this post was submitted on
349 points (79% like it)
470 up votes 121 down votes
shortlink:

pics

subscribe2,181,112 readers

Looking for an image subreddit with minimal rules? Check out /r/images

A place to share interesting photographs and pictures. Feel free to post your own, but please read the rules first (see below), and note that we are not a catch-all for general images (of screenshots, comics, etc.)

Spoiler code

Please mark spoilers like this:
[text here](/spoiler)

Hover over to read.

Rules

  1. No screenshots, or pictures with added or superimposed text. This includes image macros, comics, info-graphics and most diagrams. Text (e.g. a URL) serving to credit the original author is exempt.

  2. No gore or porn. NSFW content must be tagged.

  3. No personal information. This includes anything hosted on Facebook's servers, as they can be traced to the original account holder. Stalking & harassment will not be tolerated.

  4. No solicitation of votes (including "cake day" posts), weight loss photos, posts with their sole purpose being to communicate with another redditor, or [FIXED] posts. Weight loss photos go in /r/loseit, DAE posts go in /r/DoesAnybodyElse. "Fixed" posts should be added as a comment to the original image.

  5. Submissions must link directly to a specific image file or to an image hosting website with minimal ads. We do not allow blog hosting of images ("blogspam"), but links to albums on image hosting websites are okay. URL shorteners are prohibited.

  • If your submission appears to be filtered but definitely meets the above rules, please send us a message with a link to the comments section of your post (not a direct link to the image). Don't delete it as that just makes the filter hate you!

  • If you come across any rule violations, please report the submission or message the mods and one of us will remove it!

Please also try to come up with original post titles. Submissions that use certain clichés/memes will be automatically tagged with a warning.

Links

If your post doesn't meet the above rules, consider submitting it on one of these other subreddits:

Comics  
/r/comics /r/webcomics
/r/vertical /r/f7u12
/r/ragenovels /r/AdviceAtheists
Image macros Screenshots/text
/r/lolcats /r/screenshots
/r/AdviceAnimals /r/desktops
/r/Demotivational /r/facepalm (Facebook)
/r/reactiongifs /r/DesktopDetective
Wallpaper Animals
/r/wallpaper /r/aww
/r/wallpapers /r/cats
The SFWPorn Network /r/TrollingAnimals
  /r/deadpets
  /r/birdpics
  /r/foxes
Photography Un-moderated pics
/r/photography /r/AnythingGoesPics
/r/photocritique /r/images
/r/HDR
/r/windowshots
/r/PictureChallenge
Misc New reddits
/r/misc /r/britpics
/r/gifs Imaginary Network
/r/dataisbeautiful /r/thennnow
/r/picrequests /r/SpecArt
  /r/LookWhoIMet
  /r/timelinecovers
  /r/MemesIRL
  /r/OldSchoolCool
  /r/photoshopbattles

Also check out http://irc.reddit.com

a community for
to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture...
message the moderators

MODERATORS

reddit is a source for what's new and popular online. vote on links that you like or dislike and help decide what's popular, or submit your own! learn more ›

348
349

Just a laser being shot into the Milky Way. (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by batmanz

all 61 comments
sorted by:
best
hot
new
controversial
top
old
best

[–]thegooddocgonzo 15 points16 points ago

Something had to be done about those bastards over in the Eastern Spiral Arm!

[–]chemistry_teacher 5 points6 points ago

The only good bug is a dead bug.

[–]ThatBeardedGuy 11 points12 points ago

It's a laser guide star used for real-time deformations of the telescope's primary mirror to account for atmospheric turbulence.

[–]rasputine 2 points3 points ago

Magic. Gotcha.

[–]ThatBeardedGuy 0 points1 point ago

Deep, deep magic.

[–]cmdcharco 0 points1 point ago

Spatial light modulators for the win!!!!

[–]ThatBeardedGuy 0 points1 point ago

Well, the light isn't really modulated. The telescope can see backscatter from the laser guide star and uses a wavefront sensor to probe the local curvature of the incoming wavefronts of light throughout the aperture of the telescope. Then by deforming the mirror of the telescope to account to the curvature the wavefront accumulated going though the (inhomogeneous, turbulent) atmosphere, higher resolution can be attained. Wikipedia has a good discussion and graphics as usual.

