Nov 2 2009 Mmmm, That's Milky: 648 Megapixel Milky Way
This is a 648 megapixel composite (higher-res version HERE) of the Milky Way created by physicist (and all around badass) Axel Mellinger. Good lookin', Axel.
Physicist Axel Mellinger spent nearly two years traveling 26,000 miles across South Africa, Texas and Michigan. What does he have to show for it? Well, he's cobbled together a stunning 648 megapixel panorama of the Milky Way as seen from Earth, using 3,000 individual photographs. The Central Michigan University professor wants to make the image available for planetariums, as it's large enough to serve educational purposes. It even shows stars that are 1,000 times too faint to be seen by the human eye, so this is a Milky Way like you've never seen.
That IS a Milky Way like I've never seen. Get it? BECAUSE THERE'S NO CHOCOLATE OR NOUGAT LIKE THE CANDY BAR! Yep *cracking knuckles* I can already tell today's gonna be a good day.
Photo: stunning 648 megapixel image of the Milky Way [dvice]
Thanks to Closet Nerd, who sends enough tips to be out already.
Oct 27 2009 Another Auto-Tuned Science-y Song, Now With More Bill Nye The Science Guy!
This is the second song/video in the Symphony of Science series, a project designed by John Boswell to spit scientific knowledge in an auto-tuned musical format. The first chart topper was 'A Glorious Dawn' with Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking. Now Carl is back with backup singers Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Feynman and Bill Nye, and let me tell you -- these beats are FREEEEEESH.
"We Are All Connected" was made from sampling Carl Sagan's Cosmos, The History Channel's Universe series, Richard Feynman's 1983 interviews, Neil deGrasse Tyson's cosmic sermon, and Bill Nye's Eyes of Nye Series, plus added visuals from The Elegant Universe (NOVA), Stephen Hawking's Universe, Cosmos, the Powers of 10, and more. It is a tribute to great minds of science, intended to spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through the medium of music.
Again, another job well done. Really made me want to blast off in my rocketship and crash into a planet. And by that I mean drop a bunch of acid and listen to these guys talk about outerspace while I roll around on the carpet.
Thanks to Lookaze, Austin, Marc, crispy85, eelee and meeotch, who travel across the country singing to children about possible careers in science but mostly just getting high in the tour bus. Need groupies?
Sep 23 2009 Beautiful Shot Of The Pinwheel Galaxy
The Pinwheel Galaxy (higher res version HERE) got its name because it looks like a pinwheel. Geez, it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure that one out. Or maybe it's cause it loves Little Debbie Pecan Spinwheels so much. Well guess what -- so do I! And Starcrunches? Don't even get me started!!
This new three-color composite image was captured by the Isaac Newton Telescope in La Palma, Spain.
Known more officially as Messier 101 or NGC 5457, this classic spiral galaxy is 27 million light years from Earth in the Ursa Major constellation, also known as the Big Dipper. Its slight asymmetry is thought to be the result of an encounter with another galaxy in the recent (astronomically speaking) past. This event also left many huge clouds of glowing gas and plasma known as H II regions.Though the galaxy, which measures 170,000 light-years across, is visible with the naked eye as a fuzzy spot, large telescopes are needed to see any detail.
You know what I love most about outerspace? I heard it's super quiet. What do you mean, "space is a vacuum"? Those things are loud as shit!
May 22 2009 Dude -- Compared To Our Galaxy, We're Just Like, Little Ants Man. Little Ants That Are High
This is a time-lapse video of the center of the Milky Way Galaxy rising over Texas from 9:20 PM to 6:43 AM on April 21-22, 2009, during a star party. Now I have no idea what a star party is, but if it's anything like the last bachelor party I went to, I want in. We could even shoot the hooker's body into space like they did Spock's in The Wrath of Khan!
Tuesday Diversion: The Milky Way Time-lapse [chicagoist]
Thanks to Danny, who reminds you all: shoot for the stars. Even if you miss, you might bag an alien.
Feb 28 2009 Astronomers Photograph the Eye Of God
Finally, a clear shot of God's eye.
The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, aka (mercifully) ESO, has released an impressive image of the Helix Nebula captured by La Silla Observatory in Chile.
The nebula, lying at around 700 light-years away in the constellation of Aquarius, has quickly been dubbed the "Eye of God", for obvious reasons.
I've got news for you folks: this is not, in fact, God's real eye. How do I know? Well you remember in Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Germans finally opened the Ark of the Covenant? What happened? Precisely -- ghosts and shit flew out and shot through their stupid Nazi faces and killed them all. That one dude even melted. So, you still alive? Exactly.
Stargazers peer into the 'Eye of God' [theregister]
Thanks to Tim, who knows the true eye of God burns like a laserbeam.
Feb 12 2009 The Universe Is Apparently A Big Metal Donut
And all along I thought was a little plastic danish. Shows you how much I know (read: everything). So yeah, ghost of Karl Sagan: I know you're reading this, feel free to chime in and back me up whenever you want.
At first, this polished object looks like an ordinary ring. But it's much more than that. This is a model of the universe, which, according to one increasingly popular theory, is not flat, circular, spherical or saddle-shaped, but more like a "3-torus," or doughnut shape. It's also a whole lot bigger then you may have imagined.
Look closer, and you'll notice a minuscule speck on this model. It looks like a tiny flaw at first, but upon closer inspection, you'll see it's a precise wine glass shape. That's us. The tiny area depicts the known universe, showing a timeline of its entire life, from the Big Bang starting at the glass's stem, expanding to where we live today.
