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NASA Creates an Alien's Eye View of Solar System

Posted by timothy on from the buncha-showoffs dept.

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."

16 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. Press release by symes · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can find NASA's press release and video here

    1. Re:Press release by Flash+Modin · · Score: 2, Informative

      Commodore, We only find "side view," or what astronomers refer to as edge on, systems because of our limited detection techniques. The two methods to regularly find planets so far are photometry and radial velocity. One relies on a faint dip in light when a planet passes in front of its star and the other relies on a planet pulling its star slightly towards it. There's no reason to think that a universal preference would exist for solar systems facing us edge on. So, by simply taking an infrared photo of the star - similar to what Hubble did with Fomalhaut and NASA did here- we might determine the presence of a planet based on a dust cloud around it.

    2. Re:Press release by commodore64_love · · Score: 2, Interesting

      >>>There's no reason to think that a universal preference would exist for solar systems facing us edge on

      How about the tendency for all solar systems to orient themselves in the same "up/down" direction as the galaxy, so then they'd all have an edge-on view of one another. Or maybe I'm making a false assumption?

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    3. Re:Press release by Flash+Modin · · Score: 2, Informative

      Solar system orbits form based on the dynamics of how the cloud of supernovae dust they form from "collapses." The cloud can be set in motion from coming into contact with another cloud or another supernova interacting with it. The rotation (and hence what we might consider up and down) is based on how that interaction occurs. Once it starts rotating it's governed by Newton's second law, aka the figure skater effect (a skater spins faster as they pull their arms in). So, no. There's no reason to assume that they would orient themselves in a so called up/down direction.

  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".

    2. Re:Carl Sagan on interpreting images by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I see your point, but I don't think such a ridiculously unsupportable conclusion is being drawn from the image comparison. As it is though, I see it as interesting, but probably needs more investigation. Weren't some moons initially discovered because of disruptions in Saturn's rings? At the very least, it sounds like interesting parallels.

    3. Re:Carl Sagan on interpreting images by Flash+Modin · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's astronomy, taking pictures and analyzing them is most of what we do.

  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. And the point is...? by haydensdaddy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seriously, I would be interested in seeing the taxpayer cost of this little photoshop session. And they wonder why they're being regarded as irrelevant and having their funding cut...

    1. Re:And the point is...? by hcdejong · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Right; what good could astronomy possibly do? We don't need to know about outer space! [/sarcasm]

      This 'little Photoshop session' helps astronomers better understand what they observe. It's part of the process that started with Copernicus.

    2. Re:And the point is...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You surly jest.

      NASA has such a small portion of the funds it's outsourcing stuff. Projects like this are stepping stones to larger ones. Also this is time used on a machine they already own.

      Their funding is being cut and they're being seen as irrelevant because no one has the balls to take risk anymore. Politicians are too worried about reelection to have Astronaut XXX's name smeared on their name.

    3. Re:And the point is...? by Jarik+C-Bol · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The Citizens of the United States Spend more on Cell Phones each year than the total budget for NASA. Its no wonder we've not been anywhere cool.

      --
      I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.
  7. Re:Aliens Eyes by Baron_Yam · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The point isn't how an alien's eyes might work, but what frequencies are useful for examining a star system.

    Humans don't see infrared to any useful degree, nor x-ray, nor radio, and yet we image the heavens in each for different reasons.

    While we couldn't guess that an alien might see the same colours on a false-colour representation of our solar system... we can reasonably say they would be looking at some kind of representation of an infrared image of us because that's the best way to get information about us.