Andromeda321's recent activity
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentIn the context of JWST? We're going to learn SO MUCH about the early universe that we don't understand right now. This is already happening, but still on a small level where we don't have the...In the context of JWST? We're going to learn SO MUCH about the early universe that we don't understand right now. This is already happening, but still on a small level where we don't have the details pinned down.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentI read a book about astronomy when I was 13 years old, and I've never wanted to be anything except an astronomer after that point. I love stories, and the story of our universe is the biggest one...I read a book about astronomy when I was 13 years old, and I've never wanted to be anything except an astronomer after that point. I love stories, and the story of our universe is the biggest one we have!
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentI mean, as a scientist I go to ArXiv.org every day and see what's printed. Then I will say astro Twitter and /r/space usually cover everything I missed.I mean, as a scientist I go to ArXiv.org every day and see what's printed. Then I will say astro Twitter and /r/space usually cover everything I missed.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentHere's probably my craziest one- https://twitter.com/whereisyvette/status/1134170275212341248?lang=en If you want nice astro patterns, check out Climbing Goat Designs! She does a ton of great...Here's probably my craziest one- https://twitter.com/whereisyvette/status/1134170275212341248?lang=en
If you want nice astro patterns, check out Climbing Goat Designs! She does a ton of great astro stuff, I've made several of them.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentI actually went to a seminar once on this topic by someone who's researched it, and they made a really compelling case for the theory! It really does answer a lot of the outstanding questions....I actually went to a seminar once on this topic by someone who's researched it, and they made a really compelling case for the theory! It really does answer a lot of the outstanding questions. Here is a video of what his theory looked like when the collision happened- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtVnftTd1tA
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentMy insight in it is that every other astronomer in the field thinks they made serious errors in their analysis- here is one such response, with accompanying Twitter thread here by an astronomer...My insight in it is that every other astronomer in the field thinks they made serious errors in their analysis- here is one such response, with accompanying Twitter thread here by an astronomer explaining it all.
Short answer is they did basic things like cherry picking the size of Betelgeuse from papers that explicitly said not to do that, because those numbers matched their analysis. Not very scientific!
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentMy cats can launch projectiles in very funny ways, but not sure if I'd buy that they "float." :) We don't think so, it appears the masses of particles are hard-wired fundamental constants in the...-
My cats can launch projectiles in very funny ways, but not sure if I'd buy that they "float." :)
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We don't think so, it appears the masses of particles are hard-wired fundamental constants in the universe.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link Parent... I just had to wait another 5min to tell you the rate limit is back. :( Maybe it automatically resets?... I just had to wait another 5min to tell you the rate limit is back. :( Maybe it automatically resets?
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentProbably another 100 million years or so- https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/794/nasa-research-reveals-saturn-is-losing-its-rings-at-worst-case-scenario-rate/ Which is really a blink of an eye if...Probably another 100 million years or so- https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/794/nasa-research-reveals-saturn-is-losing-its-rings-at-worst-case-scenario-rate/
Which is really a blink of an eye if you're thinking about the age of the solar system, 4.5 billion years. We are so lucky! No way Saturn would be half as cool if it didn't have the rings.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentNo, not really. It's tough to argue anyone out of a position in 5 minutes when they aren't approaching in good faith to begin with.No, not really. It's tough to argue anyone out of a position in 5 minutes when they aren't approaching in good faith to begin with.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentIf there was an edge, real estate there would be phenomenal and in high demand! Otherwise though, never argue with stupid people- they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with...If there was an edge, real estate there would be phenomenal and in high demand!
Otherwise though, never argue with stupid people- they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentThe trick is things can't escape a black hole when they pass the event horizon. This material did not- we think it was in an accretion disc or similar outside the black hole, and then for reasons...The trick is things can't escape a black hole when they pass the event horizon. This material did not- we think it was in an accretion disc or similar outside the black hole, and then for reasons we don't understand began flowing outwards.
