Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have more than one moon? Would the nights be twice as romantic? It may take more than two moons to help me out. This ugly old country boy has to rely on his magnetic personality (yea, right).
Anyway, we did have two moons and not very long ago. It was back between September 2006 and June 2007 when the earth captured a small (16 feet wide) asteroid. It actually orbited our world four times before it went on its way. Do you think that the coyotes howled a little more?
Speaking about astronomy, do you know how things have changed just in a few years? Before the digital camera, images where taken on photographic plates. Astronomers and scientists could study them completely and wish for more data. Today with the advent of the digital camera the tables are turned. There is now way more data than the scientists can sift through.
The sky surveys are an example of too much data. Now, there is a new telescope being installed in Chile and should be producing data by 2019. It will use a 3.2 billion-pixel camera. Yes that is billion with a capital “B”. It will produce 30 terabytes of data nightly. That’s a lot of data. “Some experts have dubbed it the age of peta-scale astronomy – that’s 10 to the 15th power.” A “tonabytes” as one astronomer calls it.
For some insight, I will compare it to my two cameras. My first camera took .jpg pictures 0.3 million pixels and .bmp at 5.3 million pixels. My newer one takes .jpg pictures at 6.1 million pixels. Just a drop in the bucket of what all the telescopes can produce in one day. Now, instead of not having enough data, they have too much. So, they are going to the internet and let everyone help decipher the data. (This information was from April 2011 Discover and Feb. 2011 Astronomy magazines)
On parting, one last question. Since they are now finding billions of galaxies which contain billions and trillions of stars, don’t you think there is intelligent life out there somewhere? I do. No matter how religious you may be, there is nothing in my Bible that says earth is the only planet that God placed humans.
I agree Dizzy,I think there is life out there! They may be closer than we think. I am enjoying my new camera,Blessings jane
ReplyDeleteJane, Yes, I believe there is life out there, but even if we learn how to travel at the speed of light, cotact will be impossible. Unless they turn up with in 50 light years, and then it would be a long conversation, 50 years both ways via radio, a 100 years before an answer could be reached. The most promising would be far off galaxies, millions and billions of light years away.
ReplyDeleteBack to the original thought. If we had two moons, what would happen to the tides?
ReplyDeleteBen, they would get wishy washy.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think there is more life than just what is on earth. Amazing how far we have come in the digital age with not just cameras, which is awesome, but electronically where we can communicate across the world with just a keyboard and a modem.
ReplyDeleteHow can one believe in Heaven and God, without also believing in life elsewhere in the universe ?
ReplyDeleteThat asteroid must have been bumped by the moon, in order to get thrown out of earth orbit.
Kathie, The amount of data available is overwhelming. The scientists went and buried themselves in it. If there is life out there, there is no way to communicate with it in one generation.
ReplyDeleteSpud, I agree on live elsewhere. The asteroid didn’t hit the moon, but the moons gravity could have been the reason it left us so soon after its arrival.
I never understood why so many people believe that science and religion are mutually exclusive. Worldly dogmas may fall like cards to scientific scrutiny (such as Galileo's interactions with the Catholic church) but never once has anything observed by science disproved the God which I believe the Bible describes, nor would any religion which objects to such scrutiny be one which I want to be a part of. Like my Pastor said a few weeks back, God isn't afraid of your questions.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, my wife and I are finally making the vacation of a lifetime to Hawaii this late spring. Our trip will include a night of stargazing at the Mauna Kea summit. I had the chance to do so when I lived in Hilo during 99-2000. It was by far the greatest view of the night sky I had ever scene. I'll take plenty of pics for you.
Grant, Wow, can I come along????
ReplyDeleteOf course, but you're on your own for the plane ticket!
ReplyDelete