Monday, September 17, 2007

Death Star




We'll there's still hope for us after all, there was an article released last week on Universe Today ,"Planet Survives Its Sun Becoming a Red Giant". Our Sun is about 4.5 billion years old now, in about another at 5 billion years Our Sun will double in brightness and expand in diameter almost to Earth's orbit. Needless to say this will end all life as we know it.

Scientists have discovered another Sun like ours in it's dying stages, but instead of swallowing up one of its planets which was orbiting the same distance from it as we are from the Sun it caused the planet to spiral out to the equivalent distance of Mars. It explained it as saying the Suns centre of gravity changed, probably because of the fact dying stars loose mass, less mass less pull on its planets. Scientists are in new territory here so they're not quite sure what will happen to Earth specifically, but it shows there may be hope. Some scientists say that in just a billion years the Suns brightness will increase by 10% which will in turn super heat our planet because of the green house effect and boil off our oceans and seas and all life will end at that stage, either way we have a billion years to find a new home, that's why we have to go to the Moon and then Mars, we have to get out, colonize other worlds, maybe even billions and billions of miles away, maybe like in the Orion Nebula below.



I had some fellow amateur astronomer friends over on the weekend and they helped me tune up my scope to get longer exposure times so as to get more detailed images of various deep sky targets. So I get everything set up again this time for Sunday morning at 4 am, that's when my Orion Nebula is up and its still dark. So I'm all excited gonna get me some happy images of the famed Orion Nebula. Turned on the scope, turn on the computer, open my observatory dome, did I mention this was at 4 in the morning, start up my camera program, cross my fingers,.... yes the scope was doing well, I would be able to get some good long exposures times, pressed the start button on the computer imaging program, it takes one image and it looks great, but before it could take another my computer crapped on me. The above picture is one image, I usually like to stack about 40 images to bring out the detail and color, I am happy with the results so far, I can kind of see where I'm going to be with the pic when I get my new laptop.

I go out Sunday morning to look for a new laptop, find one I like bring it home. All shiny and new, 17" screen and has that new computer smell, you know the electronic smell all electronic items have when you pull them out of the box, I absolutely love it. The first thing you notice is the Vista operating system. This is the worst of the worst operating systems in the known universe, no, in all the dimensions of all the multiverses on every brane and then some!!!! It blocks this, won't allow that, half my expensive software programs won't work properly, I have to disable all the protection crap to download from some of the sites I go to, at the very least it slows things down immensely. Now I will say to be fair, I haven't read the big manual I got with the computer, you know the one, it tells you how to put the battery in, and then how to plug it in and turn it on, and then there is the 10 pages that tell you how to care for your brand new computer, oh wait I guess I have read it. If anyone has blogged with this and you like it, tell me what I'm doing wrong, as it won't let me download pictures, I had to go to my XP desk computer to do that, and forget links, I went to open a page to get a link to put on my post and the program opened the site over top my post.

I am taking a Power Engineering course till the end of December so my posting will be cut back to Tuesdays and Saturdays. I will post more depending on my time and whether or not something important comes up that I feel you should know, like maybe an Earthbound Mass Extinction Asteroid, want to give you time to get to your bunkers and as long as you have a few years of canned products you should be good to go.



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25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wowie, Bob o. This is really an interesting post on Death Star. Moreover, how cool that you are surrounded with so many interesting people who share your planetary and star gazing interests!

Mom always did love you the bestest. :D

^5

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks saboma!

Scruffyhippo said...

Your about the 10th person to say that about Vista that I know of. and other reports i get form computer builders and programmers say the same sort of thing.

I went from windows 95 to xp only last November, (kicking and screaming by the way) and I only did that because my old computer had downloaded something dodgy.

My brother is a computer engineer and says he would rather use an abbacuss than install vista.

p said...

have a good trip, loving the pics, beautiful and dare i say artistic?

kml said...

When I need to replace my 6 year old PC, I will try my darnest to find one with XP - everything I have heard about Vista makes me cringe!

I think this pic came out great - if you are going to improve it, we are really in for a treat!

Bob Johnson said...

Peter, I am commenting from my desk top computer, vista doesn' allow me to comment on peoples site if there is any re-direction involved, especially if there is those wackey letters that you have to type in, the worst of the worst system

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks Paula, trip? I should have mentioned my course is in town, lol

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks Kathy, good luk with trying to find something new with XP on it. I am calling Future shop today about it, I'm returning it unless they put xp on, this vista sucks, can't do nothing with it

EastPAWZ said...

Stopping by to look at your photos and then u scare me with the "canned food comment".
I'm already eating that. Dang life will end like that :-( me holding a potted meat can lol (joking) that's realy cat food.

Hope you like your new PC. I like that new smell too lol

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks Zawadi, hey I like can food,lol

myonlyphoto said...

Bob, very nice post and photos. I read it earlier at work, and I had good conversation with my husband about the sun. I wish I could live that long and see if we will be able to achieve what we want to do - that is expand life on the Moon or other plantes.
PS Vista, bad news Bob, but I hear somewhere that you still have choice to buy XP operating system if you request. Not sure if it is still available, and probably will cost you more. I have the same issue I have all this CAD software on my laptop, and I have a feeling that the minute I change over, I will not be able to run them. Oh well....on the end, I really enjoyed your post and your thoughts. Anna :)

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks Anna, It's too bad about vista, at least the computer is good, I have all the internet protects off so I can at least comment on blogs without the computer expolding,lol

myonlyphoto said...

Wow, that bad ehh - had same issue with Internet Security 2007. I always follow one rule if I can, when new product hit the market 'never buy' - I wait atleast one year, I know it is long, but it actually helps. I did this with my digital SLR, and I am happy with my decision. But then we supposed to be talking about better things like stars, planets, moons and everything else in outer space that is more important than Vista. Glad you can still post...lol, got to run, its getting late, Anna :)

Nature Nut /JJ Loch said...

Bob,

Fasinating post and great pics!!! I've heard about Vista being a pain in the neck and dread the day we have to update. I loooove 98 but it's not supported anymore. My laptop is archaic because of it.

JJ :D

Bob Johnson said...

Good luck Anna when you have to change over.

Thanks JJ, everyone will eventually have to change over, its just a matter of time before they stop supporting the previous op systems, lets hope they get all the bugs out of vista before that happens.

Rick said...

Sounds like its time for you to try Kubuntu! Awesome free star mapping app available for kubuntu too, kstars!

Space exploration really is a responsibility of humanity since the death of the sun is really inevitable. Inhabiting the galaxy ensures the survival of our species. A billion years is a long time, but who's to say whoever did that math was dead on? ;)

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks for the advice about the operating system, your right it is our responsibily to seek out new civilizations, to bodly go where no one has gone before, ect ect. Like I said we have a while to go 1 billion years or so take or give 1 mil,lol

Anonymous said...

Interesting post Bob. Wishing you all the best with your new coarse. I may not always comment on your blog but I lurk in the shadows.

franx said...

I love the picture very fantastic

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks Rose, The course is very interesting, should be good, I wish I knew how to lurk, I'm more in your face.

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks very much Franx Budi.

Astrona said...

Excellent post, Bob! That first image is freaking amazing, I have seen this picture somewhere. Ummm, where I saw?

Bob Johnson said...

Thanks Ambrozo, got the death star type pic off of universe today, probably has been on your site to bsing it is a cool artistic painting.

Astrona said...

Yep. This picture, haha... I'm so stupid :)

Bob Johnson said...

anonymous your welcome