The Universe

[Amethyst1]

10 char

[Cymbrelynn]

What's your favorite thing to spot in the night sky? I love the cold winter months since they mean I can see the Pleiades. So gorgeous. Like a delicate, glittering web hanging in the sky...

So excited the Lex has a science thread!

[Cymbrelynn]

Malaz,

I'm sorry that some things are unquestionable to you. Science is about the pursuit of truth at all costs. We expand our consciousness and grow as people when we challenge ourselves to entertain "unquestionable" ideas. It doesn't mean you will change your mind but you never know what you might find. Science always asks questions. It never gives up. It does not have all the answers. Not yet. But it has a lot and someday it will probably have them all.

As for what I think about a moon split...science has nothing to do with religion. If there was any empirical evidence for any religion I would be a follower of that religion. The sources you cite for this are religious, not scientific, and are therefore unreliable. It is not possible for the moon to have split in half and then have been joined back together. That image is just a line on the surface of the moon. He's been hanging out there for quite a long time now and lots of things have collided with him. An image of the sort of line that would be on the moon if such a split ever occurred would like quite different. Also, if the moon ever was truly split, this would have been a world wide phenomena and would have certainly been recorded by societies all over the world.

This is what NASA has to offer when you do a search for "moon split" http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/1999/99_18AR.html Support for the Moon coming from Earth theory. And here is their official Moon page: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planets/moonpage.html I strongly encourage you to research scientific sources when asking questions about the universe

[Amethyst1]

10 char

[debussygirl]

I agree with malaz, God made this world with science and sense.
But personally, I don't mind not knowing for now. I love the mystery and beauty of it all. I love wondering and just being amazed at God's awesome powers. I'm far less curious about how the universe was created, because I think that if we don't know then everything just seems so amazing and beautiful. I can't look at a star and think of what gases it's made of. It's good people are doing it, I'm very glad there's scientists finding cures and stuff, but it's not something that really interests me all that much.

[Cymbrelynn]

Malaz,I'd be very interested to see that article from NASA if you can find it.And I don't mean to discuss religion either but it's just that extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence. I commend you for wanting to pursue a degree in science! I wish I had the brains for it but mine just doesn't work that way. The more scientists the better. Let us know when you're out there curing cancer What field of science do you want to study?

Debussygirl, I disagree with you. I think the more we know about how the universe came about the more amazing it becomes.

Do you guys like Carl Sagan? I love this video based on his "Pale Blue Dot". It reminds me of the transiency of life and how important it is to make it count. The universe is so vast and incomprehensible the chances that you even exist are so small. It's such a miracle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47EBLD-ISyc. I love this song by The Streets too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm2zPmA1PhI The chorus goes:

"For billions of years since the outset of time
Every single one of your ancestors has survived
Every single person on your mum and dad's side
Successfully looked after and passed on to you life.
What are the chances of that like?
It comes to me once in a while
And everywhere I tell folk it gets the best smile."

Love it!!

[Goodnight Elizabeth]

I've tried to post this thing 3 times, but my computer kept eating it. It's out of order now.

I don't know how colours can not exist? i've never heard of that theory or is it a fact? I say not.

It is a fact. It is something that each of us can test. Turn off all the lights in an already darkened room then look around and describe what colors you see. You won't see any colors; you will only see black/darkness. The absence of light is dark. Vice versa. Notice how bright & white everything is when the light is fully on. That's because the objects are reflecting light. Another example is twilight. It is my favorite time of day because we have a balance between light and dark. The colors seem richer, fuller then. It's because the sun is going down and letting the dark in.

[skylarblue]

GNE - you are always so insightful. I love how you described how we see color and I've never thought of that idea before. I always spaced during science. Question for you, how would you describe how people become colored blind? They can still tell the difference between light and dark but do you feel it's due to the lack of light that they see that causes them not to tell the differences in color.

I feel the universe I so vast and maybe in our lifetime we will never realize how far it expands. I love how scientists are examining how there is the possibility of other life forms out there.

The whole relationship of the Big Bang and God created the world is going to be debated until the end of time but it doesn't matter to me how it happened but just the fact that it did happen is wonderful.

I love looking into the sky and seeing the stars and wondering what else is out there and how we can progress to see it all. Just think how many undiscovered planets and stars are out there.

I think that's why I've always loved the Star Trek or Star Wars series just to travel out in space and through different galaxies is truely amazing.

[Amethyst1]

Cymbrelynn -- i tried to find you the article and maybe the video as well but i've had no luck.
Thankyou, but actaully i do not have any brains but i realized when you really love something and work hard at it, your works pays off (as we all know) or i guess i am gentically programmed to love science seeing as my dad loves it too.
I love Astronmy and Biology (only the biology that deals with humans though) - i hope to become a doctor and then when i again enough experience become part scientist to find cures (hopefully not cancer, because i hope by the time i am in uni there's a cure already or even earlier) but i am torn because a deep part of me wants to work for NASA (like really wants to. i visit the NASA website all the time), but i realize i love to help people more so doctor it is then.

And i agree with you. the more we know about the universe the interesting it becomes. I think it's interesting either way though. But i love knowing the little things that are so significant to the universe. Such as stars and their life span and what they are made of and what kind of stars there are and blackholes...absolutely wonderous.

one of the things that interest me about the universe is gravity. My brother was telling me how Einstein (i am pretty sure) came up with it. The whole, "the apple falls from a tree and lands on the ground. Why?".

It is a fact. It is something that each of us can test. Turn off all the lights in an already darkened room then look around and describe what colors you see. You won't see any colors; you will only see black/darkness. The absence of light is dark. Vice versa. Notice how bright & white everything is when the light is fully on. That's because the objects are reflecting light. Another example is twilight. It is my favorite time of day because we have a balance between light and dark. The colors seem richer, fuller then. It's because the sun is going down and letting the dark in.

That doesn't make sense though, well to me it doesn't. I know light affects how light or dark something is. The more light, the more brighter the room is.
But what is confusing is that theory or fact or whatever, does it apply to real colours, like my headboard for instance, it's brown, i know in the dark it's dim and looks darker but that's because of the lack of light, and now the room is bright and it looks normal. Can you explain please, hopefully i am not confusing you?

[Cymbrelynn]

skylarblue, I know you can't trust just any old thing you read on the internet but this little site seems to line up with everything I can remember being taught about color blindness in school. http://www.faqs.org/health/Sick-V1/Color-Blindness.html

Malaz, good luck with your dreams. Never lose the curiosity you have in the world around you. It was in fact, Newton, who had the whole deal with apple. You can read all about that here http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newtongrav.html

GNE is right, though. Your headboard is not actually colored brown. I cant put it as well as the Franklin Institute so here is what they have to say:
"The color of anything depends on the type of light sent to our eyes; light is necessary if we are to have any perception of color at all. An object is "colored," as stated above, because of the light it reflects—all other colors are absorbed into that specific object. So then, an apple appears red because it reflects red light.

White light from the sun contains all the possible color variations. Yet, the human eye can only respond to certain colors and wavelengths, and not everyone sees the same colors or exact same shades of a color. We are capable of seeing color because our eyes have light and color-sensitive receptors. These receptors are called rods (receptive to amounts of light) and cones (sensitive to colors). Being able to see color is a sensation, just like smelling a pie fresh out of the oven or tasting your favorite meal. Different foods smell and taste different to each person, and likewise, no color is seen exactly the same by two people, because each person's rods and cones vary"
http://www.fi.edu/color/color.html