Since before I can even remember, I've had an utter fascination with the cosmos. As a little kid, I remember keenly walking out of my house at night to stare at the stars above. I didn't stare at them to make a wish, nor did I usually stare at them out of scientific curiosity. Most of the time, I merely viewed the stars to admire their beauty. And even now, I still do the same thing. It is best, for me and in general, to view the stars under two optimum conditions. These are when there are a) no clouds and when there's b) maximum darkness (ie. when street and home lights are turned off for whatever reason). Actually, staying on the latter point... I remember going on this camping excursion back when I was still in high school a few years ago to this remote country area. Our main base where we ate and slept was like this small, isolated kinda shack. It was night on the first day (we only stayed there one and a half days) and most of the teachers and students (including yours truly) walked out of our dorms to go outdoors. We saw a few hundred stars in the sky, nothing too different to what we've usually seen at night. Then one of the teachers requested that all lights indoors be switched off. After that... hooooooooly s**t! ^_^ The sky was like absolutely JAM-PACKED with glittering stars! Words alone CANNOT adequately describe it! 
I had never seen so MANY stars in ALL my LIFE. 
Needless to say, it was one of the most BEAUTIFUL things I have EVER seen in the HISTORY of this whole freaking UNIVERSE! 
I remember seeing what seemed like clouds, but when I focused my vision more clearly on these so-called 'clouds', I realised that they were actually CLUSTERS of stars all grouped together! S**TLOADS of them and REALLY close to each other! I don't think that memory is ever gonna leave me. It was THAT particular experience that made me even more of an avid stargazer than before and inspired me to switch all of my house's lights off at night to see more stars. Most of the stars visible to our eyes in the night sky are extremely faint and so extra darkness is required for them to become visible to us. It is during THESE times in particular that I've seen celestial phenomenon such as shooting stars and meteors. I have to be honest, MANY times I've wished that I'd see a UFO...! 
But alas, to no avail! My keen eye observes the sky and sees small moving objects in the sky. At first, I don't know what the hell they are (so I maintain some hope that they could be extraterrestrial spacecrafts), but on closer inspection, I realise that they're just planes or satellites. I can tell because almost ALL reported flying saucers have moved in a manner that defies the laws of gravity. Well, anyway... on Sunday, I went to my local library (as I usually do) and got out one of my ALL-TIME favourite books from there (for like the ZILLIONTH time, no less! XD). It was a book entitled 'A View Of The Universe' and it was by a dude called David Malin. The thing I really dig about this book is that it's NOT like an astronomy book that has like 500 frickin' pages of scientific jargon that laymen won't understand and only 3 pages of photos, this book is FULL of breathtaking images of the heavens (with accompanying descriptive text, of course)!
I've managed to scan some (but not all) of my favourite images from 'A View Of The Universe' by David Malin. Most of the images got scanned really dodgily, so I tried to 'fix' them by doing a few slight alterations here and there on Photoshop. However, the images are still practically the same as they are in the book. Anyway, here are the STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL images (the first image is the cover):
Anyways... do any of you dudes and dudettes view the stars at night, and if you do, have you seen ANYTHING you would consider interesting or unusual? Post your experiences and/or images here, fellow stargazers! 
Personally, I think I'll NEVER grow tired of stargazing! Even after so many damn years, I've ALWAYS kept my obsession with the stars (as well as the occult/paranormal) intact! 
Some people might see the stars as just dots in the sky... and when you view them at surface value like that, then that's what they indeed are. But I KNOW that they are FAR more than that! When I see the stars, I see LIFE. That's because life is EVERYWHERE! It's even inside EVERY atom! When I see the stars, I see different beings with different civilisations on different planets, each containing their own unique languages, customs, ecosystems, technologies, beliefs and emotions! There are MORE stars in this entire universe than EVERY single leaf on every tree and EVERY grain of sand on Earth COMBINED! And someday... SOMEHOW... I'm gonna see 'em ALL! 
Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour,
That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned,
A sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see
Are moving at a million miles a day
In an outer spiral arm, at forty thousand miles an hour,
Of the galaxy we call the "Milky Way".
Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars.
It's a hundred thousand light years side to side.
It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand light years thick,
But out by us, it's just three thousand light years wide.
We're thirty thousand light years from galactic central point.
We go 'round every two hundred million years,
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe.
The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whizz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth,
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth.
Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour,
That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned,
A sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see
Are moving at a million miles a day
In an outer spiral arm, at forty thousand miles an hour,
Of the galaxy we call the "Milky Way".Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars.
