the world is NOT a safe place

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:40 pm

the solar system includes the sun and nine planets including earth. The galaxy is made up of millions upon millions of stars. It's a matter of scale.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:41 pm

Cranberry wrote:
TelegramSam wrote:
Cranberry wrote:
You don't like the solar system?
pssst, it's the <i>galaxy</i>, not the solar system.
I don't even really know the difference.

A solar system is a single star (could be more, but usually single) and the planets and other bodies (if any) that surround it.

A galaxy is a vast celestial construct, formed and shaped by gravity, made up of countless trillions upon trillions of stars, many of which have their own solar system.

A solar system, though large to our understanding, is microscopically small compared to the vast size of a galaxy.

Our solar system is part of a galaxy that is shaped like a spiral. It's called the Milky Way.

--James

Lark · Post by **Lark** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:41 pm

When I was in high school, I knew a couple fellows who enjoyed cutting off there air until they seen stars and felt like they were “floating”. They seemed to be perpetually trying to push the envelop on the human experience. Perhaps this is common among those who constantly “push the envelope”? Are race car drivers, free climbers, rock stars, and Mr. Rogers all hiding the red marks on there necks?

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:41 pm

TelegramSam wrote:the solar system includes the sun and nine planets including earth. The galaxy is made up of millions upon millions of stars. It's a matter of scale.

What's the universe, then?

And the milky way?

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:42 pm

Mr. Rogers isn't hiding anything, as he's gone to meet his maker.

A lot of people "huff" solvents and what-not to achieve the same effect. A lot of them die from it, too. It's a far more dangerous practice than taking drugs in a lot of ways.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:44 pm

Cranberry wrote:
TelegramSam wrote:the solar system includes the sun and nine planets including earth. The galaxy is made up of millions upon millions of stars. It's a matter of scale.
What's the universe, then?

And the milky way?

Sorry, Sam, I didn't mean to step on your post. You are, of course, exactly right.

Cran, the universe is the sum of everything that is, all taken together. It includes us, our planet, our solar system, our galaxy, all the other galaxies, and possibly some other stuff we haven't even guessed exists yet.

Again, as Sam pointed out, a matter of scale. A galaxy, though vast beyond our true understanding, is very very tiny compared to the size of the universe.

--James

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:45 pm

TelegramSam wrote:Mr. Rogers isn't hiding anything, as he's gone to meet his maker.

A lot of people "huff" solvents and what-not to achieve the same effect. A lot of them die from it, too. It's a far more dangerous practice than taking drugs in a lot of ways.

Mr. Rogers! I never liked him until he died. I never watched a single show of his until he died and they started playing them over and over. I think I was 18 years old at that point. :roll:

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:56 pm

lark---I don't know about Mr. Rogers, but there are a lot of people who do risky things like climbing mountains, racing cars, etc. I don't think they really want to mimic dying or want to die. I think they feel they are accomplishing something very difficult which they have prepared and trained themselves for. Maybe it is proving something to themselves and I guess I would say they are pushing the envelope. But strangling yourself for fun, that seems different. You are just inducing a physical state in your body that has to do with oxygen deprivation and nothing, that I can see, to do with enlightenment or magnificent human experience or achievement. I am not a risk taker though, so I don't know, it's just a thought.

TooTs · Post by **TooTs** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 9:06 pm

I had a hole in the heart until i was 15 and used to black out from oxygen depravation quite a bit. It's not at all pleasant taking over a minute to slowly lose consciousness while every cell in your body is screaming for air.

I have no doubt that oxygen deprevation does not do your brain any good whatsoever.

It is quite strange that people would want to do this for fun, or pleasure.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:40 am

Wow Toots. That must have sucked. I presume you got it fixed.

I read somewhere about erotic asphyxiation before. I think it was a Clive Barker story or it might have come from a series of books of "erotic" horror short stories. I wish I still had those. I can't remember what they were called but they gave me nightmares.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:01 am

emmline wrote: ::hands eyes back to Sam::
Please put these in. You'll look much better.

See better, too

amar · Post by **amar** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:41 am

Cranberry wrote:
TelegramSam wrote:
Cranberry wrote:
You don't like the solar system?
pssst, it's the <i>galaxy</i>, not the solar system.
I don't even really know the difference.

a solar system is much smaller, consists of a sun and all the planets and stuff spinning around it.

a galaxy is comprised of many many stars, and solar systems, for example the milky way. our solar system is part of the galaxy called the milky way.

galaxy

solar system

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:57 am

Mr. Rogers didn't die of natural causes? Have I missed something?

TooTs · Post by **TooTs** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:04 pm

Flyingcursor wrote:Wow Toots. That must have sucked. I presume you got it fixed.

It eventually decided to close up on its own. It was a very freaky childhood though.

Sunnywindo · Post by **Sunnywindo** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:26 pm

Hey Cran! Ever run across the "Astronomy Picture of the Day" in your internet wanderings?

Link to current daily picture:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Link to their archive of every picture they've done:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

If you're just starting out, the explainations might be a bit confusing (I'm still confused sometimes) but the pictures are amazing. Some are just artists renditions, but most are actual images done through a variety of methods.

My favorite is this infrared image of our Milky Way Galaxy... as seen from a sattelite in our Earth's orbit; from our little perch near the edge of our galaxy looking in.... Just one little speck of a planet in a little solar system amoung many other stars with seemingly endless possible other solar systems (planets) around them. Kinda humbling to think about.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000130.html

Another one I just love is this:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970209.html

A look into deep space from the Hubble Space Telescope. All those swirly soft star like things are actually other galaxies... and that view is just a very tiny section of the Universe that we actually have the technology to see. A small segement of our night sky magnified.

When I think of our galaxy, then see a picture like that with so many more galaxies and then consider all the galaxies that must be out there that we just haven't been able to take a look at yet.... It's such an overwhelmingly incredible beautiful thing that it brings tears to my eyes every time to ponder it.

I love this sort of stuff, even if I don't understand it all the time. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

(*Wonders how we got from eye clawing websites to the wonders of the universe... looks back... * ah yes, peeplj's avatar....)

Yet another hijacked thread... brought to you by the good folks of The Chiff and Fipple Poststructural Pub.

Sara