Yeah, I know, these aren't updated very much. I think I have to change the schedule as weekends are seldom available to update things these days. Still, it's not like there's been an absence of questions ! Here's a round-up of the last few months (I still have more stockpiled, but I reckon twenty is enough to be getting on with). As always, click on the links for the longer, generally less sarcastic answers, and have a browse of the enormous Q&A page. Current total stands at 425 questions !
1) Are you a rah-rah scientist ?
No.
REVERSE Q&A IN WHICH I ASK THE QUESTION AND SOMEONE ELSE ANSWERS !
2) Is that my timeline of the Universe Stephen Hawking is using ?
Yes it is !
3) Your Discovery variant of Orion is all wrong.
Blame Kubrick.
4) What's neat about this galaxy without any dark matter ?
It looked like it was really cool... but it wasn't.
5) The galaxy can't have more than one black hole !
Err... yes, it can.
6) Can you make a side-by-side 3D version of this galaxy fly-through ?
Yes.
7) Is this the Andromeda galaxy ?
No.
8) What do you call it when you reach the point of closest/furthest approach to a black hole ?
Terrifying.
9) Is every round object a planet ?
Yes.
10) Is mainstream science being a douchebag by pretending the Big Bang is real ?
Umm, no.
11) Don't quasars disprove the ages of distant galaxies ?
What ? No.
12) I've disproved the expansion of the Universe !
No, you haven't.
13) Is the Cosmic Microwave Background homogeneous ?
Yes, very.
14) How come distance doesn't matter for surface brightness ?
Geometry works like that.
15) Wait, are your sure distance doesn't affect surface brightness ?
Yes. There are lots of subtleties but they can be accounted for.
16) Could time dilation affect our estimates of star formation rate in distant galaxies ?
No.
17) Isn't space a vacuum, so how come turbulent clouds don't just fly apart ?
It's not a perfect vacuum, just a very good one.
18) What shape are black holes ?
Very, very pointy.
19) Is this asteroid impact video accurate ?
It's not bad.
20) What's the data set shown in this pretty movie ?
Your mum.
The exiled life of an astrophysicist
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