Questions tagged [stars]

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11 votes
2 answers
1k views

Would we be able to tell if another civilisation built a Dyson sphere (or similar) around a distant star if we were looking for it?

A list of my thoughts/assumptions we have a good understanding of how stars live and die, so a "healthy" star (I assume you would only build a Dyson sphere around a star that's going to ...
Sam Dean's user avatar
  • 213
4 votes
1 answer
348 views

Where in the constellation Camelopardalis is Gliese 445?

Gliese 445 (Gl 445 or AC +79 3888) is an M-type main sequence star in the northern part of the constellation Camelopardalis. In about 38,000 years Voyager 1 will make its closest approach to it. ...
Alan O'Rourke's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
94 views

SpaceX Inspiration 4 [closed]

I saw no mention at all from the passengers about seeing the stars during the night portion of their orbits, but with the cupola pointing at Earth all the time they could not have seen them of course, ...
Solon's user avatar
  • 35
1 vote
0 answers
38 views

Nomenclature of Interstellar Objects and Stars [closed]

I tried searching the answer to this on Google for hours and visited the IAU website as well, but it didn't really clarify my doubt. I was reading about Black Widow Pulsar, which is an "eclipsing ...
Raghavendra Singh's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
326 views

Seeing stars from cislunar space?

Did any of the Apollo astronauts describe seeing the stars as they travelled between the Earth and the Moon? If so, what was the magnitude of the dimmest stars they could see? Were they able to see ...
Bob516's user avatar
  • 6,877
0 votes
1 answer
221 views

Updating of TAI

In spaceflight keeping track of time between systems widely separated in space (e.g. people on Earth vs spacecraft in deep space) and/or time, moving at substantial relative velocities and in ...
user37920's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
92 views

What magnitude stars were seen from lunar surface?

I've seen a claim* that some of the Apollo astronauts stepped into the shadow of the LM, raised their gold visors, and looked up into the sky to see the stars. If this is true any mention of what ...
Bob516's user avatar
  • 6,877
2 votes
1 answer
104 views

Could the orbit of a satellite place it on the z-axis of the ECI coordinate frame (x=y=0)?

It is mostly a hypothetical question; I assume the answer is no, but I am looking for any data to contradict my claim that there are none or at most only one satellite at a time which could ever ...
brethvoice's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
172 views

Are there any modern studies for how to colonize an exoplanet involving interstellar travel?

As in the title, are there any modern studies for how to colonize an exoplanet involving manned interstellar travel? By this I mean an academic peer reviewed study. However, it doesn't have to be ...
AlphaCentauri's user avatar
19 votes
3 answers
4k views

Is there any way that real stars would move like they do in the classic Windows 3.x screensaver if traveling through space at extreme speed?

In old versions of Windows, such as 3.1, there was this screensaver called "Starfield". It looked like this: However, in movies and TV series, it usually looks like ...
Zamaree Riales's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

How did the Canopus Star Tracker work? Are there any still out there in service today?

Wikipedia's Canopus; Role in navigation says Role in navigation To anyone living in the Northern Hemisphere, but far enough south to see the star, it served as a southern pole star. This lasted only ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
5 votes
1 answer
320 views

Explain this light and wavelength graph

Would someone please explain this graph. I am not an expert and with my limited understanding of physics, I am unable to correlate this graph between the light received with its wavelength. I don't ...
roottraveller's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
128 views

Stars visible during ascent?

Did any shuttle astronaut indicate at what altitude they were first able to see the stars during an ascent to orbit at sunrise? Yeagar seeing the stars in The Right Stuff. For illustration purposes ...
Bob516's user avatar
  • 6,877
4 votes
1 answer
156 views

Does reflected sunlight from the ISS prevent astronauts from seeing the stars during an EVA?

I'm assuming during an EVA when an astronaut is facing the station reflected sunlight reduces an astronaut's dark adapted vision to the point they can no longer see the stars until either the station ...
Bob516's user avatar
  • 6,877
4 votes
2 answers
351 views

Are there parts of space in which no light would make it to an observer?

