GatewayRedbirds.com

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/09/world/se ... _term=link

Far outside our Milky Way galaxy, something is causing repeating short bursts of radio waves to be released into space. Scientists have recorded the second repeating fast radio burst to be discovered, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The finding was also presented at the 233rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle.
These radio bursts are only millisecond-long radio flashes, and such rapid bursts themselves aren't rare in space.
But this is only the second one that has been found to repeat. The mystery about why these bursts happen and where they come from continues, which always spurs believers to think that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations are creating them.

Question for some of you science/space nerds out there. If we're picking up these signals on earth, 1.5 billion light years away from their original source location -- which is the wording of the article -- doesn't that mean that signals themselves were created at best a long freaking time ago? Does a radio wave move faster than light - even one with a huge amount of energy behind it? I find that highly doubtful, but I'm curious if anyone on here knows the answer.

The whole time element to these conversations is so fascinating to me. CNN's first thought in that article is -- ooohhhh, aliens cool! The science-y nerd in my is --- ooohhhh, cool space event! But, considering the time involved here, regardless of what we trace these signals to cosmic phenomena or intentional action, we are juuuuust a bit more than fashionably late to the party.

I don't know the answer to your specific question about the speed these bursts travel at, but I'm with you... Despite the repetitious nature of the signal, I think it's some sort of naturally occurring phenomenon. Not created by some sentient being. But heck, who knows. And, yeah, even if it were sentient beings, it has taken so long to get here, that species is loooonnngggg gone.

Fat Strat wrote:Question for some of you science/space nerds out there. If we're picking up these signals on earth, 1.5 billion light years away from their original source location -- which is the wording of the article -- doesn't that mean that signals themselves were created at best a long freaking time ago? Does a radio wave move faster than light - even one with a huge amount of energy behind it? I find that highly doubtful, but I'm curious if anyone on here knows the answer.

Radio waves are a form of light -- just very low frequency -- so they travel the same speed as all light, and would have been generated during the Boring Billion years of Earth history.

Speculation about life here seems sorta silly as its not that plausible an explanation for a mega high energy phenomenon and because the discovery that our own galaxy is rich in planets leaves the possibility of much closer life quite open.

Arthur Dent wrote:

Fat Strat wrote:Question for some of you science/space nerds out there. If we're picking up these signals on earth, 1.5 billion light years away from their original source location -- which is the wording of the article -- doesn't that mean that signals themselves were created at best a long freaking time ago? Does a radio wave move faster than light - even one with a huge amount of energy behind it? I find that highly doubtful, but I'm curious if anyone on here knows the answer.

Radio waves are a form of light -- just very low frequency -- so they travel the same speed as all light, and would have been generated during the Boring Billion years of Earth history.

Speculation about life here seems sorta silly as its not that plausible an explanation for a mega high energy phenomenon and because the discovery that our own galaxy is rich in planets leaves the possibility of much closer life quite open.

Fascinating. Thx!

When I get this doctorate stuff out of the way and I can start reading for fun again, I am going to have to pick up some physics and astronomy stuff. Best I have done lately is some escape-y sci-fi to tide me over.

To quote michael's video, I'm gonna start saying people have balls the size of 'UY Scuti' when they do something unbelievably heroic.

This is cool

All 5033 full frame Left Front Hazcam images from the Opportunity rover at 15fps.

Article about how Hubble captured these images over a 4 year period. Amazing. Hubble has just been incredible for our understanding of space.

https://gizmodo.com/star-explosion-vide ... 1589138376

Mars Landing

It always makes me emotional watching nasas command center celebrate a successful touchdown.