Apparently we're not where they thought we are.

[SteveB]

Here's something that is interesting.
Apparently we're not where they thought we were.

Earth Is a Whole Lot Closer to Our Galaxy's Supermassive Black Hole Than We Thought

 

[Temujin]

Here's something that is interesting.
Apparently we're not where they thought we were.

Earth Is a Whole Lot Closer to Our Galaxy's Supermassive Black Hole Than We Thought

An excellent example of science in action. New technology enabling new observational techniques, generating new and more accurate data enabling more accurate conclusions and more complete hypotheses. Yeah science!

 

[The Pixie]

An excellent example of science in action. New technology enabling new observational techniques, generating new and more accurate data enabling more accurate conclusions and more complete hypotheses. Yeah science!

Also a great illustration of the difference between actual critical thinking - scientists considering the possibility that things might not be as we suppose - and what SteveB laughingly calls "critical thinking" in another thread, which turned out to be "Repent and believe the gospel".

 

[The Pixie]

Also worth noting that the difference is relatively small. It is now believed to be 26,673 light years, rather than 27,700, so we are now thought to be 3.7% closer than previously. As is usual with science what we are seeing here is a refinement of the earlier theory.

 

[Cisco Qid]

Also worth noting that the difference is relatively small. It is now believed to be 26,673 light years, rather than 27,700, so we are now thought to be 3.7% closer than previously. As is usual with science what we are seeing here is a refinement of the earlier theory.

Not technically a theory but rather an observation.

 

[Cisco Qid]

Here's something that is interesting.
Apparently we're not where they thought we were.

Earth Is a Whole Lot Closer to Our Galaxy's Supermassive Black Hole Than We Thought

I can see the difficulties involved in distance measurement using triangulation even when using the orbit of the earth as your triangulation platform which is only good to within 500 light years. Long ago, I developed a scale that used an inch as an astronomical unit. On this scale a light year is about 5270 feet and since a mile is 5280 feet, this makes a light year about one mile. Since the eyes are about 2 inches apart (the orbital width of the earth), this makes measuring 500 ly akin to measuring 500 miles with just the parallax of your eye sight alone.

 

[Challenger007]

An excellent example of science in action. New technology enabling new observational techniques, generating new and more accurate data enabling more accurate conclusions and more complete hypotheses. Yeah science!

By the way, it’s very interesting, where will science go next? We are now operating within the existing laws of physics, but what if some of the laws do not work outside the solar system? Of course, it is much easier to interpret everything from the point of view of those laws that are known, because if you assume some other patterns and algorithms, then it will be extremely difficult to understand anything at all.

 

[Temujin]

By the way, it’s very interesting, where will science go next? We are now operating within the existing laws of physics, but what if some of the laws do not work outside the solar system? Of course, it is much easier to interpret everything from the point of view of those laws that are known, because if you assume some other patterns and algorithms, then it will be extremely difficult to understand anything at all.

There is no reason to think that any of the laws of physics are local to our solar system. We are capable of observing objects outside the solar system, indeed outside our galaxy. The laws of physics apply everywhere, except in a singularity. We have got past tearing up what we know and rewriting it. We are now tweaking and refining, with very few complete unknowns to discover.