Astronomy: Exploring the Magnificence of God's creation

[xp²]

Salaam,

Just wondering if there's any budding astronomers out here? :)

I bring this up because my own interest in the heavens has been sparked with a recent visit to a planeterium and purchase of a decent (though intermediate level) telescope.

In the older days, the thought of the night sky above with all its twinkling lights, occupied the minds of many people. It's only recently, with the new growth in technology, and the workings of society, that many have become oblivious to the awesomeness of Space. The light pollution doesn't help either, but the beauties of the cosmos are available to all of us to explore.

If you have any interest, fascinating facts, or nice images, do share them.

[Yahya Sulaiman]

Sorry, but most of what I know of astronomy, I learned from the song about it in the film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.

[Osman]

Our galaxy (milky way) and the andromeda galaxy are eventually going to collide with each other. :) I'm not sure that this is relevant to the subject. Is it???? :)

[Vajradhara]

Namaste XP,


oh, then you'll really enjoy this site:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

the Astronomy Picture of the Day!

it's a wonderful resource, if you're into that sort of thing.

[Yahya Sulaiman]

Our galaxy (milky way) and the andromeda galaxy are eventually going to collide with each other. :) I'm not sure that this is relevant to the subject. Is it???? :)

I'm willing to bet that Allah will destroy the universe and bring about Judgment Day before that can happen. After all, the sun will eventually die out, won't it? But do you think that the Hour will not come within the next few billion years, especially when some of the endtime prophecies have already been fulfilled, such as those of drinking and fornicating becoming worlwide epidemic problems (which have, in fact, led to epidemics all their own, like the AIDS virus).

[Ratatosk]

Salaam xp²,

Whoa, wholeheartedly taking up astronomy as a hobby is a vast endeavour indeed..! When I was younger I was really into that stuff, learning the Messier list up to 150 by heart, and such. There was (still is) a local finnish amateur astronomy club called Ursa.. *looking* Ha!, found them (http://www.ursa.fi/english.html)..! I've visited the URSA observation dome multiple times, taken hourlong peeks at the sky, and always gasped at the beauty of the universe unfolding in front of me, with its' splendour and magnificense sprawled out before my naked eyes. Enrapturing.

If possible, do your observations in the early hours of morning instead of late evening/midnight, before dawn, of course. Any and all remaining water mist will be floating icy particles at that point. Makes the sky a bit more 'transparent'. Further, any photos taken will have less of that 'blurry ghost crawling across the sky' effect. If you've already taken images, you know what I mean.

My interest in the furthest reaches of the universe dwindled, I think simply out of laziness, and I focused on first only the solar system, then the asteroid belt, then the earth, and then I forgot all about it... Oi, for that display of fireworks, check out the NLC formations on a cold winter night. Okay; they are clouds, I give you that, but they are spectacular nevertheless.. Hmmm... come to think of it, 'winter' might not apply to you in the same sense as me.. I remember reading about a wild goose chase to Chicago and whatnot, you from around those parts o' the Olde Woods, xp²? If that's the case, you could opt to click -> Here (http://astronomer.proboards23.com/) <- ... The link magically transports you to the Chicago Amateur Astronomer's bulletin board. Fancy that.

peace out

[xp²]

Salaam all,

Thanks for the posts guyz.

I'll try to reply individually.....


Our galaxy (milky way) and the andromeda galaxy are eventually going to collide with each other. :) I'm not sure that this is relevant to the subject. Is it???? :)

It's very relevant... have you got some more info on that, like when it is expected to happen? or what the effects/results will be?

Don't you think its interesting Osman, that it's written in the Quran that the Sun, moon etc... are running for a term appointed? meaning they will not last forever.



I'm willing to bet that Allah will destroy the universe and bring about Judgment Day before that can happen. After all, the sun will eventually die out, won't it? But do you think that the Hour will not come within the next few billion years, especially when some of the endtime prophecies have already been fulfilled, such as those of drinking and fornicating becoming worlwide epidemic problems (which have, in fact, led to epidemics all their own, like the AIDS virus).

I think there is some difference between the Hour, and the day of judgement, they are not the same, I don't believe.

