#celestial_sphere

[phonemantra-blog]

New research shows how comets could be the source of life on planets outside our solar system Scientists theorize that comets may have spread the organic ingredients necessary for the emergence of life on Earth. New research suggests that comets may also deliver these elements to exoplanets. During the formation of the solar system, the Earth was bombarded by asteroids, comets and other space objects. How the planet obtained the water and molecules necessary for life is still controversial, but comets are considered the most likely sources of these substances. [caption id="attachment_83089" align="aligncenter" width="650"] planet[/caption] But if comets could potentially bring the seeds of life to Earth, could they serve a similar function for exoplanets in other parts of the universe? To explore this question, a team of researchers from the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge developed mathematical models that helped reveal how comets could transfer similar vital elements to other planets in our galaxy. While the study's findings do not yet provide a definitive answer about the presence of life on other planets, they may help narrow the search for exoplanets that may support life. “wandering” from planet to planet, spread life throughout the Universe? “We continue to learn more about the atmospheres of exoplanets, so our goal was to find out whether there were planets where complex organic molecules could also be delivered by comets. It's possible that the molecules that enabled life on Earth were brought in by comets, and the same may be true for planets in other galaxies,” said Richard Enslow, one of the study's authors, who works at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. Over the past decades, scientists have learned more about the prebiotic molecules found in comets. For example, NASA's Stardust mission discovered samples of glycine, an amino acid and building block of proteins, in Comet Wild 2 (81P/Wild), and the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission discovered organic molecules in the coma of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). However, these organic molecules can be destroyed by strong comet impacts on the planet. So Enslow and his colleagues had to find scenarios in which a comet-planet collision occurs slowly enough to preserve the ingredients of life intact. The study, based on simulations, found that the slowest impact velocities occur in solar systems where planets are densely packed. Comets moving through such systems are slowed down by the gravitational influence of the planets. The simulations also showed that conditions for the emergence of life may be suitable on rocky planets orbiting red dwarfs. They are the most common type of star in the galaxy and are of interest to astronomers searching for exoplanets. However, planets in such systems are subject to more frequent high-speed collisions with comets and the likelihood of life appearing there is low, especially if the planets are located at significant distances from each other. “We can identify the types of systems that could be the subject of research to test different models for the origin of life. And this is another way to look at the amazing diversity of life on Earth and look for its analogues on other planets,” Anslow commented.

[elbiotipo]

So remember that post I made about Kepler wanting to sail the "celestial currents"?

You see, in Genesis, as you know, it starts by God creating the Heavens and the Earth. How does He do it? First, He creates light, creating night and day. Second... and I quote:

"6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day."

This "vault" is the Firmament: the place where according to the cosmology of the Ancient World the Fixed Stars were put into place above the flat Earth. Like so:

This is, roughly, how the ancient Hebrews concieved the Universe. A flat Earth surrounded by Ocean on all sides and under a vault, the Firmament, where the fixed stars were fixed. This was roughly the model held by other Middle Eastern peoples like the Babylonians too.

(see also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_cosmology) it's quite an interesting read.

Now... as the Hebrews became in contact with the rest of the world, particulary the Hellenistic World, they eventually adopted the Ptolemaic cosmology, a round (so non-flat) Earth orbited by the Sun, the Moon, and the planets, organized in "Celestial Spheres" (what we would today call orbits) that moved by mechanisms unknown yet measurable. Christianity took this model mostly as it was.

Now, this is all very interesting, and if you're interested you can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_spheres but what really interests me here is the Firmament, the sphere were the fixed stars were.

What was beyond that? Well, according to (some) medieval scholars, said that above the sphere of Earth there was a sphere of fire (the 'purest' after air, water, and the least pure, earth) and the celestial spheres were made of heavenly aether or something. And after all that, beyond the fixed stars? Heaven. Sounds quite logical. The Empyrean was beyond the Firmament and it was well, Heaven, with God, angels, and all that.

However, that's not what the Bible says. Let me recap:

"6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so."

The Firmament was created to separate the Waters of Earth from the Waters of Heaven. (Earth was "in disorder and empty" and the spirit of God moved over "the waters" according to the previous passage.)

NOW. NOW. What does this mean? Taking it to its logical conclusion, what would I say if I had the viewpoint of a medieval scholar?

That beyond the stars, there should be a cosmic ocean.

Frustratingly, I cannot find anything about it. The waters "above the vault" aren't mentioned any more in the Bible so far as I can tell. Ancient and medieval scholars who had quite wacky theories don't talk about it, so far I've found anything about it. Unfortunately the wiki page for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehom, the primordial ocean I've talked about, is also obscure on the matter. There might be more in-depth sources but I've yet to start my search.

To recap:

The second thing God does in Genesis is to create an ocean above heaven. And nobody talks about it. Even if you don't take it literally (I don't, though it makes for awesome worldbuilding), who knows what that means. What's in there? Why is there so much water over heaven? Can you sail the seas of the heavenly ocean? Nobody knows, because nobody talks about it.

So. Yeah, this has been Sunday School with El Biotipo. See you next time.

