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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009

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NYC Man Jumps to His
Death—In Front of Kids

Friends say 53-year-old showed no signs he was suicidal

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Banish Men From
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He says male presence leads to more stress and more C-sections

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|NEXT STORY »

SLIDESHOW

New Hubble Images Dazzle

Refurbished telescope can see further, with more color

By Kevin Spak| Posted Sep 9, 09 1:46 PM CDT|

(Newser) – NASA released the first shots from the recently upgraded Hubble Space Telescope today, and the results are spectacular. Thanks to the new imagers installed in May, Hubble can now see farther, with greater clarity and a wider color spectrum, reports NPR. Officially, NASA calls it a new beginning for the telescope. Unofficially, astronomy enthusiasts call the images “space porn.” Click "slideshow" at left to see them.

This Hubble photo shows a celestial object that looks like a delicate butterfly. (AP Photo/NASA)

The huge star Eta Carinae explodes, as captured by the newly improved Hubble. The explosion took place 150 years ago. (NASA)

This Hubble image shows Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 6217. (AP Photo/NASA)

This Hubble image shows colorful stars galore Inside Globular Star Cluster Omega Centauri. (AP Photo/NASA)

Jupiter, as seen by Hubble. (AP Photo/NASA)

This photo from Hubble shows a clash among members of a famous galaxy quintet, surrounded by stars of many colors. (AP Photo/NASA)

This photo by Hubble shows Gravitational Lensing in Galaxy Cluster Abell 370. (AP Photo/NASA)

This Hubble image shows stars bursting to life in the chaotic Carina Nebula. (AP Photo/NASA)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

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46 comments

VIEWING:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 1:48 PM CDT

Great pictures. I'm still waiting for some genius to explain to the world where the materials present prior to the big bang came from.... Reply

-6

IN RESPONSE:

Unaffiliated
Sep 9, 09 1:57 PM CDT

That's a great question. One that is probably not a scientific question, because there is not likely an experiment that can be performed to test any hypothesis one might pose as an answer to that question.

IN RESPONSE:

calkino
Sep 9, 09 2:00 PM CDT

i thought the argument of the big bang was that everything exploded into being from nothing.

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 2:01 PM CDT

If that's what the argument of the Big Bang is then I don't see how it's possible that people think Christians believing in miracles are loony

-4

IN RESPONSE:

Unaffiliated
Sep 9, 09 2:05 PM CDT

There's a saying in the skeptical community, "Magic is just stuff that science hasn't explained yet." There are clearly lots of things that we can't explain, and I think there will always be things we can't explain. Science leaves much room for mystery.

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 2:07 PM CDT

Yeah I agree with that line of rationale about science not being able to explain everything. I just don't get where people, without a clear alternate explanation for something - decide that someone else's explanation is completely ludicrous... If science comes to a dead end and offers up "it came from nothing" - then what's so wild (if that's not) about religion saying it came from God?

IN RESPONSE:

gregorydgarcia
Sep 9, 09 2:09 PM CDT

Its simple, the answer is turtles..all the way down

IN RESPONSE:

pwnage
Sep 9, 09 2:38 PM CDT

One theory is that the Big Bang created time. If that's the case, it would be a meaningless question.

IN RESPONSE:

piyrwq
Sep 9, 09 2:40 PM CDT

Unaffiliated - because it's equally valid to say it came from a flying spaghetti monster. neither assertion is testable or based on evidence.

IN RESPONSE:

Unaffiliated
Sep 9, 09 2:46 PM CDT

pwnage, sure, it is sort of meaningless in an abstract sense. If time starts at the Big Bang, there was nothing that existed in the 4 dimensions we experience before it. But to ask what caused the Big Bang, or to ask how all this stuff got here afterward, is quite interesting.

IN RESPONSE:

Unaffiliated
Sep 9, 09 2:52 PM CDT

piyrwq, We can't prove or disprove God's existence. It's not a question of science, or even one philosophers have been able to answer. To me, it's a matter of personal faith what I believe. Faith is believing in something, perhaps despite having seen evidence to the contrary. Does that make me stupid or loony? Call me what you want. I'll just say that I don't know all the answers, and that at the very least, I can't come up with any other explanation for the existence of the universe other than God.

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 2:54 PM CDT

While I get the statement, pwnage, I definitely don't get the line of rationale... I mean - if time started with the big bang - what existed prior to it to make the big bang ...bang? I mean - am I crazy or is science literally arguing that something happened from...nothing - as a logical answer to a question. if so - how is that science?

IN RESPONSE:

Rob
Sep 9, 09 2:54 PM CDT

@noreallyseriously This has an explanation and even empirical testing. Look to the Super Hadron Collider going back online at CERN. The explanation is beyond newser posting abilities.

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 2:59 PM CDT

Ok - so, Rob - where can I find this explanation and empirical testing to prove that there was nothing and then something?

