Billion-pixel image of the Milky Way's centre

[samjh]

http://astrosurf.com/sguisard/Pagim/GC.html

Pure marvel.

[koshatnik]

Awesome stuff.

[Boom!!!]

Looks more like the huge amount of space dust that sits between us and the centre,

seriously to take a picture of the centre we would have to travel outside of the Milkyway

and that wont happen any time soon.

[solitaire]

I've got that picture as my desktop... Great for multiple monitors ;)

[Chronon]

Looks more like the huge amount of space dust that sits between us and the centre,

seriously to take a picture of the centre we would have to travel outside of the Milkyway

and that wont happen any time soon.

Aren't you being a bit pedantic? We can see the bulge at the center, if not the center itself.

[Eddie Wilson]

That's cool. Check out the picture of Saturn's new ring and the size of it.

http://www.myembarq.com/news/read.php?id=17379850&ps=1010&cat=&cps=0&lang=en

[Exodist]

Looks more like the huge amount of space dust that sits between us and the centre,

seriously to take a picture of the centre we would have to travel outside of the Milkyway

and that wont happen any time soon.
We have a dormant super massive blackhole pulling solor systems and everything else toward the center of our galaxy. So its the same on both sides of the center. It appears like dust, but in reality its just brighter due to the higher population of solar systems and suns.

That really is a great photo of our backyard tho..

[Swerve1000]

Wow, that's a serious amount of stars.

[Eisenwinter]

That really is a great photo of our backyard tho..
What makes you think it is "our" backyard?

I hate the human race.

[NoaHall]

We have a dormant super massive blackhole pulling solor systems and everything else toward the center of our galaxy. So its the same on both sides of the center. It appears like dust, but in reality its just brighter due to the higher population of solar systems and suns.

That really is a great photo of our backyard tho..

They aren't in the center. There isn't a center as such.

[LowSky]

What makes you think it is "our" backyard?

I hate the human race.

No other species has ever said "get out of my yard"

And why do you call it the human race. Where's the finish line, and more importantly whose competing? And if you hate it so much why are you socializing with other humans?

[JillSwift]

We have a dormant super massive blackhole pulling solor systems and everything else toward the center of our galaxy. So its the same on both sides of the center. It appears like dust, but in reality its just brighter due to the higher population of solar systems and suns.

That really is a great photo of our backyard tho..
What's a "dormant" black hole, and aren't all black holes - by definition - super massive?

[Skripka]

What's a "dormant" black hole, and aren't all black holes - by definition - super massive?

They come from big...to very very very big. Kinda like burgers.

[openfly]

So where might one find raw source for said image?

[JillSwift]

They come from big...to very very very big. Kinda like burgers.
Nah. They all have the same size (as in volume): Nil.

But they sure do come in various super-masses. From "Yikes!" to "OhmygodWE'REALLGONNADIE!"

I'm still curious as to what a "dormant" black hole is, though.

[blur xc]

And why do you call it the human race. Where's the finish line, and more importantly whose competing? And if you hate it so much why are you socializing with other humans?

Ask Darwin- or some of his followers. The way I was tought in school is that all life competes to survive. It's survival of the fittest- so by that reasoning, he who's genes pass on the most- wins. Isn't that the meaning of life? If it isn't- than what is?

edit- 2nd question- we socialize as a means to help us survive. Some animals are solitary- other group together. We, group together as a means of making life easier for us to survive. The same way they are now saying dogs domesticated themselves, since it's was easier to follow man around eating our scraps than to hunt for themselves. Socializing w/ humans helps them survive.

BM

[Exodist]

What's a "dormant" black hole, and aren't all black holes - by definition - super massive?

Blackholes can go dormant per se just like Volcanoes. Just not the same way. When a Blackhole goes dormant its because it has consumed so much matter then the energy it gives off keeps the incoming matter pushed away at bay until the energy force is over whelmed by its gravitational pull.

[bodyharvester]

blackholes are singularities

but they constantly expel energy, until they run out and go poof! (sort of like when a star dies)

[JillSwift]

Blackholes can go dormant per se just like Volcanoes. Just not the same way. When a Blackhole goes dormant its because it has consumed so much matter then the energy it gives off keeps the incoming matter pushed away at bay until the energy force is over whelmed by its gravitational pull.
Strange. I went looking for other references to "dormancy" of black holes, and all the answers seem to be the opposite in terms of matter.

If there's enough material being squeezed into the singularity's gravity well, some of the heated infalling plasma interacts with the magnetic fields and it is "slingshotted" around the hole at high velocity in "jets" directed away from the poles of the black hole. In this state the black hole is considered "active". When there is less matter being drawn in, so that there is none being shifted up in state to plasma and no jets are being formed, the singularity is considered "dormant".

Well, either way - curiosity satisfied. Thankies.

[Boom!!!]

We have a dormant super massive blackhole pulling solor systems and everything else toward the center of our galaxy. So its the same on both sides of the center. It appears like dust, but in reality its just brighter due to the higher population of solar systems and suns.

That really is a great photo of our backyard tho..


That is dust, and more specifically if you look at the Milkyway you will see this dust as

spirals, But if you go in search of a picture it will not be the real thing because as I said

before to take a picture of the MW or centre we would have to travel outside of the MW.
:P
If we had direct visual of the centre it would be so bright that the Earth would light up.

[Sealbhach]

Awesome picture. I grew up in an area with very little light pollution and used to look up at the galaxy overhead on many a night. Brings back that sense of awe looking at how many stars there are.

