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.
Want to have a little fun? I was going to embed the code to do this but for my money I think it’s best to go to the link and do this full screen (don’t know how well it would play with my site). Magnifying the Universe.
Here’s a hint, at the bottom there is a slider, move that slider all the way to the right after you’ve clicked on a picture and it has loaded. You will be starting with a Hydrogen atom’s proton. Once you get there, start moving slider to the left.
I’m still having fun with this infographic at Numbersleuth.org; they have another one called All the World’s GOLD, that’s very interesting too. Check it out but be aware it will take more than a few minutes to go through all the information they have. 
Produced for Number Sleuth by Science is Beautiful in coordination with Mandril Design and Killer Infographics.
Thanks Libby!!
Brian Greene on TEDtalks.
Due to a death in the family there will be no Saturday riddle. Should be back next week.