It's a hundred thousand light years side to side.
It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand light years thick,
But out by us, it's just three thousand light years wide.
We're thirty thousand light years from galactic central point.
We go 'round every two hundred million years,
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe.The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whizz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth,
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth.
You made that yourself?
Oh yea man, I look at the stars as well. Nakedly, but I do. My minor is Astronomy so I hope to use high powered telescopes throughout my life and see all the breathtaking features the universe has first hand. 
Oh yea man, I look at the stars as well. Nakedly, but I do. My minor is Astronomy so I hope to use high powered telescopes throughout my life and see all the breathtaking features the universe has first hand.
Niiiiiiiiiiiice! Pretty much all of my stargazing is through the naked eye as well, but I'd love to get a telescope for myself someday soon. I could also go to the nearest observatory and use the telescope there for some MAD CRAZY stargazing. As far as studying astronomy is concerned, I haven't really studied it seriously but now I'm feeling a bit more encouraged to study it in-depth!
Same for me...there's an observatory here and i've passed up quite a few opportunities to use it. =/ But yes man...since beginning my study in Astronomy...wow. Some of the stuff, seriously blows my mind. Crazy mad!
All of the truly great astronomers I know, obviously including the late Carl Sagan, have stated that astronomy is a VERY humbling profession. And how could it not be? Every town needs a telescope!
You made that yourself?
Go watch the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy film and rethink that question. 😛
You made that yourself?
Go watch the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy film and rethink that question. 😛
No.
No, no, that's from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, not Hitchhiker's.
.............I died on the inside. >>;;; Whoops!
I did kinda admit that. 😛 No need to rub it in...~Sniffles~ JERKFACE! D: {J/K XD}
I did kinda admit that. 😛 No need to rub it in...~Sniffles~ JERKFACE! D: {J/K XD}
Gentlemen, the point has been admirably demonstrated that the universe is big. In the meantime, cease your dwelling on what was obviously a misquote because it's getting spammy, good-natured though it may be.
And I fixed the page stretchage because I felt like it.
And I fixed the page stretchage because I felt like it.
Fair enough, but if I posted a smaller version of that photo, I feel as though I wouldn't be doing any justice to the sense of grandeur and immensity that photo should rightfully command. But a link is fine, I guess! 
Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
Yeah, that's kinda what I'm trying to get across with this thread.
Believe me, people feel small enough just knowing they're only a speck on earth to begin with - comparing EARTH itself to the immenseness of space itself is enough to just depress them even more. XD
Believe me, people feel small enough just knowing they're only a speck on earth to begin with - comparing EARTH itself to the immenseness of space itself is enough to just depress them even more. XD
What's this 'depress' nonsense? Such infinite immensity and our insignificant smallness within it does NOT depress me at all and I honestly don't see why it should depress anyone. Instead, it fills my heart with abundant joy, awe and wonder. There is ALWAYS something new to learn, there is ALWAYS something new to experience. Isn't that beautiful?
It depresses me too haha
It's like knowing that I don't matter and don't/won't make a difference with how small I am to everything else.
Believe me, people feel small enough just knowing they're only a speck on earth to begin with - comparing EARTH itself to the immenseness of space itself is enough to just depress them even more. XD
What's this 'depress' nonsense? Such infinite immensity and our insignificant smallness within it does NOT depress me and I honestly don't see why it should depress anyone. Instead, it fills my heart with abundant joy, awe and wonder. There is ALWAYS something new to learn, there is ALWAYS something new to experience. Isn't that beautiful?
Beautiful indeed. It doesn't as so much depress me, as it does overwhelm me. Seriously like...when I think of the universe sometimes...my brain feels like it is going to implode. It's unfathomable. Hate to be nit-picky...but...
And each galaxy contains between approximately 500 billion to a trillion galaxies
did you mean to put 500 billion to a trillion solar systems? From what I remember most galaxies don't contain other galaxies. Sure there are binary galaxies and whatnot...but yea...anywho. Space = The Bigness!
did you mean to put 500 billion to a trillion solar systems? From what I remember most galaxies don't contain other galaxies. Sure there are binary galaxies and whatnot...but yea...anywho. Space = The Bigness!
Yeah, that's what I meant to say. I can't edit that post, but what I meant to say is that each galaxy contains between approximately 500 billion to a trillion stars/solar systems.
Ahh ok. I see. Awesome stuff man, awesome stuff.
