What the Heck?! Thread (Closed)

[Miragedriver]

This 1-minute animation will completely change your perception of life in the universe

If extraterrestrial life is anything like what we see on Earth, then chances are it's living on Earth-like planets thousands, or even millions, of light years from our solar system.

Today, astronomers have detected

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, or exoplanets, with

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

. While it's hard to visualize so many planets, a second-year astronomy graduate student at the University of Washington, named

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, has found a way that is

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

.

Check out his animation below, where every circle you see is a planet. (Our solar system is on the far right.)

If extraterrestrial life is anything like what we see on Earth, then chances are it's living on Earth-like planets thousands, or even millions, of light years from our solar system.

Today, astronomers have detected

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, or exoplanets, with

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

. While it's hard to visualize so many planets, a second-year astronomy graduate student at the University of Washington, named

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, has found a way that is

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

.

Check out his animation below, where every circle you see is a planet. (Our solar system is on the far right.)

What you're seeing here is our solar system among every exoplanet that the Kepler telescope has identified since NASA launched it into space in 2009.

In total, the animation reveals a jaw-dropping 1,705 exoplanets in 685 planetary systems — just like our solar system, many other planetary systems contain more than one planet.

The size of each planet's orbit is to scale, so if you compare the speed of most exoplanets to the planets in our solar system, you can see that many are moving much faster, which means they're significantly closer to their parent star.

Moreover, on the left, Kruse provides a color gauge that corresponds to the different temperatures of each planet, measured in Kelvin. (The locations of exoplanets in the animation don't necessarily correlate with their true location within the Milky Way galaxy.)

Many exoplanets observed to date are larger than Earth and scorching hot. Experts call these "

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

," (illustrated below) which can have surface temperatures that reach 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.

While that's far too hot for any life, that we know of, to survive, there are some exoplanets similar in size and temperature to Earth. And it's these distant celestial orbs that give some astrobiologists hope.

Some scientists even think that by studying the atmospheres of these Earth-like exoplanets, we could discover the

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

.

We first learned about Kruse's incredible animation on the wildly popular website:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

.

You can make your own animation using the source code that Kruse provides

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

. You can also check out a similar animation that Kruse made in 2013 on YouTube or below:

 

[kwaigonegin]

The dip in brightness and irregularities of the scan by Kepler of a large object circling a sun can be easily explained. DUH!

 

[Equation]

The dip in brightness and irregularities of the scan by Kepler of a large object circling a sun can be easily explained. DUH!

Everyone's imperial dreams no matter what their politics are.

 

[Miragedriver]

The problem is how do you educate a population without first convincing that country’s government that it is necessary?

 

[Equation]

Dang he thought he got away from the authority, but met with gator justice.

Police in Florida now know what happened to a burglar who hid from officers. He was eaten by an alligator.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

 

[solarz]

The problem is how do you educate a population without first convincing that country’s government that it is necessary?

Makes for a nice poster, but too simplistic by far.

ISIS leadership is actually very well educated. They have a sophisticated recruitment system using both social media and Islamic schools. Their recruiters are extremely well versed in religious knowledge. Osama bin Laden himself had a degree in civil engineering.

 

[bd popeye]

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

The inaugural U.S. flight of one of Airbus’s newest aircraft models was supposed to be a big deal, showcasing the impressive new jumbo jet on its very first trip from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

Instead, it was spectacularly terrifying and embarrassing fail. The high tech jet’s computer system aborted it’s own takeoff — because it deemed the runway too short.

Journalists and staff were among the passengers on the Airbus A350 for the chartered Qatar Airways flight that was supposed to travel 12 hours to Hamad International Airport.

The airplane even had screens on each seatback via which the passengers could watch the taxi and takeoff as it happened. Unfortunately, rather than watching the plane soar to 30,000 feet, it taxed, picked up speed — and then came to a startling and screeching halt.

According to

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Editor in Chief, Zach Honig, who was one 36 journalists and staff members on the charter flight, “About 18 seconds after we began rolling down JFK’s runway 22R, the aircraft self-aborted, bringing us from more than 100 mph to a loud, screeching halt in roughly 15 seconds.

“For a plane of this size and weight, stopping that quickly required a lot of force.”

Though no one was injured, passengers on the flight were confused, and some were scared and upset and wanted to get off.

The flight crew told passengers to remains seated. They also told them to turn off their cameras and Honig was also asked to stop tweeting updates for his 9,600 followers, according to the

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

.

Eventually the highest-ranking executive on the Airbus explained to the travlers there was no reason to fear for their safety. “For some reason the A350 decided that our 11,000-foot runway was too short to support the takeoff, and the plane applied the brakes at full force — all on its own,” writes Honig.

The New York based flight, which had arrived earlier from Doha, was meant to give Qatar Airways the ability to boast the first flight Airbus 350 flight to and out of the U.S., “a significant milestone in what’s quickly becoming one of Qatar’s fastest-growing markets,” says Honig. It also gave the airline the chance to one-up Delta on its home turf — the airline will be launching flights on the Airbus 350 in 2017 — and to show the goods off to journalists.

After the failed takeoff, and after a nearly two-hour delay, (and more than a few drinks for the passengers) the Qatar Airways Airbus 350 did takeoff and fly to Doha.

