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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Black holes, dark energy... and darkwing duck |
| 2005-05-10 |
| What the above have in common? They are all fantasy. True, the first two are the result of a mathematical model of the universe. But is seems that math constructs beat observations, in the current scheme of things, hands down. NASA Satellite Captures Black Hole Birth GREENBELT, Md. (AP) -- The birth of a black hole has been captured for the first time, a NASA scientist said Monday. NASA's Swift orbiting observatory detected the gamma ray burst of the collision between two dense neutron stars about early Monday and pointed its visible light and X-ray telescopes at the collision about a minute later, said Neil Gehrels, lead scientist for the Swift mission. "The birth cry of a black hole is one way people like to put it," Gehrels said, adding the huge flash of gamma rays was "seen across the whole universe." "Birth cry"..., Oh, the sheer poetry of it! "Across the whole universe"... mc squared be damned! The satellite recorded the x-rays from the collision, but the visible light was too faint to be detected by the satellite. However, alerts sent to ground-based telescopes enabled them to view the afterglow of the collision, Gehrels said. Astronomers have theorized the collapse or collision of massive stars is what produces black holes - so dense not even light can escape - and that the resulting gravitational energy sends gamma rays shooting out across time and space. The collision matched what theorists had predicted would happen when two dying stars collide, Gehrels said, helping solve a "mystery that has been with us for 30 years." #1. So, which was it, x-rays or gamma rays? If the model predicts gamma rays and you get x-rays burst, the prediction does not pan out. #2. The stars in question have different red-shifts (I still have to verify this), that would place them so apart that it is not even funny, according our esteemed cosmologists take on the red shift. So, did they colide via some 'spooky mechanism at a distance'? It may be a considerable distance, I may add. #3. "the visible light was too faint to be detected by the satellite". But "black holes - so dense not even light can escape". OK, it may be just that the writer is too dense. |
| Posted by:Sobiesky |
| #17 Haven't been in a newsgroup for ages. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-05-10 23:59 |
| #16 ahhhh ABPECartoons |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-10 23:10 |
| #15 You want to buy some peektures? I have them all, I believe... here's a relatively benign example. (SNSFW) |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-10 22:25 |
| #14 Just a little, ehm, modification... "All that probably happened". I am not an authority so I better use qualifiers. Frank, this Jessica Rabbit? |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-05-10 22:01 |
| #13 yep, Jessica Rabbit was a fantasy mmmmmmm |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-10 21:54 |
| #12 Angie, after some musing and considerations, I take back my calling Darkwing Duck a fantasy. ;-) |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-05-10 21:39 |
| #11 Whoops, there is no baby black hole. All that happened was a high energy electric arc that jumped between the two busybodies (that is the flash that has been seen initially). That may have resulted in gama rays burst (that part is still unconfirmed) and then as the energy dissipated, the wavelength shifted towards x-rays and ultraviolet spectrum. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-05-10 21:36 |
| #10 Black holes, dark energy... and darkwing duck This is the best Rantburg headline EVER! What the above have in common? They are all fantasy. You take that back about Darkwing, you bastard! OK, where to begin: So, which was it, x-rays or gamma rays? Both. The coalescence will produce photons at a variety of wavelengths. Visible light, too. But "black holes - so dense not even light can escape". That's from the hole itself, once it's established. Emission can escape from the collision. Well, in the process of writing this, the household gamma ray expert came home, and he said it was You're still in the doghouse about Darkwing, though. I am the terror that flaps in the night! |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2005-05-10 21:35 |
| #9 Two dense neutron masses meet for bursting gamma ray star sex, basking in the afterglow they realize there's a little black unit as a result. |
| Posted by: Whoops 2005-05-10 21:22 |
| #8 mhw, thanks for the elucidation. There is a bit of difference, though. Gamma rays cannot be reflected/captured by mirrors. So, another method has to be used to gauge the critters (Compton scattering telescopes). According to the model, when a star collapses into a black hole, a burst of gamma rays is emited. The x-rays come later (plus some ultravioled and even longer waves) emited at event horizon, when additional matter is falling into the black hole. So, what do you think? Is our sun a black hole? It emits both gamma and x-rays. Hell, even Jupiter does emit x-rays and radio waves. Something just does not add up. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-05-10 21:21 |
| #7 for the record gamma rays are very short waves, shorter than 1 trillionth of a meter x-rays are almost as short, between a billionth and a trillionth - the gamma rays and x rays are supposed to be generated at or near the event boundary of a black hole - the gamma rays and x rays hit other particles and generate some light rays and even some radio waves |
| Posted by: mhw 2005-05-10 20:49 |
| #6 Happy blackhole to you, Happy blackhole to you, Happy blackhole dear NASA, We'll adjust the budget for youuuuu... |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2005-05-10 20:31 |
| #5 rkb 17 - quark editor |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-10 20:18 |
| #4 Moved. |
| Posted by: rkb 2005-05-10 20:02 |
| #3 No wait, it'll be steve -18 the so called quantum editor. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-05-10 19:47 |
| #2 It was too massive for page 3. Delete when the Death editor arriveee.... |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-05-10 19:46 |
| #1 This was 'possed to go to page 3... Did I mess up? |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-05-10 19:29 |
