Recent content by rustytxrx

The goal of fiction is to take us where we have not been. Take Steven Kings _Dome_. Not very plausible in a physics class but seems real in King's book. the disaster could come from an accidental intrusion of another multiverse. all you need is some way to disrupt local gravity. maybe...

You could start an issue with the sun. four year period resulting in extraordinary mass expulsion pointed at the earth. it could be caused by the interaction with a "white hole" (here to unknown but evidenced by an area of high energy particles that seem to destabilize gravity). as a...

Thanks for the heads up. Lhc was interesting reading.

I have read a number of the popular books on astrophysics/cosmology and a number on quantum physics. oddly astrophysics does not seem to be a continuation of quantum physics. Quantum physics seem to be much more theoretical than astrophysics. Empirical astrophysics leads to unknowns such as...

davenn, thank you. yes, I take my binoculars :). I realize this forum is international, so I am not sure it will be the same everywhere but in the Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas area there are several Astronomy Clubs. Some of the members are very keen telescope builders, a number of the members...

I read recently that heavy metals might have also been generated during neutron star collisions. as I recall the speculation was you needed a more neutron rich environment than the super nova might offer.

A book for the layman that covers a great over view of current thought is _A Universe From Nothing_ by Lawrence M. Krauss.

I never go anywhere on vacation with a pair of Leica 10x50, IPad, astronomy software. My wife plans a vacation then I plan the astronomy I will get to see. On a trip to the Southern hemisphere I spent several hours watching eta carinea. Alas no super nova :) I am a plebeian astronomer but...

cartoons anyone? cartoon = 10 chalk boards of calculus :)

I think the problem is the Special theory of Relativity. Einstein predicts if a particle reached the speed of light the mass and energy would be infinite. There seems to be a problem with that.

space games are never visually accurate. the conversation used is usually accurate. the graphics are designed for artistic effect (or affect) not scientific accuracy the scale and velocities of the universe or solar system would not be very usable. If you have had calculus 3 you can set up...

A major outstanding problem is that most quantum field theories predict a huge value for the quantum vacuum. A common assumption is that the quantum vacuum is equivalent to the cosmological constant. Although no theory exists that supports this assumption, arguments can be made in its favor...

yes of course. I should have given more thought in selecting my example. Edit - maybe my point was to read astrophysics you have to have a vast underpinning of knowledge. how I got here is I was reading quantum physics. read how the quantum vacuum was related to the cosmological constant...

astrophysics is complicated for the casual reader (like me) because there are usually several different theories illustrating a single concept, example the shape of the local universe or the shape of the entire universe. to make communication easier many of the theories are reduced to...

Thanks, that explained it well. I understood that Euclidean geometry could be used from the article I read. I must admit I thought it was one cube placed next to other cubes. all with parallel lines and right angles (more or less)