Scientists Get Clues on How Planets Form

AP on Yahoo ^ | 4/5/06 | Alicia Chang - ap

[KevinDavis]

[RightWhale]

Copper, that's all I want. Just a few (billion) tons of copper.

[RadioAstronomer]

LOL! Ok. :-)

[NicknamedBob]

"... many scientist were Christians ..."

Being a Christian is not a barrier to being a Scientist, merely an impediment.

[King Prout]

copper? wo fur?
iridium, platinum, ruthenium, osmium... sure.
but copper?

[RightWhale]

Copper is often ignored when everybody is going for the Inca gold. Just as lead and zinc are ignored when going for British silver. The glitter and glory is in the noble metals, but the secret is in the base metals. The big money will be in Roman iron and Boeing aluminum, but Trojan copper will suffice, and will be found in quantity enough to pay. Besides, copper makes better spear points than platinum does.

[VadeRetro]

The farthest man can accurately measure from earth is about 20 light years some will say 100, this is all due to the angle the earth makes in the rotation around the sun which would be about 1 degree when measured 6 months apart, in those kind of distances it would be like looking down a straight line, it would not even resemble a triangle.

Have you been reading some old science books? Say, 200 years old?

[King Prout]

but iridium makes better plasma nozzles ;)

[King Prout]

'nite, jefe

[longshadow]

re: Limits of parallax techniques.

Hipparcos's original design goal was parallaxes with a standard deviation of 2 to 5 milliarcseconds, depending on brightness and position on the sky.

If you want the relative error of the observed parallax (i.e. the ratio observational error / observed parallax ) to be (say) 10%, then that means (taking the 2 milliarcsecond figure for purposes of discussion) Hipparcos parallaxes are good down to 20 milliarcseconds, i.e. out to 50 parsecs (= 165 light years) distance. On the other hand, if you can live with 20% relative errors, then the parallaxes are good down to 10 milliarcseconds, i.e. 100 parsecs (= 325 light years) distance. Or if you need 1% relative errors, then they're only good down to 200 milliarcseconds, i.e. out to 5 parsecs (= 16 light years) distance. Etc etc.

source: http://www.cv.nrao.edu/fits/traffic/sciastroresearch/sar.9707

FWIW, Hipparcos was originally intended to do parallax distance out to somewhere in the 800-1000 ly range, but it got stuck in a smaller parking orbit, thus reducing its range.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Does this mean that black holes are the Universe's Dust Busters?

[TXnMA]

I believe that it is flap a doodle which would then make it 4 words. :-D

~~~~~~~

Make that two other words, then:

Bravo Sierra!!!

[TXnMA]

Cue the young earth creationists in 5, 4, 3, 2 . . .

Right on cue (#18)... LOL!!!

[TXnMA]

Besides, copper makes better spear points than platinum does.

Especially when alloyed with a little tin...

Hey -- you may have a real 'new age' thingy going there... '-)

[CarolinaGuitarman]

Placemarker

[TXnMA]

Being a Christian is not a barrier to being a Scientist, merely an impediment.

No impediment at all, says this physical chemist...

[Constantine XIII]

You shouldn't pick your nozzles, especially in public. :P

[Constantine XIII]

Now that was uncalled for. *rolls eyes*

[NicknamedBob]

Lest you be concerned that I am anti-Christian or something, I have no problem reconciling "Big Bang" equals "Let there be Light!"

[Alamo-Girl]

No impediment at all, says this physical chemist...

Indeed. Those who see their Christianity as an impediment to their science misunderstand one or the other.

After all, Christ is both the author and finisher of our faith and the One by whom and for whom everything that was made, was made - whether spiritual or physical.

Thank you so much for the ping!