Starship Asterisk*

Tracing Gold's Cosmic Origin Story Astronomers thought they had finally figured out where the gold, platinum, and other heavy elements in the universe came from. In light of recent results, they’re not so sure. by Ken Croswell Link: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Thank you for this...

BDanielMayfield throws discredits about with gay abandon. Perhaps s/he would like to be more specific about where the discredits should fall, lest they fall back on her/im? Oh, I’m just being my somewhat contrarian and yet friendly self, a gentleman who dares to question everything, yet respectfull...

BDanielMayfield throws discredits about with gay abandon. Perhaps s/he would like to be more specific about where the discredits should fall, lest they fall back on her/im? Oh, I’m just being my somewhat contrarian and yet friendly self, a gentleman who dares to question everything, yet respectfull...

In honor of all who mainly comment on what some object in an APOD looks like, Perhaps it smells like a barnyard too. (All those aromatic hydrocarbons, etc.)

Stellar density in solar neighborhood is only 0.004 stars per cubic light year :!: Stellar density is the average number of stars within a unit volume. It is similar to the stellar mass density, which is the total solar masses (MSun) found within a unit volume. Typically, the volume used by astrono...

neufer wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 4:45 pm

BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:21 pm
A lot of theories still need to be formally discredited.

• I hereby discredit them all

I wholeheartedly endorse this discredation. (My brain also concurs.)

Stellar density in solar neighborhood is only 0.004 stars per cubic light year :!: Stellar density is the average number of stars within a unit volume. It is similar to the stellar mass density, which is the total solar masses (MSun) found within a unit volume. Typically, the volume used by astronom...

500 light year away in that direction and there are no stars in front of it? That seems unlikely. But this cloud is very small as these objects go, being "only half a light year across." Something that small even at that distance could easily have no stars between us and it. Space is most...

500 light year away in that direction and there are no stars in front of it? That seems unlikely. But this cloud is very small as these objects go, being "only half a light year across." Something that small even at that distance could easily have no stars between us and it. Space is most...

The intellectual waters are deeper than we are tall here, but still we try to tread along. I could certainly be wrong, but Ann, you might be conflating two different things here: Universal shape and universal destiny, space and time. The universe's shape can be closed, flat or open while it's destin...

It is correct, that Dark matter has 10 different types? And you have to use it in your mathematical models. Or I forgot something? 1. Very small neutron stars, young pulsars, quark stars. 2. Black holes and jets from electrons. 3. Red dwarfes (the smallest and coolest kind of star), any planets. 4....

... half a light-year across. It is not known exactly how molecular clouds like Barnard 68 form, but it is known that these clouds are themselves likely places for new stars to form. In fact, Barnard 68 itself has been found likely to collapse and form a new star system. This then is proof that not...

A lot of theories still need to be formally discredited.

But since Meridiani Planum is not really well defined, it looks like some other convention was agreed upon as the exact location of the Martian prime meridian. Looking at this map from http://planetary-science.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/GhoO4SV.jpg, I see one small crater in particular that see...

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_201118.jpg A Double Star Cluster in Perseus Explanation: Most star clusters are singularly impressive. Open clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884, however, could be considered doubly impressive. Also known as "h and chi Persei", this unusual double cluster , s...

One night decades ago I came across the Double Cluster by accident while randomly scanning the sky with a pair of new binoculars. It was quite impressive!

So uranium, Z=92, half life of most stable isotope U-238 at 4.468×10^9 years, is the heaviest element found in a main sequence star's spectra. But what about kilo or supernova stellar remnants? Is there evidence for any of the trans-uranium elements in stellar explosions?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Druse.jpg <<Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO2) and owes its violet color to irradiation, impurities of iron and in some cases other transition metals, and the presence of other trace elements, which result in complex crystal lattice sub...

More on the above comment from weather.com: Hurricane Iota is nearing Central America as a dangerous Category 5, where it will bring potentially catastrophic rainfall flooding, mudslides, storm surge and damaging winds for the second time in two weeks. Late Monday morning, Iota became only the secon...

I[t] appears that every stable element has been detected in stars, at least up to uranium. This shows the spectroscopically determined abundances of elements from copper to uranium in Sirius A (the black stars) and in the Sun (the blue Sun symbols). Reference. Update: actually, I note that the grap...

Unlike the meaning "the slightest amount" hurricane Iota has now exceeded forecasts, becoming a CAT 5 hurricane! This makes it the strongest hurricane of this horrible 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

Pb (lead, element 82) might be tough to beat Art. What prompted my question was this: Abstract The thermal evolution of rocky planets on geological timescales (Gyr) depends on the heat input from the long-lived radiogenic elements potassium, thorium, and uranium. Concentrations of the latter two in ...

What is the heaviest element as yet detected in any star’s spectrum?

This disease does not appear to confer any lasting immunity on those who get it. So our hope for herd immunity hangs on the right kind of vaccine. Otherwise, we'd better develop effective treatments. That's not at all reassuring. If catching this damn contagion doesn't even confer lasting immunity,...

This disease does not appear to confer any lasting immunity on those who get it. So our hope for herd immunity hangs on the right kind of vaccine. Otherwise, we'd better develop effective treatments. That's not at all reassuring. If catching this damn contagion doesn't even confer lasting immunity,...