wtnhighlander Posted August 20, 2017 Report Share Posted August 20, 2017 My theory on Universe expansion is that matter and energy are different states of the same stuff. Matter attracts other matter, and energy repels. Every galaxy has a black hole at the center of it, that is converting matter into energy. As the amount of matter decreases, the amount of energy increases, and changes in totals of both cause the expansion. Since the differential is changing at some exponential rate, racing towards equilibrium, the expansion is accelerating. Interesting theory, Tom! A former professor I studied under had a somewhat similar theory. He also proposed that matter and energy were different firms of the same thing, and that the 'base element' was light. He used the fact that light behaves as both partical and wave under various conditions as supporting evidence, among other things. He was also a Christian, so I suspect that God's first recorded words in the Bible being "Let There Be Light!" may have influenced him. Sorry, all. Not starting any debate on personal belief systems, just pointing out how the professor's 'scientific' theory aligned with his beliefs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted August 20, 2017 Report Share Posted August 20, 2017 Absolutely. Although, I wouldn't bet on the "base element" part. Light is composed of photons, and photons not only conform to Quantum Physics, but offer evidence of it. Save your pennies, and invest in quantum computing as soon as there is an investment opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Fun conversation. Tom: I was under the impression that the current thinking is that most matter (like maybe 90%) is "dark". Not sure about "dark energy" if it exists, but how does this factor into your theory? Highlander: U of Illinois, when I was a grad student, had a biology professor with religious beliefs that opposed the theory of evolution(!) Guess what his stance was on evolution ;-) (To be only slightly more precise, the professor opposed Darwinian concepts of "Natural Selection".) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Quick PSA regarding the eclipse- the optometrist that my sister works for has strongly recommended that people do NOT view the eclipse directly, even with the 'eclipse glasses'. Too many fake ones circulating, and too much risk of failure from mis-handling. Use a pinhole projector, instead. @pondhockey, I can't say that I believe the theory of evolution as it is currently taught. I do accept that organisms are adaptable, and that adaptations can result from environmental influence, among other things. This is the basis of 'Natural Selection', to my understanding. The myriad of domesticated dog breeds is clear evidence of such. But until someone breeds dogs into something that is clearly no longer a dog, I can't accept the other. The argument that such action requires 'millions of years' just makes the theory un-testable, therefore un-provable. Disclaimer: I am not a scientist, nor do I play one on Youtube. Do not consider my statements valid, do your own research if the topic interests you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 I waited too long to get a pair of the glasses so I am going for a makeshift projection system while I am at work. See attached. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatCharlieDude Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 cereal box viewer my son built. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatCharlieDude Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 It seems like the dark matter theory is going away, I'll see if I can find the paper/talk I heard about it recently.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatCharlieDude Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 This is it https://phys.org/news/2016-11-theory-gravity-dark.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 2 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: The myriad of domesticated dog breeds is clear evidence of such. But until someone breeds dogs into something that is clearly no longer a dog, I can't accept the other. Mother Nature is a much better breeder than humans. The origin of life remains a mystery...but I think evolution as we understand it is pretty much settled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Heavy conversation on evolution! I am nervous about destroying my eyesight while enjoying the eclipse, so im going to use a different method to view. Here is how it goes: Place a pair of binoculars over your shoulder, with your back to the eclipse/sun. Hold a piece of paper/cardboard in front of yourself. The binoculars will project the image onto the piece of white paper/cardboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 I'm not gonna spend much time staring at the partial eclipse. All the interesting stuff happens right before, during and after totality. Time to raid the sock drawer and prepare for liftoff. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 I plan to look for the ground effects of the eclipse, rather than staring at it. Supposed to be some weird stuff that goes on, even here it the 96% zone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 We are only 75%, so not super. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Well, right now here in Sunny California... it's foggy. I Don't know if it will burn off in time to see anything. I was going to use my telescope with it's sun filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 We had a total, and it was cool to watch. The roosters went a tad crazy after it was over. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 That was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. Had about two minutes of totality. Pretty amazing. Eclipse without totality is nothing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 7 minutes ago, Eric. said: That was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. Me too! A tremendous spectacle like nothing else. I'll put up some pics later but fer now we're popping over to the Snake River for a five hour cruise. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Projection system worked great for me, no totality in Maryland. My wife setup a similar system at home though the cats got in the way 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 We had about 78% coverage and it was pretty neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Did anyone see the shadow bands on the ground? They will have been studied much more this time, than ever before. I've seen totals before, but we stayed home for this one. I did experience the partial more than several of those that I've seen before though. Our dog yards needed cutting, so I decided to go out and cut them while we had the most coverage of the Sun. I spend most of my life outside, including on the water, and have lived in Polarized, full wrap sunglasses, and hat, almost all of that time. With only a small percentage of full sunlight, I decided to forego the hat and sunglasses while cutting the grass. It was 92 when the eclipse began, and 85 when I started cutting grass, but the biggest difference was the much smaller amount of heat radiation. Normally, I'd be squinting if I walked outside in full sunlight without my glasses. While cutting the grass, I wasn't squinting at all, and without all the normal IR, I was barely sweating when I finished. Normally, even if I wait until late evening to cut in full shade, I get out of my soaked clothes, and into the shower asap. In short, I enjoyed the partial much more than I thought I would when the day began. Pondhockey, my theory on Universe expansion takes no account for dark matter. My closest, and best friends, are some of the worlds top astrophyiscists. They come, and hang out at our place a fair amount of weekends, and we have had some interesting discussions over the years. Now that the JWST is off for final testing, and their hands aren't directly involved in that, there are some interesting new things going on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisG-Canada Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 81% here. Not too spectacular but worth seeing. My son got legitimate solar viewing glasses so we could look directly at the sun. I'm told there will be a 100% solar eclipse visible from my location in about 7 years. I'll look forward to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 46 minutes ago, Lester Burnham said: We had total for almost a minute and it was amazing. I'm glad i got to see it. Cleveland 2024, get it! Wait... we get totality in 2024??? Weeeeee! I brought my welding helmets to work today, so we could pass them around and watch. We were busy enough we couldn't sit outside and lounge, but just enough so that we could pop out every fifteen minutes or so while we waited for glue ups or what not. Apparently, I didn't think it through, but the auto darkening helmet, if you didn't hold it just right during the eclipse, the lens would turn off. So there were lots of "OHHH That's awesome... AHHHHHH MY EYES!" as the helmet got passed around. Took this through the helmet with my phone. Pretty impressed, especially when in the original photo, the sun was just a speck of light. Enhance! Enhance! (Super troopers 2 comes out next April!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 I didn't see the big deal using the glasses to watch the moon pass over. Staring at the eclipse for almost 2 minutes with naked eyes was awesome though! I specifically wanted to see what the animals were doing before and after. I saw no birds before or after. All I heard and seen were locust that weren't as loud during the eclipse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 25 minutes ago, sjeff70 said: I didn't see the big deal using the glasses to watch the moon pass over. Staring at the eclipse for almost 2 minutes with naked eyes was awesome though! I specifically wanted to see what the animals were doing before and after. I saw no birds before or after. All I heard and seen were locust that weren't as loud during the eclipse. Can you still see anything at all? How did you type that? Or did you use voice memo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 I couldn't hold it any longer and went inside to take a leak and missed the whole darn thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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