Although, in terms of time, it may seem billions of years away, when the Quran says that perhaps it is "nigh" (very close)... maybe there is another meaning or way it is going to happen? May be the soul will find itself on judgement day, within an instant of the body's death, since the concept of time wont apply to the soul outside the 'physical' realm?


Namaste XP,


oh, then you'll really enjoy this site:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

the Astronomy Picture of the Day!

it's a wonderful resource, if you're into that sort of thing.

Thanks for that great link Vaj, its a really cool site with awesome pictures. :)

[xp²]

Salaam xp²,

Whoa, wholeheartedly taking up astronomy as a hobby is a vast endeavour indeed..! When I was younger I was really into that stuff, learning the Messier list up to 150 by heart, and such. There was (still is) a local finnish amateur astronomy club called Ursa.. *looking* Ha!, found them (http://www.ursa.fi/english.html)..! I've visited the URSA observation dome multiple times, taken hourlong peeks at the sky, and always gasped at the beauty of the universe unfolding in front of me, with its' splendour and magnificense sprawled out before my naked eyes. Enrapturing.

If possible, do your observations in the early hours of morning instead of late evening/midnight, before dawn, of course. Any and all remaining water mist will be floating icy particles at that point. Makes the sky a bit more 'transparent'. Further, any photos taken will have less of that 'blurry ghost crawling across the sky' effect. If you've already taken images, you know what I mean.

My interest in the furthest reaches of the universe dwindled, I think simply out of laziness, and I focused on first only the solar system, then the asteroid belt, then the earth, and then I forgot all about it... Oi, for that display of fireworks, check out the NLC formations on a cold winter night. Okay; they are clouds, I give you that, but they are spectacular nevertheless.. Hmmm... come to think of it, 'winter' might not apply to you in the same sense as me.. I remember reading about a wild goose chase to Chicago and whatnot, you from around those parts o' the Olde Woods, xp²? If that's the case, you could opt to click -> Here (http://astronomer.proboards23.com/) <- ... The link magically transports you to the Chicago Amateur Astronomer's bulletin board. Fancy that.

peace out
Getting to you my dear Squirrely friend...

I noticed too, that looking at a picture on the computer screen is way different to actually standing outside on a chilly night, gazing directly into the heavens. Combine that with what little I've learned from the Discovery channel, and the vast size of Space, it's a humbling experience. I still remember what you said, about how the astronaughts were in space, looking down on this here blue jewel, and how all the daily squabbling seemed so insignificant.

Thanks for the tips & links, I am sure they will come in handy. I don't live in Chicago, though I did visit there recently. I have some family there, that I go and see, now and again. I've spent most of my life in the UK, but with frequent trips to different parts of the globe from an early age. Plus, with my general view that this is God's earth, without real boundaries, I don't think I could be pinned to any one nation or culture.

You may have heard about the5k.org site, which is about making cool little web applications, all under 5k!! Well, I just dug up a nifty little scale model of the solar system, which I remember playing around with, some moons ago....

Here it is; http://www.the5k.org/description.asp/entry_id=944

This is the intro to it:


Introduction:

One of the most amazing things about our Solar System is the sheer scale of it. In fact it is so huge that it can be difficult for us to comprehend the distances involved at all. This entry is designed to try to give you some idea of just how much empty space there is out there by representing the Solar System with a scale model. 1 pixel represents approximately 2000 kilometres (1240 miles), which means that the land area of Texas would be covered more than five times over by the dot on this i!


Read through the usage tips, and the other interesting facts. Then click on the "launch entry" to open up the page with the scale model.

