Question About The Origin Of The Solar System

Thread Starter

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
It's quite well known and accepted that the solar system originated from debris from a supernova explosion several billion years ago and part of the debris eventually accreted into the sun and the planets.

Has anyone identified the epicenter or source of the supernova explosion from which we came about? The remains would now be just a nebula (the remnants of an ancient supernova). However, it seems that astronomers might be able to determine the direction or path from which the debris came and that would lead them to that particular nebula.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
As I understand it it is not just one, but a collection of several over time. There might have been a shock wave from one in particular that caused the coalescence, but stellar nurseries are pretty documented.
 

Thread Starter

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
Massive stars that were capable of producing a supernova were created in the early days of the universe and they lasted only a few 100 million years.

So there were probably millions more of these stars than what we observe today. Considering the huge number of stars going kaboom, the early days of the universe must have looked like the 4Th Of July.

Also when these stars blew, the plasma and "embedded" magnetic fields was scattered throughout space. Hans Alfen cleverly demonstrated that embedded magnetic fields could compress the material to a much higher density than just the force and pressure of gravity alone.
 

KL7AJ

Joined Nov 4, 2008
2,229
It's quite well known and accepted that the solar system originated from debris from a supernova explosion several billion years ago and part of the debris eventually accreted into the sun and the planets.

Has anyone identified the epicenter or source of the supernova explosion from which we came about? The remains would now be just a nebula (the remnants of an ancient supernova). However, it seems that astronomers might be able to determine the direction or path from which the debris came and that would lead them to that particular nebula.
There SEEMS to be a general center of gravity of the universe (with a lot more localized ones). From a very wide angle, the universe seems to be rather flat.....which suggests rotation around some point. It's not equally distributed in a semi-spherical blob as one might suspect.
 

joeyd999

Joined Jun 6, 2011
5,237
There SEEMS to be a general center of gravity of the universe (with a lot more localized ones). From a very wide angle, the universe seems to be rather flat.....which suggests rotation around some point. It's not equally distributed in a semi-spherical blob as one might suspect.
No! The fact that the universe appears flat (i.e. the same no matter which direction you look) implies that there is no "center". That is, unless we are it.

In fact, the theory of cosmic inflation, if true, says that the universe is *far* larger than the distance light would have traveled since the beginning of the universe. This, again, implies there is no center.
 

Thread Starter

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
If the Big Bang was a symmetric event (the debris followed a radial path), the universe would resemble a disk or possibly a sphere.

However, it could have been asymmetric with more debris ejected in one general direction. I suppose a supernova explosion could also be asymmetric and eject debris in one direction.

That would also produce a recoil effect and the neutron star or black hole would travel away from the location of the original star.
 

KL7AJ

Joined Nov 4, 2008
2,229
Yes. With the Grand Finale first.
Here's another monkey wrench to throw into the gearbox. For a hundred years or so, we've assumed the speed of Light is the limiting factor, and we've estimated astrophysical distances based on that limitation.

Enter "spooky action at a distance"....the medieval theory we THOUGHT Newton et all had debunked once and for all. Photon (and other particle) entanglement seems to transmit information if not INFINITELY fast, then at least orders of magnitude faster than light. If this is the case, it COULD be that far distant objects are a lot more distant than we thought. Or, reciprocally, if our distance estimates are right, then the AGE of the universe is a lot less! How far is a "light year" for spooky-action-at-a-distance events? Who knows?
 

KL7AJ

Joined Nov 4, 2008
2,229
No! The fact that the universe appears flat (i.e. the same no matter which direction you look) implies that there is no "center". That is, unless we are it.

In fact, the theory of cosmic inflation, if true, says that the universe is *far* larger than the distance light would have traveled since the beginning of the universe. This, again, implies there is no center.
I don't know about YOU, but I'm certainly the center of MY universe. :)
 

Thread Starter

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
Here's another monkey wrench to throw into the gearbox. For a hundred years or so, we've assumed the speed of Light is the limiting factor, and we've estimated astrophysical distances based on that limitation.

Enter "spooky action at a distance"....the medieval theory we THOUGHT Newton et all had debunked once and for all. Photon (and other particle) entanglement seems to transmit information if not INFINITELY fast, then at least orders of magnitude faster than light. If this is the case, it COULD be that far distant objects are a lot more distant than we thought. Or, reciprocally, if our distance estimates are right, then the AGE of the universe is a lot less! How far is a "light year" for spooky-action-at-a-distance events? Who knows?
Light provides the image of what happened at a given location in the past time, but the image cannot be transmitted faster than the speed of light.

Bell Telephone Labs claims to have observed the remnants of the Big Bang (microwave radiation) being emitted from the outer edge of the explosion. Although the matter may have been ejected at relativisitic speed, it couldn't travel at the speed of light. Therefore, we can still observe the radiation coming back from the original shock front.
 

KL7AJ

Joined Nov 4, 2008
2,229
Light provides the image of what happened at a given location in the past time, but the image cannot be transmitted faster than the speed of light.

Bell Telephone Labs claims to have observed the remnants of the Big Bang (microwave radiation) being emitted from the outer edge of the explosion. Although the matter may have been ejected at relativisitic speed, it couldn't travel at the speed of light. Therefore, we can still observe the radiation coming back from the original shock front.
Hey Glenn...what's that device in your photo. If I didn't know better, I'd say it's a seismology chart recorder.
 

Thread Starter

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
Hey Glenn...what's that device in your photo. If I didn't know better, I'd say it's a seismology chart recorder.
Yes, that is a seismograph recorder with the late Charlie Richter posing in back of it.

The photo was taken at the CalTech Seismological Laboratory around 1965.
 

KL7AJ

Joined Nov 4, 2008
2,229
I met the guy once around 1975 and had him autograph my copy of his book called "Elementary Seismology".

I don't know what an autographed copy of Richter's book is worth, however it's kept in a sealed plastic box.
I can guarantee you it's worth a pretty penny! I have one of my dad's old helicopter engineering books signed by Igor Sikorsky. I have that well crypted too. :)
 
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