16 comments

  • chasil 12 hours ago

    There is a wiki on pair-instability supernovas. Antimatter (in the form of positrons) is a key factor.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair-instability_supernova

  • smnplk 2 hours ago

    Space, why so much violence ?

  • ck2 12 hours ago

    I just want to live long enough for space telescopes to evolve exponentially to observe kilonovas in the visual spectrum

    I mean laser interferometers are an amazing advancement but just imagine seeing an earth-sized chunk of gold pop out of a kilonova (probably not my lifetime but eventually a human will see it happen)

    Thank goodness this administration did not frack with Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, I thought the name alone would make them cancel it or rename it after him, wait maybe I shouldn't even mention that idea...

    * https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

    * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Grace_Roman_Space_Telesc...

    • throwaway-away 6 hours ago

      Check out the aragoscope [1]. It's not planned, but we would already have the technology as it doesn't rely on fragile and heavy lenses to be sent in orbit.

      If you look at image 17 you can see that a simulated aragoscope that is in our technical reach could already resolve the Jupiter moons from almost 23 light years away. I hope as well that we will have something comparable while I am still around.

      [1] https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2014_phase_i...

    • vitally3643 6 hours ago

      Well I mean I would expect that the gold would be fired off in all directions as more of an atomic mist than a chunk

    • sourcegrift 4 hours ago

      He has stopped Mtf trans females from competing in female sports thus pretty much segregating 10s of millions of Americans and people of color.

      I don't think it's possible to do worse, even for him.

  • wglb a day ago
    • tomhow 3 hours ago

      Thanks! We've added it to the thread header.

  • timwis 10 hours ago

    Dark Forest theory, anyone?

    • groos 10 hours ago

      It was a supergiant, hence died at a young age, and unlikely to have evolved life of any kind in its system.

      • tgrowazay 9 hours ago

        That’s what Singer’s civilization wants you to think before they send a Photoid or Dual-Vector foil (but later would require a supervisor’s approval which is a PITA)

        • dotancohen 6 hours ago

            > before they send a Photoid
          
          Plenty of services require a Photo ID nowadays.
    • chasil 7 hours ago

      Pair-instability can only happen in low-metalicity surroundings.

      The big bang created hydrogen, helium, and small amounts of lithium. Any higher elements are created by stars, and a significant presence of those "metals" will take a star down a different path than pair-instability.

      Low-metalicity environments are not likely to be friendly to life.