Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Coldest Place in the Universe

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the star-trek-episode-ideas dept.

Chris Gondek writes "The Sydney Morning Herald has an article on how NASA has released a high-quality image of the coldest place found in the universe. Five thousand light years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus, the nebula, a gas cloud formed from a dying star, has a temperature of minus 272 degrees. It is only one degree warmer than absolute zero, the coldest possible temperature, when atoms cease to vibrate and radiate no heat whatsoever. This radiation is the remnant of the Big Bang, the explosion which forged the universe in trillion-degree temperatures. More than 11 billion years later, this heat has cooled to minus 270 degrees, but is still detectable."

25 of 315 comments (clear)

  1. Damn That's Cold.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Almost as cold as Hillary Rosen's heart 8^)

  2. If only... by blindcoder · · Score: 2, Funny

    I could cool my Jolt with that one :)

    --
    See my blog for my free opinions.
    1. Re:If only... by mauthbaux · · Score: 4, Funny

      I can just imagine all of the overclocking freaks trying to figure out a way to use the nebula to keep their processors at a reasonable temperature.... Imagine computing life without heat-sinks or fans!
      of course, all those flaming processors would end up creating enough heat to send the whole nebula boiling away, and we'd be back searching for the ultimate cooling solution once again....

      --
      "Operating systems suck: you're better off using only the BIOS" --trainsaw.com
  3. I thought I found that last month... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You mean it's *not* my ex-girlfriend's soul?

  4. Coldest place in the Universe? by FungiSpunk · · Score: 4, Funny

    My bosses office at pay review time...

    --

    "I kill you! You no good 56'ing!"
  5. I Apologize in Advance by dupper · · Score: 5, Funny
    from the star-trek-episode-ideas dept.

    Most frigid place in the universe? They've already shown Janeway's quarters.

    Ba-dum-ch-OW! That hurt!

  6. Re:First Post on my Birthday by Troll_Kamikaze · · Score: 1, Funny

    Congrats! Just don't go on a month-long binge that ends in an arrest, like I did ;)

  7. Didn't you mean... by Compact+Dick · · Score: 2, Funny


    her tit?

    --
    Use ISO 8601 dates [YYYY-MM-DD]
  8. I'm shocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I could have sworn it was my student flat while studying in Edinburgh.

  9. MC Hawking said it best by TheOnlyCoolTim · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Creationists always try to use the second law,
    to disprove evolution, but their theory has a flaw.
    The second law is quite precise about where it applies,
    only in a closed system must the entropy count rise.
    The earth's not a closed system' it's powered by the sun,
    so fuck the damn creationists, Doomsday get my gun!"

    Tim

    --
    Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
  10. Re:First Post on my Birthday by CableModemSniper · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ahh posting to slashdot on his 21st birthday and getting FP. A true geek. I salute you.

    --
    Why not fork?
  11. New Project by WoTG · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... and all of a sudden, 1000 Overclockers wonder, "How do I get my Athlon to Centaurus?"

  12. She's as cold as ice.... by caluml · · Score: 4, Funny

    In 1995, American researchers cooled rubidium atoms to less than 170 billionths of a degree above absolute zero.

    I know a girl like that....

    --
    Get your own free personal location tracker
  13. You have to wonder by AnimeFreak · · Score: 2, Funny

    Are we that desperate for the ultimate cooling method for our computers that we need NASA to find somewhere that freaking cold? ;)

  14. Hah, I show you the coldest place by nicotinix · · Score: 1, Funny

    If NASA knew my wife, they would know the coldest place in the universe is my bedroom.

  15. Re:Grumble, grumble - absolute zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Not if you leave the lab door open.

  16. hmmm but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ex-girlfriends don't have souls

    1. Re:hmmm but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ex-wives have souls... It's part of the divorce agreement.

      I should have sold my soul to the devil instead - at least he's honest.

  17. Big Bang THEORY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Don't get me started on evolution!

  18. Re:Someone please explain by plumby · · Score: 2, Funny
    and what iluminates it?



    "One can say the Boomerang acts as a refrigerator,"


    So you can see it because someone left the door open?

  19. Does this mean.... by canIuseTHIS · · Score: 2, Funny

    If the entire universe will enventually reach this state .... does this mean hell is finally going to freeze over?

  20. Chillier temperatures by ehiris · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Man has produced yet chillier temperatures. In 1995, American researchers cooled rubidium atoms to less than 170 billionths of a degree above absolute zero."

    We're so cool!

  21. Note from mom by andy@petdance.com · · Score: 4, Funny
    Be sure to wear a sweater.

    Love,
    Mom

  22. Re:Grumble, grumble - absolute zero by Pflipp · · Score: 2, Funny

    So where did they stick the thermometer?

    --
    "We can confirm that Debian does *not* ship the version with the trojan horse. Our version predates it." [CA-2002-28]
  23. Re:Grumble, grumble - absolute zero by schon · · Score: 3, Funny

    I heard if an atom reaches absolute zero, its electrons will fall off

    That happened to a friend of mine, after he fell through into the lake on an ice-fishing trip.