As for how we can tell it's related to the star, we know from other wavelengths (mainly optical) that the star got shredded- these are events that become brighter than supernovae so hard to miss. If it was something like a second star that got shredded since the first, we would have seen a similar flare, but we do not.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentVenus is just beautiful right now in the evening sky! Look west about an hour after sunset, and the really bright "star" in that direction is Venus. You can't miss it. :)Venus is just beautiful right now in the evening sky! Look west about an hour after sunset, and the really bright "star" in that direction is Venus. You can't miss it. :)
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentThanks!Thanks!
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentI have no plans to leave Reddit at this time. My goal is to do astronomy outreach, and while I can't say their actions of recent weeks were awesome it's still gonna be a huge platform going...I have no plans to leave Reddit at this time. My goal is to do astronomy outreach, and while I can't say their actions of recent weeks were awesome it's still gonna be a huge platform going forward and I intend to use it to share my passions. (Also, there's just some resources that have no equivalent elsewhere online, and I don't want to get rid of. Like, I'm 20 weeks pregnant right now, and the private pregnancy subreddits are some of the most wonderful communities you can find for support with no equivalent elsewhere online, and would have a definite negative impact if I left right now with nothing to replace it.)
I anticipate Reddit being like Twitter, in that it's not as good as it was a year ago but still the best at some things, so people keep their accounts. And like Twitter over the last year, there are several splinters now and I'm checking out how each one is and to see how they're doing (frankly though, I don't find any of the Twitter alternatives great and don't log in much). So in that context, still poking around this community in general and seeing what it's like, no promises just yet on how often I'll post but for now this AMA is fun.
Except one thing- I am now down to only one comment every 5min because I'm posting too much. New account, I know, but still this is a bit frustrating for an AMA when you want to respond to everyone! :(
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentNo, the NSF has decided to divest from Arecibo and they are currently taking apart the remaining ruins at the site. (They were required to do so at any point when Arecibo stopped being used.)...No, the NSF has decided to divest from Arecibo and they are currently taking apart the remaining ruins at the site. (They were required to do so at any point when Arecibo stopped being used.)
Arecibo was indeed the only telescope capable of transmitting and receiving, which was useful for some things like mapping asteroids via radar, and is a capability FAST doesn't have (because, honestly, it's a pretty edge science case). It was also a very important baseline for things like nanoGRAV, which are looking for gravitational wave signals by using pulsars. But radio astronomy just isn't a field that gets a ton of money, unfortunately.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentI mean, we don't know for sure because it's not like we know if aliens exist, where they are if so, and what motivations they might have. BUT I can tell you that our Solar System is really not...I mean, we don't know for sure because it's not like we know if aliens exist, where they are if so, and what motivations they might have. BUT I can tell you that our Solar System is really not located in an off-the-beaten-path patch of the galaxy or anything like that, so I'm not sure I buy that argument at face value.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentIt's actually like 2 hours drive from Albuquerque, an hour or so west of Socorro, in a dried lake bed surrounded by mountains. You're really probably ok unless you're on the highway LITERALLY...It's actually like 2 hours drive from Albuquerque, an hour or so west of Socorro, in a dried lake bed surrounded by mountains. You're really probably ok unless you're on the highway LITERALLY going right by it.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Andromeda321 Link ParentI'm pretty excited about this paper I'm trying my hardest to submit to the journal. Last fall I announced the discovery of a black hole that shredded a star, then about two years later began...I'm pretty excited about this paper I'm trying my hardest to submit to the journal. Last fall I announced the discovery of a black hole that shredded a star, then about two years later began "burping" out material at half the speed of light. We got a bit of press about it, which was cool! But that was just one object in a sample of about two dozen, and now I am going to publish the results about the rest of them...
JWST is cool, but no, hasn't affected anything much in what I do yet. My focus is on transient radio signals- things that change over time instead of being constant, like from gigantic space explosions- and there just hasn't been much overlap.
You can't figure out the size of something in astronomy in a simple way like you've described, you need something else to break the degeneracy. That's why often in astronomy you hear about the mass of things but not their size. Examples on how to do this:
I'm sure there are a few others too but those are the most common methods.