North Star May Be Wasting Away 129
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the julius-caesar-wanted-to-go-on-a-diet dept.
from the julius-caesar-wanted-to-go-on-a-diet dept.
sciencehabit writes "The North Star, a celestial beacon to navigators for centuries, may be slowly shrinking, according to a new analysis of more than 160 years of observations. The data suggest that the familiar fixture in the northern sky is shedding an Earth's mass worth of gas each year."
Oh my god! (Score:4, Funny)
Polaris must be losing nearly the equivalent of Earth's mass—or a little under a millionth of its own mass—each year,
In a little over a million years, we won't be able to use that particular star to navigate any more. IT'LL BE CHAOS!
Pivot point (Score:5, Funny)
It's probably losing all that mass due to heat from friction. It must be under tremendous pressure, seeing as how the entire night sky pivots on that single point. Long-term this will have huge consequences - when the North Star finally wears through completely the entire universe will ricochet off into nothingness like a spinning top.
Re:Oh my god! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Pivot point (Score:5, Funny)
It's probably losing all that mass due to heat from friction. It must be under tremendous pressure, seeing as how the entire night sky pivots on that single point. Long-term this will have huge consequences - when the North Star finally wears through completely the entire universe will ricochet off into nothingness like a spinning top.
Not to worry. Once we get our booster technology straightened out, we can send up a big can of WD-40.
Thank God! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Pivot point (Score:4, Funny)
Not to worry. Once we get our booster technology straightened out, we can send up a big can of WD-40.
That's the first lesson in any basic astrophysics maintenance course - always keep your turtles oiled.
Re:Oh my god! (Score:5, Funny)
Well, except that over that same time period, we'll be experiencing a reversal of the poles, and the accompaning period of magnetic flux that would make magnetic compasses rather useless.
Re:Thank God! (Score:4, Funny)
Thank God its not shedding the amount of gas a politician evacuates each year. It would be barley visible.
I know right! And then wheat would we do?
Re:Thank God! (Score:4, Funny)
I apologise for that; I have a very rye sense of humour.
Re:Pivot point (Score:5, Funny)
Don't forget the turtle wax.
Does this mean victory for the Southern Cross? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Damn... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Oh my god! (Score:5, Funny)
Problem is, what comes from Vega are Vegans. If they invade, no more leather, no more steaks. We'll be reduced to eating vegetables and tofu forever and ever and ever, amen
Course, the upside is, we'll produce plenty of methane, so it might help with the energy crunch, though I kinda doubt it'll be comfortable walking around with a gas pipe up my ass. Maybe that's why the aliens are so into anal probing...
Release the Chaff! (Score:4, Funny)
There's a grain (or at least a germ) of truth in each of those posts. Kind of a cereal furrow of truthiness, just plowing along, planting seeds of doubt, perhaps to just lie farro, but then again, maybe knot.
Re:Oh my god! (Score:4, Funny)
ah, that's because when it clicks over to 100,000 the Morlocks invade...
Re:What does it mean for Christians? (Score:3, Funny)
I've been to 3 separate universities where, in the restrooms in the science wings, above the toilet paper dispenser, was a note reading "theology degree. Please take one".