[–]cmdcharco 0 points1 point ago

the deforming mirror is the spatial light modulator. At least that was what it was called when it was developed. I have used them in quantum optics experiments way cooler than boring old astro stuff.

[–]ThatBeardedGuy 0 points1 point ago

I guess I never thought of it that way. Would you elaborate on your experiments some?

[–]cmdcharco 0 points1 point ago

my stuff didn't work for a number of reasons that are boring, was looking at expanding some of the work done by Miles Padgett and Co in Glasgow. They have done some cool stuff with SLMs. Some of the most impressive stuff is there optical tweezing. The thing that is really crucial to understand when thinking about SLMs is that they allow you to control the phase across a beam front. That's how i understand they work in telescopes. The atmosphere adds a sudo-random phase noise to the signal from the start. if we take two photos, one photon passes though atmosphere that is of a higher temperature which has a high refractive index, this photon will lag in phase with the other, expand this up over many photons and you get this complex phase image.

My own work with them is much more dull, I developed a differential phase surface plasmon bio-sensor. By adding a SLM to the setup I was hoping to increase the sensitivity. I hoped that I could use the SLR to compensate for variable gold thickness and quality across my sensor, pressure effects in the sensor flow cell, perturbation caused by air currents around the optics, and well it sort of worked, in that it did all that, but it also introduced some extra noise to the exp, and ate some light which meant that it didn't really achieve anything. Then I needed to submit my thesis so I gave up.

sorry if I am not clear, its 3:40 here in the UK and i am a little tipsy :)

[–]ThatBeardedGuy 0 points1 point ago

Crystal Clear! That sounds like some interesting work, I hope you graduated as expected. I'm somewhat familiar with the optical tweezing work done in Glasgow, not sure if it is out of the same group, either way it is very cool stuff.

Cheers!

[–]monkeiboi 7 points8 points ago

In three hundred years, somewhere in a remote star cluster, on a tiny terrestrial planet that will be futurely named SP-12846, a tiny feline like creature will notice a faint red point slowly moving across the floor of its owner's domicile, and instinctively pounce at the laser, knocking over an expensive funeral urn filled with the ashes of this creatures ancestors over 90 generations. The creature wakes up with a startle, and stalks into the dark anteroom, brushing the operation panel as passes and flooding the room with a sickly green light favorable to its species. In shock and horror, it sees the sacralige, and watches in fury as the tiny red laser drifts across the room, eventually meeting up with the edge of the window to the room. The creature rushes to the window and flings it open on its magnetic hinge. It stares up into the vast expanse of glittering stars with hatred and rage sparkling in its two pairs of yellow eyes.

[–]DoctorVeneno 0 points1 point ago

You deserve more than just one upvote.

[–]IShaveMyLegs 0 points1 point ago

Bravo!

[–]McHurtikus 6 points7 points ago

Take that Gelgameks!

[–]xblindguardianx 3 points4 points ago

FORGET ABOUT THE GALGAMEKS?!?!! RABLE RABLE RABLE!

[–]LateKnight 2 points3 points ago

"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"

[–]raidenmaiden 2 points3 points ago

And here I thought the guys over at Eureka were just making shit up...

[–]EasyReader 1 point2 points ago

Well, the real ones can't carve messages from machine ghosts in the floor of the observatory.

[–]raidenmaiden 0 points1 point ago

Touche...

[–]awesomechemist 2 points3 points ago

Fox News: Scientists attempt to blow up galaxy using laser.

[–]thetoecutter10 1 point2 points ago

hope there isn't an alien version of bad luck brian :(

[–]jp07 1 point2 points ago

They are going to blind the aliens pilots!

[–]Timmyc62 0 points1 point ago

I'll get the battleship ready.

[–]waynehell 1 point2 points ago

we're in the milky way

[–]pilvy 6 points7 points ago

Earth is quite far away from the centre so it's still possible to shoot into the milky way.

[–]lqpl -3 points-2 points ago

Yes, so it's shooting OUT of the milky way.

[–]PepperMillCam 2 points3 points ago

Well, actually, because the earth spins every 24 hours, half the time we're looking into the centre of the galaxy, and half the time we're looking out. This picture shows looking into the centre.

