Webb telescope.
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Webb telescope.
First pictures arrived yesterday. Looking forward to many more.
Re: Webb telescope.
Already I see people saying the pictures are faked. God save us from this anti-science stupidity. 
Re: Webb telescope.
Fantastic pictures, when you look at them they just seem to be out of this world!! 
Looking back some 14 million light years ago is unbelievably brilliant lost for words really, here are galaxies that we can see but will never visit!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62140044
Regards
Nigel.
Looking back some 14 million light years ago is unbelievably brilliant lost for words really, here are galaxies that we can see but will never visit!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62140044
Regards
Nigel.
I used to be an optimist but with age I am now a grumpy old pessimist.
Re: Webb telescope.
I think you are a bit out with your figures Nigel. I think you mean 14 billion light years although I think the actual figureLooking back some 14 million light years ago is unbelievably brilliant lost for words really, here are galaxies that we can see but will never visit!!
might be 13.4 billon. However they are remarkable images and it is so difficult to grasp the vastness of the universe. The Webb telescope is a stunning technical achievement for the US.
EricTNow at the age where I know I like girls but can't remember why!
Re: Webb telescope.
You are quite right Eric, I sent a lot of time just looking and imagining how those galaxies are in our present time, to know that I guess I will have to wait a further 14 billion light years in the future.I think you are a bit out with your figures Nigel. I think you mean 14 billion light years although I think the actual figure
might be 13.4 billon. However they are remarkable images and it is so difficult to grasp the vastness of the universe. The Webb telescope is a stunning technical achievement for the US.
Regards
Nigel.
I used to be an optimist but with age I am now a grumpy old pessimist.
Re: Webb telescope.
Amazing pictures. 
Did you see the spiral galaxy in the upper right portion of the second picture? Wow! Seeing these pictures assure me that there is life on other planets. There has to be. We can't be alone in such a vast cosmos.
Brian
Did you see the spiral galaxy in the upper right portion of the second picture? Wow! Seeing these pictures assure me that there is life on other planets. There has to be. We can't be alone in such a vast cosmos.Brian
Re: Webb telescope.
Brian, I think you are right about other life in the universe. At least I hope you are. Otherwise we are in a very lonely place. I must say those pictures are amazingly breathtaking.
Nigel²
Nigel²
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Kevin Farnell
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Re: Webb telescope.
Phenomenal pictures from the JWST. I've been looking forward to these for so long and continue to look forward to future releases.
As a Scientist, I would be amazed if life has not evolved elsewhere in the Universe. It may also be present within our own solar system (other than Earth), with likely candidates being the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, which are thought to harbour oceans of water below the ice. Mars is also a possibility to have at least had life in the past.
As for 'intelligent life, this is a bit more speculative. If there is life out there, then the most common is likely to be single celled organisms. The next step would be multi cellular organisms. How difficult a step is this for nature? What is the driving force to promote it? Then we come to intelligence. How necessary is it? Come to that, how do we define it (not Politicians, that's for sure)? And for an intelligent species to develop technology, they would need some way of manipulating their surroundings. The 'opposable thumb' is an absolutely genius evolution of nature.
We assume that any life would be Carbon based and require liquid water, but is that the case?
Even if we discover simple single celled extra-terrestrial life, it will still be fascinating. What form of genetic information storage would they use. Is it DNA/RNA like us, or a very different system? I've read that Amino Acids (which combine to form Peptides and then Proteins) have been found in comets. If alien life uses Amino Acids, are they of the same stereochemistry that we use? If not, we couldn't eat the aliens and the aliens couldn't eat us as they would be impossible to digest.
Sorry it's a bit long, but it's a subject that absolutely fascinates me. I only hope there is a discovery while I'm still around to see it.
Kevin
As a Scientist, I would be amazed if life has not evolved elsewhere in the Universe. It may also be present within our own solar system (other than Earth), with likely candidates being the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, which are thought to harbour oceans of water below the ice. Mars is also a possibility to have at least had life in the past.
As for 'intelligent life, this is a bit more speculative. If there is life out there, then the most common is likely to be single celled organisms. The next step would be multi cellular organisms. How difficult a step is this for nature? What is the driving force to promote it? Then we come to intelligence. How necessary is it? Come to that, how do we define it (not Politicians, that's for sure)? And for an intelligent species to develop technology, they would need some way of manipulating their surroundings. The 'opposable thumb' is an absolutely genius evolution of nature.
We assume that any life would be Carbon based and require liquid water, but is that the case?
Even if we discover simple single celled extra-terrestrial life, it will still be fascinating. What form of genetic information storage would they use. Is it DNA/RNA like us, or a very different system? I've read that Amino Acids (which combine to form Peptides and then Proteins) have been found in comets. If alien life uses Amino Acids, are they of the same stereochemistry that we use? If not, we couldn't eat the aliens and the aliens couldn't eat us as they would be impossible to digest.
Sorry it's a bit long, but it's a subject that absolutely fascinates me. I only hope there is a discovery while I'm still around to see it.
Kevin
Stratospheric traces, of our transitory flight.
Trails of condensation, held in narrow paths of white...
Trails of condensation, held in narrow paths of white...
Re: Webb telescope.
Exactly!Kevin Farnell wrote: ↑13 Jul 2022, 02:39We assume that any life would be Carbon based and require liquid water, but is that the case?
I'm no Scientist (nor do I play one on TV 
) but I've often felt that we are limiting ourselves expecting life to exist only in the "habitable zones" around stars. On our own planet we see life in very inhospitable environments. Brian
Re: Webb telescope.
I have often wondered about whether a parallel universe to ours exists, I had once watched a program whereby a scientist spoke of the possibility of one existing, not in our universe but in a different galaxy.
He spoke of the possibility that a 'universe' like ours in another galaxy was habituated by beings that were identical to us and were leading a very close life to each individual here on earth even to the point of looks. It was many years ago that I watched that program and found it to be very interesting.
If the above can be discounted then what of the possibility of life existing elsewhere? I firmly do believe there is life but where exactly who knows. There have been innumerable accounts of sightings of UFO's that could never be fully explained, even Area 51 has come under scrutiny in the past that bodies of aliens from crashed crafts have been taken there, if so, why the secrecy? Also why have reported sightings in the past been kept secret?
Are the authorities frightened that by admitting there are aliens around that it would caused panic?
Maybe, judging by this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ymgwnvdeM
Regards
Nigel.
He spoke of the possibility that a 'universe' like ours in another galaxy was habituated by beings that were identical to us and were leading a very close life to each individual here on earth even to the point of looks. It was many years ago that I watched that program and found it to be very interesting.
If the above can be discounted then what of the possibility of life existing elsewhere? I firmly do believe there is life but where exactly who knows. There have been innumerable accounts of sightings of UFO's that could never be fully explained, even Area 51 has come under scrutiny in the past that bodies of aliens from crashed crafts have been taken there, if so, why the secrecy? Also why have reported sightings in the past been kept secret?
Are the authorities frightened that by admitting there are aliens around that it would caused panic?
Maybe, judging by this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ymgwnvdeM
Regards
Nigel.
I used to be an optimist but with age I am now a grumpy old pessimist.