eye are within our Milky Way Galaxy. Just to clarify Case's answer, you are correct that all the individual stars you can see with the naked eye are in our own galaxy, and in fact, are in our local region of the Galaxy. Any more distant lig...
by Chris Peterson
Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:04 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

Then I would like you to explain to me the mechanics on how you can increase the limit on a limitless value - I can't see it. I don't know what to say, except that you need to review a first year calculus text. You don't seem to understand either limits, nor the mathematical meaning of infinity. Th...
by Chris Peterson
Tue Dec 11, 2007 8:06 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

Dr. Skeptic wrote:The universe cannot be infinite, (implying static) and expanding at the same time.
Infinite does not in any way imply static.
by Chris Peterson
Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:43 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

You can conceive infinity but it can't be measured, it can't be divided, it can't be added to, it can't be put on paper, it cannot be placed in a ratio, it cannot manipulated by integers in any way - its simply the intellectual concept "If there is no limit". Quantum mechanics has set lim...
by Chris Peterson
Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:38 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

Infinity implies no limit or a non-existent limit. Expanding implies an increase in the limit. How can a limit that does not exist increase? "No limit" comes close to making sense mathematically. But note that "no limit" is a condition, not a noun. "Expanding implies an inc...
by Chris Peterson
Mon Dec 10, 2007 5:29 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

Sorry, I do understand the non-limit of Infinity. Your response contradicts itself, if a non-limit of infinity is reached it cannot expand. Limitless cannot expand, that is exactly what I mean when stating the limit infinity x 2 does not change its value. You are trying to use language to describe ...
by Chris Peterson
Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:35 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Photo of Mars from France (APOD 06 Dec 2007)
Replies: 10
Views: 3308

To say two celestial objects are 180 degrees apart, is only valid when the point of observation [or, reference point] is cited. Any two objects are always 180 apart, since they lie in a straight line. That's true. But what I said was "180° apart in the sky", which I think should be reason...
by Chris Peterson
Sat Dec 08, 2007 2:39 am
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

If the universe is infinite it cannot grow, infinity +1 still equals the same number. Do you see why infinity is a hard limit to grasp? Your use of ∞ is trying to state that 2∞≻∞, that is incorrect, a false statement. Sorry, but you don't understand infinity. It isn't a number . You can't apply mat...
by Chris Peterson
Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:35 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Photo of Mars from France (APOD 06 Dec 2007)
Replies: 10
Views: 3308

I can understand [now] that there are 2 kinds of opposition. The problem, as I see it, is that folks only say "opposition" without specifying which they mean. No, there really aren't two kinds of opposition. It should always be obvious from the context whether you are discussing oppositio...
by Chris Peterson
Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:16 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Comet Holmes from Hubble Space Telescope (APOD 28 Nov 2007)
Replies: 32
Views: 9539

Gosh this is beginning to take on the appearance that space is all in the imagination of mathematicians. Calculations of wobbles and strobes that indicate something is there. It seems to take trick photography, artist renditions, and graphic designers to convince us. ... I am truly let down, crushe...
by Chris Peterson
Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:57 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

Infinity is a conceptual limit, it does not exist passed our imaginations. I disagree. As a language construct, it is generally vague and ill-defined. But mathematically, it is rigorous, and there is no reason to think that in its mathematical senses it doesn't act as a proxy for something that exi...
by Chris Peterson
Thu Dec 06, 2007 2:53 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Extent of space (APOD 23 Mar 2006)
Replies: 103
Views: 27429

If the universe and/or time were infinite, it would allow the mathematical statement "1/infinity" to be real value. The result would be any possible event would have to have taken place because the probability of any event would be equivalent to infinity/infinity = 1 or 100%, even if/when...
by Chris Peterson
Thu Dec 06, 2007 3:38 am
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Comet Holmes from Hubble Space Telescope (APOD 28 Nov 2007)
Replies: 32
Views: 9539

I have agreed earlier that the coma light is sunlight. Very nice picture. Are you saying the bright light in the HST coming from the core is sunlight too? That bright? Yes. The core, or pseudonucleus, is part of the coma as well. It consists of the same dust, just in higher concentration because of...
by Chris Peterson
Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:15 am
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Comet Holmes from Hubble Space Telescope (APOD 28 Nov 2007)
Replies: 32
Views: 9539

Is it really far fetched to think a very large thing like Jupiter could influence the orbit of a 2.2 mile wide piece of rock like Holmes? Holmes is orbiting in a region of the Solar System where orbits are not very stable. It probably began as a long period comet that was perturbed into a short per...
by Chris Peterson
Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:09 am
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Comet Holmes from Hubble Space Telescope (APOD 28 Nov 2007)
Replies: 32
Views: 9539

Re: HOlmes light

However, lending it some credibility by virtue of your knowledge, in the reference it states that dust etc keeps us from seeing the light from the galactic center. Dust completely blocks out the light of billions of suns. More correctly, thousands of light years of dust is able to block out virtual...
by Chris Peterson
Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:31 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Aurora in the Distance (APOD 19 Nov 2007)
Replies: 38
Views: 13153

Chris, the lens flare around the moon is white and red and large, but I doubt that the white flare is because this is a low quality lens. That isn't the kind of flare I'm talking about. I'm referring to internal reflections between elements that produce secondary images of bright sources. They are ...
by Chris Peterson
Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:27 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Aurora in the Distance (APOD 19 Nov 2007)
Replies: 38
Views: 13153

Would you like to share an example of one of your flares with us that you think demonstrates this effect. And don't forget, the flare needs to point 'away' from the light source with its brightest point furthest from the moon. Getting the same kind of flare means using the same kind of lens. Why no...
by Chris Peterson
Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:25 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Aurora in the Distance (APOD 19 Nov 2007)
Replies: 38
Views: 13153

Undoubtedly, that lens open as it is on F4 is flaring quite badly from the moonlight, you can see the huge flare halo and its numerous flare spikes radiating out from the moons light source. But they are all WHITE - as they should be for a white source. However, this single spike is green and almos...
by Chris Peterson
Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:27 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Galaxies in Pegasus (APOD 24 Nov 2007)
Replies: 9
Views: 3048

It seems to me that these are dichotomous. A solar system (or a single galaxy by itself) represents the stable "end state" (if there really is such a thing) of a process of gravitational interactions among the constituents. A group of continually colliding galaxies cannot be considered a ...
by Chris Peterson
Sat Nov 24, 2007 3:40 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Galaxies in Pegasus (APOD 24 Nov 2007)
Replies: 9
Views: 3048

Are these galaxies all part of a "galactic group" or whatever the correct terminology is, i.e., with relatively small relative motion to one another, or are they just meeting at the same place at the same time just by happenstance? They are a true grouping, i.e. they are gravitationally b...
by Chris Peterson
Wed Nov 21, 2007 10:39 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: More on the size of Holmes (APOD 21 Nov 2007)
Replies: 4
Views: 1907

Are you talking about the inflection point at about 1000 arcseconds on the newest measurement or the one at about 500 arcseconds? The outer one, at 1000 arcsec. This is a little above the noise floor of the image. Each profile was taken the same way, perpendicular to the tail/spreading pseudonucleu...
by Chris Peterson
Wed Nov 21, 2007 7:40 pm
Forum: The Bridge: Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day
Topic: Size of Holmes's Coma (APOD 17 Nov 2007)
Replies: 12
Views: 3452

In terms of Electric Theory, they would hypothesize that Holmes, in its northernmost venturing in its orbit, would possibly be encountering a different area of the solar e-field, and that is the reason Holmes became active. The idea that the Sun's weak electric field has any significant influence o...