OT: Astronomy Picture of the Day

[Renegade 13]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060827.html

[Renegade 13]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060925.html

[Randallw]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
A humorous method of interstellar communication I've had pop up in my mind now and again involves very good telescopes...And very large signs.

"We are sorry to hear,"
"About your nuclear winter,"
"We hope the plans we sent"
"You, cool the planet off."
"Burma Shave."

or you could send message by Emperon. We all know the phrase
"The Emperor is dead, long live the Emperor"
So succession is instantaneous. Even light doesn't move instantaneously, so by subtly torturing a small Emperor you can transmit information faster than light.

disclaimer: this is a blatant ripoff of the Kingon and Queenon principle.

[Suicide Junkie]

Does that not require you to first make the destination of your message a colony of the empire, which will be done at SLT speeds?

[Randallw]

It only works between 2 places as the successor receives the information from the Emperor. So you need to take the 2nd in line to the throne to the target, say the other side of the Empire. But once that's done the information is instantaneous.

[Suicide Junkie]

I imagine, with a suitably specific line of succession, you could make a token ring network.

[Renegade 13]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060926.html

[Cipher7071]

I saved this one too. Back (thirty-some years ago) when I built my 6" reflector, I never would have guessed that I'd have such easy access to such high-resolution images. I've seen pictures of the Cydonia area from a similar angle before, but not this big. There's no Mount Rushmore there.

I hope nobody's been contemplating this one late at night over ham sandwiches, sauerkraut, or chili dogs.

[AngleWyrm]

Mmm, sauerkraut and chili dogs!

Yep, some big blonde thing went kafump onto the surface a long time ago, and then got buried.

[Kamog]

Back when I was in elementary school, the science teacher posted up on the wall a newspaper article on the "Face of Mars" with that original fuzzy picture. Back then, that was the only picture in existance of that geological feature, and although the article said that the structure was most likely natural in origin, we kids wondered about the possibility of Martians. That was a long time ago.