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1500 questions
14
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4 answers
Why do aliens have to be carbon based lifeforms?
So correct me if I'm wrong, but when searching for extra terrestrial life, scientists usually search for signs they would expect for life on earth to thrive in. We look for conditions on planets that meet certain criteria e.g close enough to a sun…
mystery man
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14
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How are binary star systems created?
I don't know how common it is for a system to have two stars (or perhaps even more) but how do they arise? Is that due to the stellar accretion disc, or the composition of the stellar nebula?
Or are most of them created by a collision of stars?
Marijn
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Do all neutron stars spin?
I know that some of them are pulsars and pulsars spin very fast, but do all of the neutron stars spin? I would think that they would because of conservation of momentum, but I'm really just not sure.
matryoshka
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14
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Will we start seeing galaxies disappear due to Universe expansion?
Does the fact that universe is currently expanding at an accelerating rate means that far far away objects (FAO) might start disappearing with time, set aside the "red shift"?
I'm saying this because from what I understand until now:
we receive…
J. Chomel
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14
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Martian Constellations
I was wondering if the constellations visible from Earth would also be visible from Mars. Would they look the same but just shifted slightly in the sky due to the larger circumference of the orbit?
SDH
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14
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2 answers
How can clouds form in Jupiter's atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium?
Here is a graphic of cloud layers of Jupiter (source: Wikipedia):
There are three distinct cloud layers of ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide, and water. The temperature and pressure conditions seem to be surprisingly earth-like; temperatures between…
kingledion
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14
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5 answers
Is there any way for a planet orbiting a red dwarf in the habitable zone to not be tidally locked?
Is there any way to avoid the tidal locking of a planet orbiting a red dwarf in the habitable zone?
For example, could a planet with a 90° obliquity and large moon avoid such a situation?
Soba
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14
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3 answers
Can the difference between a star and a galaxy which are point sources be detected?
Obviously a star would be a point source. A galaxy should be an irregular blob if close, but if it is far away then it would seem that a galaxy too would be just a point source.
Given that the star and galaxy were both only detectable as point…
MaxW
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14
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1 answer
Why does the darkening of the Moon go from left-to-right during an eclipse?
In anticipation of the upcoming April 2014 lunar eclipse, I decided to use the 3D virtual planetarium software Stellarium to simulate what it is supposed look like where I live, since I've never actually witnessed an actual eclipse before. I set the…
David H
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Is Universe Sandbox 2 realistic?
Universe Sandbox 2 is the second installment of Universe Sandbox that is available on Steam. It is an educational simulation game based on astronomy and anything space, it ranges from supernova animations to climate and atmospheric simulations (and…
HotSaucey
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14
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5 answers
Does the gravity of the planets affect the orbit of other planets in our solar system?
When one planet passes near another during its trip around the sun, does their gravitational pull is strong enough to disrupt noticeably each other's orbit ?
MaxiWheat
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How will the recent appearance of a supernova, the closest in 27 years, help reduce the uncertainties in our measurements of dark energy?
A supernova has been recently spotted on M82, also known as the cigar galaxy. Being the closest to earth in 27 years and given the advances of technology this article proposes that:
...as the Cigar Galaxy has been studied in detail thanks to…
Eduardo Serra
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14
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5 answers
How cold is interstellar space?
The vastness of space brings me a sense of chilliness even though I have never experienced it, although I wish to. Just how cold is interstellar space (on average)? How is this even measured? I mean you can't just stick a thermometer in space,…
HotSaucey
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14
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If "9 th planet" is ejected by Jupiter or Saturn, why does it have a very far perihelion?
If the "9 th planet" is ejected by Jupiter or Saturn, I think the perihelion should be near Jupiter and Saturn, but now the predicted orbit is very far away from Netpune, why would that happen?
Gstestso
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Why do comets appear to have a continuous supply of dust?
Comets orbiting the sun have a tail that points away from the Sun, due to the solar wind.
(Strictly speaking, a comet can have both a type I tail - ion tail, and a type II tail - a dust tail. This question is about the type II tail - the dust…
hawkeye
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