Nearby, Recent Interplanetary Collision Inferred 88
The Bad Astronomer writes about a new discovery by the Spitzer Space Telescope, which detected signs of an interplanetary smashup only 100 light-years from here, and only a few thousand years ago. There's a NASA-produced animation of the collision between a Mercury-sized planet and a moon-sized impactor. The collision's aftermath was detected by the presence of what are essentially glass shards in orbit around the star. Here's NASA's writeup.
And nothing of value got lost? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow! (Score:3, Funny)
100 light-years! Boy that barely missed us, better put on your hardhats boys because the next mash up is said to be only 80 light-years away!
We should hope that whoever engineered this is not heading our way.
Actually... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:And nothing of value got lost? (Score:3, Funny)
Little did we know... District 13 was filmed with no computer animations at all.
Re:And nothing of value got lost? (Score:5, Funny)
The civilization that was living in that planet is traveling to a little blue planet that was nearby at a modest 100 light years. Invasion is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Thankfully the invasion was called off when the aliens learned of mankind's secret weapons: lawyers, building permits and environmental impact statements. Said Fleetlord Atvar, "We came here looking to save our race, not to spend the next two hundred years filling out paperwork. We'll find a new home somewhere else, thank you very much."
Re:Wow! (Score:5, Funny)
Hay, you have nothing to complain about. The notice was published in the Galactic Gazette by the Vogon destructor fleet for several centuries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy [wikipedia.org]
Re:And nothing of value got lost? (Score:5, Funny)
My calculation predict that he'll land somewhere in Kansas.
Re:A question for interstellar arms dealers... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And nothing of value got lost? (Score:3, Funny)
There's no need for time travel. An FTL drive (time machine) would have allowed them to arrive before the impact was visible here, a "few thousand years ago." Which, thanks to relativity, would mean they'd arrive before it happened. .1c or so - crossing about one light year every ten years. Impressive, but not a time machine.
Arriving next tuesday means they've got a drive on their generation ship that can hit a little over
Re:From the NASA writeup (Score:2, Funny)
...plunging deeper and deeper into the unplumbed depths of unimaginably violent, raging, endless storms, and finally sinking to the crushing depths of the great core furnace.
Like when you're with a lady.
Re:And nothing of value got lost? (Score:4, Funny)
The civilization that was living in that planet is traveling to a little blue planet that was nearby at a modest 100 light years. Invasion is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Actually they landed here ~4 million years ago but accidentally killed the dinosaurs while landing their pyramids.
Re:And nothing of value got lost? (Score:4, Funny)
Invasion is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Must be waiting for Microsoft to releasing a patch for their retrocatalytic ion phaser driver.
Re:And nothing of value got lost? (Score:1, Funny)
The civilization that was living in that planet is traveling to a little blue planet that was nearby at a modest 100 light years. Invasion is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Thankfully the invasion was called off when the aliens learned of mankind's secret weapons: lawyers, building permits and environmental impact statements. Said Fleetlord Atvar, "We came here looking to save our race, not to spend the next two hundred years filling out paperwork. We'll find a new home somewhere else, thank you very much."
Best misquote of a Harry Turtledove novel I ever read (it was my first)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=5740554 [slashdot.org]
Re:Wow! (Score:2, Funny)