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NASA Creates an Alien's Eye View of Solar System

Flash Modin writes "Using the Discover supercomputer — which is capable of 67 trillion calculations per second — astronomers at NASA Goddard have created a series of images of what our solar system would look like to an alien astronomer at various points in time. Their simulations track the interactions of 75,000 dust grains in the Kuiper Belt, and show that while the planets would be too dim to detect directly, aliens could deduce the presence of Neptune from its effects on the icy region. Strikingly, the images resemble one taken by Hubble of the star Fomalhaut. NASA has put out a cute video to go with the announcement as well."

7 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Re:One thing that can't be seen from NASA Goddard by khallow · · Score: 2, Funny

    Doesn't the Commerce clause cover this? Seems like the Commerce clause covers everything.

  2. The narrator's voice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sounds like Eric Foreman from That 70's Show.

  3. Carl Sagan on interpreting images by nroets · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Strikingly, the images resemble one taken by Hubble of the star Fomalhaut." Be careful in drawing conclusions from the above statement. In 'Cosmos', Carl Sagan summarizes one of the flawed arguments he came across : "Looking at Venus, what do you see? Just clouds. Not a single thing. Conclusion? Dinosaurs"

    1. Re:Carl Sagan on interpreting images by The_mad_linguist · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes, but everyone knows there's a giant mirror exactly halfway between us and "Fomalhaut".

  4. As if by spoonist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, right. As if computers could possibly do this kind of calculation.

    This is obviously real data from aliens that have been in contact with the US Gov't for decades.

    Silly US Gov't... didn't they realize that with this data we, the general public, can now extrapolate where the aliens came from?

  5. capable of 67 trillion calculations per second by Idiomatick · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow, that must make it a super accurate picture!

  6. Re:One thing that can't be seen from NASA Goddard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Fine. Have your city council issue everyone a musket.

    a musket and a bran muffin - we want them "well regulated"