"Life, Universe and Everything
There has been a several decades long debate about whether extra-terrestrial intelligence exists. As more data comes in about the nature of our universe, I think the odds are rapidly approaching 100% in the affirmative.
According to this recent story our universe is at least 78 billion light years radius or 156 billion light years across, minimum. The scientists are quick to point out this minimum size is based soley on a lack of instrument sensitivity, and a mild adjustment in instrument accuracy is likely to push this minimum to at least 192 billion light years across. They also point out the actual size of the universe is probably exponentially much larger.
Some people find these figures confusing since the age of our universe has been pinned down to 13.7 Billion years, or 14.7 Billion years according to this article. So they ask how could the universe expand to a size of at least 78 billion light years radius in only 13.7 billion years? The reason for this rapid early expansion is inflation. The speed of light wasn't violated, as it was the expansion of space itself that exceeded the speed of light.
So how big is our universe?
HUGE
So huge in fact that I'm going to have to play around with scales so you can get a better idea.
According to the standard inflationary model of cosmology, the visible portion of our universe; the one mapped by our telescopes is an infinitesimally small speck in a much larger universe of at least a 1035 light-year across! I admit this number is really, really big, and almost impossible to imagine. So lets shrink everything down, WAY down, just so we can get a better grasp of it. Let's imagine that the entire universe that we have seen in all the world telescopes, all the galaxies, all trillion of them, extending out 13 billion light years in every direction is shrunk down to the size of a golf ball. Now you are holding the entire visible universe in the palm of your hand. So how big is the actualy 1035 lightyear universe in comparison? If we do a volume calculation, the actual universe contains 1060 of those golf balls! Wow, I guess we didn't shrink things down far enough, but this will have to do. So how big a volume would 1060 golf balls fill up? Try a sphere 850 light years across! So imagine a mass of golf balls that big, and each one of those golf balls contains all the stars and galaxies that we can see through our telescopes.
This is still almost beyond imagining, so lets take a slightly different approach. Imagine you are travelling so fast that you can go from on end of the galaxy to the other in just one second. That's a speed of 100,000 ly/sec. At this speed the entire galaxy would be in reach before you can say the word "go", and wam, you're there. At this speed, you could travel to the nearest galaxy Andromeda in 22 seconds. And you could cross from end of the visible universe to the other in 72 hours. Continuing on at this speed, it would take 115 days to travel a trillion light years, 315 years to travel a quadrillion, and 315,000 years to travel a quintillion or 1018 light years. And yet you have barely moved at all in comparison to the universe which is 1035 light years across. So, lets speed up our warp vehicals again, so that we can travel a quintllion light years every second. At such a speed we could cross the known universe 100 million times in one second. Ok, so now that we are travelling at a speed that might as well be infinite, how long would it take to cross from one side of the univese to the other?
3.7 billion years
Some physicists such as Max Tegmark believe the universe is actually infinite in size. If the galactic density of our own neighborhood is typical across this entire domain, and according to the data from the satellite COBE it is, then our bubble-universe should contain at least another 10100 galaxies. This is such a large figure, that it's difficult to explain it. So to give you an idea of how large a number this is, it's far larger the the number of atoms that compose every object in our own visible universe, which as you remember extends out 13.2 billion light years in every direction. This too is very difficult to conceptualize. So we'll have to scale down even further to a grain of sand. The number of atoms composing a gran of sand is about 1023 atoms, or 100 trillion trillion atoms for each grain of sand on a typical beach. And just think how many grains of sand are on your typical beach, let alone something the size of the Sahara. And that's just on the surface of the earth. All the sand in the world composes much less than 0.00001% of the mass of the earth. The number of atoms composing the Earth is about 1060. And the Earth in turn is one tiny planet around a small star in an ordinary galaxy, among hundreds of billions of galaxies in our very local neigborhood, which we call the visible universe. So 10100 is a very very big number of galaxies! Adding it all together and you get more galaxies in our universe than there are atoms composing every object in our visible universe.
Even if intelligent life is very, very rare, a number as large as 10100 is still likely to produce an abundance of life throughout the universe. A place where countless lifeforms evolve beyond their womb planets into highly advanced space-faring civilizations.
For arguments sake, lets imagine that primitive life happens once in the lifetime of a trillion galaxies, and out of those only one in a trillion ever evolves out of its womb planet into a space-faring civilization. In this example then we are still left with an astounding 1075 advanced societies - more alien cultures than the number of atoms composing planet Earth! Again, for some perspective on such a gargantuan number, there are more advanced civilizations partying it up around the galaxies than there are atoms in every single grain of sand on all the beaches and deserts in the world, and then some. That's more advanced alien civilizations than all the atoms composing our entire solar system!