There are stars here, there, and "everywhere" - but are there places in space that are so far from stars that no light reaches?
Ken - Enough about Monica's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
138 views

Looking out the window of a subluminal spaceship, what would be the sight?

How would a star sky look for the observer flying on a subluminal spaceship (i.e., with the velocity close to the velocity of light)?
Danish 's user avatar
  • 201
1 vote
2 answers
69 views

How do scientists determine how big a certain star is? [closed]

I was just wondering, many people say that there are stars that are waay bigger than our sun and in some videos they even try to say the exact diameter of the Sun, but I was wondering: How can ...
B''H Bi'ezras -- Boruch Hashem's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
23 views

What are Other Galaxies made of? Are they different than our own? [closed]

Does NASA use a spectrograph to see what other Galaxies are made of? If they do has NASA discovered other Galaxies that are made of different Elements than our own?
john's user avatar
  • 21
0 votes
0 answers
27 views

Stars properties evolution and the sun [duplicate]

Is it possible that you can touch a star in outer space without getting burned or hurt?
Amanda's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
75 views

Was that the space station I saw last night? [duplicate]

I was out on my front porch last night around 9pm looking up at the sky and noticed what I first thought was a star in the Eastern sky. It twinkled just a little too much for a star so I thought maybe ...
slaphshot33324's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
96 views

Is there anything common between all Gliese named stars?

As Gliese 436, and Gliese 581 etc these all are present in different constellations, also they are both at different distances from the Earth and both are discovered by different sources, but why all ...
Sudhanshu Gaur's user avatar
-6 votes
1 answer
409 views

Why are scientists considering the ETI explanation for Tabby's star?

When Yale astronomer Tabetha Boyajian located star KIC 8462852 ("Tabby’s star"), some U.S. scientists proposed artificial megastructure(s), such as a Dyson sphere/swarm, instead of discussing more ...
Ubi.B's user avatar
  • 492
0 votes
1 answer
88 views

Can an Earth like planet support life by building a Dyson Sphere across a White Dwarf? [closed]

(Hypothetical Concept) But is it possible to depend on a white dwarf as our power source? Provided we harness its 99% of energy? Can life be sustained?(If it is possible we can easily colonize an ...
Paran's user avatar
  • 965
1 vote
0 answers
108 views

Which one is older light or stars? [closed]

I kind of feel that light is older than stars. But is there any scientific theory or hypothesis on it?
opu 웃's user avatar
  • 111
9 votes
4 answers
14k views

Is it possible to touch stars with our bare hands?

Well I'm new to Space SE and have gone through many questions but I couldn't help but notice that is it even remotely possible that one can touch the stars without burning him/her self ? Is there any ...
vivek padelkar's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
250 views

What determines if a star tracker blends two stars that are close to each other?

If two stars are very close to each other, a star tracker could identify the pair as a single star, with a magnitude and position different from both stars. This obviously impairs the software's ...
Arthur Dent's user avatar
  • 1,125
0 votes
2 answers
215 views

Copernican principle based question about ET

As mentioned, I'm following the Copernican principle for this line of questioning. Yes I've considered and read many other possibilities, but this question is for Copernican-style answers ONLY. Your ...
Nomadyn's user avatar
  • 131
1 vote
0 answers
71 views

Escape velocity of Alpha Centauri B: What is it? [closed]

So, assume that at one point in the distant future, humanity has a docking facility/military observation post in orbit around the star of Alpha Centauri B for.....well, military purposes, which could ...
Future Historian's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
57 views

how many stars have been recognized? [closed]

I have wanted to ask this question for ever. I realize that the numbers are still ticking up but i just want a number from last year or something.
Lachi Dunwoodie's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
162 views

If a telescope detects death of a star which is 1 million light years away today, doesn't that mean it's dead 1 million years ago? [closed]

I'm guessing as if its an optical reflecting telescope. How in general does NASA and other research centres detect far away bodies? What telescopes do they use, and in general, wouldn't the event be ...
Shah Abaz Khan's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is there any space objects database? [closed]

I wonder if is there any databse about space objects, giving information about types and may be relative positions of objects in space. I'm asking this because my company aims to develop a software ...
VolkanOzcan's user avatar