I get it -- so what they're saying is that the known universe is a wine lover. So do you think it's a Merlot fan or more of a Chardonnay kind of universe? Mad Dog 20/20, huh? Awh yeah, I knew I was living here for good reason! Now stop hogging the bottle, Universe, Jesus you're a boozehound.
Mind-boggling model of the doughnut-shaped universe makes you feel really small [dvice]
Jul 2 2008 Telling Time With Colors: The Galaxy Watch
Well it's been a little while since we've posted some sweet time-telling gadgetry, so I figured now is as good a time as any to hit you with Tokyoflash's newest offering -- The Galaxy.
The cryptic looking display is deceptively easy to read; one touch of the upper button initiates a programmed animation of light, and then presents the time. Twelve yellow bars represent hours in a clock wise direction, eleven red bars represent groups of five minutes and four green bars show single minutes. Pressing the lower button presents the time immediately. No ordinary design, Galaxy has a modern look with futuristic style.
The Galaxy retails for ¥13,900 ($133, and free 5-day worldwide shipping) and is just the icebreaker you need to talk to that chick at the bar you've been wanting to. "Hey, wanna know the time?" "No." "But look at my watch, it's the awesome." "Oh my goodness, it is! Now do me on the pool table." Well that's the way it goes in my dream anyway. You know, the one where I wake up with a cue in my thing. You know, the around the corner thing. Back thingy. My ass, I'm talking about my ass.
Hit the jump for another picture. Oh, and I just got a couple Tokyoflash watches so expect reviews in the coming weeks -- complete with pictures of my hands and wicked scars!
Continue Reading " Telling Time With Colors: The Galaxy Watch "
Jun 18 2008 Scientists Discover 'Super-Earths' 42-Light Years Away, Regular Earth Gets Depressed
So scientists have discovered what they're dubbing "super-Earths" circling a star 42-light years away. That's an artist's depiction of what they might look like if they were identical in appearance to earth and weren't actually pink with purple polka-dots like I know they are. Three have been identified so far, and they were detected not by sight, but by the effects they have on the star they orbit.
Using a new tool to study more than 100 stars once thought to be devoid of planets, the Swiss-French team found that about one-third had planets that are only slightly bigger than Earth.That's how the star with three super-Earths, 42 light-years away, was spotted. The European team took a second look with a relatively new instrument that measures tiny changes in light wave lengths and is so sensitive that it is precisely positioned and locked in a special room below the observatory in Chile. And the key is kept in Switzerland, scientists say.
So, you're probably still wondering what the hell a super-Earth is, aren't you? Well you're in luck, because I'm a scientist and I just happen to know. Super-Earths are planets similar to Earth, but have gained super powers -- like the ability to see through another planet's shirt and ogle its mountains.
Astronomers find 'super Earths' circling a star [yahoonews]
Thanks and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to loyal Geekologie operative Altaire
Feb 21 2008 Canadian Sells Governance Of M-81 Galaxy
Some Canadian on eBay is selling the rights to become "the rightful governor and overlord of Galaxy M81". Key features of the galaxy include an 11.6 million light-year distance from earth, a whole freaking shit-ton of stars, and a sweet black hole of 70 million solar masses in the center. While I'm all about ruling galaxies, I find the eBay auction a little questionable. For starters the person has 0 feedback, and secondly they mistakenly call Ursa Major (the Great Bear) the Big Dipper. While the Dipper is included in the Bear, it's not the location of the galaxy. Now I'm not saying that I'm not going to buy it, I just want to make sure I get my galaxy's worth before dropping the $1 opening bid and $14 shipping. Oh dang there's a notice.
Notice:* the (possible) inhabitants of galaxy M81 have not consented to being sold or governed. This would make you a certified galactic dictator!
* Seller offers no guarantees that the name you choose will be recognized by the scientific community.
* Photo is 12 million years outdated due to speed of light limitations.
* the total value of this sale is in the framed certificate.
Damnit, so much for the Geekologie Galaxy.
UPDATE: I can't believe you people are actually bidding on this thing. That said, I just made my $1 million bid. Suckers!
eBay Auction
Thanks to Tyson, who already has his hands full ruling this galaxy, for the tip
Dec 11 2007 Galaga Quilt Keeps You Warm, 8-Bit Style
Can you tell I'm cold this morning? I am. All I can think about is stretching out on a bearskin rug with a lovely lady and getting under this quilt. Because bearskin rugs and 8-bit video game quilts were practically made for each other. This Galaga quilt measures 60 x 60" and is 100% cotton. It was made by CarolinaPatchworks and is available for $475. It reminds me of this Pac Man rug featured awhile ago, because of all the old school awesomeness. I've been quilting for years and I've never made anything half as cool. Oh you didn't know I quilted? Hell yeah I do, and I'm all man. All man you hear! To prove it I'll drink this whole bottle of bleach. *Glug, glug, glug* HA! Nothing to it. Now watch this mule kick me in the nuts, I won't even flinch.
Staying Toasty Warm with Galaga and a Good Book [uberreview]
Aug 28 2007 Google Earth Now Features Outerspace
If you haven't heard already Google announced the launch of the Sky feature that is now included in Google Earth. It, um, lets you look at stars and planets instead of buildings and people. You can go to any location on earth and view what the sky looks like from that spot. You can also "blast off" and check out galaxies and nebulae and other things that don't really exist and are all make believe. Trust me, as a cosmonaut I know. You get up to the earth's atmosphere and it's just like a big cinderblock wall with stars and stuff painted on in glow paint. Kind of like the stickers on the ceiling in my bedroom. Come on over ladies and I'll show you the Little Dipper. I mean Big Dipper. Big Dipper. HUGE Dipper.
A completely unscripted video after the jump, explaining the new features.