Assuming life were this rare (and that's very unlikely, even with the Rare Earth Hypothesis), then our nearest star-hopping neighbors would probably be trillions of light-years away. If somehow the speed of light remains a barrier, then we might as well be alone, since we could never make contact with each other before the universe ended. However, I think such barriers will be smashed shortly after the singularity bottleneck. My guess is shortly after a civilization passes through their singularity, the entire universe will be in reach. Already scientists have found loopholes in this light speed barrier. According to Michael Alcubierre, we could hypersurf space-time using exotic matter, allowing the craft to exceed the speed of light by any desirable amount. Then there are traversible wormholes. For an enlightening discussion of some possible scenarios, see Michael C. Price's Some Implications of Traversible Wormholes.
So the problem won't be reaching any part of the universe, that will be childs play. The real challenge will be deciding which parts of the universe to go to. The divide between what is available, and what is conceivable would be enormous! According to Michael Price, the number of civilizations making contact with each other would exceed the ability of any civilization to fathom. According to Price, the implications of such 'Contact' would be staggering, the number of alien cultures would be so large, that it is unlikely anyone could ever catalog all of them, even if they did have computers the size of Jupiter. No historian could encompass the sweep of history, no biologist catalog the species. In a profound sense we'll have returned to a vast ancient world, surrounded by distant lands populated with mythical and fantastic creatures. Construction of a single universal map would be impossible.
"If she lost her personal wormhole and forgot her
trans-species designation code (a seventy digit number!)
she would never, ever find her way home again.
None of her descriptions of where she comes from
would relate to anything anyone else knows."
The culture shock of trying to absorb such a vast amount of new data would take close to eternity... an eternity of never ending expansion, novelty and adventure."
Source
http://www.futurehi.net/archives/000168.html
XDXD! Wow...yea...the universe is insanely...insane. Like I don't even know what to say...and if I did, i'm sure I would't know how to say it. Haha! For some cultural relief now...take a look at this. *giggles*
Mimas...one of Saturn's larger moons. Look familiar to you? *giggles*
XDXD! Wow...yea...the universe is insanely...insane. Like I don't even know what to say...and if I did, i'm sure I would't know how to say it. Haha! For some cultural relief now...take a look at this. *giggles*
Mimas...one of Saturn's larger moons. Look familiar to you? *giggles*
Mimas reminds me of the Death Star from Star Wars. Saturn's moon Iapetus is also eerily reminiscent of the Death Star as well, IMO.
Note the peculiar 'ridge' which appears to surround Iapetus' equator.
*dingdingding* We have a winner. Yea, Death Star indeed. Iapetus, for some reason, reminds me of a Walnut. >_> But yea...I can see the Death Star too, though.
What, no "That's not a moon, it's a space station!" quotes? Or misquotes, since it might in fact be "That's no moon". Drat, there goes my Star Wars geek status 
Saw Orion last night after coming home late. Very pretty and quite visible, considering I live in a city. Light pollution for the lose.
I was also put in mind of:
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney...
And wasn't it the Guide that said that the one thing humanity cannot afford to have in this vast universe is a sense of perspective?
DW
*dingdingding* We have a winner. Yea, Death Star indeed. Iapetus, for some reason, reminds me of a Walnut. >_> But yea...I can see the Death Star too, though.
What do you mean 'for some reason'? It's the equatorial ridge, goddammit!
I'd have to say that I do enjoy looking at the vast void of the universe, but I mostly just study the Zodiac and things as such.
Which brings me to THIS!
Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder! Also known as Imhotep, Wonderful Healer from Kimet(Ancient Egypt).
Here's some links on the topic of this constellation.
http://astrotribe.tribe.n...34-4386-a4dd-526b41e4cfc8
http://www.gatesofhorn.co...teenth_sign_of_the_zodiac
http://www.geocities.com/...stellations/ophiuchus.htm
I just found this to be interesting. Perhaps you will, too.
Thanks for your contribution to this thread, Peaches. I'm not too sure about the existence of a 13th Zodiac sign, but I remain open to such a possibility being true. In all honesty, I'm not as familiar with the Western version of the Zodiac as I am with the Indian version (known as Jyotish).
