tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949972694672103150.post7848100205864976391..comments2023-12-24T10:26:01.853+00:00Comments on Thaddeus the Sixth: Sci-fi: the speed of light problemUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949972694672103150.post-74152348441168008782012-03-02T23:55:02.540+00:002012-03-02T23:55:02.540+00:00Very roughly,if you can imagine the solar wind blo...Very roughly,if you can imagine the solar wind blowing a bubble in the interstellar medium then the heliopause is the region where the pressure of the solar wind drops to the point that it can no longer push back the interstellar medium. There's a turbulent zone before the heliopause where the solar wind slows down and heats up as it collides with the interstellar medium, and it's this zone the Voyagers are travelling through at the moment. The crossing of the heliopause should be indicated by a sharp drop in the temperature of the charged particles it's detecting as it leaves the turbulent area, and this is predicted to happen in the next couple of years, so long as the Voyagers hold out (they're years beyond their design life).<br /><br />It's regarded as the boundary of the solar system because it's the point at which the solar wind gives way to the interstellar medium, but of course there's stuff orbiting the sun much further out, up to a couple of light years in the case of the Oort Cloud.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423394808469206711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949972694672103150.post-14123289412777514272012-03-02T21:19:23.168+00:002012-03-02T21:19:23.168+00:00I must admit I'd never heard of the Alcubierre...I must admit I'd never heard of the Alcubierre Drive. It sounds a little beyond me, but quite intriguing.<br /><br />Is the heliopause the region between the far edge of the solar system and outer space? I do wonder how long we'll keep getting info from Voyager (and hope that it doesn't end up like the first Star Trek film).<br /><br />Hehe, I must admit I only knew about the time dilation because I checked to see whether the 'milky sea' meant the galaxy, and read up a little on the meaning of the song and the theory. <br /><br />There's a nice balance between May and Mercury. Not sure if May wrote many other science-based songs, but Mercury wrote loads of fantasy-inspired ones. Ogre Battle, Fairy Feller's Master Stroke and March of the Black Queen spring to mind.Thaddeushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03402288610238485494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949972694672103150.post-70140328209064105292012-03-02T19:51:21.558+00:002012-03-02T19:51:21.558+00:00There is another option - pay very close attention...There is another option - pay very close attention indeed to what science is saying and exploit the loopholes whilst slipping past the problems. Hard science fiction authors are very fond of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive" rel="nofollow">Alcubierre Drive</a> for instance...<br /><br />Thanks for mentioning Voyager BTW - my degree thesis many years ago was partly on the heliopause and I've been watching Voyagers progress with increasing interest. <br /><br />And as for '39 - I've listened to that song literally dozens of times over the years and never once realised it was about time dilation! I've know for years of course that Brian May was/is (he completed his PhD only a couple of years ago) an astrophysicist, but I never realised he'd written a song about it untilnow...Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423394808469206711noreply@blogger.com