01-05-2005 11:07									#31
	Tired of ads?

Actually, if we found one, sending the people isn't as much of a problem as you'd think, if we just keep accelerating them, because of time dilation. We could probably achieve a relatavistic speed using a Project Orion-esque set-up.

Our intrepid explorers zoom off on a journey of many light years to a star with a watery planet and oxygen atmosphere...this journey only takes them a few years...but, d'oh, someone forget the donuts back home...where in the meantime 10 000s of years have gone by, human civilization has changed/moved/died/left a note reminding its descendants to put out the cat...

Time dilation really plays hob with the colonization/trade/cultural exhange of any potential GALACTIC EMPIRE. Maybe the could hack it if they were near-immortals? Hey bob, I know I've been away a while, any thing interesting happen in the last 50k? Oh, same old, same old....

This is why in science fiction there is always a space drive (usually called a 'hyper' or 'warp' drive) to fix this problem, allowing the GALACTIC EMPIRE to thrive and the Humans to finally crush those snivelling Mrrshans. Unfortunetly, the closest theoretical model we can come up with is the Modified Alcubierre Warp Drive(google it), which is amazing in that it is probably sortof theoretically workable, but it relies on large quantities of Unobtainium, such as negative mass matter.

	01-05-2005 12:09									#32
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

quote: Originally posted by Bill3000 Technically, all bodies of all types that have a therodynamic temperature above absolute zero radiate.

Including black holes but you can't see those.

	01-05-2005 12:11									#33
	Tired of ads?

quote: Originally posted by Seeker such as negative mass matter.

Like condensed dark energy?

	01-05-2005 15:35									#34
	Support Apolyton

Negative energy matter?

	03-05-2005 19:03									#35
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger Negative energy matter?

According to E=MC^2, energy and matter are equivalent. I suppose that applies to dark energy as well.

	03-05-2005 19:51									#36
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

the could see the planet because:

a) it is so freakin big
b) the star is very cold (only 1000 degrees on the surface) this is way is is mostly infrared so the light of the star didnt block the view...

	03-05-2005 19:52									#37
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

and oh yes it isnt a normal planet because it is actually a failed version of the star it is orbitting...it was just to little to become a star but it is not that is was formed of residue of the star it is orbitting

	03-05-2005 20:31									#38
	Increase Your PM Length

quote: Originally posted by Az my definition A rock larger than some arbitrary size X with a nearly perfect spherical shape that emits no visible light.

I don't think it needs to be a rock.
I agree on the shape & light emission.
I'd add it needs to orbit oround a star, otherwise it's a moon.

	03-05-2005 20:57									#39
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

It doesn't have to be... Double planets, for instance.

	03-05-2005 21:01									#40
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

Pluto/Charon?

	03-05-2005 21:12									#41
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Originally posted by Dauphin The Earth must turn off its lights at night, else its not a planet!

Is that a real pic - looks a bit cgi-ed ... still cool

	03-05-2005 21:17									#42
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

yep, nice pic, but its defineatly been fiddled with

	03-05-2005 21:17									#43
	Inflate your Upload Space

quote: I don't think it needs to be a rock. I agree on the shape & light emission. I'd add it needs to orbit oround a star, otherwise it's a moon.

Moons are planets, too. I agree that the "rock" part wasn't the correct thing to say.

quote: oh yes it isnt a normal planet because it is actually a failed version of the star it is orbitting...it was just to little to become a star but it is not that is was formed of residue of the star it is orbitting

brown dwarves are planets, too.

	03-05-2005 21:28									#44
	Support Apolyton

quote: Originally posted by Az quote: I don't think it needs to be a rock. I agree on the shape & light emission. I'd add it needs to orbit oround a star, otherwise it's a moon. Moons are planets, too. I agree that the "rock" part wasn't the correct thing to say.

No they aren't. Add to the definition that the planet is the body that contains the center of mass of the system orbiting the star.

	03-05-2005 21:32									#45
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

It's a silly definition. If, for example, one would find a celestial body the size of earth, venus, or mars, drifting in space, not calling it a planet would be completely rediculous, IMHO.

	03-05-2005 21:33									#46
	Got spare money?

Huh? How does that violate the definition I provided?

	03-05-2005 21:38									#47
	Got spare money?

Not by currently accepted definitions.

Planets must condense from the circumstellar disk of a star.

It's been determined that brown dwarves condense as stars do, and even have their own disks when young enough.

	03-05-2005 21:40									#48
	Tired of ads?

Ah, he wasn't referring to my addition.

	03-05-2005 21:40									#49
	Increase Your PM Length

The whole "circling the star" part. If you define a planet as "the body that contains the center of mass of the system orbiting the star.", then the body has to orbit a star to be a planet. I disagree with this. That's all.

	03-05-2005 21:42									#50
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

If the thing isn't orbiting a star, it'll be really ****ing cold so it doesn't matter if it's a planet

Also, I doubt it's even possible to see such a body if it's not orbiting a star, giving that it wouldn't reflect almost any light.

	03-05-2005 22:02									#51
	Remove this text

We're not talking about seeing it. Say, it's 3156 and the spaceship "USS Michael Jackson" encounters using positronic infrabla bla sensors a spheric rock the size of earth, perhaps covered with ice. Do you think that this is not a planet?

	03-05-2005 22:04									#52
	Inflate your Upload Space

No. It's a chunk of rock in the middle of nowhere.

	03-05-2005 22:06									#53
	Increase the size of your Attachments

Well, I disagree.

	03-05-2005 22:12									#54
	Inflate your Upload Space

No you don't. Secretely you agree with me.

	03-05-2005 22:15									#55
	Full PM-box? Change here!

DAMN YOU, KUCI! HOW DID YOU KNOW THIS?!!!!!


( did we just kill the thread? )

	03-05-2005 22:48									#56
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

If I see a planet I say, "hey, there's a planet". If I see a rock I say "hey, there's a rock". It's intuitive.

Besides, if you're a planet, you know you're a planet. Planets don't need human affirmation. Rocks on the other hand...

	03-05-2005 23:22									#57
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Vince278 Including black holes but you can't see those.

Incorrect. Black holes radiate nothing, hence the term, black hole. The accretion disks around black holes, however, radiate massive amounts of energy.

	03-05-2005 23:49									#58
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Incorrect. Black holes radiate nothing, hence the term, black hole. The accretion disks around black holes, however, radiate massive amounts of energy.

Actually, they do radiate Hawking emission, that allow the holes to slowly decay. But you are right, that we detect the black holes from the matter in their accretion disks and jets.

	03-05-2005 23:51									#59
	Remove this text

What's the center of mass for the system? If it is well outside the star, I can't see myself calling it a star and a planet, but two very dim stars in a binary system.

	04-05-2005 00:11									#60
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by alva Thanks for my new desktop picture.

dito. I used to use a map of Europe like that until I got bored of it. this shall last some eons, to stay with space lingo.