Space

[huKSer]

Surprised all the space junkies didn't post this yet

Skywatchers are in for a treat as Venus and Jupiter move closer together in late June and early July in what will be the planets’ closest conjunction until Aug. 27, 2016.

The best nights to view Venus as it passes Jupiter are the nights of June 30 and July 1, according to EarthSky.org. Unless it’s cloudy, it will be hard to miss the spectacular alignment, because Venus and Jupiter are the third- and fourth-brightest celestial bodies, respectively, after the Sun and Moon.

The planets will appear to race closer to the star Regulus, located above Jupiter above Jupiter, with each passing day. Regulus is the brightest star in the Leo the Lion constellation.

http://patch.com/california/northhollywood/look-sky-venus-jupiter-collide

 

[AR Husker Fan]

Well, crap. Talk about bad timing...

New Horizons space probe suffers glitch on approach to Pluto

 

[NUance]

Well, crap. Talk about bad timing...

New Horizons space probe suffers glitch on approach to Pluto

Spacecraft closing in on Pluto hits speed bump, but recovers
Associated Press By MARCIA DUNN 20 hours ago

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is on track to sweep past Pluto next week despite hitting a "speed bump" that temporarily halted science collection.

A computer overload prompted the spacecraft to partially shut down on July 4th — just days before the first-ever close flyby of Pluto. Flight controllers managed to regain contact with the spacecraft in just over an hour and correct the tense situation, occurring after a relatively quiet journey of 3 billion miles and 9½ years.

LINK

Recovered from that glitch! Murica!!

 

[2ndNnine]

 

[AR Husker Fan]

[No message]

 

[2ndNnine]

 

[GBRedneck]

I understand both of those issues, and really I think the second one is the only obstacle. We are more than capable of figuring out how to get people there, it's just funding it and having people understand it's important.

See the link I posted a few posts above. Someone does have a plan do go, with the goal of a colony even.

We are plagued by moron politicians who ridicule the use of flies in research into genetics. Too often we have people with the mentality that not knowing anything about science or tech is virtue.

No doubt. The US is #1 in the world for people who don't believe in evolution. The leading Republican presidential candidate is a creationist. I cannot wrap my head around the level of ignorance required on so many levels to have those beliefs.

 

[C N Red]

I understand both of those issues, and really I think the second one is the only obstacle. We are more than capable of figuring out how to get people there, it's just funding it and having people understand it's important.

See the link I posted a few posts above. Someone does have a plan do go, with the goal of a colony even.
We are plagued by moron politicians who ridicule the use of flies in research into genetics. Too often we have people with the mentality that not knowing anything about science or tech is virtue.

No doubt. The US is #1 in the world for people who don't believe in evolution. The leading Republican presidential candidate is a creationist. I cannot wrap my head around the level of ignorance required on so many levels to have those beliefs.

Belief. It's pretty easy. Do you believe in anything that isn't tangible?
I actually believe in both having happened in order to give us what the world is today. I dont believe the two have to be mutually exclusive per say. But WTF do I know. I'm an ignorant m-f'r.

 

[GBRedneck]

I understand both of those issues, and really I think the second one is the only obstacle. We are more than capable of figuring out how to get people there, it's just funding it and having people understand it's important.

See the link I posted a few posts above. Someone does have a plan do go, with the goal of a colony even.
We are plagued by moron politicians who ridicule the use of flies in research into genetics. Too often we have people with the mentality that not knowing anything about science or tech is virtue.

No doubt. The US is #1 in the world for people who don't believe in evolution. The leading Republican presidential candidate is a creationist. I cannot wrap my head around the level of ignorance required on so many levels to have those beliefs.

Belief. It's pretty easy. Do you believe in anything that isn't tangible?
I actually believe in both having happened in order to give us what the world is today. I dont believe the two have to be mutually exclusive per say. But WTF do I know. I'm an ignorant m-f'r.

I don't follow. You believe in creationism followed by a teensy bit of evolution???

I believe in a Creator. But that doesn't make me a creationist. Creationist believe that God poofed everything into existence all at once. Many of them, including Ben Carson, believe it happened about 6,000 years ago.

Belief is only for the intangible. Evolution is tangible and provable. We share a common ancestor with chimps. We were the same species about 8 million years ago. These are proven facts. If you don't believe in proven facts, then you are ignorant. In other words, you're ignoring proven facts.

It's like if I told you that I believed the Earth is flat. You would rightfully say I was ignorant of some basic facts.

