That latter part is exactly what I was going to add. I can relate to both, having studied for a while to become a teacher, and later switching to economics
Chalk and black boards are a must when explaining astrophysics!
Pluto to regain status as ninth planet...?
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Chalk and black boards are a must when explaining astrophysics!
Compasses??? I thought proper professors drew circles freehand...
[yt]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uq2eD-POpDI[/yt]
The squeaking of the chalk short circuits my nervous system.
Thanks for the subsequent explanation of spin. Am I right in thinking that the Milky Way does spin though? If so, what causes that spin?
It does spin around the super massive black hole at the center, yeah.
As I understand it, disc-shaped spiral galaxies like our own were formed after a more sphere-shaped interstellar gas cloud collapsed, the rotation being a result of conserved angular momentum. (I think in some ways not dissimilar to star formation, just on a much larger scale).
The Galaxy does spin. To be honest I don't remember in which direction.
One interesting bit, the "arms" of spiral galaxies are not physical objects moving as a rigid bodies: they are density waves moving through the interstellar gas in the galaxies. Kinda like sound waves. The gas compresses, then expands, and the wave goes on. We see them because when the gas compresses, it ignites star formation, and more stars are born within the wave-arms. Good page on wiki (with simulation videos and stuff).
In current astrophysical models, a galaxy forms when smaller dark matter halos (with their baggage of gas and dust) merge into larger halos. The gas will quickly contract, resulting in a rapidly rotating disk, in which star formation will ignite: this is the shape we will see with our instruments.
One interesting bit, the "arms" of spiral galaxies are not physical objects moving as a rigid bodies: they are density waves moving through the interstellar gas in the galaxies. Kinda like sound waves. The gas compresses, then expands, and the wave goes on. We see them because when the gas compresses, it ignites star formation, and more stars are born within the wave-arms. Good page on wiki (with simulation videos and stuff).
In current astrophysical models, a galaxy forms when smaller dark matter halos (with their baggage of gas and dust) merge into larger halos. The gas will quickly contract, resulting in a rapidly rotating disk, in which star formation will ignite: this is the shape we will see with our instruments.
It does also spin counter-clockwise when viewed from "above" (what would currently be "North" on Earth), which of course is a pretty arbitrary way to look at things
Well, of course it does, because we define the galactic "north" as the direction from which we would see the galaxy rotate counter-clockwise.It does also spin counter-clockwise when viewed from "above" (what would currently be "North" on Earth), which of course is a pretty arbitrary way to look at things
What I meant, I don't remember if the galactic north lies in the same hemisphere of the Earth north. (I just checked, it does.)
Yeah, that's what I meant as well
It's my pleasure and my burden.
I like the idea! but instead of Disney characters or gods of our ancestors, how about using the mythical characters of our times...
Venus would become Gaga
Mars would be renamed Muhammad
Jupiter would be Jabba (as in 'the Hut')
Uranus ~ Jesus
...
And Mercury would be Usain, Neptune would be Cousteau, and Saturn would be Beyonce-- it's got a ring on it. 
And, of course, the moon will need a 'real' name... I suggest: "Cheeky".
Selene works just fine.
Does that lead to younger stars on the leading edge of the wave and older stars on the trailing edge?
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