Webb telescope.

[FlyTexas]

Its a 500 light year trip to leave our galaxy vertically and 25,000 light year trip on the horizontal from our sun which happens to be pretty close to the center.

The Sun (and therefore the Solar System) is nowhere near the centre of the Galaxy (The Milk Way), but located far out in one of the spiral arms.

Easily learned from Monty Python's 'Galaxy Song' -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EntOjHJvYtY

Kevin

A TED Talks video years ahead of its time!

Brian

[nigelb]

Even our nearest neighbour star, Proxima Centauri, is 4.246 light yeas away. This means that if we sent a message by radio or laser to a civilisation there the earliest reply we could expect would be 8.5 years after we sent the message. This is defined by the speed of light ('c' in Einstein's famous E=mc2 equation). According to the special theory of relativity, c is the upper limit for the speed at which conventional matter, energy or any signal carrying information can travel through space.

Kevin

Yes, I know Proxima Centauri is 4.246 light years away. I also realize that in terms of the universe. the entire history of earth is a mere eye blink in time. How insignificant we are. Still, I want to believe we are not alone and maybe some highly evolved intelligence has overcome what we perceive as the laws of physics and wants to determine if the are alone. But as Monty says "pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space because there's bugger all down here on Earth."

Thanks for the Python link, Kevin.

Nigel²

[FlyTexas]

Still, I want to believe we are not alone and maybe some highly evolved intelligence has overcome what we perceive as the laws of physics and wants to determine if the are alone.

Borrowing from one of my all-time favorite Star Wars quotes "There's always a bigger fish."

Brian

[nigelb]

Just curious - what got you interested in astronomy. For me it was "Journey Into Space' a BBC wireless drama that aired in the fifties. Remember Mitch, Doc, Jet and Lemmy anyone? Then there was the Walls Ice Cream giveaway that consisted of two cardboard circles with a window that you rotated to bring up facts about each planet such as atmosphere, diameter, number of moons, escape velocity and so on. Of course, a lot of that information is now out of date. For example I remember Saturn had 9 moons and now has 82 - 53 named and confirmed and the remainder awaiting confirmation and naming. As kids in school we used to quiz one another to the point that many of us had memorized everything on that cardboard wheel. Does anyone remember that?

Then I always loved Holst's "The Planets" which combined my fascination with astronomy with my love of music, despite the fact that Holst was inspired by the astrological character of each planet rather than the astronomical.

Nigel²

[Kevin Farnell]

I'm puzzled as to why you have put an 'off topic' smily on your post. It seems very on topic to me.

As for an interest in astronomy (I have zero interest in astrology!), this started when I was quite young. My family had a touring caravan and pretty much every other weekend we were away somewhere in the countryside. If the skies were clear, prior to going to bed me and my Dad would go outside (with a cup of hot chocolate) and stare at the heavens. Being in the countryside, there was little light pollution, the view was spectacular and I recall being amazed at seeing a 'shooting star' (meteor). Then, one Christmas I got a telescope. Nothing special, it consisted of a couple of white cardboard tubes housing some lenses, a focusing lens and a very simple tripod. But it brought the moon a lot closer and I was fascinated by the extra detail I could see.
Some years ago we visited New Zealand and rented a cottage way out in the countryside where there was zero light pollution. I've never seen a night sky like it - so many stars!
I would love to get a serious telescope, but currently they are a little out of my price range. I do have the free program 'Stellarium', which I highly recommend. It's available here https://stellarium.org/, for Windows, Mac and Linux. It can also be viewed as a web page and there is also an app (requires payment). Just be sure to set your location for the most accurate view.

Happy stargazing!

Kevin

[nigelb]

Well the off topic thingy was because I did not mention the Webb telescope. Kevin, like you, I got a telescope for Christmas, in fact my first Christmas in the Colonies. It also had a small tripod that was not the most stable. Good for viewing the moon and maybe Jupiter or Saturn but with all the light pollution in Northern Virginia, not much else.

I can also recommend Stellarium for those like me, that can't spring for a big telescope or that live in light polluted areas and are getting too old for trips in the middle of freezing winter night to get away from the city.

Nigel²

[Kevin Farnell]

Just to say, that a telescope is not necessary to enjoy a view of the heavens (although it will bring objects closer and reveal more detail). The Mk1 Eyeball can give spectacular views of planets stars and constellations. Also, a pair of binoculars (or a spotting scope) will enhance the experience.
There is so much to be enjoyed, whatever way you choose to view.

Kevin

[Airspeed]

"Journey Into Space' a BBC wireless drama that aired in the fifties. Remember Mitch, Doc, Jet and Lemmy ......

Nigel²

Sure do Nigel. I've never forgotten Lemmy being confused about why the beds were comfortable when they went to bed and hard in the morning. Jet proposed that they were inflated with warm liquid, which was drained at get up time. They explained a lot of futuristic stuff in conversations between those two.
I think that my attraction to the night sky has been a visual thing. It's fascinating to see pictures of far flung planets but we have a wealth of beauty much closer to home.

[blanston12]

I also believe there is life out there, the odds of it not being there are just too huge. I remember hearing a theory as to why we may never be in contact with them, which goes something like this:

it can take hundreds of millions of years for a life form to evolve to the point where it can develop the technology to communicate over great (interplanetary) distances like radio, not long after that they will develop nuclear weapons and not long after that they will use those weapons and destroy themselves, then the cycle repeats.

So if there is life on another planet the window where they are capable of communicating with us is fairly brief

[Tomliner]

With billions of galaxies each with billions of stars statistically the conditions for some form of life may well exist although intelligent life may be another matter. Even if such life exists, making contact might not necessarily be a good idea.
Remember the old saying ‘be careful what you wish for’ Remember this? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wQgKdwQ56EM
It might not be like this.EricT