.

[CJ Master]

What makes you think it is "our" backyard?

I hate the human race.

You might want to take a break from watching Sci-fi.

[mkendall]

No other species has ever said "get out of my yard"

Are you serious? You've obviously never seen a growling dog or a hissing cat. The rarity isn't territorial species; it's non-territorial species.

[joey-elijah]

Are you serious? You've obviously never seen a growling dog or a hissing cat. The rarity isn't territorial species; it's non-territorial species.

However many species (even fiercely territorial ones) live together happily... they might not communicate or acknowledge each other, but they don't have an issue sharing a "patch".

On topic - that image is just simply MINDBLOWING.

[pwnst*r]

What makes you think it is "our" backyard?

I hate the human race.

oh, brother. you let us know when you find that "intelligent" life out there. until then, yes, our backyard.

[samjh]

Come one guys, let's stop squabbling over trivial semantics.

Take a look at the photo and all the countless stars therein. Look at the vast amounts of distance and space. Just take in how big that relatively small patch of space is in comparison with our beings. All of our biggest achievements, dreams, possessions, and struggles, would not even register as a pixel in that image.

I posted the link so that we'll not only think "cool pic", but also be humbled at our insignificance within the vastness of the universe, and be inspired to take better care of what we have and who we know.

[Exodist]

come one guys, let's stop squabbling over trivial semantics.

Take a look at the photo and all the countless stars therein. Look at the vast amounts of distance and space. Just take in how big that relatively small patch of space is in comparison with our beings. All of our biggest achievements, dreams, possessions, and struggles, would not even register as a pixel in that image.

I posted the link so that we'll not only think "cool pic", but also be humbled at our insignificance within the vastness of the universe, and be inspired to take better care of what we have and who we know.

+1 :)

[SofaSmarties]

that make me feel tiny like extremely tiny

[Exodist]

I would like to say. If we are not alone in this galaxy and some intelligent race knows we exist but refuses to reveal them selfs. I am gonna be pissed. I believe we are not alone, or at one time another intelligent did exist. I just believe the likely hood we would ever meet each other in our own lifetimes, the most unlikely event. I spend almost every night staring for a few moments at the stars thinking to myself. We belong up there, not struggling here on earth, bickering about foreign policy or economic disaster. We belong in the stars traveling and exploring things we only can imagine watching a startrek movie. So if one day I do happen to run accross some little grey aliens keeping the beauty of the stars to them selfs, galactic foreign diplomacy is going to be shot cause ET is getting a cussing!

- Exo

[murderslastcrow]

Murphy's Law, buddy. If not now, there will eventually be another planet, SOMEWHERE, with intelligent life. Hopefully they're intelligent enough to stop killing each other long enough to come see us, of course. ^_~

Anyway, to the OP, bookmark'd!!

[LookTJ]

Come one guys, let's stop squabbling over trivial semantics.

Take a look at the photo and all the countless stars therein. Look at the vast amounts of distance and space. Just take in how big that relatively small patch of space is in comparison with our beings. All of our biggest achievements, dreams, possessions, and struggles, would not even register as a pixel in that image.

I posted the link so that we'll not only think "cool pic", but also be humbled at our insignificance within the vastness of the universe, and be inspired to take better care of what we have and who we know.


that make me feel tiny like extremely tiny
+1

Bookmarked as well

[SofaSmarties]

if an intelligent race did travel to earth and introduce themselves then every ones first action would be to shoot at them and see who can get the most head shots. which is extremely stupid considering what all we could learn from another being of some sort.
i would be more than happy to meet an intelligent race who wants to use ubuntu to find them. :P

[stwschool]

If aliens came here we'd really have to be nice to them. Making it to earth would suggest that technologically they were lightyears ahead of us and would pretty much own us. Believe me, until we reach a point where we can get out there ourselves, we don't want any other species finding us.

* For earth-based reference just look at what Europeans did in America and Africa to the indigineous people of those regions. You think aliens wouldn't do the same? At the very least it'd be a very unequal relationship, which is never healthy.

[Marflus]

Some people would say we've already been visited by ET intelligence. I did a lot of research for a project about this last year, and was quite surprised to discover the strength of evidence for visitations and so forth. It's definitely caused me to question why most scientists rubbish all the reports, even if I've not entirely made up my own mind yet.

And as for using Ubuntu to find them - get BOINC and join the SETI project. Easy :P

The above poster does have a point in that any civilisation sufficiently advanced to reach us and find us would be able to destroy us as we would ants, but I think we can fairly assume that in most cases they probably wouldn't. If we came across primitive life on the moon tomorrow, I somewhat doubt that it would be exterminated. Equally, however, if we found such primitive life (say life with intelligence equal to an ant) we would not start visiting them and explaining the wonders of the technology we've invented and discovered. We would not offer such things to ants, so why would an advanced civilisation bother to tell us about their technologies?

[mkendall]

Come one guys, let's stop squabbling over trivial semantics.

Take a look at the photo and all the countless stars therein. Look at the vast amounts of distance and space. Just take in how big that relatively small patch of space is in comparison with our beings. All of our biggest achievements, dreams, possessions, and struggles, would not even register as a pixel in that image.

I posted the link so that we'll not only think "cool pic", but also be humbled at our insignificance within the vastness of the universe, and be inspired to take better care of what we have and who we know.

Been married. I've had enough of being insignificant.

[samjh]

You must be a very loving man, mkendall. :p