The Astronomy Thread

Dandain

Dandain

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Studying the mechanisms of nature's anus will lead to all kinds of new technology eventually. On this specific thing, like that tweet says. This is one more test for Einstein, which is always good for pushing our limits.

Its just one giant step in the web to virtual reality Everquest.
 
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C

Captain Suave

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Ukerric said:
There is no "raw" image.
Click to expand...

Raw image, visible spectrum.

Typeform-Blog-BlackFriday-Cover-AskAwesomely.jpg


Nola said:
Doesn't NASA doctor the photos to make them look better? In that photo did they add color or that's the raw image?
Click to expand...

The "photo" they published was a transformation of radio signals.
 
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iannis

iannis

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The real space photos are, at best, the grey pixelated ones. Sometimes there's not even an image, there are reams of data being plotted to a graph that are then rendered.

It really bummed me out when I realized most space photography is renditions. It's not fake, but it's not exactly a photograph either.

Even the mars photos are greyscale composites. I think the moon is the only thing we can photograph from here with precision.

It's bandwidth and distance being limiting factors, from what I understand.
 
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Ukerric

Ukerric

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iannis said:
The real space photos are, at best, the grey pixelated ones.
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The era of "astronomy pictures" ended when digital pixel imaging was invented. It didn't take long before the old system of sensitive plates (you used plates, because they were rigid and didn't stretch over exposition time like celluloid) was replaced by digital.

And now, you have gigapixel DSLR peering thru every telescope.
 
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Furry

Furry

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I was reading about the algorithm used to create this image, and stumbled on this doozy:

"Although algorithms such as BSMEM and SQUEEZE may perform better on these images with specific hand-tuned parameters, these tests demonstrate that the performance of CHIRP requires less user expertise"

lol, did they just call the people collecting their data idiots?
 
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khorum

khorum

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Furry said:
"Although algorithms such as BSMEM and SQUEEZE may perform better on these images with specific hand-tuned parameters, these tests demonstrate that the performance of CHIRP requires less user expertise"

lol, did they just call the people collecting their data idiots?
Click to expand...

LOL coincidence I'm sure:

"AH MAH GAWD U GUISE I FOUND A BLACK HOLE TEEEEHHEEE"

1554928610065.png


I bet it was on her instagram and pinterest within seconds. Next to her lululemon wishlist and her favorite avocade pumpkin spice smoothie recipe.
 
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meStevo

meStevo

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Falcon Heavy launch pushed to 8pm EST. Window for the day closes at 8:32pm EST
 
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TheBeagle

TheBeagle

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Arguing with my girlfreind that it's not an actual picture because taking a picture of a black hole is impossible. She believes the scientists not me. Ugh.
 
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Brad2770

Brad2770

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Tuco said:

I know it's draconian of me but when I see the effort that went into taking a picture of nature's butthole I can't help but wonder what benefit that provides besides sating our curiosity.
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Nature’s butthole? So you shove everything up your ass, including light?
 
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Sadre Spinegnawer

Sadre Spinegnawer

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So is the deal here, that the accretion disk of the M87 anomaly is nearly perpendicular to us as observers? Hence why a ring shape? And would other active black holes take a different look based on their orientation to us?
 
pharmakos

pharmakos

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TheBeagle said:
Arguing with my girlfreind that it's not an actual picture because taking a picture of a black hole is impossible. She believes the scientists not me. Ugh.
Click to expand...

You mean she believes the pop-sci press's take on it, written to maximize headline clicks.
 
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Sadre Spinegnawer

Sadre Spinegnawer

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TheBeagle said:
Arguing with my girlfreind that it's not an actual picture because taking a picture of a black hole is impossible. She believes the scientists not me. Ugh.
Click to expand...

Go outside. Look at the sun. Put your thumb up so that it blocks the direct disk. Take a picture. You just took a picture of the sun with a primitive light sink, namely your thumb.

The black hole is doing the same thing by sheer force of gravity. Your thumb cannot touch that.
 
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TheBeagle

TheBeagle

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Sadre Spinegnawer said:
Go outside. Look at the sun. Put your thumb up so that it blocks the direct disk. Take a picture. You just took a picture of the sun with a primitive light sink, namely your thumb.

The black hole is doing the same thing by sheer force of gravity. Your thumb cannot touch that.
Click to expand...
Except they didn't take a picture....they integrated radio signals from 8 giant satellite dishes using powerful computers. Not a picture.
 
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Tuco

Tuco

I got Tuco'd!
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I still think they're a bunch of overpaid nerds who pointed a telescope at nature's butthole and then tweaked the data until it looked like a fuzzy version of what everyone assumed it would.
 
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