[–]waynehell 1 point2 points ago

i would be satisfied with through ^

[–]phungus_mungus 0 points1 point ago

So this is where the aliens show up in the mother ship are start fucking up Los Angeles?

[–]GodKronos 1 point2 points ago

Well the next closest star system to ours is 4.2 LY so yes maybe in 4.2 years.

[–]theyseemetrollin101 0 points1 point ago

light to there + travel to here = lots more than 4.2 years

[–]GodKronos 1 point2 points ago

ah you got me. I was assuming just for them to see the signal. 8.4 years if they had an armada on hand and could travel at light speed directly here.

[–]Kredns -3 points-2 points ago

It's impossible to travel at the speed of light (since your ship has mass).

[–]crackanape 3 points4 points ago

It was also "impossible" to travel westward from Europe to reach Asia.

Do you truly believe that in 2012 we suddenly know everything?

[–]Kredns 1 point2 points ago

Until there is a better model for how the universe works than Einstein's theory of relativity I'm going to keep believing that it's impossible to go faster or at the speed of light. I would love to Einstein to be wrong on this one, because it would mean that we would be able to go back in time, but so far all the evidence backs up his theory.

[–]crunchyeyeball 2 points3 points ago

Einstein's relativity only says that mass can't be accelerated beyond the speed of light.

He didn't rule out such things as wormholes, or similar technology.

[–]Chrischn89 2 points3 points ago

There is no need to go faster... you just have to bend the fabric of space to make a connection between two distant points. Voilá other side of the galaxy just a few miles away!

[–]pilvy 0 points1 point ago

you just have to bend the fabric of space

Piece of piss...

[–]donaldodie 0 points1 point ago

Theoretically impossible.

[–]Kredns -1 points0 points ago

And physically impossible as well. It would require an infinite amount of power which is unattainable.

[–]JoelMontgomery 4 points5 points ago

Theoretically unobtainable. Everything is theoretically impossible until proven to be possible, really.

[–]crunchyeyeball 1 point2 points ago

It would only require an infinite amount of power if you try to accelerate it to light speed.

Many scientists have speculated about wormholes or other mechanisms not ruled out by relativity.

In fact, most theories on the period of inflation following the big bang actually require FTL travel:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_(cosmology)

[–]supersonic00712 1 point2 points ago

We could always have your mom bend space with her massive ass by sitting in front of the spaceship.

[–]Rick_dangerously 0 points1 point ago

Now we just need it in blue and green and you have a stellar ending to a video game.

[–]StarKilla 0 points1 point ago

this makes me think of prime numbers.... if you want to hit a very far away object with the laser, you need to constantly refine your aim the further out you go. however tiny a deviation seems at the source of the laser, it will amplify massively. however, if you already have the coordinates of the far away object precisely, it will seem inevitable that the laser hits it. it's like calculating prime numbers. or p=np?

[–]richard_photograph 0 points1 point ago

like the way breathing and heartbeats can throw off a snipers long distance shot .

[–]Electric5000 0 points1 point ago

Just a lazer being shot at Alderaan

[–]geargirl 0 points1 point ago

Probably temporarily blinded some poor alien causing them to crash their hover car.

[–]bluegooser 0 points1 point ago

Leave the Milky Way alone

[–]AreWhyAyeEhn 0 points1 point ago

IM ABOUT TO SHOOOOOOT

[–]tsilb -1 points0 points ago

Don't you just hate it when people act as if we weren't in the Milky Way? A laser pointed literally any direction would count.

[–]EasyReader 0 points1 point ago

People have been calling what is in the OP the milky way since before we knew what a galaxy was. It is not only the reason our galaxy is called the Milky Way, but the Hellenistic Greek term for it, galaktikos kyklos is also the basis for the word galaxy. There are two things, the milky way the galaxy, and the milky way the band of milky light created by the fuckton of stars between us and the center of the galaxy.

[–]electricfoxx -2 points-1 points ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFnIvRpH2C8

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. © 2012 reddit inc. All rights reserved.

REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc.

π Rendered by PID 32474 on app-06 running fc22e53.