Thinking In a Lunar Way, We yet Have the Same length Day
Yet with In our Year more Moons, Each inspires Many Tunes
Twelve to Thirteen Moons each Year, In our Zodiac Appear
constellations In our Sky, Should be Seen by Naked Eye
In each Stellar Three selection, Find triangle Predilection
In your Constellation Query, You should Find it Makes you Merry 
In your Zo' you Can increase, Constellations Making Peace 
I suppose that Maybe Twenty, Zodi' Signs for Me is Plenty.
Hi there abSeamiller, please make yourself at home here, and post here so much more often please.
Welcome to the forum, AbSeamiller. Your destiny awaits you!
i Posted On the Internet for Many Years in the Abc Boards, acquired a reputation of Being board Poet. yet In the Process acquired some enemies 
Good natured People Who became such a Nuisance That i avoided Chatrooms For a While.
a Friend named Ray is responsible For me Joining Yuku.
This particular Community Is the most Friendly One i've Found.
Kudos for All, Glad to be Here: Also have Home room Where i appear
Good natured People Who became such a Nuisance That i avoided Chatrooms For a While.
a Friend named
This particular Community Is the most Friendly One i've Found.
Kudos for All, Glad to be Here: Also have Home room Where i appear
Gimme all your money.
a Rose is like Cash: it's Good for a Bash.
Thanks, babe! 
it's Big of Me, to Think of You;
and Hobbies That we Both pursue--
we Love to Scan and Love to Chat, yet Being Chic how E'er we Spat
I'd have to say that I do enjoy looking at the vast void of the universe, but I mostly just study the Zodiac and things as such.
Which brings me to THIS!
Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder! Also known as Imhotep, Wonderful Healer from Kimet(Ancient Egypt).
Here's some links on the topic of this constellation.http://astrotribe.tribe.n...34-4386-a4dd-526b41e4cfc8 href="" http://astrotribe.tribe.net/thread/1cdefee5-1634-4386-a4dd-526b41e4cfc8" ;" target=_blank> http://astrotribe.tribe.n...34-4386-a4dd-526b41e4cfc8
http://www.gatesofhorn.co...teenth_sign_of_the_zodiac href="" http://www.gatesofhorn.com/blog/the_thirteenth_sign_of_the_zodiac" ;" target=_blank> http://www.gatesofhorn.co...teenth_sign_of_the_zodiac
http://www.geocities.com/...stellations/ophiuchus.htm href="" http://www.geocities.com/astrologyconstellations/ophiuchus.htm" ;" target=_blank> http://www.geocities.com/...stellations/ophiuchus.htmI just found this to be interesting. Perhaps you will, too.
"Taking up approximately 19 degrees worth of the Ecliptic is Ophiuchus, The Serpent Holder (from the Greek ofis "snake," and echein "have ..."
http://www.google.com/sea...er&btnG=Google+Search
AbSeamiller, you are a poetic soul. My heart you stole! <3
So the Serpent Holder Has 19 degrees Out of 360 In the eccliptic the Plane of the Planets.
Nineteen Is approximately 20, 20/360 = 2/36 =1/18 about 1/20 =5 %.
the Length of the Lunar Month is about 29 1/2 Days. 29.5 x 12 = 354 Days
the Year is about 365 1/4 Days. 365.25 - 354 = 11.25 11.25 is about 1/3 of 29.5
revealing that There are about 12 1/3 Lunar Months in the Year
12 1/3 = 37/3 365.25 /37 = 9.9 Days about 10 Days
365.25 x .05 = 1.8 Days about 2 Days
So the Serpent Holder is Big enough on its Own for a Place in the Zodiaz for Two days Out of the Year. There is some Space between Each of the Zodiac Signs. the Empty Space has arbitrary Been awarded to the Twelve chosen Astrological Symbols.
We can Be more Scientific
AbSeamiller, do you think that the basic principles of general astrology apply throughout this entire universe?
Like a Rubber Ball i come Rolling Back to You
inspired By an 
Oldy
AbSeamiller, do you think that the basic principles of general astrology apply throughout this entire universe?
Yes
AbSeamiller, do you think that the basic principles of general astrology apply throughout this entire universe?
Yes
I deeply agree!
astrology Has officially Been around since about 200 B.C., 200 Years before Christ, two Hundred Years before the Common Era. astrological Calculations are Frozen to the positions Of the Stellar Bodies from the Time that astrology began. Similarly Christian Calculations are Often Frozen.
WE'RE ALL MADE OF STARS, BABY!
Many Years astrology 
expert Gave 
Love life advice
chief Chapel agreed
Yet i Chose to Be my own Expert accepting the Risks Being 
naive
And yet Always 
Managing to find Highter Levels of enlightenment
