I’m sending everybody over to Space.com today to read an article from my favorite SETI astronomer, Dr. Seth Shostak. The title of the article (and it’s short) is “The Six Most Likely Places to Find Alien Life”. Dr. Shostak has some surprises in the line-up for you, and of course you’ll recognize his incomparable writing style.
Go. Enjoy. Then come back and tell me what you think of his choices. Here’s the link:
Greetings! I bet you thought you were finally rid of me. I appreciate all the emails, but really guys, I didn’t slip and break my neck (again). Nor was I abducted by space aliens (huh – I wish). I am perfectly fine; however, if I find the doofus who wished I would live in interesting times, we’re going to talk.
Fair warning.
Today I want to revisit a giant with you. No, not Jupiter… although that’s extremely interesting. I’m talking true size. Today I’m talking about VY Canis Majoris.
Doesn't this just give you chills? This is the fine work of David Jarvis, and is currently under copyright. All rights reserved.
Identified as the largest known star, and one of the most luminous, VY CMa weighs in at a whopping estimated 1800 – 2100 solar radii. This semiregular variable red hypergiant exists as a single star, not in a binary system (as is more common).
Located in the constellation Canis Major, VY CMa is about 4,900 lya. We have recorded observations of VY CMa from a little over 200 years ago, and it seems that the star is losing luminosity. It was noted as a 7th magnitude star in 1801, while modern studies give it an average of about 7.9607. Roughly.
VY Canis Majoris has been found to be extremely unstable. Astronomers expect it to hypernova in the next 100,000 years; very likely giving off gamma ray bursts and forming an enormous black hole when it goes. It is currently an M star, with an effective temperature of about 3,000 K – making it a complex star indeed. During its main sequence it was an O star.
While we are far enough away from VY CMa that when it hypernovas we should be safe, it will absolutely do considerable damage to any life forms in its immediate neighborhood. There are novae, supernovae, and then there are the hypernovae. This will be one of the most powerful detonations in the universe. It should be quite a show.
UPDATE: Solved by Hugo at 12:10 CDT
Yay! Another Saturday to play. I hope you have your cup of caffeine close; not that today’s riddle is all that difficult, but you know me…
I’ve been leading you through the real world for the last few weeks, and I’m going to keep you there today. Don’t despair, SciFi fans, we’ll revisit that arena soon enough. For today, however…
This gorgeous image of the Milky Way Arch was created by Bruno Gilli (ESO)
You are looking for a small part of something much larger.
Many people view this object’s namesake with horror.
In cases like this, you should bet on the dark horse to win the race.
It's all about the dance, you know
Come to the dark side; we have cookies.
A lot is happening in this object’s neighborhood.
Early humans very probably could see this.
Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it
There aren’t many clues today, so consider each one carefully. As always, don’t discount the image clues. You may think of 30 objects to fit the written clues, but when you add the images, there is only one correct answer.
You know where to find me.
How could you not love this face? Look at how alert she is; she is staring straight into the camera. Jumping spiders, while tiny members of their huge family, are known to be very alert, curious, and intelligent.
SOLVED by Alex at 12:02 CDT
Bonjour! I hope everyone is having a good Saturday. Are you ready to play riddle? I have one lined up for you, of course. We’re starting a new cycle, but another bonus riddle is imminent. I’m already working on it.
No, really. I am.
Okay, onwards:
Another NASA image -- thanks, guys.
This is in the real world.
It has mass, and takes up space.
Its shape is NOT round.
Don't you wish you'd paid attention in class now? "Oh no, I'll NEVER use this stuff..."
This is a radiant body.
It does something that nothing else in its home range is known to do.
Something about this is a well-functioning electrical system.
This image was created by "oceanhopper". You are free to copy, but attribute the source.
This has a strange association with melancholy and death.
Don’t look to Greek mythology to answer this one.
This body has orbital bodies; one of which is thought to possibly contain life.
How obvious can I be? This incredible image by Diane Minton.
And that’s that. Now, I’ll be in the comments (as usual), but you know how lucky I’ve been with the internet lately, so if I crash and burn, I’ll catch up.
Aw! Isn't he cute? This is a tiny jumping spider, staring intently into the camera.
SOLVED!
Welcome to the bonus riddle. Remember, the comments are closed until tomorrow, when we’ll open the riddle for anyone to try if it hasn’t been solved yet. Here are the people who are eligible to send in three guesses by email:
Adrianus V, Dwight, Roger, Rob, Alex, Patrick, Kristian, Hugo, the Gregster, Andy, Gary, George, Claudia, Suzanne, Jeff Greene, Jon, and Jerry.
Tom and I will only verify receipt of your guesses, we will not comment. We do verify your identity, also.
Ready? Here you go:
This is a modern discovery.
Don’t look to WikiPedia to find the answer on this one.
It carries the name of a more well-known object.
This is near.
This is sometimes called “minor”, but that’s not what we usually call it.
Look at this image:
This beauty, image by Giovanni Dall'Orto, holds the key to your answer. The image is under copyright, so don't lift it from the blog, please!
That is your final clue.
There you go. Good luck everybody, and I’ll let you know how it went tomorrow.
UPDATE: Solved at 8:55pm CDT by Gregster.
Here we are, the final riddle of this cycle. The bonus riddle is set for Wednesday the 15th, so if your name isn’t on the list, this is your last chance.
Okay; ready to riddle? Today’s answer is found in the real world.
NGC604 NASA/Hubble
Rather than one thing, it is a group of things.
It’s well known, in fact, for being a group.
One part of the group probably doesn’t really belong; however, one part (not previously associated) probably does belong.
The actor Jimmy Stewart
This is interesting because it’s such a colossal train wreck.
A fairly modern discovery, this is the first of its kind.
You saw this featured at the beginning of a movie classic, but you might not have recognized it.
When you look at this, you “see” something usually associated with sound.
A few flying horses
That’s about it. Short and sweet, and to the point. We’ve discussed this particular thing before, so some of the clues may be strangely familiar. They ought to be.
"Hey! Don't take my picture!"