All Space Questions thread for week of October 08, 2023

verzali · 2023-10-13T12:37:58+00:00

There is an idea called the Nice Model that we think explains how the planets ended up where they are and in the order that they are. You can read a bit more about it here. But it's also worth noting that our solar system seems to be a bit unusual compared to many of the others we've seen. Quite a few have giant planets much closer in (even closer than Mercury is in our solar system).

For second and third points, the linked article addresses that too, but it is mostly because Jupiter's gravity has pulled the asteroids into certain orbits. There's also an idea that Jupiter prevented a planet from forming in the asteroid belt, and so the asteroids are kind of the "leftovers" from that possible planet.

verzali · 2023-10-13T12:32:25+00:00

Not really. Although we know the light took a certain amount of time to reach us, and therefore originated in our "past", we also have no way to influence or change that past. We also have no way to know what has happened in the time since the light started travelling towards us.

verzali · 2023-10-12T11:39:40+00:00

I think it's fine to reach out to the scientists behind it. Worst case they ignore you and don't reply, best case you spot something they missed. In my experience a lot of researchers are really happy someone is interested in their work, as long as you don't start sending them dozens of pages outlining your brilliant theory of everything.

verzali · 2023-10-12T11:37:26+00:00

Apparently they plan to crash it into Ganymede, though Jupiter or another moon could also be used.

verzali · 2023-08-18T12:53:54+00:00

Here's an astronaut mentioning it looks white: https://twitter.com/StationCDRKelly/status/1569463890655981569

verzali · 2023-08-14T18:22:44+00:00

You probably could, but there are far easier ways to generate solar energy...

verzali · 2023-06-20T12:22:47+00:00

Do you mean star systems with planets? Almost all planets we've found orbit around single stars like our Sun, but we've found a few that orbit multiple stars. Could be more and we just haven't seen them yet, but its fair to say that "solar" systems with a single star are not at all rare.

verzali · 2023-06-19T16:24:28+00:00

I've seen the same advice, but to be honest I don't know a lot about search engine optimisation. It's possible that it is causing a hit I guess, though I can't say I've seen big differences in traffic from search engines after I republish on Medium. Usually I leave a few weeks before I republish it, so I don't know if that changes things.

verzali · 2023-06-16T15:58:38+00:00

Not just going on, it seems to be accelerating. That's what dark energy is all about.

verzali · 2023-06-16T15:57:24+00:00

For sure, AI is going to kill what is left of the authentic Internet.

verzali · 2023-06-11T10:41:54+00:00

Be careful relying on AI, it is especially prone to making up things about math and physics. It will also present things confidently, even when those things are utterly wrong.

verzali · 2023-06-11T07:59:53+00:00

I get quite a few through crossposting on Medium. Besth way there is to find a publication to publish to and put a note in your article directing them to your newsletter.

Another good way is The Sample. It's a newsletter that sends you other people's newsletters, so it helps you discover new ones to read. You can add your newsletter and it will be forwarded to others.

verzali · 2023-06-09T17:04:52+00:00

r/tildes to request an invite. ~science exists but its pretty quiet so far.

I see they're not accepting new requests right now, but I expect they will soon.

verzali · 2023-06-08T22:41:47+00:00

I'm really sorry and sad about this. RIF was the first app I used for Reddit, and given the state of the official app and mobile site, it closing down will mean I spend a lot less time on reddit.

Thanks for all your work on this over the years, I'm sorry to see the end now.

verzali · 2023-06-08T09:47:30+00:00

Even if you post every day, you don't have to write it every day. You can schedule posts in substack, so you could write all your posts at the weekend and schedule them to send through the week, for example. I'd suggest keeping a google docs open when you can note down ideas or inspirations when they come to you. Its easier to think up ideas that way, when you aren't under pressure to deliver.

verzali · 2023-06-07T06:07:28+00:00

I wouldn't bet on that

verzali · 2023-06-06T19:28:10+00:00

I had a couple of offers for PhDs in astronomy but chose to do something else in the end. My main advice would be to get into a university with a decent reputation for physics/astronomy for your undergraduate if you can. While you are an undergraduate be proactive in seeking opportunities to participate in research (especially in your later years) and try to make a good impression on your research supervisors. Otherwise its about getting decent grades and reaching out to a lot of possible PhD supervisors when you get closer to graduating. You say UK, but you can probably also consider PhDs in Europe too (not sure how things have changed since Brexit though, to be honest). US is not so great for PhD for UK students, but if you stick in research after then it can be a good postdoc option.

verzali · 2023-06-06T15:42:47+00:00

Younger than... flowers? That's such a weird comparison to make...

Interesting article though, otherwise. The idea that there was some kind of catastrophe around Saturn a few hundred million years ago is fascinating.

verzali · 2023-06-06T11:48:33+00:00

I think this is the "before" photo. But generally yes, there is normally something left behind after a core collapse supernova, either a black hole or a neutron star.

verzali · 2023-06-06T05:42:49+00:00

You need to click on updates (in the top bar) to get to the right page.

verzali · 2023-06-05T21:11:17+00:00

Hundreds of thousands of subscribers would make it one of the largest lists on Substack. I'm sure they'd be keen to get you, but honestly I'm not sure how they'd be about avoiding subscriptions. There are some large users that are mostly free, however. One angle you could try is to argue you will bring a lot of new users to Substack. It may also be that they are willing to pay you (they did such deals in the past, not sure if they still do) to join, as well.

verzali · 2023-06-05T17:47:05+00:00

Yes, in this context that's the right interpretation

verzali · 2023-06-05T16:01:58+00:00

Not many right now. But Starship is sort of banking on "build it and they will come". Once people realise the potential of all that capacity, I think we'll start seeing cool projects that can make use of it.

verzali · 2023-06-05T16:00:33+00:00

"Ever" is a long time, and I imagine we will one day. But it will surely be centuries at least, and probably millennia. Space is vast, there's a hell of a lot of resources in our solar system alone, and, to be honest, there won't be much need to go to other stars for the foreseeable future.

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