Now, if you want to have beliefs about how the universe was formed, or how life began on Earth, believe away. There isn't much in the way of facts to define how those things happened. We know there is life on Earth, but we don't know how it began. We're pretty certain that the universe was formed with a big bang where "nothing" was split into matter and anti-matter, but we don't know what triggered it. I believe God did it. And I believe He did it in such a way that worlds would be created with the all the factors needed for life to from and evolve.

Maybe what you meant in your post is that you believe that God actively and specifically created life on Earth several billion years ago? That's fine. I can't say you're wrong. That's worthy of belief.

You want to believe in space aliens? Go right ahead. Odds are they do exist. But we have no evidence of them existing. There is no way to prove they don't exist. Ghosts? Same thing.

But "belief" shouldn't be used on scientific facts.

 

[NUance]

I understand both of those issues, and really I think the second one is the only obstacle. We are more than capable of figuring out how to get people there, it's just funding it and having people understand it's important.

See the link I posted a few posts above. Someone does have a plan do go, with the goal of a colony even.
We are plagued by moron politicians who ridicule the use of flies in research into genetics. Too often we have people with the mentality that not knowing anything about science or tech is virtue.

No doubt. The US is #1 in the world for people who don't believe in evolution. The leading Republican presidential candidate is a creationist. I cannot wrap my head around the level of ignorance required on so many levels to have those beliefs.

Belief. It's pretty easy. Do you believe in anything that isn't tangible?
I actually believe in both having happened in order to give us what the world is today. I dont believe the two have to be mutually exclusive per say. But WTF do I know. I'm an ignorant m-f'r.

I don't follow. You believe in creationism followed by a teensy bit of evolution???

I believe in a Creator. But that doesn't make me a creationist. Creationist believe that God poofed everything into existence all at once. Many of them, including Ben Carson, believe it happened about 6,000 years ago.

Belief is only for the intangible. Evolution is tangible and provable. We share a common ancestor with chimps. We were the same species about 8 million years ago. These are proven facts. If you don't believe in proven facts, then you are ignorant. In other words, you're ignoring proven facts.

It's like if I told you that I believed the Earth is flat. You would rightfully say I was ignorant of some basic facts.

Now, if you want to have beliefs about how the universe was formed, or how life began on Earth, believe away. There isn't much in the way of facts to define how those things happened. We know there is life on Earth, but we don't know how it began. We're pretty certain that the universe was formed with a big bang where "nothing" was split into matter and anti-matter, but we don't know what triggered it. I believe God did it. And I believe He did it in such a way that worlds would be created with the all the factors needed for life to from and evolve.

Maybe what you meant in your post is that you believe that God actively and specifically created life on Earth several billion years ago? That's fine. I can't say you're wrong. That's worthy of belief.

You want to believe in space aliens? Go right ahead. Odds are they do exist. But we have no evidence of them existing. There is no way to prove they don't exist. Ghosts? Same thing.

But "belief" shouldn't be used on scientific facts.

Scientific facts? The thing is, a lot of times as we study a given scientific fact more closely we discover it's not a fact at all. The earth was the center of the universe (Ptolemaic Model) until Copernicus and Galileo came along. Same with Newton's law of universal gravitation. It was a scientific fact. Until Einstein demonstrated otherwise.

That said, it sounds like you, C N Red and I might be on the same page when it comes to creation. I can't speak for you guys, but I believe God created the universe and everything in it. I just don't think it all happened in six 24-hour earth days. But that's just me.

 

[GBRedneck]

I understand both of those issues, and really I think the second one is the only obstacle. We are more than capable of figuring out how to get people there, it's just funding it and having people understand it's important.

See the link I posted a few posts above. Someone does have a plan do go, with the goal of a colony even.
We are plagued by moron politicians who ridicule the use of flies in research into genetics. Too often we have people with the mentality that not knowing anything about science or tech is virtue.

No doubt. The US is #1 in the world for people who don't believe in evolution. The leading Republican presidential candidate is a creationist. I cannot wrap my head around the level of ignorance required on so many levels to have those beliefs.

Belief. It's pretty easy. Do you believe in anything that isn't tangible?
I actually believe in both having happened in order to give us what the world is today. I dont believe the two have to be mutually exclusive per say. But WTF do I know. I'm an ignorant m-f'r.

I don't follow. You believe in creationism followed by a teensy bit of evolution???

I believe in a Creator. But that doesn't make me a creationist. Creationist believe that God poofed everything into existence all at once. Many of them, including Ben Carson, believe it happened about 6,000 years ago.

