We Are At War With The Center Of The Milky Way

[tybrad]

Four telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA are being used simultaneously to study the center of our Galaxy and so all use a laser to create an artificial star nearby.

Lasers sent from telescopes are now commonly used to help increase the accuracy of astronomical observations. In some sky locations, Earth atmosphere-induced fluctuations in actual starlight can indicate how the air mass over a telescope is changing so that adaptive optics can be aligned. Sometimes though, no bright star exists in the direction where atmospheric information is needed. In these cases, astronomers create an artificial star where they need it -- with a laser. Subsequent observations of the artificial laser guide star can reveal information so detailed about the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere that much of this blurring can be removed by rapidly flexing the mirror.

 

[spartanmanor]

Amazing. Great photo!

 

[BayouTiger]

If you've not gone up to the top of Mauna Kea for sunset and stargazing, you're missing a bucket list level treat!

 

[Jeffery]

We Are At War With The Center Of The Milky Way

We've always been at war with The Center of the Milky Way

 

[Beatnik]

I thought it was nothing but nougat, don't we know that already ?

 

[nailer]

Praying they don't shoot back.

 

[onwardjames]

We Are At War With The Center Of The Milky Way

We've always been at war with The Center of the Milky Way

Stretch harder, Winston!


That pic reminds me of one truism - We are completely irrelevant.

 

[old_tv_nut]

That's one less mosquito!

 

[Sandy G]

EVERYBODY wants "Contact" w/another race, but DO WE, REALLY ? They might see us a 4.3 billion steaks.... They might like the earth, wanna move here, but WE would have to go.. Do YOU care when you step on a bug, spray a wasp nest, or pour gas down an anthill ? They might regard us the same as we do bugs..

 

[dosmalo]

EVERYBODY wants "Contact" w/another race, but DO WE, REALLY ? They might see us a 4.3 billion steaks.... They might like the earth, wanna move here, but WE would have to go.. Do YOU care when you step on a bug, spray a wasp nest, or pour gas down an anthill ? They might regard us the same as we do bugs..

Very well may be except I think they're looking for intelligent life so.....they're SOL!

 

[nailer]

EVERYBODY wants "Contact" w/another race, but DO WE, REALLY ? They might see us a 4.3 billion steaks.... They might like the earth, wanna move here, but WE would have to go.. Do YOU care when you step on a bug, spray a wasp nest, or pour gas down an anthill ? They might regard us the same as we do bugs..

To Serve Man is a cookbook after all.

 

[Sandy G]

To Serve Man is a cookbook after all.

I was HOPING someone would bring that up..

 

[Kingshead]

Our distance from the center has kept us safe, we should stop shouting "Come and get it".

 

[Hyperion]

I just flipped the safety off my burp gun :yes:

 

[onwardjames]

EVERYBODY wants "Contact" w/another race, but DO WE, REALLY ? They might see us a 4.3 billion steaks.... They might like the earth, wanna move here, but WE would have to go.. Do YOU care when you step on a bug, spray a wasp nest, or pour gas down an anthill ? They might regard us the same as we do bugs..

Although your musings come from humble Bugtussle, it is interesting to note that Sandy's views are in direct correlation with the honorable Stephen Hawking, who said pretty much the same thing, regarding the Voyager mission.

You should work for NASA, sandy. :thmbsp:

 

[old_tv_nut]

Our distance from the center has kept us safe, ...

Wait a minute - how do you know where they are???
(Watch out - they may be among us disguised as ordinary AKers!)

 

[ggrey]

Thihyy vghtd bhhtgy vvfrew mkmkllpft...oops sorry forgot to turn on my universal translator hew-mon

 

[Kingshead]

Wait a minute - how do you know where they are???
(Watch out - they may be among us disguised as ordinary AKers!)

By the same token, that same distance means any race capable of traveling here WILL be vastly superior, good or bad.

Martin

 

[toxcrusadr]

Wait a minute - how do you know where they are???
(Watch out - they may be among us disguised as ordinary AKers!)

I think he was referring to "safe from the giant black hole at the center."

The laser thing is fascinating, and the flexing of mirrors is exactly what I've been reading about in a Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan novel called Cardinal of the Kremlin. Takes place in the 80s, about the Star Wars program. The fundamental problems with shooting down missiles included atmospheric changes that defocused the laser (including heating of the atmosphere by the laser itself, resulting in 'bloom'). The solution was to use software to rapidly adjust the mirror.

 

[jhtstone]

Captain Kirk has been there and he didn't find it too pleasant.