It’s thought that at the heart of most if not every spiral galaxy (as well as some dwarf galaxies) there’s a supermassive black hole, by definition containing enormous amounts of mass — hundreds of millions, even billions of times the mass of our Sun packed into an area that would fit inside the orbits of the planets. Even our own galaxy has a central SMBH — called Sgr A*, it has the equivalent of 4.1 million solar masses.

Now, astronomers using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory have identified what appears to be the most massive SMBH ever found, a 17 billion solar mass behemoth residing at the heart of galaxy NGC 1277.

Located 220 million light-years away in the constellation Perseus, NGC 1277 is a lenticular galaxy only a tenth the size of the Milky Way. But somehow it contains the most massive black hole ever discovered, comprising a staggering 14% of the galaxy’s entire mass.

US 'planned to blow up a nuclear bomb on the Moon'

American military chiefs allegedly devised the secret project, named 'A Study of Lunar Research Flights' – or 'Project A119' – in the hope that the Soviet Union would be intimidated by viewing the nuclear flash from Earth.
It would give the US a much needed morale boost after the Russians successfully launched Sputnik in 1957, according to physicist Leonard Reiffel, who was involved in the project.
According to the report in The Sun, the US would have used an atom bomb, because a hydrogen bomb would have been too heavy. The planning reportedly included calculations by astronomer Carl Sagan, who was then a young graduate.
Military officials however reportedly abandoned the idea, which would have taken place in 1959, because of fears that it would have an adverse effect on Earth should the explosion fail.
The project documents were kept secret for nearly 45 years, and the US government has never formally confirmed its involvement in the study.
Instead of blowing up the moon, the US intensified and eventually won the Space Race against the Soviet Union, with Neil Armstrong becoming the first man to walk on the moon in July 1969.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9707686/US-planned-to-blow-up-a-nuclear-bomb-on-the-Moon.html

Will the world end next month? NASA says no way

Alex Fitzpatrick
Published: November 29, 2012 - 10:57AM

This post was originally published on Mashable.

By now, we’ve all heard the silly rumour that the world is going to end on December 21, 2012. A few different causes are “threatening” to strip us of our mortal coils: the Mayans got lazy and stopped adding days to their calendar is a popular rumour, the risk of a mysterious planet named Nibiru colliding with our own world is another.

Will this winter solstice really be our last? According to the top minds at NASA, these Earth-death rumours have about as much substance as that viral privacy hoax you’ve seen spreading on Facebook this week. That is to say, none at all.

“Contrary to some of the common beliefs out there, Dec. 21, 2012 won’t be the end of the world as we know it, however, it will be another winter solstice,” writes NASA in a Google+ post.

To dispel these end-of-the-world rumours, NASA hosted a Google Hangout with a cadre of top scientists in relevant fields, including astrobiology and astronomy. (Sadly, John Cusack will not be attending). Among the panelists:

David Morrison, astrobiologist from NASA’s Ames Research Centre

Don Yeomans, asteroid scientist from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mitzi Adams, solar/archaeoastronomer from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre

Lika Guhathakurta, heliophysicist from NASA Headquarters

Paul Hertz, astrophysicist from NASA Headquarters

Andrew Fraknoi, science educator from Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California

[youtube]KHXW9bZtgpc[/youtube]

For more on NASA’s debunking of the world-ending myths, check out NASA.gov/2012. The Hangout can be accessed on Google+.

Mashable is the largest independent news source covering digital culture, social media and technology.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/will-the-world-end-next-month-nasa-says-no-way-20121129-2ah34.html

Is there anyone who actually believes the world's going to end next month anyway??

Is there anyone who actually believes the world's going to end next month anyway??

Just a quick one. Joe Rogan to interview the epic Neil deGrasee Tyson LIVE at around 11:30AM AEST.

http://www.ustream.tv/joerogan

If you miss the stream/can't watch all of it, this Youtube channel uploads them all after a day or two.

Who changed the thread title?

Edit: whilst space is indeed f***ing cool, we do have a rule about no swearing in thread titles

Edited by Joffa: 10/1/2013 01:19:53 PM

Just a quick one. Joe Rogan to interview the epic Neil deGrasee Tyson LIVE at around 11:30AM AEST.

http://www.ustream.tv/joerogan

Behead all that insult the prophet Space.

Behead all that insult the moderator Joffa

So Joffa decides to rectify that- 11 months later.

Cool.

Got my telescope delivered today:)

Getting to know that girl across the street better huh?

Just finished the Neil Tyson Podcast. That was better than I could have possible hoped for.

Makes me wish I could write a letter to Year 7 me, explaining that Science and Math are fucking ridiculously awesome, and focusing hard on them will lead to a mind blowing future.

Mars One Releases Astronaut Open Call Qualifications
JONATHAN BOLDING | 12 JANUARY 2013 5:32 AM

Friendliness, psychological stability, and resourcefulness are listed as qualifiers for potential colonists.

Unlike every other program in the history of spaceflight, Mars One intends to have an open call for their future colonists - who are scheduled for a 2022 launch and 2023 landing. Beginning in the first half of this year, Mars One will begin that call, starting with the release of a light list of primary qualifications for their colonists. Primary among their qualifications are physical and mental health, but neither experience flying an aircraft nor a university degree in science will be required. All the required training, Mars One says, will be provided during your eight years of employment with the company. You'll also need to be willing to give up your earthly commitments for, well, forever - it's a one way trip to Mars. Norbert Kraft, a former NASA official, said that "Gone are the days when bravery and the number of hours flying a supersonic jet were the top criteria ... we are more concerned with how well each astronaut works and lives with the others ... the ability to be at your best when things are at their worst is what Mars One is looking for."

The five key characteristics of an astronaut, says Mars One, are resiliency, adaptability, curiosity, ability to trust, and creativity. An astronaut must be at least 18, making for a 28-year-old landing on the red planet, and the upper limit for age has yet to be determined. The key qualification that Mars One emphasizes, however, is that a candidate be capable of intensive self-reflection.

Mars One is a non-profit organization that intends to fund their mars colony by making their entire operation a reality show. Every aspect of the mission, from launch to landing and living on mars, will be a televised and interactive broadcast. It has not been announced when the selection campaign will begin, but Mars One has said "We are working hard to launch our selection campaign as soon as possible, to open the doors to everyone who aspires to do something tremendous in their lifetime."

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http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121474-Mars-One-Releases-Astronaut-Open-Call-Qualifications

Great podcast! I thought they went on a bit with moon landing conspiracy. I love this though...