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Pillars of Creation Destroyed

Posted by kdawson on from the eat-your-heart-out-Hercules dept.

anthemaniac writes with news about the Pillars of Creation, an iconic structure in the Eagle Nebula some 7,000 light-years distant. The Hubble Space Telescope's image of this structure is one of the most widely recognized astronomy images ever captured. Now a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggests that the pillars probably toppled 6,000 years ago. From the article: "Astronomers think [a] supernova's shock wave knocked the pillars down about 6,000 years ago. But because light from that region of the sky takes 7,000 years to reach us, the majestic pillars will appear intact to observers on Earth for another 1,000 years or so.'"

9 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. Bad use of "already" by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Really, when will people learn not to use the past tense for events outside of our past light cone!
    The pillars have already been destroyed by the shockwave
    The guy's modeled the pillars and claims that they were destroyed 6000 years ago, 7000 light years away. But if this is the case, then their destruction is outside of our past light cone. So someone else here and now, moving past as at high velocity, using English in the same way, could claim that this event is actually in their future. It doesn't mean that they could visit the destruction because they're outside of any possible future lightcone of any observer starting from here now. Events outside of our light cones are neither past nor future, and you certainly can't go bandying around the word 'already' when you talk about them.
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  2. Re:Makes Me Curious by Jerf · · Score: 3, Insightful
    What else are we looking at and taking images of that is actually nothing like it is in real time.
    Uh, how about, everything ? Absolutely, positively, everything?

    Even on Planet Earth light speed delays can be noticible (it is the bulk of a ping time that goes any significant distance, a highly impressive achievement), but once you leave Earth, everything has a significant light speed delay. The moon is just over a light-second away and the sun roughly eight and a half light minutes. (The exact distance varies over the course of the year.)
  3. Re:Cool... hope it didn't cost too much by redcane · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The value is in knowing. The more we know about the universe, the more we can make use of it. Especially when it comes to the point that we *need* to get off this rock. At that point all the AIDS vaccines, wells and roads all over the world become worth squat. Of course I don't think it will happen in our lifetime, and you can certainly debate if it will happen. But I'm sure that more primitive societys saw mucking around with plant extracts as pointless when it was more useful to gather food for the tribe. Of course some of those plant extracts are now medicines.

  4. Re:Cool... hope it didn't cost too much by wrook · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Basic research often has no short term value that we can see. A hundred years ago a couple of guys tried to measure our speed through the "ether". They found that there was no ether. This lead to the idea that light must travel at the same speed no matter what reference frame you're in. This (and a few other things) lead to the ideas of quantum physics. This ultimately lead to several inventions already with many more on the way.

    But a hundred years ago, did anyone see the point in measuring our speed through the ether (which pretty much everyone accepted had to exist)? What would be the point? Just a waste of money.

    Astronomical measurements are used to test basic theories of physics. The basic theories of physics are then used to create new and wonderful things. These things save lives and make us more comfortable. Just because we don't know what we'll end up using the information for doesn't mean we should stop searching for it.

  5. Re:Ah ha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, atheism is a religion in exactly the same way that not collecting stamps is a hobby.

  6. Re:Ah ha! by nuzak · · Score: 3, Insightful

    > It has a set of unproveable presuppositions that its followers take by faith

    Name exactly ONE article of faith of atheism. Or is not believing that there is an invisible rhinoceros in my living room an "article of faith"?

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    Done with slashdot, done with nerds, getting a life.
  7. speed of light speed of pressure wave by mstrcat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    All of the comments about time travel, light cones, ect are a complete and utter waste of time. While the article doesn't do a very good job of explaining it, the light from the proposed super nova that will cause changes in the Pillars of Creation has already reached us. What hasn't reached us yet is the light from the changed Pillars of Creation. This difference is due to two factors, one small and one huge. The small one is that fact that the star that went nova is closer to us than the Pillars are. The largest factor is the difference in the progagation of the light from the super nova and that of the wave that will physically re-arrange the Pillars. A simple model is the light and sound from an explosion. You'll see the light flash before you hear the bang.

  8. Re:Ah ha! by Tancred · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nice one.

    In the interest of finding common ground, I like to point out to my Christian friends that of all the thousands of gods out there, we only disagree about the existence of one of them!

  9. Re:Ah ha! by ComaVN · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I know a lot of atheists that disagree on point 2, and some that disagree on 1 and/or 3

    Perhaps one website by one organization does not represent all, or even a significant number of, atheists?

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