IN RESPONSE:

IndependentThinker
Sep 9, 09 3:02 PM CDT

The hardest concept for humans to imagine is infinite because we and everything around us has a beginning and end. Think, if you can, of the universe not having a beginning or end not only in time but in space. A vastness that is unending, no edge to fall off, no wall to run into. The big bang could just being an event in its existence, not the creation of the universe because it was always here and always will be here. With that concept firmly in mind then you can see that the materials were always there. Much like the way life came into existence on this planet, though a series of random events that may or may not happen again or has or has not happened on another planet, the big bang could have just been an inevitable out come of a series of random events in the universe that may or may not happen again.

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 3:09 PM CDT

@Indie - I don't disagree with you - but the Big Bang theory is a theory for the beginning of the universe - and as one person has put it - the beginning of time. So - while your thoughts may be possible - my question isn't where did the big bang come from - my question is If the big bang is supposed to be the beginning of the universe - where did the materials for that come from. If the big bang wasn't the beginning of the universe then I really don't have any other questions as my faith is no longer being opposed by "science"

IN RESPONSE:

pwnage
Sep 9, 09 3:13 PM CDT

Hmm... Might there have been time before time? A popular Internet search engine brings up lots of wacky things, like "Time could be a macroscopic manifestation of the more intrinsic components of the universe/multiverse." Put that in your pipe and smoke it :-)

IN RESPONSE:

IndependentThinker
Sep 9, 09 3:43 PM CDT

@pwnage: There is no time before time. Time is just a concept we created as a way to reference our perceptions of the 4th dimension. @NoReallySeriously: Think of the Big Bang theory as a form of religion. It is not the ONLY theory (religion), some people believe the observations show that the Big Bang is the beginning of the universe, while others choose not to believe the Big Bang as the start of the universe but instead just an event (perhaps the largest black hole ever sucked in all of our visible universe just to spit it out when it was done). Just like some religions believe Jesus was the son of God and others believe him just to be another profit. The Big Bang is not the only theory, just an idea based on facts. A theory.

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 4:08 PM CDT

@ Indie - that would make more sense to me (the giant black hole that sucked us all in and spat us back out) than just a "oh all of a sudden there was an explosion"

IN RESPONSE:

super_soft_wizard
Sep 9, 09 7:41 PM CDT

pwnage's line of reasoning is on the right track. There is no 'prior' to the big bang because there was no time. There are more than four dimensions. If you take time to actually look into what scientists have to say it does make sense. There are plenty of books explaining this sort of thing.

IN RESPONSE:

Snarfeh
Sep 9, 09 9:00 PM CDT

@Unaffiliated - re: "not likely an experiment that can be performed"....although that's not the real purpose of the Large Hadron Collider, it could very well provide some intriguing insight...

IN RESPONSE:

Snarfeh
Sep 9, 09 9:09 PM CDT

@noreally - re: "if time started with the big bang - what existed prior to it to make the big bang ...bang?" Most scientists don't really think there was nothing before the big bang. They simply don't know what was there before the big bang. Some postulate white holes, the "other side" of black holes. But along the same lines, for those who believe god created everything, then what created god? To ask what was before the big bang is to ask the same question as what was before god, imo........I think the bible has it wrong regarding creation and it *was* written by men who *claimed* to have been inspired by god. For god to say "let there be light" and "let there be" this and that and then suddenly, he needs dirt and bones to create people is illogical to me. An omniscient god would think it *all* into existence, not just the light and firmament......Based on the books I have read about physics, I simply cannot believe we are here by accident, however. My position is that "god" or whatever you want to call it, created everything.....*scientifically*.....Even many physicists acknowledge there are way, way too many coincidences in nature for it to have happened by chance. Multiple "coincidences" would have had to happen over billions of years for life to have been pure chance. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

IN RESPONSE:

Snarfeh
Sep 9, 09 9:22 PM CDT

Some esoteric religions postulate that everything is an illusion. Physics today is now wondering if that could be true. The possibility we are a hologram is another theory. Then, good ol' string theory is supportable only if there are parallel universes in existence. Damn, why didn't my physics gene kick in when I was a teenager? I love physics now even though I can't fully follow it all just by reading about it. It is fascinating stuff, though. I recommend "Black Bodies and Quantum Cats" by Jennifer Ouellette. She breaks it down pretty well for the common folk. She also wrote "The Physics of the Buffyverse" which uses examples from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" to explain principles of physics, chemistry and biology.

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 10, 09 9:27 AM CDT

@Snarly - well I think when taking into account the limitations on understanding given the people that wrote the Bible, inspired by God - and the multitude of translations - putting things in general terms like - "let there be light" etc is much simpler than going into a scientific explanation of what actually occured. For instance - can you imagine God giving a lecture on how He actually created this or that - especially given that their science wasn't up to par (not even taking into account the awkwardness of sitting through a lecture with God on physics...lol - I'm rambling..but you get the point). As far as the duality of questioning where God came from - that isn't a question - my belief in God is faith based, not science. Science sets out to prove this or that - faith doesn't. When science offers "proof" of something - and it goes against my faith - I actually expect proof - not the request that my faith change from being in God to being in the unfinished, unproved reasoning of someone with good mathematical skills. Call me crazy I guess

IN RESPONSE:

BoZo
Sep 10, 09 11:17 AM CDT

But they also believe in other ridiculous nonsense. Jewish magicians walking on water, and passing out fish. People living hundreds of years. Giants. Dragons. God.

