Cosmos, the tv show

[thebrucebeat]

Wouldn't you need to know when the light started it's journey to guess how long it took?

Maybe not.

No. We know for a fact how fast light travels. Using triangulation, we know how far distant objects are such as stars or galaxies. From there its a simple math problem. Speed x distance = time.

So you know the speed of light, you do not know the distance and you do not know the what time the light began to shine.

Sounds simple.

People like you are why it is terrifying that Texas has so much influence on the textbook business.
This calculation is well within the capabilities of a middle school math student.

 

[hangover]

No.

Methods of Observational Astronomy

So basically it's an educated guess.

In the same way that measuring a city block is an educated guess.

Nice!

 

[Politico]

I agree that no one knows with any real certainty exactly how old the the Earth and the Universe are. Science doesn't claim certainty or absolute truth but probability based on evidence. Based on evidence, the Earth is probably around 4.6 years old. Based on evidence, the Universe is probably around 13.6 billion years old.

Many fundamentalist Christians believe the Earth and the Universe are 6,000 years old. That claim is, based on evidence, and you seem to agree, ridiculous.

That is comical. Scientists are the most self important crap filled pieces of shit there are. They claim certainty every time they open their mouths. Until the facts change then they claim it again.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

I agree that no one knows with any real certainty exactly how old the the Earth and the Universe are. Science doesn't claim certainty or absolute truth but probability based on evidence. Based on evidence, the Earth is probably around 4.6 years old. Based on evidence, the Universe is probably around 13.6 billion years old.

Many fundamentalist Christians believe the Earth and the Universe are 6,000 years old. That claim is, based on evidence, and you seem to agree, ridiculous.

That is comical. Scientists are the most self important crap filled pieces of shit there are. They claim certainty every time they open their mouths. until the facts change then they claim it again.

Its true that there are scientist who state things for which there is no absolute certainty as though it were truth. It bothers me as well. But there are some things for which there is a reasonable, absolute certainty: evolution (not the theory but the process), chemical formulas, that the Universe and the Earth are older than 6,000 years, you know, things like basic facts. Scientists, like anyone, are human and therefore subject to human foibles.

What is comical is your blanket accusation that they are all as you put it, "the most self important crap filled pieces of shit" considering you are using the results of their work express that thought on this internet forum. That kind of reaction implies an emotional response on your part; a defensiveness, as though scientific discoveries are scientists' ways of personally undermining your dogmatic belief framework. You should maybe think about why that is...

 

[orogenicman]

I agree that no one knows with any real certainty exactly how old the the Earth and the Universe are. Science doesn't claim certainty or absolute truth but probability based on evidence. Based on evidence, the Earth is probably around 4.6 years old. Based on evidence, the Universe is probably around 13.6 billion years old.

Many fundamentalist Christians believe the Earth and the Universe are 6,000 years old. That claim is, based on evidence, and you seem to agree, ridiculous.

That is comical. Scientists are the most self important crap filled pieces of shit there are. They claim certainty every time they open their mouths. until the facts change then they claim it again.

No, I'd say you've got us beat.

 

[Politico]

I agree that no one knows with any real certainty exactly how old the the Earth and the Universe are. Science doesn't claim certainty or absolute truth but probability based on evidence. Based on evidence, the Earth is probably around 4.6 years old. Based on evidence, the Universe is probably around 13.6 billion years old.

Many fundamentalist Christians believe the Earth and the Universe are 6,000 years old. That claim is, based on evidence, and you seem to agree, ridiculous.

That is comical. Scientists are the most self important crap filled pieces of shit there are. They claim certainty every time they open their mouths. until the facts change then they claim it again.

Its true that there are scientist who state things for which there is no absolute certainty as though it were truth. It bothers me as well. But there are some things for which there is a reasonable, absolute certainty: evolution (not the theory but the process), chemical formulas, that the Universe and the Earth are older than 6,000 years, you know, things like basic facts. Scientists, like anyone, are human and therefore subject to human foibles.

What is comical is your blanket accusation that they are all as you put it, "the most self important crap filled pieces of shit" considering you are using the results of their work express that thought on this internet forum. That kind of reaction implies an emotional response on your part; a defensiveness, as though scientific discoveries are scientists' ways of personally undermining your dogmatic belief framework. You should maybe think about why that is...

If the blanket statement fits. First off I never base anything on emotion. Second internets forums are nothing but a bunch of anonymous commandos hiding bravely behind their keyboards. You can't even have a civil discussion. That silliness aside they have operated on the same principle since the beginning of time. State what you know is certain.When it is proven wrong, pretend what you said never happened and state your next brilliant thing.

 

[orogenicman]

That is comical. Scientists are the most self important crap filled pieces of shit there are. They claim certainty every time they open their mouths. until the facts change then they claim it again.