This is just the solar system, imagine the size of the galaxy, then the universe!! :) lol

[Ratatosk]

Salaam,

[OFF TOPIC]
Cheers for the link! Whoa, some of the 5K links are pretty kool. At times I wonder where the tru art of squeezing the most out of the available bytes has disappeared. When I first encountered PC's, one could fit the entire operating system (CP/M!), a spread sheet and a word processor simultaneously in 64(!!) K. Nowadays you can't fit a simple VGA driver into the same amount of mem...
[/OFF TOPIC]

Indeed, the vastness of the universe is staggering. And filled with beauty; the Horse Head Nebula (http://www.ne.jp/asahi/stellar/scenes/object_e/horse.htm), the Crab Nebula, the gas giants in our neighborhood, et cetera. I always feel a sense of awe when I ponder the sheer multitude of worlds and the breathtaking beauty of the universe. To me it's no wonder that many astronomers - Clyde Tombaugh, Carl Sagan, et al - have a very meek approach and humble view when they talk about us humans. It's a noble hobby; astronomy.

peace out

[Vajradhara]

Astronomy gives humans a perspective that they rarely are exposed to... being absolutely insignificant :)


it's a very liberating sort of thing... in my view.

[Ratatosk]

Agreed.

[gsr]

Salaam,

I do not know that I am an astronomer per se, I have no telescope or other materials of my own. Yet the study of the universe is a phenomenon that only magnifies ones appreciation for the One who created it all.

I do use a few sites for updates on many things of this nature:

http://www.spacedaily.com
http://www.space.com
http://www.sciencedaily.com/

From Surah 2, The Cow
21. O ye people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before you, that ye may have the chance to learn righteousness;

22. Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto Allah when ye know (the truth).

The heavens our canopy...and what a great canopy it is.

[Yahya Sulaiman]

Although, in terms of time, it may seem billions of years away, when the Quran says that perhaps it is "nigh" (very close)... maybe there is another meaning or way it is going to happen? May be the soul will find itself on judgement day, within an instant of the body's death, since the concept of time wont apply to the soul outside the 'physical' realm?

The Book says that the kafir will think that they have tarried only for an hour, or part of an hour, or a day, or part of a day, so I imagine that the exact amount of elapsed time that they experience will be different for each person, but it won't seem like long in any case.

[Ansar Al-Haq]

Salaam,
hey, I found a neat tool I would like to recommend.

http://www.shatters.net/celestia/download.html

Download celstia, and you can explore the universe in 3d. You can speed up time, predicting asteroid collisions and novas, or go back in time to check out the location of celstial bodies at a certain time. It has the feel of a space craft flight simulator. You roll sideways and turn like a plane. You can adjust your spped in terms of the speed of light.

check it out.

Salaam

[Ratatosk]

Salam all,

Cheers for the link, Ansar. Btw, the addons are at Celestia Motherlode (http://www.celestiamotherlode.net). As gsr stated, what a canopy it is... hey btw, welcome to the forum, gsr. I haven't encountered your posts before, so please accept my humble and not-so-well worded welcome. Enjoy your stay, I hope it will be a pleasant one.

peace out

[Osman]

The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy are on a collision course! In about 3 billion years, the two galaxies will collide and then over about 1 billion years after a very complex gravitational dance they will merge to form an elliptical galaxy.


The Milky Way

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is a collection of about 400 billions stars spread out in a thin disk more than 100000 light year across. Our sun is one of those stars sitting about midway out in the disk moving around with the others on nearly circular orbits. The Milky Way would look like an average looking spiral galaxy if we could see it from the outside.

Andromeda

The nearest big spiral galaxy to the Milky Way is the Andromeda galaxy. Appearing as a smudge of light to the naked eye in the constellation Andromeda, this galaxy is about twice as big as the Milky Way but very similar in many ways. At the moment it is about 2.2 million light years away from us but the gap is closing at 500000 km/hour. Andromeda is the only big spiral galaxy galaxy moving towards the Milky Way and the best explanation is that the Milky Way and Andromeda are in fact a bound pair of galaxies in orbit around one another. Both galaxies are thought to have formed close to each other shortly after the Big Bang initially moving apart with the overall expansion of the universe. But since they are bound to one another, they are now falling back back together and one very plausible scenario puts them on a collision course in 3 billion years.

