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Oh man, if only we could see the deep sky like the cameras do (with long exposures/filters/etc). Space looks so underwhelming in comparison with plain human ey
by possiblydrunk 4y ago
Oh man, if only we could see the deep sky like the cameras do (with long exposures/filters/etc). Space looks so underwhelming in comparison with plain human eyesight -- though it's still cool to see the stars from a dark site. Andromeda is a tiny fuzzy smudge in our eyes.
- dreamcompiler 4y agoLikewise magnification for bright objects like Saturn. Saturn is usually one of the brightest "stars" in the sky, but it's just a point of light without magnification. Once you add some magnification, it looks like all those photos you've seen of Saturn with the rings. It blows your mind the first time you see it.
- ISL 4y ago"I saw a star explode and send out the building blocks of the Universe. Other stars, other planets and eventually other life. A supernova! Creation itself! I was there. I wanted to see it and be part of the moment. And you know how I perceived one of the most glorious events in the universe? With these ridiculous gelatinous orbs in my skull! With eyes designed to perceive only a tiny fraction of the EM spectrum. With ears designed only to hear vibrations in the air. ... I don't want to be human! I want to see gamma rays! I want to hear X-rays! And I want to - I want to smell dark matter! Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can't even express these things properly because I have to - I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid limiting spoken language! But I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws! And feel the wind of a supernova flowing over me!"
- possiblydrunk 4y agoThat's beautiful. Forgive my ignorance -- what's that from?
- loganwedwards 4y agoAhh, great quote from Battlestar Galactica.
- aaronbrethorst 4y agoPlease no one offer any more context! Anything else might end up being a spoiler for folks who haven’t had the chance to enjoy it yet :)
- andrewprock 4y agoArc fleet ship b
- ISL 4y agoPrecisely why I left it un-referenced :).
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 4y ago> And feel the wind of a supernova flowing over me!" The wind of a supernova flowing over you would be the end of you and everything around you.
- ISL 4y agoThe wind you feel today probably has a meaningful supernova component.
- shagie 4y agoEven the neutrinos from a supernova would be enough. https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ > How close would you have to be to a supernova to get a lethal dose of neutrino radiation? > The phrase "lethal dose of neutrino radiation" is a weird one. I had to turn it over in my head a few times after I heard it.
- raydiatian 4y ago> Only one neutrino will hit you every few years Ah, the excuse I’ve been looking for. “Can’t come into work today, was hit by a neutrino this morning. Need to rest up.”
- somat 4y agoAn even better one is proton decay. Proton decay is theoretically possible but has never been observed. and perhaps somewhere in the vast universe one might have done so... maybe. So I like to blame it on many of life's unexpected events. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_decay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_decay
- d0mine 4y ago"there are about a trillion neutrinos from the Sun passing through it every second."
- PhasmaFelis 4y agoThat's exactly the point, isn't it?
- wruza 4y agoI relate so much to every bit of it. Being a human is not a blessing, but a curse truly absurd one for a conscious being.
- specialist 4y agoI think humans would relate to each other very differently if the stars (Milky Way) were normally visible.
- nullc 4y agoIf it's less real to see something with an instrument-- are people who need glasses to see blind? :D