OK, here are some questions I need answered. I have been in the process of finding the answers, but I thought some of you might like to help answer them. They are:
1. What are the forms of astronomy currently in use? Examples would be optical astronomy and radio astronomy. What other means of observing the universe exist?
2. What is the complete composition of the solar system? Include all planets, moons, major non-planetary components (e.g. asteroids), and associated radiation and charged particle fields.
3. Where does the solar system end? What does the local neighborhood around the solar system look like (say, within 20 LY or so)? Describe the local motion of the sun through the Milky Way.
4. Do neutrinos oscillate? Based on the latest measurements, what fraction of solar neutrinos reache Earth? What becomes of the others?
5. What tools are avialable, both earth-bound and space-based, to observe the sun?
6. Based on the latest measurements, what is the level of "missing mass" in the universe? What components are there to this missing mass?
7. How many black holes have been substantially established to exist?
Cutting Edge Astrophysics Questions
Moderator: Alyrium Denryle
- Wicked Pilot
- Moderator Emeritus
- Posts: 8972
- Joined: 2002-07-05 05:45pm
Cutting Edge Astrophysics Questions
The most basic assumption about the world is that it does not contradict itself.
Deep space radar telemetry, but thats a cover for the stargate program e.e1. What are the forms of astronomy currently in use? Examples would be optical astronomy and radio astronomy. What other means of observing the universe exist?
Theres al sorts of telescopes, that pic up every imaginable frequency, from microwave and radio to xray. Neutrino detectors can pic up supernovae neutrinos, and we can use gravity detection to measure where jupiter is (thats how they measures the speed of gravity)
We know it includes most every natural element, but by mass its like 90% hydrogen.2. What is the complete composition of the solar system? Include all planets, moons, major non-planetary components (e.g. asteroids), and associated radiation and charged particle fields.
Sketchy subject. Oort cloud would be the best defining limit, but i think the heliopause is the end of the solar system. Tho you might also consider the areas where Sol's gravity is ineffective, so this would make the solar system a big multistellar system because of interactivity between local stars. But the oort cloud really is far enough.3. Where does the solar system end? What does the local neighborhood around the solar system look like (say, within 20 LY or so)? Describe the local motion of the sun through the Milky Way.
Oscillate how? Classically, a neutrino is a hard spherical particle (or point particle) which rules out oscillation, but string theory says that every particle is a little loop that oscillates at a specific frequency depending on the type of particle it is. The percent of solar neutrinos that reach earth is the cross sectionaly area of the earth divided by the surface area of a sphere 1 au in diameter. The rest go off in other directions.4. Do neutrinos oscillate? Based on the latest measurements, what fraction of solar neutrinos reache Earth? What becomes of the others?
Same tools used to observe other stars, you just have to have very big sunglasses on.5. What tools are avialable, both earth-bound and space-based, to observe the sun?
99% or something ridiculously large like that. Noone knows what the components are, because its missing.6. Based on the latest measurements, what is the level of "missing mass" in the universe? What components are there to this missing mass?
Not many. A few tens if that.7. How many black holes have been substantially established to exist?
Sì! Abbiamo un' anima! Ma è fatta di tanti piccoli robot.
- Darth Wong
- Sith Lord
- Posts: 70028
- Joined: 2002-07-03 12:25am
- Location: Toronto, Canada
- Contact:
<FUNDIE>Of course, you should realize that all of those techniques are fundamentally flawed because they do not take the evidence of Scripture into account and they rely on a materialistic definition of the universe which people adopt because they don't like the idea of an absolute moral code</FUNDIE>
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
http://www.stardestroyer.net/Mike/RantMode/Blurbs.html
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
http://www.stardestroyer.net/Mike/RantMode/Blurbs.html
- Durandal
- Bile-Driven Hate Machine
- Posts: 17927
- Joined: 2002-07-03 06:26pm
- Location: Silicon Valley, CA
- Contact:
Re: Cutting Edge Astrophysics Questions
There are tons. The two main ones would be observational astronomy and computational astronomy. The Hubble has already gathered hoards of data that astronomers have yet to go through. They've already taken all the pictures; they now need to sift through them all. There is ongoing research in designing programs that take image input of galaxies and classify them appropriately.Wicked Pilot wrote:OK, here are some questions I need answered. I have been in the process of finding the answers, but I thought some of you might like to help answer them. They are:
1. What are the forms of astronomy currently in use? Examples would be optical astronomy and radio astronomy. What other means of observing the universe exist?
This site might be useful:2. What is the complete composition of the solar system? Include all planets, moons, major non-planetary components (e.g. asteroids), and associated radiation and charged particle fields.
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/
Given that a large portion of the solar system's mass is in the Sun, most of it would be hydrogen.