The Airbus 350 is set to begin service on from the U.S. on Qatar Airways on Jan. 1, 2016.

 

[Blackstone]

For the Canadian posters on SDF, what's the reaction by the rest of Canada on Geng Tan's election as Canada's first MP from Mainland China? East Asians in the US have traditionally been less politically active than other minorities, but things are changing and there are more political activism recently. How is it in Canada?

Geng Tan: Canada's 1st MP from Chinese mainland

With 51.4 percent of the vote, Liberal Party member Geng Tan defeated Conservative MP Joe Daniel to win a seat in parliament to represent Don Valley North in Toronto on Oct 19.

Hailed by Chinese Mandarin community members as their "true voice", the political newcomer's win was not only a victory for Liberals, but was also seen as a milestone in the Chinese-Canadian community’s efforts to better participate in government and politics.

"I was so excited to be elected," Tan said recalling the win. "It is not easy for immigrants to get their foot in the door of Canadian politics, and I am proud of the best team that made it happen."

As a first-generation immigrant originally from the Chinese mainland, Geng has made Canada home for nearly two decades. Born in 1963 in Hunan, Geng came to Canada on a student visa in 1998. After completing his PhD in chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the University of Toronto, he worked as a scientist at Ontario Power Generation.

Geng's involvement with the community is closely tied to his Hunan associations. He was chairman of the Toronto University Chinese Students Association. After he graduated, he became the founder, first-term executive president and current co-chair of the Council of Newcomer Organizations and vice-chairman of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations.

Tan said not enough Chinese immigrants are interested in Canadian politics. He thinks they lack a voice and need to participate more.

"Sometimes people just lack the confidence to represent themselves," said Geng. "I had an advantage running for election — I study and work with both the Chinese and Canadian communities, so I know what the actual nee

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

of the Chinese community are and how to put them into practice in Canada."

According to Geng, in a democratic society, citizens are granted rights, and chief among them is being able to participate in elections. "Every citizen has the right to compete for it, but if you don't make an effort, then the loss is your own, and you can't complain about the country or the society," he said.

"If you want to integrate into Canada, just investing in local projects is not enough. With its unique voice, our Chinese community should have a say," Tan said.

For Chinese immigrants, many of whom want to stay here, the new Liberal MP is an inspiration and an example of how to better integrate into Canadian society.

"I'm just a pioneer," Tan said. "I believe in the future there will be more and more new immigrants participating in politics. Because of my success today, future election candidates will take a lot fewer detours. For sure, I will do my best to share my experiences and I am willing to help them succeed.

"The fact that I reached such a level today is evidence of this," he said. "I greatly thank Canada for making my dreams come true. I’ll do my best to serve Canada, for a better tomorrow," Tan said.

As a newly elected parliamentarian, Geng plans to follow the leadership of newly elected Liberal Prime

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

ster Justin Trudeau.

"I would like to provide leadership to take care of the quality of life, the education and the work of thousands of constituents, listen to their voices, and make them part of the country's future development through the Parliament. At the same time, I will convey government policies and related information to voters, in a timely and effective manner, bridging the two sides," he said.

Tan said that he is not only the delegate of the voters to the Parliament, but also a representative of the Parliament to his constituency. He hopes his professional background and community service experience, as well as the voices of the various ethnic communities, will combine to take part in the decision-making of Canada’s future, especially playing a unique role in the development and deepening of the Canada-China relationship.

"Throughout history, the Liberal governments of Canada have always maintained a proactive cooperation with the Chinese government, which is reflected not only in the economy and trade, but also in cultural and artistic interchanges," he said.

According to Geng, the importance of Canada-China relations is self-evident and especially true under the leadership of the Liberal government. Throughout the campaign, Liberal Party candidates repeatedly stressed that Canada-China relations should maintain a consistent and in-depth proactive relationship, that Canada should proactively join AIIB and that Canada should negotiate deeply with China, so as to promote the realization of bilateral free trade as soon as possible.

"We believe Justin Trudeau will open a new chapter in Canada-China relations and the win-win cooperation between the two countries will continue," said Geng. "There are millions of Chinese Canadians living in Canada, and we look forward to proactive cooperation and sound progress between the two countries. Just like the Chinese traditional saying: Visits from far away bring people closer and closer."

Tan said some people were surprised that the Liberal Party achieved such big victories in the election. And he said that may be because they do not understand the Canadian general public. From the first day of the campaign, the Liberals stressed "Real Change" as their party platform.

"We talked about this, and now we are doing this," Tan said.

 

[Equation]

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Fail to take off yes, BUT their avionics software system works like a charm, realizing there wasn't enough room to take off, it automatically applied the breaks

 

[solarz]

For the Canadian posters on SDF, what's the reaction by the rest of Canada on Geng Tan's election as Canada's first MP from Mainland China? East Asians in the US have traditionally been less politically active than other minorities, but things are changing and there are more political activism recently. How is it in Canada?

Geng Tan: Canada's 1st MP from Chinese mainland

The reaction was: meh.

Why distinguish "mainland" Chinese from "other" Chinese? What's next? First MP from Beijing? Shanghai? What purpose does it serve?