Collision Course

12/14/2024

LIVE with Avi Loeb, The Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard. We're going to be talking from 12-2 pm CDT today! See you there

12/14/2024

Collision Course LIVE is coming on in 15-minutes!

09/16/2024

This one is on its way, no doubt about it.

Hey folks....Just finished another one!. Amazing what's happens when you get good conditions for than than 1 day in row!....lol
I know this object has been done a bazillion times by a lot of us, but just a gorgeous object! This is M31 The Andromeda Galaxy. our closest neighbor.
Hope y'all enjoy
Bobster Francis and Deb
Cosmic Obsession Kerrville

Telescope : Takahashi TOA-130 .
Mount: Astro Physics AP 1100 (guided)
Camera: ZEUS 455M PRO (IMX455) USB3.0 Mono
Filter: Astrodon Ha, Lum, Red, Green and Blue 50mm Round unmounted
Guidescope/Camera: William Optics 71MM/Lodestar X2
Software: The SkyX, Voyager, Pixinsight,Photoshop
Images: Lum 18x600 2x2, Ha 12x600 2x2, RGB 10x300 2x2 each (LHaRGB)
Total Exposure: Approx. 7.5 Hours of data

The Andromeda Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy and is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. It was originally named the Andromeda Nebula and is cataloged as Messier 31, M31, and NGC 224. Andromeda has a D25 isophotal diameter of about 46.56 kiloparsecs (152,000 light-years) and is approximately 765 kpc (2.5 million light-years) from Earth. The galaxy's name stems from the area of Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda, which itself is named after the princess who was the wife of Perseus in Greek mythology.

The virial mass of the Andromeda Galaxy is of the same order of magnitude as that of the Milky Way, at 1 trillion solar masses (2.0×1042 kilograms). The mass of either galaxy is difficult to estimate with any accuracy, but it was long thought that the Andromeda Galaxy was more massive than the Milky Way by a margin of some 25% to 50%. However, this has been called into question by early 21st-century studies indicating a possibly lower mass for the Andromeda Galaxy and a higher mass for the Milky Way. The Andromeda Galaxy has a diameter of about 46.56 kpc (152,000 ly), making it the largest member of the Local Group of galaxies in terms of extension.

The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are expected to collide with each other in around 4–5 billion years, merging to potentially form a giant elliptical galaxy or a large lenticular galaxy.

09/14/2024

You won’t believe what happens inside!

SOLSTICE Age: Immortal S*x: Female Weight: 100 Talents Breed: Kytherian 1.0 The Twilight of Kytheron The horizon of Kytheron was bathed in the dim, dying light of Archon, the red giant that had sustained the planet for millennia. Once a warm, golden sun, it now swelled ominously, its surface...

09/13/2024

09/11/2024

We will know by its speed:

In the cold, dark reaches of space, somewhere far beyond our solar system, a small but resilient object—what we now know as CNEOS 2014-01-08—began its journe...

09/09/2024

When I think about it, all I have is my imagination and some similarities.

Hi, Y’all I’m looking forward to bring you new images of the new comet from the observatory. I’m think all of us have thought about where the heck are all th...

09/09/2024

277.77 times inside the inner solar system in 1,000,000-years.

Discover the fascinating dynamics of a brown dwarf star and its orbit duration of 3,600 years! In this video, we delve into the calculations revealing how of...

09/09/2024

To calculate how many times a brown dwarf star with a 3,600-year orbit would have passed through the inner solar system over the course of a million years:

1. Time span:
• We have a total time span of 1,000,000 years.
2. Orbital period of the brown dwarf:
• The brown dwarf has a 3,600-year orbital period around the Sun.
3. Calculation:
• Divide the total time span by the orbital period to find how many complete orbits the brown dwarf would have made in that time.

1,000,000/3,600 = 277.77 times

So, the brown dwarf would have passed through the inner solar system approximately 278 times in a million years.

If a hypothetical brown dwarf star with a 3,600-year orbit had passed through the inner solar system 277 times over the last million years, the effects would have been profound and observable. Such an object would likely leave significant and recurring evidence of its presence. Here are the main forms of damage and observable consequences we would expect:

1. Gravitational Disturbances

• A brown dwarf is a massive object, though not as large as a star, but its gravitational influence would still be substantial. As it passed through the inner solar system, it would disrupt the orbits of planets, asteroids, and comets. Over 277 passages:
• We would expect shifts in the orbits of Earth and other planets, leading to long-term orbital instabilities. Such disturbances could cause Earth’s orbit to deviate, potentially leading to drastic climate shifts or changes in the length of a year.
• Asteroid belt disturbances: A brown dwarf could destabilize parts of the asteroid belt, sending a significant number of asteroids toward the inner solar system. This would cause an increase in asteroid impacts on Earth, potentially resulting in craters, mass extinctions, and geologic layers associated with these impacts.
• Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt objects: The outer solar system would also be disrupted, with a brown dwarf likely causing long-period comets to be redirected toward the Sun. This could lead to cometary bombardments on Earth, leaving traces of their impact in the form of craters and debris.