[frstbiitten]

NEW FILE: ASTROPHILIA

Frost feels a deep connection to the night, especially for the stars and mostly the moon. Symbolically, the moon for her represents guidance, strength, and company, it has a deep meaning related to her mother's death (it happened at midnight, and she stared at the moon from her window for hours, looking for a clear answer as to 'what did she do to her mother?' And the question about her uncertain future). For Frost, the moon has a link to her spiritual side as well, a connection to the gods and a sign of hope while growing up, her belief in the Elder Gods died with the time but not when it came to the moon, as it became a reflection of herself in the sky.

Her curious spirit led her to read about astronomy, could spend hours reading about the composition of the stars, the distance between them, galaxies and different scientific facts. Like many species of birds, Frost learned to read and use the starts to guide herself, identify the constellations and find different directions. The constellations like Cassiopeia, Aquila, Ursa Major, and Orion are the easiest for her to identify, even if they are seasonal. Her knowledge about astronomy deepened once she joined the Lin Kuei clan, some of the books that they have possessed a different type of treatment about astronomy, gathering information about the night sky from the XVII century, learned the names of different constellations in chinese. Curiously, this information is a topic she enjoys to talk about with Kuai Liang once in a while, even addressing him the constellation of Canis Major, mostly because the comparison for her seemed amusing.

As a cyborg, Frost maintains a complete map of the night sky, one that is much more detailed and keeps track of the movements of the planets, the stars, comets and possible solar storms (these could affect the program of her system, so she is obligated to turn herself off in the case a solar storm reaches Earthrealm). This map is saved as a file called <CELESTIAL_SPHERE>, she has maps of different locations saved, but the most used in this file in particular. In addition, this map can be displayed as a hologram for others to see by using a flat surface, the lights come from both eyes.

[ammg-old]

what the FUCK does this mean

[insight-analysis]

Galaxies, Stars & Constellations brief Study with Facts

#Andromeda, #Andromeda_Galaxy, #Astronomy, #Astrophysics, #Black_Hole, #Celestial_Sphere, #Constellation, #Constellations, #Cosmology, #Cosmos, #Einstein, #Elliptical, #Fusion, #Galaxies, #Galaxy, #Gravity, #Milky_Way, #Milkyway, #Nuclear_Fusion, #Physics, #Planets, #Research, #Science, #Scientist, #Solar_System, #Space, #Stars, #Telescope, #Universe

[t4s]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_sphere

[ao3feed-voltronlegendarydefender]

Broken Barriers

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2BjE3Dk

by Celestial_Sphere

It was better if I never was born. My life has no weight on the workings of the universe. Why me? Why this? Wasn't there someone- anyone- who was more suited to take up such a heavy hand from Fate?

The crew saves a singular survivor of an alien race who also met their end at the hands of Zarkon. With no place to go and the universe still in danger of destruction, she takes refuge within the castle and becomes closest to the most withdrawn and unlikely Paladin to offer her friendship. It's a tale of connection between two beings who should have had more than enough in difference than they ever would in common. Or more importantly, a story full of forgiveness and unwavering strength from the unlikeliest of places. Their interactions bring to life a strange but beautiful bond that could help heal what was sure to be the ugliest of their own scars and unite two wandering souls who felt like they would forever be alone.

Words: 3326, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Other

Characters: Keith (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Shiro (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Allura (Voltron), Coran (Voltron)

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2BjE3Dk

[wynnwolfe]

Think, and pause a moment over the thought. When you consider the glittering orbs above us and our own glorious day star whom we call Father Sun, has it never occurred to you that these very stars are manifestations of the Hierarchy of Compassion, bringing light and life and love and wisdom into the dark realms of nature's material spheres? Verily it is so!" -- The Four Sacred Seasons, G. de Purucker, p. 50 #suns #stars #celestial_spheres #hierarchies #space #galaxies #cosmology #consciousness #we_are_made_starstuff #elements #collage #iphone6splus #ipadair

[ajourneythroughtime]

In modern thought, the orbits of the planets are viewed as the paths of those planets through mostly empty space. Ancient and medieval thinkers, however, considered the celestial orbs to be thick spheres of rarefied matter nested one within the other, each one in complete contact with the sphere above it and the sphere below.[2] When scholars applied Ptolemy's epicycles, they presumed that each planetary sphere was exactly thick enough to accommodate them.[2] By combining this nested sphere model with astronomical observations, scholars calculated what became generally accepted values at the time for the distances to the Sun (about 4 million miles), to the other planets, and to the edge of the universe (about 73 million miles).[3] The nested sphere model's distances to the Sun and planets differ significantly from modern measurements of the distances,[4] and the size of the universe is now known to be inconceivably large and continuously expanding.

In Greek antiquity the ideas of celestial spheres and rings first appeared in the cosmology of Anaximander in the early 6th century BC.[7] In his cosmology both the Sun and Moon are circular open vents in tubular rings of fire enclosed in tubes of condensed air; these rings constitute the rims of rotating chariot-like wheels pivoting on the Earth at their centre. The fixed stars are also open vents in such wheel rims, but there are so many such wheels for the stars that their contiguous rims all together form a continuous spherical shell encompassing the Earth. All these wheel rims had originally been formed out of an original sphere of fire wholly encompassing the Earth, which had disintegrated into many individual rings.