The solar system ends where the last orbital ends, Pluto. Of course, if there is another mass contributing significant gravitational effects to the solar system, that would be the boundary.3. Where does the solar system end? What does the local neighborhood around the solar system look like (say, within 20 LY or so)? Describe the local motion of the sun through the Milky Way.
Yes, neutrinos oscillate like every other particle. I'm not sure how many neutrinos "reach" Earth, but neutrinos have a mean free path of roughly 6 000 lightyears. So, they'll all reach Earth, but only a very small amount will actually interact with it.4. Do neutrinos oscillate? Based on the latest measurements, what fraction of solar neutrinos reache Earth? What becomes of the others?
Mostly telescopes and satellites.5. What tools are avialable, both earth-bound and space-based, to observe the sun?
Roughly 60 to 70% of the universe's mass is thought to be in the form of quintessence or dark energy, which is accelerating the expansion.6. Based on the latest measurements, what is the level of "missing mass" in the universe? What components are there to this missing mass?
No idea.7. How many black holes have been substantially established to exist?
Damien Sorresso
"Ever see what them computa bitchez do to numbas? It ain't natural. Numbas ain't supposed to be code, they supposed to quantify shit."
- The Onion
"Ever see what them computa bitchez do to numbas? It ain't natural. Numbas ain't supposed to be code, they supposed to quantify shit."
- The Onion
- Gil Hamilton
- Tipsy Space Birdie
- Posts: 12962
- Joined: 2002-07-04 05:47pm
- Contact:
-
- Jedi Knight
- Posts: 613
- Joined: 2002-09-13 12:41pm
Re: Cutting Edge Astrophysics Questions
As stated by others, there as many methods as there are bands in the EM spectrum (and then some). Infra-red (near and far), UV, X-ray and gamma ray observations can be and are made for astronomical reasons. Sub-mm (a field that requires some techniques from far infra-red and some from radio) will start to be very important soon. GravitationalWicked Pilot wrote: 1. What are the forms of astronomy currently in use? Examples would be
optical astronomy and radio astronomy. What other means of observing the
universe exist?
wave detectors with a chance of detecting plausible gravitational waves will start operating soon. There are also arrays of detectors that examine cosmic rays through detecting the Cerenkhov radiation they give off in atmosphere.
Er, one star, some planets (eight or nine, depending who you believe), a2. What is the complete composition of the solar system? Include all
planets, moons, major non-planetary components (e.g. asteroids), and
associated radiation and charged particle fields.
bunch of moons, tonnes of asteroids, lots of radiation, especially around
Jupiter and from the sun, a certain amount of plasma and charged particles
also radiating from the sun, some spacecraft, satellites, about 500
abductees in a low orbit around Pluto.
It ends Beyond The Stars. Ahem. I guess a reasonable definition3. Where does the solar system end? What does the local neighborhood
around the solar system look like (say, within 20 LY or so)? Describe the
local motion of the sun through the Milky Way.
would be something like roughly half-way to the nearest star, beyond which
the sun's gravitational influence would no longer dominate if the nearest star was of
similar mass. The Oort cloud, Pluto, etc are also all good. Until someone goes there, it doesn't really matter, and maybe not even then.
The solar neighbourhood to 22 light-years:
http://www.projectrho.com/smap07a.html
The sun moves around the galaxy in an orbit with a period of about 200-300 million years. The orbit, when projected onto the galactic plane, is approximately circular. There is probably an oscillating motion in the direction normal to the galactic plane, with a period of about 100,000 years.
It would seem so, yes. I think about a third of the electron neutrinos generated at the Sun reach us - the others oscillate into the other two "flavours" of neutrinos part-way.4. Do neutrinos oscillate? Based on the latest measurements, what
fraction of solar neutrinos reache Earth? What becomes of the others?
There have been several satellites - SOHO, Genesis etc, and plenty of ground-based telescopes. Much current interest appears to centre on helioseismology as a tool for examining the internal structure of the sun.5. What tools are avialable, both earth-bound and space-based, to observe
the sun?
It looks like roughly 70% of the universe is in the form of dark energy, and 25% is in the form of dark matter. Baryons (ordinary matter) probably make up something like 5% of the universe.6. Based on the latest measurements, what is the level of "missing mass"
in the universe? What components are there to this missing mass?
None, as far as I'm aware. There is strong evidence for one or two.7. How many black holes have been substantially established to exist?
(3.13, 1.49, -1.01)
- His Divine Shadow
- Commence Primary Ignition
- Posts: 12791
- Joined: 2002-07-03 07:22am
- Location: Finland, west coast
Re: Cutting Edge Astrophysics Questions
Alot of territory to conquer I see.
Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who did not.