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To: hattend
"Signs in the heavens: A black hole called Sagittarius A* in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy was recently discovered. It is 26,000 light years away. It's gravitational forces makes it's "slave" star, called "S2" travel at a speed of 18 million kilometers per hour - or 5000 kilometers per second. The mass of Sagittarius A* is between 2.2 million and 3.7 million times bigger than our sun. See the British journal Nature for additional details. Will this black hole threaten our solar system one day? (Other "signs in the heavens" will be published by this writer in a future column called "The Stars of the Kalahari.")."

A black hole at the center of the galaxy is unlikely to "threaten our solar system." Firstly, at 26,000 LY away--even at 5,000 km/sec (which is NOT the speed of the black hole), it would take 1.5 million years to reach here--even if it were headed directly at our "future" position 1.5 million years in the future.

More importantly, Sag A* is a gigantic black hole because it is at the center of the galaxy; stated conversely, it is at the center of the galaxy because it is an enormous black hole. If some magical force dragged it toward us, it would drag the entire galaxy. In fact, it would be indistinguishable from the solar system suddenly leaving orbit and falling directly toward the galactic core.

LoBiado is a terrible writer but evidently he has obtained a spelling checker and grammar checker; his errors are now more sophisticated.

--Boris

33 posted on 10/27/2002 3:38:49 PM PST by boris
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To: boris
evidently he has obtained a spelling checker and grammar checker; his errors are now more sophisticated.

I enjoy listening to some of the creationists and how they explain their view of things. What drives me nuts, however, is when they make simple science errors. I yell at the TV, and it sometimes helps, but I fear that they defeat their goal.

I mean, if I see through several of their arguments and see them as false of misleading, what am I to think of their other statements that I do not understand? Are those false, too?

We sometimes call these "lies for Jesus." I wonder if they are just uneducated, or are lying. It's one or the other...

44 posted on 10/27/2002 6:31:45 PM PST by T. P. Pole
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To: boris
A black hole at the center of the galaxy is unlikely to "threaten our solar system."

At that point I was pretty sure the article was a satire. The remainder of the article only reinforced that impression.

51 posted on 10/27/2002 7:32:20 PM PST by Physicist
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