IN RESPONSE:

Snarfeh
Sep 10, 09 9:20 PM CDT

@noreally - Although I lean towards scientific explanations, I do not have a problem with faith. I have a problem with it being misused. I also have a problem with the bible because of how it came about, i.e., the Nicean Council, and because it's been tampered with so much. It's a good book, but not the end all/be all of existence, imo. And honestly, if god or whatever wanted to give a lecture on how this was done, my butt would be in the front row and then I'd get kicked out for interrupting with so many questions. I just think mankind has gotten religion entirely wrong, but I don't doubt the existence of some kind of higher power, whether it's a god, a consciousness or some alien kid who made us for a science project. And I do believe we will indeed find out one day...via science...

| 0 minutes ago

newsrmandan
Sep 9, 09 1:56 PM CDT

On the backs of cystals. Everyone knows thats. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 2:00 PM CDT

Wow I got a -1 for asking a logical question. Reply

-2

IN RESPONSE:

Unaffiliated
Sep 9, 09 2:02 PM CDT

Yeah, I don't get it. It didn't come from me.

-4

IN RESPONSE:

sully4411
Sep 9, 09 2:21 PM CDT

...minus 1 to both u bitches for being bitches.

-4

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 9, 09 2:28 PM CDT

well, sully - at least your name fits your actions

IN RESPONSE:

emptycalm
Sep 10, 09 12:11 AM CDT

"@ Indie - that would make more sense to me (the giant black hole that sucked us all in and spat us back out) than just a "oh all of a sudden there was an explosion" That question? I think the best answer is that none of the theories are set in stone fact. Like religion. Except religion takes it's theories as fact.

IN RESPONSE:

NoReallySeriously
Sep 10, 09 9:44 AM CDT

empty - believers in religion, at least my religion, take what we believe in faith. Unshakeable faith. Asking someone with faith in one thing to convert that faith into another thing - with just as much incomplete reasoning - is silly, no?

| 0 minutes ago

JoeQ
Sep 9, 09 2:09 PM CDT

The gravitational lensing shot is incredibly cool! Now picture this all you philosophers of physics: Stick the photons from that smeared galaxy that is forming the ring into an interferometer and look at the fringes that result. You are seeing each photon interfere with itself via two paths that are a billion light years apart. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Yourself
Sep 9, 09 2:44 PM CDT

this is all just proof that there's life somewhere out there, and that it's smart enough to not want to contact our dumb ass society... Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Rob
Sep 9, 09 2:55 PM CDT

All societies out there are more than likely to be just like ours. And at the end of the day we will muddle through.

| 0 minutes ago

osu1067
Sep 9, 09 2:55 PM CDT

purdy Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Timinator2K
Sep 9, 09 3:50 PM CDT

Ask the Great A'Tuin! Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Timinator2K
Sep 9, 09 3:52 PM CDT

"This Hubble photo shows a celestial object that looks like a delicate butterfly." No Way! Looks more like a 38 DD cup bikini top! BIG Hot Momma! Reply

| 0 minutes ago

SPH
Sep 9, 09 6:46 PM CDT

Matter was not created out of nothing...Instead the "Big Bang" released an almost unfathomable amount of energy some was converted to matter via Einstein's famous E=mc^2.... Reply

| 0 minutes ago

SBS
Sep 9, 09 8:20 PM CDT

Don't know, time, space&space on an infinitesimal scale may be beyond human comprehension. I know it is beyond mine. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Timinator2K
Sep 9, 09 8:34 PM CDT

Its just plain cool that we are able as sentient beings to appreciate all this. God is a great cosmic chef! Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Snarfeh
Sep 9, 09 9:13 PM CDT

42...let's not forget 42 is really the answer... Reply

| 0 minutes ago

diltsduo
Sep 10, 09 12:42 AM CDT

Beautiful.. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

zackmasson
Sep 11, 09 12:01 AM CDT

I just gizzed all over from this spectacular space porn. Thanks. Downloaded the highest rez and its AWESOME. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

divetrader
Oct 11, 09 8:36 AM CDT

What I find amazing is that all those stars and planets are only 6000 years old. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

View all 46 comments »

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New Hubble Images Dazzle

Refurbished telescope can see further, with more color

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Spirit has been in a sand trap since April

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Possible space shuttle replacement launches after long delay

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Mammoth Ring Found Around Saturn

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NASA Will
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Ares Test
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Blasts Off

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Mammoth Ring
Found Around Saturn

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NASA • planet • Saturn • solar system • outer space