Astronomy Picture of the Day 7-30-02

NASA ^ | 7-30-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 July 30

A Star Cluster in Motion
Credit: Adam Block (NOAO)

Explanation: Star clusters are a swarm of complex motions. The stars that compose globular clusters and many open clusters all orbit the cluster center, occasionally interacting, gravitationally, with a close-passing star. The orbits of stars around the cluster are typically not as circular as the orbits of planets in our solar system. Cluster stars frequently fall more directly toward the center and many times trace out unusual and complex loops. The vast space inside a cluster result in stars colliding only rarely. The above computer animation, derived from a type of computer code called an N-body simulation, shows 100 identical stars in a time-lapse movie where hundreds of years pass in one second.

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Fun Fact:

Computers are valuable tools in astronomy. Such programs as the one above can yield important data on the past, present, and future of real star clusters. Other programs and simulations help to understand core fusion in stars, galactic interactions, orbital paths of asteroids in our own solar system, etc.

Get on the APOD PING list!

[petuniasevan]

APOD PING!

[petuniasevan]

ANNOUNCEMENT: I am taking vacation August 11-17. I MAY post APOD on the 11th. After that I won't be near a computer for the duration. If someone here wants to cover for me that week, by all means volunteer. You'll need to be able to change intralinks to valid interlinks so they work off the APOD web page.

[2Trievers]

I know FLEAS when I see them! Get those suckas! LOL &;-)

[2Trievers]

Sleavester .. I thought you were gong to talk to 'tunia? Que passa? LOL &;-)

[2Trievers]

gong = going

[sleavelessinseattle]

Pardon Moi, Do I know you? You seem vaguely familiar, yet I have not received a ping for LO these many hours...I presumed I had been Banished to Coventry! I happen to Shampoo my receding follicles with Advantage Flea penetrant and am NOT a haven for the Feelthy arthropods! Your apparent obsession with the topic suggests an undue familiarity and resultant LOATHING for these parasites...or perhaps you are scarred by experiences with some other LARGER SCALE freeloaders in your life?

[herewego]

relax enjoy and HAVE FUN!

[2Trievers]

Flea Bailey = attorneys = freeloaders? Hmmmmm ... LOL &;-)

[sleavelessinseattle]

So does your reply Intimate that you are throwing swine to

[petuniasevan]

You both have volunteered to post the APOD on my vacation.

I will need it done August 12 - August 17. That's the APOD date, by the way. It is posted at midnight Eastern, so either of you could have it up shortly after 9 PM local the previous evening if you wanted.

Who wants to do which days?

(I will be back on here tomorrow night.)

Thanks to both of you for volunteering!

[sleavelessinseattle]

I'm happy to do what I can for APOD. P7...
To APOD Fans, I apologize in advance for the inevitable fat fingered mistakes I'll commit! Anybody draws attention to my errors while P7 aint here to protect them, gets shipped to Ceres in a ship constructed entirely of Milk CARTONS! *Unconvincing Scowl of brooking no funny business*!:-D

[ramdalesh]

We ought to pull up the peter singer files for all youz fellers who hates flees. That'll teachya!
fleehaters

[2Trievers]

'tunia, in your absence, I want you to know that I will volunteer to keep my eye on these two. As you can see, substitute1 has already made a blanket apology and a threat. This does not bode well for the site, but so long as I am able, for the integrity of what you have built here at APOD, I VOW to maintain an eye on them. Have a WONDERFUL vacation and DON'T worry about a thing. My motherly and teacherly instincts are honed to the nth degree. I will use them in defense of APOD so you can vacation assured that things will be FINE here. There will be NO sleepovers or liquor allowed ... Hide the keys to family van. Everything will be JUST as you left it when you return. We'll even mow the lawn, collect the mail and bring in the newspaper. Send us a postcard. Bon voyage. &;-)

[2Trievers]

Psst! Hey guys! Is she gone yet? Sub1, you check under the sofa cushions for loose change. Sub2 check the Barcalounger. I'll look in the laundry room and on the dressers. We need more spending money. HURRY UP! The public bus that takes us past Archie McPhee's will be here in ten minutes. If we don't spend all our money there, we might have enough for ice cream cones on the way back! South Park is on tonight ... let's call the gang over to watch it, K? How many cartons do you think it will take to float RightWhale? I already started saving these ...

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks, bump!

[sleavelessinseattle]

A protocol that permits setting 2Trievers up as the mature watchdog for this thread is well described by an old Dutch expression that translates quite nicely as

"Tying the HAM to the CAT"!

2T! Put Down that Phone! You are NOT calling NASA and asking if they have Prince Albert in the emergency reentry pod on ISS!!! Or "is there an Astronaut on board named Seymour Butts!" This is SCIENCE! And no matter how big you write Light off your Retrorockets on the high school football field, the ISS will NOT be able to resolve the image and comply before they have passed over head! These calculations take TIME and the propellent has a low luminosity, besides! (feelings of dread feelings of dread...P7 come back soon!!!;-D

[sleavelessinseattle]

I uh...Love Fleas!....Um...They're Delicious? Sorry...I'm dry on retorts! Although last night I was on my stomach trying to bond with this cute feral cat under a car and I heard a sound and turned my head and a huge possum had walked up on me and was sniffing my hair while I was distracted...Fortunately I didn't resemble apple cores or whatever the chubby marsupial favors and he strolled away at about the apparent velocity of a satellite overhead. I didn't have time to apply ketchup so he lived to tell the prehensile "tale"

[petuniasevan]

Your neighbors could get rich with:

1. A video camera - send that tape to America's Funniest Home Videos, Ma!
2. Blackmail - Hey Sleavester! What's it worth to keep this tape out of your co-workers'/relatives'/local law enforcement's grubby paws?

[sleavelessinseattle]

I think option one AFHV...entitled..."Disturbing footage of the disturbed disturbing others"...
Re: Option two, I don't think the coppers could make animal enticement "stick". LOL!
Don't YOU get any ideas about using the sleavester for an income stream! The American Woodpecker Icon Preservation Society would love to hear about YOUR activities...Hammer Sevan!