7 comments

  • fasteo 57 minutes ago

    Spontaneous combustion[1] at scale

    [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_combustion

    • chasil 18 hours ago

      There is a wiki on pair-instability supernovas. Antimatter (in the form of positrons) is a key factor.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair-instability_supernova

    • smnplk 8 hours ago

      Space, why so much violence ?

      • hulitu 5 hours ago

        may have. Or not.

        • ck2 17 hours ago

          I just want to live long enough for space telescopes to evolve exponentially to observe kilonovas in the visual spectrum

          I mean laser interferometers are an amazing advancement but just imagine seeing an earth-sized chunk of gold pop out of a kilonova (probably not my lifetime but eventually a human will see it happen)

          Thank goodness this administration did not frack with Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, I thought the name alone would make them cancel it or rename it after him, wait maybe I shouldn't even mention that idea...

          * https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

          * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Grace_Roman_Space_Telesc...

          • throwaway-away 12 hours ago

            Check out the aragoscope [1]. It's not planned, but we would already have the technology as it doesn't rely on fragile and heavy lenses to be sent in orbit.

            If you look at image 17 you can see that a simulated aragoscope that is in our technical reach could already resolve the Jupiter moons from almost 23 light years away. I hope as well that we will have something comparable while I am still around.

            [1] https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2014_phase_i...

          • vitally3643 12 hours ago

            Well I mean I would expect that the gold would be fired off in all directions as more of an atomic mist than a chunk

            • sourcegrift 9 hours ago

              He has stopped Mtf trans females from competing in female sports thus pretty much segregating 10s of millions of Americans and people of color.

              I don't think it's possible to do worse, even for him.

            • wglb 1 day ago
              • tomhow 8 hours ago

                Thanks! We've added it to the thread header.

              • timwis 16 hours ago

                Dark Forest theory, anyone?

                • veltas 2 hours ago

                  I like to think there's a solid argument against dark forest that even if you can destroy other intelligent systems, then hidden intelligent cautious systems may exist and see evidence of what you've done, so there's a potential consequence to destroying every intelligent system you identify.

                  And then also (maybe this is absurd) isn't there something intrinsic in intelligence to want to avoid conflict and desire peace?

                  • groos 16 hours ago

                    It was a supergiant, hence died at a young age, and unlikely to have evolved life of any kind in its system.

                    • tgrowazay 15 hours ago

                      That’s what Singer’s civilization wants you to think before they send a Photoid or Dual-Vector foil (but later would require a supervisor’s approval which is a PITA)

                      • dotancohen 12 hours ago

                          > before they send a Photoid
                        
                        Plenty of services require a Photo ID nowadays.
                    • chasil 13 hours ago

                      Pair-instability can only happen in low-metalicity surroundings.

                      The big bang created hydrogen, helium, and small amounts of lithium. Any higher elements are created by stars, and a significant presence of those "metals" will take a star down a different path than pair-instability.

                      Low-metalicity environments are not likely to be friendly to life.