Its true that there are scientist who state things for which there is no absolute certainty as though it were truth. It bothers me as well. But there are some things for which there is a reasonable, absolute certainty: evolution (not the theory but the process), chemical formulas, that the Universe and the Earth are older than 6,000 years, you know, things like basic facts. Scientists, like anyone, are human and therefore subject to human foibles.

What is comical is your blanket accusation that they are all as you put it, "the most self important crap filled pieces of shit" considering you are using the results of their work express that thought on this internet forum. That kind of reaction implies an emotional response on your part; a defensiveness, as though scientific discoveries are scientists' ways of personally undermining your dogmatic belief framework. You should maybe think about why that is...

If the blanket statement fits. First off I never base anything on emotion. Second internets forums are nothing but a bunch of anonymous commandos hiding bravely behind their keyboards. You can't even have a civil discussion. That silliness aside they have operated on the same principle since the beginning of time. State what you know is certain.When it is proven wrong, pretend what you said never happened and state your next brilliant thing.

You are different, how?

 

[hangover]

That is comical. Scientists are the most self important crap filled pieces of shit there are. They claim certainty every time they open their mouths. until the facts change then they claim it again.

Its true that there are scientist who state things for which there is no absolute certainty as though it were truth. It bothers me as well. But there are some things for which there is a reasonable, absolute certainty: evolution (not the theory but the process), chemical formulas, that the Universe and the Earth are older than 6,000 years, you know, things like basic facts. Scientists, like anyone, are human and therefore subject to human foibles.

What is comical is your blanket accusation that they are all as you put it, "the most self important crap filled pieces of shit" considering you are using the results of their work express that thought on this internet forum. That kind of reaction implies an emotional response on your part; a defensiveness, as though scientific discoveries are scientists' ways of personally undermining your dogmatic belief framework. You should maybe think about why that is...

If the blanket statement fits. First off I never base anything on emotion. Second internets forums are nothing but a bunch of anonymous commandos hiding bravely behind their keyboards. You can't even have a civil discussion. That silliness aside they have operated on the same principle since the beginning of time. State what you know is certain.When it is proven wrong, pretend what you said never happened and state your next brilliant thing.

Sounds like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell to me.

 

[onecut39]

The earth's 24 hour rotation makes everyone travel at 1,500 kilometers per hour.
The earth traveling around the sun means everyone travels at 100,000 kilometers per hour.
Our galaxy is traveling through space at a half million kilometers per hour.
Anyone feeling any jet lag?
At the speed of light, it takes the sun's rays eight hours to reach us.
The light we see from the nearest galaxy to us takes 100,000 light years to reach us, which means what we are seeing is a galaxy as it was 100,000 years ago. That really puts a hole in the evangelical's belief that creation is only 6,000 years old.

Just a few trivia from the COSMOS show.

I always knew you lived in an alternate reality. If you want to use science to attack people that only exist inside your head you should get the science right.

The sun is less than 8 light minutes away from us, 8 light hours is well outside the orbit of Neptune. The closest galaxy is the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is 179,000 light years away. Since I actually watch Cosmos, and know that deGrasse Tyson wouldn't get those basic facts wrong, you must be watching an entirely different version than is televised in the real world.

Picky, picky, picky. It is a minor error. Get over it.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

That is comical. Scientists are the most self important crap filled pieces of shit there are. They claim certainty every time they open their mouths. until the facts change then they claim it again.

Its true that there are scientist who state things for which there is no absolute certainty as though it were truth. It bothers me as well. But there are some things for which there is a reasonable, absolute certainty: evolution (not the theory but the process), chemical formulas, that the Universe and the Earth are older than 6,000 years, you know, things like basic facts. Scientists, like anyone, are human and therefore subject to human foibles.

What is comical is your blanket accusation that they are all as you put it, "the most self important crap filled pieces of shit" considering you are using the results of their work express that thought on this internet forum. That kind of reaction implies an emotional response on your part; a defensiveness, as though scientific discoveries are scientists' ways of personally undermining your dogmatic belief framework. You should maybe think about why that is...

If the blanket statement fits. First off I never base anything on emotion. Second internets forums are nothing but a bunch of anonymous commandos hiding bravely behind their keyboards. You can't even have a civil discussion. That silliness aside they have operated on the same principle since the beginning of time. State what you know is certain.When it is proven wrong, pretend what you said never happened and state your next brilliant thing.

It doesn't fit, but unlike the scientists you so disparage, there's no changing your mind.

 

[Politico]

You are different, how?

I am not a scientist so your question makes no sense. But I have never made a statement of fact unless I know it to be true. If I make a hypothesis I clarify that is what it is.

 

[strollingbones]

is it just me ...i find the show rather ...well dumbed down to a certain point..and i will admit that i generally fall asleep watching it.....but i do not like the mix of science and animation so much...a lot of it on this show is just for 'looks'

it would have been nice if the show were a bit more ...unfettered with the looks part

 

[orogenicman]

You are different, how?

