Stack Exchange
log in sign up chat discuss faq users badges

Area 51 » Science

definition commitment beta

72 Example Questions

active newest votes
up vote 7 down vote
Why is there a common direction of rotation for the planetary bodies in the orbital plane of (exo)solar systems? No backwardly orbiting planets?
added by Adam Speight Nov 10 '12 at 3:09
link
up vote 6 down vote
If gravity waves exist, wouldn't they also exhibit interference and polarization like other waves? So you could cancel Gravity by polarizing filters?
added by Adam Speight, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:28
link
up vote 5 down vote
What is a backlit CCD sensor, and why might I prefer it to other kinds?
added by PearsonArtPhoto Aug 16 '12 at 11:37
link
1  
Would like to +0.5 instead of +1 this question. While "backlit CCD" is an easy google look-up, asking for why it's better in astronomical applications makes it, I think, a worthy question. OTOH, this question could be considered vague w/o some focus on what application, IR/visible, ground-based/spaceborne, etc. – DarenW Sep 19 '12 at 21:02
up vote 2 down vote
How good are tesselation codes like AREPO for simulating turbulent flows?
added by steffen Jul 13 '12 at 11:02
link
up vote 2 down vote
What is the heliosphere of a star?
added by PearsonArtPhoto Aug 16 '12 at 11:36
link
up vote 2 down vote
What is the evaporation rate of an atmosphere? How long does it take to the Moon or Mars to lose theirs?
added by Stephane Rolland, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 27 '12 at 19:42
link
up vote 2 down vote
What are the methods used to find the age of the Sun? How we can believe the accuracy? Or it is based on assumptions?
added by Jomet, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:28
link
Everything we know is based on assumptions at some level (starting with the assumption that the universe actually exists). Might be better off asking what assumptions our calculations are based on, and whether there are problems with those assumptions. – naught101 Nov 15 '12 at 2:57
up vote 2 down vote
As an amateur astronomer, what real scientific study can I perform (as opposed to merely collecting data for someone else to process, like AAVSO)?
added by Jeremy Taylor Oct 30 '12 at 4:10
link
up vote 2 down vote
Was the speed of light faster in the past?
added by Linger Nov 5 '12 at 14:09
link
up vote 2 down vote
How would the habitability zone of a star change if the planet was in an eccentric orbit?
added by PearsonArtPhoto Nov 16 '12 at 11:29
link
up vote 1 down vote
Is "1991 VG" an alien artifact resp. a Bracewell probe?
added by draks ... Jun 14 '12 at 20:08
link
up vote 1 down vote
What are instabilities in astrophysical plasmas?
added by Noble P. Abraham Aug 20 '12 at 15:39
link
up vote 1 down vote
What algorithm can I use to calculate the quality of a solar astrophotography image, for use in stacking only the best [n]% frames?
added by Jeremy Taylor Oct 30 '12 at 4:21
link
up vote 1 down vote
Has **dark matter** really been proven?
added by Linger Nov 5 '12 at 14:11
link
up vote 1 down vote
What happened before the ‘big bang’?
added by Linger Nov 5 '12 at 14:12
link
As far as I know, the question is wrong! The concept of "before" is related to time, there was no time dimension before the Big Bang .. time and space started with the Big Bang – The Byzantine Nov 20 '12 at 1:07
As far as we know, everything comes from something. So, in my mind something had to have happened or existed before the big bang. – Linger Nov 20 '12 at 1:10
Since time is a property of the Universe and the Universe started with the Big Bang. There is no time, or space for that matter, before the Big Bang. This question is more philosophical, like "does a tree falling in a forest make a sound?". Ultimately, if something happened before the Big Bang, then the Big Bang as a theory is incorrect and we have to look for another theory which explains observations of the Universe. – zemogle Nov 22 '12 at 14:55
up vote 1 down vote
What is the difference between a coronal mass ejection (CME) and a solar flare?
added by MasterPJ, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 22 '12 at 20:14
link
up vote 1 down vote
Is there a theoretical upper limit on the mass and/or size of rocky planets? If so, what is it and how was it calculated?
added by Alicia Butteriss Dec 1 '12 at 17:29
link
up vote 0 down vote
What are the norms for [data|software|model] citation in [astronomy|solar physics|...]?
added by Joe May 18 '12 at 14:59
link
up vote 0 down vote
What is the Jeans instability?
added by Juanlu001 Aug 16 '12 at 14:09
link
up vote 0 down vote
What is a Blue Moon? Of the two definitions that exits, which is more authentic/accepted?
added by Noble P. Abraham Aug 31 '12 at 2:44
link
up vote 0 down vote
By current technological advance, is there any chance for humans to have a place (home) on the moon in another 50 years ?
added by Jomet, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:27
link
up vote 0 down vote
How can I use Photoshop (or similar) to create a "flat" FITS image to use when stacking solar astrophotographs?
added by Jeremy Taylor, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:27
link
up vote 0 down vote
What does the future of the universe look like?
added by Linger Nov 5 '12 at 14:14
link
up vote 0 down vote
Could the Lagrange Points of the planets be a base for a Solar System "GPS"? or are there better places for the satellites, if so where?
added by Adam Speight Nov 10 '12 at 3:13
link
up vote 0 down vote
Why can't we tap in the Van Allen Belt as a power source? It's electron magnetic.
added by Adam Speight Nov 10 '12 at 3:27
link
up vote 0 down vote
What is the reason behind the Moon slowly receding from the Earth?
added by Manishearth Nov 29 '12 at 6:27
link
up vote 0 down vote
What are the advantages of a Planetary eyepiece over a Plössi when observing planets.
added by A.Schulz Nov 29 '12 at 13:26
link
up vote 0 down vote
Can black hole swallow another black hole?
added by Edward Ruchevits Dec 2 '12 at 23:15
link
up vote -1 down vote
What [FITS] writers are available in [IDL] that [generate checksums|generate WCS|other feature]?
added by Joe May 18 '12 at 23:22
link
up vote -1 down vote
What does it mean for a planet to travel at a distance of >550 AU, the gravitational lensing point of the Sun?
added by draks ... Aug 20 '12 at 16:26
link
up vote -2 down vote
How would an interstellar spacecraft power its communication system to provide decent signal strength across several parsecs?
added by Everyone, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jun 25 '12 at 18:03
link
2  
More topical to the Space Exploration site. If it asked "what sources of power might be available to interstellar craft" that might be more appropriate for astrophysics. – Bryce Jun 29 '12 at 17:16
up vote -6 down vote
Did humans actually step on the Moon?
added by Juanlu001, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 24 '12 at 19:48
link
2  
i think this question could be migrated to skeptics.stackexchange.com – Stephane Rolland Aug 19 '12 at 14:15
1 2