4/15/2004: Solar prominence

[Griff]

Originally posted by Elspode
Aren't we glad that *we* don't generate gigantic magnetic fields that contain our farts for tens of minutes to hours?

Actually my Dad has developed this theory....

[Slartibartfast]

A steady diet of hydrogen will leave anyone gassy

[Elspode]

Originally posted by Slartibartfast
A steady diet of hydrogen will leave anyone gassy

Yup...a few billion years of such a diet will leave you belching out heavy elements, and finally, swelling up to enormous size and getting red all over.

Extreme cases have actually consumed in such profligate fashion as to actually explode.

[jdbutler]

Now that's the kind of fart I like to leave in the elevator for the unsuspecting next riders!

[paranoid]

Originally posted by Undertoad
turns out the entire Earth could fit in that space between the Sun and the prominence.

the whole prominence is 300000 km (187000 miles) long, well, lets just say it's bookin'.

If you are going to write stupid jokes about farts, please check your science first. Otherwise you would look like an idiot. Earth's diameter is about 12800 km and so about 50-100 Earths or so would fit between the Sun and the prominence next to each other.

P.S. The fact that NASA's APOTD writer fucked up and oversimplified it does not exempt you from responsibility for what you write.

[Undertoad]

I am quite often wrong and depend on the kindness of folks like yourself to correct me. Thank you.

[jdbutler]

Originally posted by Undertoad
I am quite often wrong and depend on the kindness of folks like yourself to correct me. Thank you.

I do believe the Undertoad has finally achieved the State of
“Maditation”: (heightened state of mind achieved while thinking of all the ways to kill some sanctimonious paranoid that refuses to leave any nit unpicked!)haha:

[Elspode]

Yes, especially when the corrections are put so delicately and sensitively.

[Elspode]

Also, since no one else pointed out that UT might look like an idiot, does that make all the rest of us idiots, too, or merely polite?

[mrnoodle]

60,000 Kelvin? I fart that after eating a bowl of cereal. C'mon sun, you can do better.

[Elspode]

Kellogs Sugar Frosted Hydrogen Flakes?

[lumberjim]

turns out the entire Earth could fit in that space between the Sun and the prominence.

Earth's diameter is about 12800 km and so about 50-100 Earths or so would fit between the Sun and the prominence next to each other.

deductive logic tells us that these are BOTH true statements.

actually, when i was looking at that pic and reading UT's description the first time, i thought it looked like a bigger area than the earth's diameter. I was told in science that a million earths could fit inside the sun. or something.

If you are going to write stupid jokes about farts, please check your science first. Otherwise you would look like an idiot.

if you are going to hold a fart joke laden commentary to responsible journalistic standards, and expect strict accuracy, and be rude about it, you might look like an idiot.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally posted by paranoid


If you are going to write stupid jokes about farts, please check your science first. Otherwise you would look like an idiot. Earth's diameter is about 12800 km and so about 50-100 Earths or so would fit between the Sun and the prominence next to each other.

P.S. The fact that NASA's APOTD writer fucked up and oversimplified it does not exempt you from responsibility for what you write.

Well paranoid, 50 to 100 Earths, huh? Thanks, that’s very enlightening.
Now the web site says the whole prominence is about 300,000 km long. The distance from the Sun’s surface appears to be about 1/6th of that or about 50,000 km. You say the Earth is 12,800 km in diameter? I believe you. So if I divide 50,000 km by 12,800 km, I get just over 23 Earths in there.
Since you are obviously an educated person, would you be kind enough to explain what I’m doing wrong.
Well, either way, the statement that the earth will fit in that space, appears to be correct. It will fit.

[dar512]

Originally posted by Archer


Um, well actually, I've had it happen once or twice. Melted my shorts right to my arse. Not to mention, my roommates were none to pleased . . . for several hours mind you.

Have anything to do with your handle? Hmmmm?

[paranoid]

Originally posted by lumberjim
deductive logic tells us that these are BOTH true statements.

actually, when i was looking at that pic and reading UT's description the first time, i thought it looked like a bigger area than the earth's diameter. I was told in science that a million earths could fit inside the sun. or something.

We aren't in a courtroom over this matter yet, are we? That the statement from APOD is technically true doesn't mean it is not misleading and not both ignorant and promoting further ignorance.

As for how many Earths could fit inside the Sun, your science teacher was basically correct. Assuming face-centered cubic packing of Earths (the best possible), 74% of Sun's volume will be filled, which gives us about 997500 Earths. You'd have to compress them slightly to fit the whole million, but I am sure gravitation will take care of that.

Originally posted by lumberjim
if you are going to hold a fart joke laden commentary to responsible journalistic standards, and expect strict accuracy, and be rude about it, you might look like an idiot.

May be so. But I'd rather look like an idiot nitpicking than do it being ignorant about something.

Originally posted by xoxoxoBruce
Well paranoid, 50 to 100 Earths, huh? Thanks, that’s very enlightening.
Now the web site says the whole prominence is about 300,000 km long. The distance from the Sun’s surface appears to be about 1/6th of that or about 50,000 km. You say the Earth is 12,800 km in diameter? I believe you. So if I divide 50,000 km by 12,800 km, I get just over 23 Earths in there.
Since you are obviously an educated person, would you be kind enough to explain what I’m doing wrong.

I guess, pretty much everything. To start with, your math skills seem to be the worst here. You appear to have some problems with division in particular.

Getting back to your implied question, let me explain. First, I doubt the 300,000 km estimate given by UT. Since we know how big the Sun is and that the photo is taken almost from Earth orbit, the prominence appears to be about twice as long. Second, we don't know the position of the prominence in respect to the Sun. It might be significantly closer to Earth than the Sun is and that would greatly increase the distance. The lower bound appears to be around 20 Earths (not 50/12.8~20, mind you), but I believe it's unlikely that the prominence is exactly at the side of the Sun, so I gave a higher estimate.

Originally posted by Elspode
Yes, especially when the corrections are put so delicately and sensitively.

I think they match the gravity of the mistake.

Originally posted by Elspode
I am quite often wrong and depend on the kindness of folks like yourself to correct me. Thank you.

You are welcome. And thank you for linking to this great image in the first place.