I am not a scientist so your question makes no sense. But I have never made a statement of fact unless I know it to be true. If I make a hypothesis I clarify that is what it is.

How is your not being a scientist relevant to my question?

 

[Politico]

Ummm because I am not a scientist. Keep up.

 

[amrchaos]

But we can make a reasonable assumption that the Universe is more than 6,000 years old based simply on the time it would take for light to travel here from stars within our own galaxy.

How can you be certain that the time it would take for light to travel here from stars within our own galaxy has any bearing on the age of the earth.

I don't see the connection.

Basically it's just a guess because you do not know for sure and what makes your guess any more accurate than any one else's guess?

Holy crap. This is the effect of schools in Texass replacing science with "intelligent design"!

Actually, he does make a good point

Distant stars could have existed long before God created the earth. So when "poof" the earth popped up, that light was already reaching us.

Remember, the Earth is special. God may have created it at a different point of time than other things. So light reaching us from distant stars has no bearing on when the Earth came into existence. It just mean we are receiving that light now.

 

[amrchaos]

The earth's 24 hour rotation makes everyone travel at 1,500 kilometers per hour.
The earth traveling around the sun means everyone travels at 100,000 kilometers per hour.
Our galaxy is traveling through space at a half million kilometers per hour.
Anyone feeling any jet lag?
At the speed of light, it takes the sun's rays eight hours to reach us.
The light we see from the nearest galaxy to us takes 100,000 light years to reach us, which means what we are seeing is a galaxy as it was 100,000 years ago. That really puts a hole in the evangelical's belief that creation is only 6,000 years old.

Just a few trivia from the COSMOS show.

The fact is, no one knows for sure how old the world is.

Actually, we do. The same physics that gives us nuclear power and atomic weapons gives us the ability to determine the age of the Earth. Radio isotopic decay is well understood despite what you may have been lead to believe. The uranium/lead decay rate tells us that the Earth is at least 4.567 billion years old. This is not an unambiguous finding.

Wait--how do you know some supernatural being did not place all that Uranium on Earth to confuse man? And if you think about some of the uses of uranium, it is obviously a devious plan by Satan to encourage our confusion and destruction.

Sorry orogenicman. As long as you are arguing with someone that believes in a supernatural being that can do anything, every scientific explanation you give can be challenged by a fantastical assumption.

 

[edthecynic]

How can you be certain that the time it would take for light to travel here from stars within our own galaxy has any bearing on the age of the earth.

I don't see the connection.

Basically it's just a guess because you do not know for sure and what makes your guess any more accurate than any one else's guess?

Holy crap. This is the effect of schools in Texass replacing science with "intelligent design"!

Actually, he does make a good point

Distant stars could have existed long before God created the earth. So when "poof" the earth popped up, that light was already reaching us.

Remember, the Earth is special. God may have created it at a different point of time than other things. So light reaching us from distant stars has no bearing on when the Earth came into existence. It just mean we are receiving that light now.

Not according to the "scientifically accurate" bible.
The Earth was created on the third day and the sun and stars were created on the fourth day.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

Ummm because I am not a scientist. Keep up.

Nor, do I think, could you be.

 

[orogenicman]

The fact is, no one knows for sure how old the world is.

Actually, we do. The same physics that gives us nuclear power and atomic weapons gives us the ability to determine the age of the Earth. Radio isotopic decay is well understood despite what you may have been lead to believe. The uranium/lead decay rate tells us that the Earth is at least 4.567 billion years old. This is not an unambiguous finding.

Wait--how do you know some supernatural being did not place all that Uranium on Earth to confuse man? And if you think about some of the uses of uranium, it is obviously a devious plan by Satan to encourage our confusion and destruction.

Sorry orogenicman. As long as you are arguing with someone that believes in a supernatural being that can do anything, every scientific explanation you give can be challenged by a fantastical assumption.

I understand that. Call me an optimist.

 

[amrchaos]

Holy crap. This is the effect of schools in Texass replacing science with "intelligent design"!

Actually, he does make a good point

Distant stars could have existed long before God created the earth. So when "poof" the earth popped up, that light was already reaching us.

Remember, the Earth is special. God may have created it at a different point of time than other things. So light reaching us from distant stars has no bearing on when the Earth came into existence. It just mean we are receiving that light now.

Not according to the "scientifically accurate" bible.
The Earth was created on the third day and the sun and stars were created on the fourth day.

Even if that was the case, Our supernatural intelligent designer could have increased the speed of light right before the light from distant stars reached the Earth, and then slowed them down to the "scientifically measured" speed.

Come on, as long as I have "Mr Impossible" on my side, I can willfully challenge any science/rational explanation describing the world around us!!