There's a question that's been baffling me for weeks now (not an uncomon occurrence) and I thought the forum members might have an answer. Anyway, someone sent me a slideshow which started with a picture of a plant and the idea was to zoom out by powers of ten (e.g. plant to yard to neighborhood to city to planet, etc.). The last picture showed our solar system as a speck among the stars and was something like 100 million light years away.
My question. If we have never sent anything into space that could have traveled 100 million light years, looked back and taken a picture of our solar system, how was this picture taken?
"Don't spread my wealth, spread my work ethic." or "You think healthcare is expensive now? Just wait until it's FREE."
Posts: 1170 | Location: New England | Registered: August 03, 2007
Well, the picture wasn't really 'taken' in the sense of a photograph, it's really more of an artist's rendering of the Milky Way. Alternatively, it's conceivable that they simply substituted a picture of a spiral galaxy with similar structure to ours, and drew in a pointer.
However, as far as the general structure of the galaxy, our location in it, etc, odds are the picture is spot on-- we've got a pretty good idea of what our galaxy looks like from the outsider's perspective (and our scope technology is getting closer and closer to giving us a decent look at the core of the galaxy, which we think might house a proper enormous black hole...)
We will never be able to have a picture of the Milky Way from that lookin down on it as a flat disc angle because as you said, that would require us to be war far from the galaxy.
Unless they showed you a picture looking through the Milky Way like this Real Pic then it was probably an artistic rendering.
according to LIFE magazine which ran it as a feature back in their heyday, it was taken 110 million years ago by one of the Magi, the one who brought the frankensence
SubChop, this would require send a camera into space at the speed of light for 100 million years, then after taking the photo, another 100 million years to get it back. Our space program started in the late 1950's. Sorry.
Originally posted by elcaribe: SubChop, this would require send a camera into space at the speed of light for 100 million years, then after taking the photo, another 100 million years to get it back. Our space program started in the late 1950's. Sorry.
I thought that's what I wrote.
In any case, these were advertised as pictures vice "artist's renderings", so it's seems justinp probably had the correct answer.
"Don't spread my wealth, spread my work ethic." or "You think healthcare is expensive now? Just wait until it's FREE."
Posts: 1170 | Location: New England | Registered: August 03, 2007
"Cuban seed tobaccos grown in Nicaragua and Cuba. The wrapper would be from Cuba. The binder leaves would be from Nicaragua. For the ligero tobacco in the filler, he would use two types, one from Esteli and the other from Jalapa in Nicaragua. The other filler components, seco and viso, would come from Cuba, the former from Villa Clara, the latter from Pinar del Rio. That Cigar, he says with pride, would score 100 points." -Don Pepin Garcia
Did yuou have to learn celestial navigation in the Navy? I am amazed at how it works and wish I were better with math and able to do it.
I spent many rainy afternoons as a youth in the Planetarium and remain fascinated. My wife thinks it is amasing I can spot and name so many constellations in the sky.
Good people sleep at night knowing there are rough men ready to do violence on their behalf
Posts: 2124 | Location: Connecticut | Registered: November 19, 2004
Did yuou have to learn celestial navigation in the Navy? I am amazed at how it works and wish I were better with math and able to do it.
I spent many rainy afternoons as a youth in the Planetarium and remain fascinated. My wife thinks it is amasing I can spot and name so many constellations in the sky.
Funny you should mention Celestial Navigation. It was one of the courses taught at Officer Candidate School and the reason for a particular all night study session, which in turn resulted in my receiving 8 demerits and 4 hours of marching "punishment".
But yes, I did think the material was fascinating!
"Don't spread my wealth, spread my work ethic." or "You think healthcare is expensive now? Just wait until it's FREE."
Posts: 1170 | Location: New England | Registered: August 03, 2007
I submit to you that the speed of light is a theory, and unprovable by science.
No one has ever seen light "go". We assume, based on scientific calculations that it is as we say.
In order to understand the distance and depth of the Universe we must first believe(have faith), that "we" understand completely what distance is.
And this is, by us measured in "Light Years".
But if no one has ever seen a "Light Year", how can that be proven? Mathematics? Thermodynamics? etc...
Mathematics is based on certain assumptions. It is based on conjecture.
It assumes certain thing to be true...
We must assume. We must have faith that what we assume, is TRUTH.
Therefore, distance and length is unknown because these measurements are based on our finite and unprovable theories.
That is why these "pictures" are artists renditions.
No one really knows.
________________________________________________ -The most under appreciated artist, is the one who did not create. -The most under appreciated painter, is the one who never painted. -The most under appreciated writer, is the one that never wrote. -The most under appreciated, is the one who never did.
thread jack warning...if the moon were made of cheese what kind would you want it to be...
As to the topic of this thread I have no idea.
"Baseball? It's just a game. As simple as a ball and a bat, yet as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. It's a sport, a business, and sometimes even a religion." -Ernie Harwell
Originally posted by tooomanycolors: thread jack warning...if the moon were made of cheese what kind would you want it to be...
As to the topic of this thread I have no idea.
A lighting fast French Brie, with a sprinkle of German Hirtenkase.
Of course it is understood that no one has ever seen a French Brie light, nor a Hinterkase sprinkle....
Therefore it is all conjecture.
________________________________________________ -The most under appreciated artist, is the one who did not create. -The most under appreciated painter, is the one who never painted. -The most under appreciated writer, is the one that never wrote. -The most under appreciated, is the one who never did.
well first off E=mc^2 is only the rest mass energy. if you wanted the complete relatavistic energy E=mc^2 + (gamma-1)mc^2 where gamma=1/sqrt(1-v^2/c^2). This should be obvious. lol. Also if the picture was taken 100 million light years away, then it would only take 100 million years to get here since we didnt take the picture here on earth but in the place 100 million light years away. Also the speed of light can be measured in a lab since I have done this lab in my undergraduate work in physics. so i know for a fact that it is approximately 3*10^8 m/s. And to TexasLine you can see a light year if you look out into space at night and see some stars. some of them are at least a light year away.
but after thinking about what i wrote, it would take longer than 100 million years to get here since the picture isnt being sent by photons but probably through some space shuttle which obviously cant travel at the speed of light. unless by some awesome traveling techniques it did, that would be sweet. to bad it cant travel faster than the speed of light or this topic would be a very interesting problem.