Belief is only for the intangible. Evolution is tangible and provable. We share a common ancestor with chimps. We were the same species about 8 million years ago. These are proven facts. If you don't believe in proven facts, then you are ignorant. In other words, you're ignoring proven facts.

It's like if I told you that I believed the Earth is flat. You would rightfully say I was ignorant of some basic facts.

Now, if you want to have beliefs about how the universe was formed, or how life began on Earth, believe away. There isn't much in the way of facts to define how those things happened. We know there is life on Earth, but we don't know how it began. We're pretty certain that the universe was formed with a big bang where "nothing" was split into matter and anti-matter, but we don't know what triggered it. I believe God did it. And I believe He did it in such a way that worlds would be created with the all the factors needed for life to from and evolve.

Maybe what you meant in your post is that you believe that God actively and specifically created life on Earth several billion years ago? That's fine. I can't say you're wrong. That's worthy of belief.

You want to believe in space aliens? Go right ahead. Odds are they do exist. But we have no evidence of them existing. There is no way to prove they don't exist. Ghosts? Same thing.

But "belief" shouldn't be used on scientific facts.

Scientific facts? The thing is, a lot of times as we study a given scientific fact more closely we discover it's not a fact at all. The earth was the center of the universe (Ptolemaic Model) until Copernicus and Galileo came along. Same with Newton's law of universal gravitation. It was a scientific fact. Until Einstein demonstrated otherwise.

That said, it sounds like you, C N Red and I might be on the same page when it comes to creation. I can't speak for you guys, but I believe God created the universe and everything in it. I just don't think it all happened in six 24-hour earth days. But that's just me.

A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation.

Einstein didn't completely debunk Newton's law. Relativity just added a small factor that's practically immeasurable except in the cases of extreme gravity as found in a black hole. Likewise, certain accepted pieces of the Evolutional Theory may be found not correct and be updated. That doesn't debunk the entire theory. For example, the prevailing theory is that all life descended from a single common ancestor. They may very well determine that there were actually two or three different life forms that sprang up independently and led to life as we know it today. It's highly unlikely, but if they do determine that to be the case, it won't debunk Evolutional Theory.

We share a common ancestor with chimps. We are cousins. That is a proven fact that will not be debunked.

 

[Landlord]

Evolution isn't a scientific fact; it's a theory in the scientific sense of the word, which means it is the best working model we have so far to explain how things are. The great thing about science is that it proves itself wrong all the time - this isn't a con, this is a pro. 100 or 10,000 years from now we will most certainly be wrong about certain things we believe or understand about evolution, but that doesn't mean evolution will be proven wrong, only improved upon.

Newton wasn't wrong about physics so much as he was incomplete. Einstein improved upon Newtonian physics, and Newton would probably be happier than anyone about this, but we still use Newtonian physics ALL the time. They work great as a model for engineering and building things and to be able to rely on good data for how things will behave on certain scales.

All that being said, Christians who deny evolutionary theory are gravely ignorant towards an absolutely incomprehensible amount of evidence and accepted thought. They're not evil, and they might not be idiots, but they have definitely bought into self-serving propaganda that hasn't served them well.

 

[GBRedneck]

Evolution isn't a scientific fact; it's a theory in the scientific sense of the word, which means it is the best working model we have so far to explain how things are. The great thing about science is that it proves itself wrong all the time - this isn't a con, this is a pro. 100 or 10,000 years from now we will most certainly be wrong about certain things we believe or understand about evolution, but that doesn't mean evolution will be proven wrong, only improved upon.

Newton wasn't wrong about physics so much as he was incomplete. Einstein improved upon Newtonian physics, and Newton would probably be happier than anyone about this, but we still use Newtonian physics ALL the time. They work great as a model for engineering and building things and to be able to rely on good data for how things will behave on certain scales.

All that being said, Christians who deny evolutionary theory are gravely ignorant towards an absolutely incomprehensible amount of evidence and accepted thought. They're not evil, and they might not be idiots, but they have definitely bought into self-serving propaganda that hasn't served them well.

Good post. I love that last sentence! On the bolded, I would refine that a bit. The Theory of Evolution is not a scientific fact. It's a collection of facts and observations and predictions. Evolution is a fact. It's been observed. Most of the human race has evolved a tolerance for lactose within the last couple thousand years. We have even witnessed speciation in plants, insects, fish and even mammals (see Faroe Island Mouse).

 

[2ndNnine]

 

[2ndNnine]