2. Geological Evidence

• Each time the brown dwarf passed close to Earth, we would expect to see evidence of environmental catastrophes, such as:
• Crater layers: Large impacts would leave distinct craters and geological layers rich in iridium (an element often associated with extraterrestrial impacts), much like the layer found in the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, which marks the mass extinction event 66 million years ago.
• Mass extinction events: If this scenario were true, there should be evidence of multiple mass extinction events. These events would be scattered throughout Earth’s fossil record, but with a regular periodicity linked to the 3,600-year cycle. We currently observe mass extinctions, but not with this regular interval.

3. Orbital Shifts and Eccentricities

• Repeated gravitational encounters with a brown dwarf would cause anomalies in the orbits of planets. For instance:
• The eccentricities (how elliptical the orbits are) of planets would increase over time. For example, Earth’s orbit, which is nearly circular, could become more elliptical, leading to extreme variations in climate (hotter summers, colder winters).
• We would also expect planetary axis tilts to be significantly affected. Over hundreds of passages, these changes would create dramatic climate swings or even complete shifts in Earth’s climate systems.

4. Historical and Astronomical Records

• Human civilizations have kept astronomical records for thousands of years. If a brown dwarf had been passing through the inner solar system every 3,600 years, ancient cultures likely would have documented such an event due to its proximity to Earth.
• No records of such phenomena exist. While ancient texts sometimes refer to celestial phenomena (such as comets, solar eclipses, etc.), there is no consistent record across cultures of a brown dwarf-like object appearing regularly.

5. Absence of Systematic Damage

• If this had occurred, Earth’s geological and environmental history would show systematic, periodic destruction and recovery cycles. However, current data shows:
• While impact events like the Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago caused mass extinctions, these events do not occur on a regular 3,600-year interval.
• Fossil records indicate long periods of stability between catastrophic events, with no evidence of regular, large-scale disruptions.

Why We Haven’t Seen Such Evidence:

• Astronomical models of our solar system’s stability do not support the regular intrusion of a massive body like a brown dwarf. If such a body existed, its gravitational influence would have destabilized the solar system long ago.
• Orbital mechanics of planets are very finely balanced. A large object’s repeated passage would likely have ejected or destabilized planets, yet our solar system remains stable.

Conclusion:

If a brown dwarf had passed through our inner solar system 277 times in the past million years, we would expect to see significant and recurring damage, including altered planetary orbits, an increase in impact craters, mass extinction events, and disruptions to Earth’s climate and axis tilt. However, no such evidence exists, leading to the conclusion that such an event has not occurred in our planet’s history.

09/08/2024

Comet 2P/Encke is a short-period comet that has one of the shortest orbits around the Sun, with a period of just about 3.3 years. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1786, and later, Johann Franz Encke calculated its orbit, giving the comet its name. Unlike many other comets, which can have orbits that span centuries, 2P/Encke’s relatively rapid return makes it a frequent visitor to the inner solar system.

The comet is notable for its association with the Taurid meteor shower, which occurs annually. 2P/Encke sheds material as it orbits the Sun, creating a debris field known as the Taurid Swarm. This swarm consists of larger-than-average meteoroids and is responsible for the Taurid meteor showers that we see in October and November. The Taurid Swarm is thought to be part of a much larger debris field, possibly originating from the breakup of a larger parent body thousands of years ago. Some researchers speculate that this parent body may have been a giant comet or an asteroid, and its remnants contribute to both the Taurid meteor showers and other near-Earth objects.

Interestingly, the Taurid Swarm contains larger, potentially hazardous objects, some of which could pose a threat to Earth. During certain years, Earth passes through the denser parts of this swarm, which can result in an increase in both meteors and larger fireballs, known as Taurid fireballs. Some scientists have hypothesized that past impacts from Taurid Swarm objects may be linked to significant historical events, such as the Tunguska event in 1908, where a large explosion flattened trees over a vast area in Siberia.

The Taurid Swarm, due to its periodic nature and proximity to Earth, is the subject of ongoing research, particularly because it presents one of the more significant asteroid and comet debris fields that Earth regularly intersects. #2024

09/08/2024

If Nibiru is Real, where is it?

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest known pieces of literature, originating from ancient Mesopotamia, and is centered around the adventures of Gilgame...