Interacting Galaxies

Galaxies collide and interact occasionally and there are several well-known examples in the vicinity of the Milky Way. We see interacting pairs as snapshots in time and the results are often very dramatic. Long streams of stars thrown off in beautiful open spiral patterns are characteristic of these collisions and are known as tidal tails and bridges because of their origin in the strong mutual gravitational tides of the two interacting galaxies. Colliding galaxies also tend to merge with one and the final outcome after some violent convulsions lasting a few hundred million years is another kind of galaxy called an elliptical. During this period, the gas in these galaxies can be ignited violently in a starburst creating stars at rates hundreds of times greater than normal. Galaxy interactions are not that common an event in the local neighbourhood (maybe one in a hundred galaxies) but the rates of merging and interaction increase dramatically at early times in the universe. Galaxy merging is fundamental to building up structure in the universe and explains many of the peculiar features of young galaxies seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. :eek:

[Vajradhara]

and since it seems to be on topic...

i present... Monty Python's Galaxy Song:



Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And reolving at nine thousand miles an hour.
It's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned,
The sun that is the source of all our power.
Now the sun, and you and me, and all the stars that we can see,
Are moving at a million miles a day,
In the outer spiral arm, at fourteen thousand miles an hour,
Of a galaxy we call the Milky Way.

Our galaxy itself contains a hundred million stars;
It's a hundred thousand light-years side to side;
It bulges in the middle sixteen thousand light-years thick,
But out by us it's just three thousand light-years wide.
We're thirty thousand light-years from Galactic Central Point,
We go 'round every two hundred million years;
And our galaxy itself is one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe.

Our universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding,
In all of the directions it can whiz;
As fast as it can go, that's the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth;
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth!

[Osman]

Just something my science teacher told me. If the earth were to suddenly stop turning we's all go flying westward!!!!!! And I'm talking about really fast!!!!!!!! In fact from my location (warrington, England) I'd be in Moscow within the hour!!!!!!! Fancy that eh? eh? eh? eh? eh? eh? eh? And believe me, it would hurt!!! :eek:

[Yahya Sulaiman]

Thank you very much, Vaj! :werdup: I love that song and have it memorized. It's very educational, and the movie it comes from is very good and has very good song numbers. (Have you seen it?)

[Vajradhara]

Namaste Yahya,

thank you for the post.

i'm glad that you enjoyed mine :)

yes, i'm something of a Monty Python fan, i really enjoy thier movies quite a bit.

[Osman]

Just something my science teacher told me. If the earth were to suddenly stop turning we's all go flying westward!!!!!! And I'm talking about really fast!!!!!!!! In fact from my location (warrington, England) I'd be in Moscow within the hour!!!!!!! Fancy that eh? eh? eh? eh? eh? eh? eh? And believe me, it would hurt!!! :eek:

ahem . . . :mad:

[Osman]

Salaams,

Allah (Swt) has made the universe a vast place beyond human imagining and it is still expanding, right? Then didn't he mean for mankind to explore it? Unless there are other aliens of course! :)

[Yahya Sulaiman]

Well, Osman, remember: there are not just seven firmanents but also seven earths. I take this to mean that there are other planets like our own.

[Osman]

Salaams Yahya!,

You mean you think there is other intelligent life in the universe? :confused:

[mule]

You mean you think there is other intelligent life in the universe?

Is there even intelligent life here? :confused:

[Osman]

:lol: U lil fruitcake you!

[Yahya Sulaiman]

Is there even intelligent life here? :confused:

Well, like the song says:


Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth!

And yes, I think intelligent life probably does exist on other planets. I might start a thread about that soon.

[Ansar Al-Haq]

it could, but I'm doubtful on it.

[Yahya Sulaiman]

I'll start the thread tomorrow, and in my initial post I'll also discuss my thoughts on UFO's and the so-called gray men. For now, I think I'll quit for the evening.

[Osman]

Kool!!!!!!! I'll be waiting!!!! ;)

[Yahya Sulaiman]

Sorry for the delay. I'll start the thread either tomorrow or the next day.

[Osman]

No worries!!!!!!!!!!! I like the suspense.;)

[Osman]

Salaam,

So did you ever make that thread Yahya? :)

[ilyas]

Salaam

Has anyone of you come across some scientists who put a copy of the whole universe onto computer? it was on the news quite a while back. They say it will help them learn loads, still dont know how they managed to do it