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Astronomers Again Baffled by Solar Observations
Posted by
CowboyNeal
on Sat May 05, 2007 05:28 AM
from the back-to-the-drawing-board dept.
from the back-to-the-drawing-board dept.
SteakNShake writes "Once again professional astronomers are struggling to understand observations of the sun. ScienceDaily reports that a team from Saint Andrew's University announced that the sun's magnetic fields dominate the behavior of the corona via a mechanism dubbed the 'solar skeleton.' Computer models continue to be built to mimic the observed behavior of the sun in terms of magnetic fields but apparently the ball is still being dropped; no mention in the announcement is made of the electric fields that must be the cause of the observed magnetic fields. Also conspicuously absent from the press releases is the conclusion that the sun's corona is so-dominated by electric and magnetic fields because it is a plasma. In light of past and present research revealing the electrical nature of the universe, this kind of crippling ignorance among professional astrophysicists is astonishing."
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The electrical nature of the universe (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The electrical nature of the universe (Score:5, Funny)
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whaa? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:whaa? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re:whaa? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:whaa? (Score:5, Interesting)
I have repeatedly gotten emails from a similar group of nutjobs linking to a 40 page paper which "proves" the universe is not powered by fusion but by magnetic fields or some such. Their paper contained I think three equations and a whole lot of hooey.
The story on the front page of slashdot is complete and utter BUNK (yes, I know not THAT big of a surprise). Editors should remove immediately.
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Re:whaa? (Score:5, Informative)
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Teach the controversy (Score:5, Informative)
--
Real Solar: http://mdsolar.blogspot.com/2007/01/slashdot-user
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Re:Teach the controversy (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly. It was published regardless. So what's the point?
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Re:whaa? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:whaa? (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:whaa? (Score:5, Informative)
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Crippling ignorance? (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't it rather an indication that they're doing their job? Data which challenge our current models are the most valuable things scientists can collect, because they give researchers chance to refine their theories.
If all the astrophysicists and satelite projects were returning information which merely fit their current theories, there would seem to be less need for such research. In scientific research, the known unknowns are difficult challenges, but the discovery of unknown unknowns are the wonderful bits. Definite Ignorance leads to Progress.
Re:Crippling ignorance? (Score:5, Interesting)
Isn't it rather an indication that they're doing their job? Data which challenge our current models are the most valuable things scientists can collect, because they give researchers chance to refine their theories.
The thing is, the theory the submitter alludes to isn't the "current model", it's extreme fringe theory (I'm tempted to call it crackpot theory but will leave that to an actual physicist), and the submitter managed to get his troll on Slashdot.
I mean, he's calling the fact that scientists don't agree to a theory on thunderbolts.info as "crippling ignorance".
I mean, Nature, thunderbolts.info, they're about the same in status, don't you agree?
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Re:Crippling ignorance? (Score:5, Informative)
It's a crackpot theory.
-mazarin5, physicist
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WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
Crank crackpottery (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Crank crackpottery (Score:5, Informative)
This is the crew that's calling modern astronomers crippled by ignorance? Excuse me while i die laughing...
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Slashdot is an easy target for kooks (Score:5, Insightful)
Electric Universe!? (Score:5, Funny)
Codswallop. Everybody knows the universe is powered by good old steam. I'd post a link to the official research site on the prestigious geocities.com server, but space aliens running on diesel stole my bookmarks.
The Tao of Slashdot (Score:5, Insightful)
The Yin: genius multiple-PhD types figure out something about the sun. Good for them.
The Yang: irrelevant mention of a cabal of self-referential mouth breathers who don't know energy is not a discrete thing but is a property of other things.
Maybe Slashdot posts articles like this to give us a poke and see what our reaction will be. That reminds me of a certain thing I can't quite remember, I think it starts with a "t".
One thing I noticed about Slashdot's feigned ignorance as humour (if that's what it is), it's always about things other than IT. For example, let's see an article asserting that integrated circuits are actually an alien technology harvested from flying saucers the US Government has hidden away. Not funny because it's too ridiculous?
pseudoscience (Score:5, Insightful)
I guess I'll chime in. (Score:5, Insightful)
Then I clicked that last link. Ooooh. This guy is nuts. Still doesn't explain why he got his rant accepted on Slashdot.
Is CowboyNeal new around here? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:insane theroies 1 - regular theories 1 billion! (Score:5, Insightful)
Levels of abstraction. Learn about them, friend.
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