Comments on: Famous "star cradle" might have been destroyed long before we ever discovered it

By: pebird

pebird — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Time is a little nuts, too.

By: Ryan Lenethen

Ryan Lenethen — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:17:00 +0000

Just set the PVR?

By: Carlos Sismeiro

Carlos Sismeiro — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:14:00 +0000

The thing is “now” already happened, we are just experiencing it now.

Now here is past there.

By: soylent_plaid

soylent_plaid — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 23:21:00 +0000

This just means that in about a thousand years, astronomers are in for a hell of a show.

By: mockerynj

mockerynj — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:20:00 +0000

The Space Taliban strikes again

By: enterthestory

enterthestory — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:01:00 +0000

Well d’uh! 6000 years ago! Pillars of creation, people! Does nobody read Genesis? More accurate readings will prove they were toppled in October 4004 BC, and cherubim and a flaming sword were definitely involved.

And 7000 light years away? See 2 Peter 3:8. 7 days creation = 7000 years, minus the 6000 years specified leaves the seventh day where God rested. Cf book of Enoch and 7000 years of world history, pillars of the temple of heaven in Revelation 3:12… this stuff pretty much writes itself. ;)

By: timquinn

timquinn — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 21:30:00 +0000

They are not really columns and they can not topple. That is all I wanted to say.
-Mister Obvious

By: Ashley Yakeley

Ashley Yakeley — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 21:30:00 +0000

Right. It’s not even particularly meaningful to talk about “now” for for events outside our causality cones (the regions of spacetime that have affected us and we will affect from here and now).

By: Grok

Grok — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:28:00 +0000

Catastrophic astrophysical events are great photo-ops.

By: atteSmythe

atteSmythe — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:04:00 +0000

I find the sentiment that we’re viewing things as they were X,000 years ago to be frustrating. Except for certain cases where astronomers are specifically looking to observe conditions from a time very different from ours, I don’t see how it matters.

Since we cannot break the speed of light, I find it much preferable to consider that events are happening as their photons reach us. It’s literally impossible to observe them at a later state, so don’t let it get you down. If anything, we have the ability to watch the past (or at least certain pasts) unfold in real time, and that’s pretty cool.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:01:00 +0000

Every time I look through a telescope, or even see a picture of some distant object like “The Pillars of Creation” I remember that I’m not seeing it as it is now, but rather as it was long ago. I am literally looking into the past–and that’s not one of those misuses of the word “literally” that would get me slapped in English class.

And every time I have to stop and steady myself because I never get over how fantastic it is.

By: zotlerg

zotlerg — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:59:00 +0000

I thought they are called ‘Star Nurseries’ – which seems a more visceral and expressive.
That’s all. ; )