http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44113835/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.TkTDH2HccmY
Soo, I guess they've found Z'ha'dum then?
Soo, I guess they've found Z'ha'dum then?
Sounds creepy.
Black Planet found
- Thread starter Ayelbourne
- Start date
Why wait?
How do you find a black planet?
Holly: "Well, the thing about a black planet - its main distinguishing feature - is it's black. And the thing about space, the colour of space, your basic space colour, is black. So how are you supposed to see them?"
Holly: "Well, the thing about a black planet - its main distinguishing feature - is it's black. And the thing about space, the colour of space, your basic space colour, is black. So how are you supposed to see them?"
The answer is right in the article.
I love it when they uncover something so different than anything that we know. A black glowing gas giant? How more awesome can you get? I'd say that reality beats science fiction once again, I can't remember hearing about anything similar and so awesomely sinister.
We should work on our imagination, it sucks.
We should work on our imagination, it sucks.
I'm going slowly mad just thinking about such a planet. Imagine actually seeing it up close...
^Important bit in bold.
I just hate it when journalists get things wrong.
I mean it's all dandy and all, the varying light from the star due to the planet periodically blocking it's light and due to the ever so slight additional light from the planet when it's on the farther side of it's orbit in relation to us so we see the additional illumination IS the way planets are discovered (that, and the slight spacial wobble of the sun due to a massive planet rotating around it that causes a shift in the frequency of the light that reaches us, which in turn indicates a planet rotating around it), BUT tidal locking HAS NOTHING to do with changing phases. I mean, if they just stood for a second to think about it they'd realize it.
(Don't mind me, I'm just in a bad mood
)Other than that, cool discovery.
I know this is in orbit of a star rather than in a galactic halo...but I just want to see if there's any possible way that learning about the composition of this thing, and how to detect it, could possibly give us some insights into how to make direct observations of dark matter. I'm not suggesting this is dark matter, but the description still reminded me of a small MACHO.
Someone alert Public Enemy!
Well, as nice as smooches with Milla would be, I find livjn g to be rather nicer. So let her ensure my survival first, then we can haben der big smoochen.
With a powerful telescope space isn't so black, as there are distant galaxies in all directions. A completely black object would block the view of such more distant astronomical structures, creating a series of brief eclipses. In the case a a massive object, light passing near the massive object would even be bent inward, making the light source appear to shift upwards over the black object's horizon.
In addition collisions between particles about to be drawn into black holes produce significant amounts of radiation outside the event horizon.
Everybody just line up in an orderly fashion!
There will be no mul-ti-passes at her.
Everybody just line up in an orderly fashion!
lol!!! Mool-tee-pass!!!
Humor, it is a difficult concept.
^ I was gonna say something, but what the hell.
BUT tidal locking HAS NOTHING to do with changing phases. I mean, if they just stood for a second to think about it they'd realize it.
(Don't mind me, I'm just in a bad mood
Other than that, cool discovery.
Yeah, good catch. How did I miss that? Even after you said it I thought, "Yeah, but..., If... ... oh, yeah, duh."
Here's an even more curious planet that's been found:
Transformation of a Star into a Planet in a Millisecond Pulsar Binary (abstract)
A Planet made of Diamond
In short:
1. The planet used to be a star that became a white dwarf and then a pulsar stripped it from any hydrogen or helium. And Pluto cries over being downgraded, eh?
2. It's orbiting the 5.7 ms pulsar at a distance slightly less than the radius of the Sun with an orbital period of 2.2 hours. The year is just over 2 hours, but there are still over 1.3 million genocide-by-pulsar attempt annually.
4. It's composed of mainly oxygen and carbon, the mass is comparable to Jupiter's, but the radius is at least half of Jupiter's. Must be pretty smashing to stand on its surface.
5. Due to its density, the entire planet must have a crystalline form, which means that a huge part of it must be a huge diamond and the whole of it is some gigantic gem. Finally something better than an anti-diamond – already told two girls that I'm going to buy it for them. They didn't sound too happy when I told them they probably wouldn't survive my attempts to put it on their finger though.
Transformation of a Star into a Planet in a Millisecond Pulsar Binary (abstract)
A Planet made of Diamond
In short:
1. The planet used to be a star that became a white dwarf and then a pulsar stripped it from any hydrogen or helium. And Pluto cries over being downgraded, eh?
2. It's orbiting the 5.7 ms pulsar at a distance slightly less than the radius of the Sun with an orbital period of 2.2 hours. The year is just over 2 hours, but there are still over 1.3 million genocide-by-pulsar attempt annually.
4. It's composed of mainly oxygen and carbon, the mass is comparable to Jupiter's, but the radius is at least half of Jupiter's. Must be pretty smashing to stand on its surface.
5. Due to its density, the entire planet must have a crystalline form, which means that a huge part of it must be a huge diamond and the whole of it is some gigantic gem. Finally something better than an anti-diamond – already told two girls that I'm going to buy it for them. They didn't sound too happy when I told them they probably wouldn't survive my attempts to put it on their finger though.
