A Shocking Space Movie 29
MagnetarJones writes "Multiple observations made over several months with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope captured the spectacle of matter and antimatter propelled to nearly the speed of light by the Crab pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star the size of Manhattan. "Through this movie, the Crab Nebula has come to life," says Jeff Hester of Arizona State University."
Re:That looks spectacular (Score:2)
Re:That looks spectacular (Score:2)
Re:Weird units: What a small star (Score:1)
Re:Weird units: What a small star (Score:1)
RTFM! (Score:1, Informative)
A neutron star is ALWAYS between 1.4 and 3 solar masses. (above this limit, the neutrons themselves degenerate and form a black hole)
So yes, I think a stick deserves to be respected as much as a tree if it weighed 5 metric tons!
Flamebait? Is it really too much to ask... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Weird units: What a small star (Score:3, Informative)
To: 'Robert Claypool '
Subject :
RE: Crab pulsar article
Actually, based on the comments we've received from readers, the
comparison was a good one. Our intention was to demonstrate to people the
"size" of the star. And I think most people understood that we were talking
about size as the diameter of the star. Most people think of the size of
astronomical objects in linear dimensions, not volume.
When people think of stars they think of massive objects bigger than
earth. By comparing it to a well-known earth landmark, the imagery of size
becomes clearer.
I'm sorry the comparison didn't work for you.
Ron
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Claypool
To: ron.koczor@msfc.nasa.gov
Sent: 9/20/02 6:34 PM
Subject: Crab pulsar article
This article:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002
lists you as the responsible NASA official. It doesn't make sense to me why
there is a comparison between the Crab pulsar and Manhattan, especially in
the light of a lack of conventional figures, such as cubic kilometers and
kilograms. Further the Crab pulsar is a small star, while Manhattan is a big
city. Comparing them creates a dissonance in the sense of size one usually
tries to create when making such a comparison. I would appreciate it if NASA
took these into consideration in future articles.
Try these links.. (Score:4, Informative)
movies [harvard.edu]
article/images [harvard.edu]
more images [harvard.edu]
Can someone mirror these?
The crab nebula?!? It must be Zoltar! (Score:1, Offtopic)
(70's cartoon reference)
Looks like another one of Spectra's plots to me.
Watch the skies for incoming giant robots.
(/70's cartoon reference)
My quicktime install must be broken... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:My quicktime install must be broken... (Score:1, Funny)
What sounds do pulsars make? (Score:1)
Re:My quicktime install must be broken... (Score:2)
More information about the anti-matter? (Score:3, Interesting)
It's only mentioned briefly in the actual article as well:
So how do they know that one of these streams is made up of anti-electrons?
Ira Flatow is having a conversation about anti-matter on Science Friday [sciencefriday.com] as I'm typing this. It's a fascinating topic, so I always hate to see it just glossed over in press releases like this.
- Peter
Re:More information about the anti-matter? (Score:4, Informative)
Maybe because they're moving at identical speeds in opposite directions under the influence of a magnetic field?
Re:More information about the anti-matter? (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm not really sure. How do they know the magnetic configurstion around that N.S. ? and besides, these waves are supposed, AFAI understand, to be composed of electron-positron plasmas, I sincerely doubt they have the resolution required to plot single particles' trajectories
My guess is that such a claim is probably based on spectroscopy :
1) take a strong wavelength
2) substruct (probably do some kind of reverse integral transform) doppler,
3) get e+-e- anhilation energy
4) 1+2+3 => e+-e- plasma portion.
I can't reasonably think on any other plausible way, but then again, I'll be glad to find out
Eep! We found Chandra! (Score:2, Funny)
one of the most incredible things I have ever seen (Score:1)
Re:one of the most incredible things I have ever s (Score:2)
It's big.
It's bad.
Not very compact files (Score:3, Interesting)
They did a poor job of packaging those moving images IMO.
There appear to be only about half a dozen frames to each one. It does not take near 1+ meg to make an AVI or MPEG that has only 6 frames. Granted, they gave a "zoom" view and repeated it enough times to make movement clear, but this is not worth long download times for us poor modem users.
They could have made some nice animated GIF's even with so few frames. Animated GIFs will do the repetition without having to store copies of the repeated frames. IOW, by-reference loops. I bet a roughly 300x300 pixel animated GIF would only take up about 100 to 400 meg for the same quality, since the colors tend to be monochromatic in those. (If they had a lot of colors, then GIF palletes tend to get ugly.)
I thought they meant this... (Score:1, Offtopic)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - A family got the shock of their lives when lightning zapped their satellite dish and the TV turned from nice to nasty -- with XXX extraterrestrial porno flicks!
"We were watching Touched by an Angel with the children when -- kaboom! -- there was a frightful thunderclap," said 31-year-old wife and mother of two, Sheila McCallum.
"The lights flickered for a moment and the TV went blank. When it came back on, we saw a beastly new show that looked like an X-rated alien movie."
The McCallums sat watching in mute horror and disbelief for nearly five minutes trying to decipher the bizarre pornographic images and sounds filling their family room. When they finally realized what they were being subjected to, Sheila took the children, Evan, 8, and Angela, 6, from the room while Angus worked the remote in a fruitless effort to change the channel.