Astronomy and Space related matters thread

Things
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I just did a search there on space and science related threads. The results were not encouraging.

Anyway, in about 20 hours time, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will commence its final dive into Saturn’s atmosphere and be destroyed, the end of a near 20 year journey. It must be quite hard for the scientists and engineers etc involved to watch this and having affection for a piece of machinery. I think it’s a pretty remarkable story and achievement.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/cassini-spacecraft-makes-its-final-approach-to-saturn

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2

Sure they knew that when it set off. Still sad though, I agree.

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I know yeah, but I was just listening to one of them from on NPR and he was saying he’s finding it hard to adjust to the fact that after tomorrow, they won’t have another day of new science to look forward to from Cassini.
I find these missions and the efforts and science that goes into them and the discoveries that come from them fascinating.

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Watched The Farthest there lately about the Voyager missions and it was a similar thing, there were years between the craft arriving at the planets, so it was a long running theme in the scientist’s lives as they poured through data from Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune (and their moons) - then of course they left Neptune and there were no more planets - a lot of them were welling up even recalling that moment.

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Excellent thread chief. I would have a healthy enough interest in these matters but would be more an observer rather than one who would be confident enough to comment.
Thank you

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I watched Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe recently enough - a great show but the moment when he goes through the death of every star in the universe some day - it’s one of those things the human mind cant really comprehend - but knowing that one day every living thing in the universe will end — It nearly makes you just give up… What’s the point like? And this fuck acting and bull shit we go through every day - all these trivial things we make into big deals – it all amounts to nothing. Life is nothing.

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I actually asked myself the question last night - Am I really dead? Maybe I died a few weeks ago in the hospital … maybe I never lived. It’s all fucked…

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Heat death is an awful future. Thankfully we won’t be around to experience it. It only bothers those with a concept of an afterlife.

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No surprise there

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True - but we’re here to extend the survival of the species - reproduce etc. Be hard to hold a horn knowing that one day it’s all going to end anyway… Might as well just whack off into a tissue for all the good having kids will do.

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It makes no difference.

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Before you have kids, look at their imaginary faces and realize someday they will no longer exist. It’s sobering.

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:hushed:

Should I even go through with the marriage?

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Yes.

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Can we keep on topic here chaps please. I would suggest you start an Existential Threats thread to discuss such matters.

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What’s the point mate?

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The point is that you won’t be pissing me off, which is a far greater threat than any Existential shit you can come up with.

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Incidentally, I’ll be at an U14’s football match during this event, so would appreciate any updates from interested forum members, cheers.

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This is a great book on that topic - as he moves on to the death of stars, galaxies and universes, you really appreciate the immense scale of the whole thing.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Ends-Universe-Chris-Impey/dp/039333998X

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I find the concept of space a head fuck. A few stars, planets and asteroids but apart from that nothing, forever. If you had an Infinite life and oxygen and somehow found yourself adrift in space ud be going forever to nowhere.