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General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: cvanc on December 23, 2018, 02:00:49 pm

Title: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: cvanc on December 23, 2018, 02:00:49 pm
Seriously.

https://gizmodo.com/days-before-ultima-thule-flyby-new-horizons-has-detect-1831255434
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: chris_leyson on December 23, 2018, 02:20:59 pm
Sounds more like another dark, dead rock with a peculiar spin.
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: Peabody on December 23, 2018, 03:06:05 pm
Quote from: cvanc on December 23, 2018, 02:00:49 pm
Seriously.

https://gizmodo.com/days-before-ultima-thule-flyby-new-horizons-has-detect-1831255434

Yes, but as I remember, the "tell" on Rama came when it changed course.  So watch for that on this one.
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: Stray Electron on December 23, 2018, 03:36:57 pm
  Ultima Thule isn't moving (except normal galaxy movement), hasn't changed course, isn't emitting any signals and there's no indication that it's hollow. So I don't know why you would compare it to Rama.  Have you even read the book?
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: coppercone2 on December 23, 2018, 03:37:56 pm
we should make sure to pillage that thing good
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: chris_leyson on January 02, 2019, 08:11:27 pm
Wow, turns out it's a giant snowman how cool is that. Well done NASA, a fantastic effort from all the engineers and scientists involved. Hires images and IR spectrocopy data to follow in the coming weeks and months.
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: boB on January 02, 2019, 08:15:16 pm

Awful picture !  Can't they replace it with an "artist's conception" or something to make it look better ?

Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: chris_leyson on January 02, 2019, 08:18:42 pm
I think the best resolution they're hoping for is 35m/pixel at cloesest approach.

Meanwhile Chang'e-4 is hoping to touchdown on the far side of the moon sometime this week, busy week for space exploration.
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: In Vacuo Veritas on January 02, 2019, 08:35:18 pm
Put down the sci-fi. Ain't no magical aliens swooping down from an enchanted asteroid to fulfill your fantasies.

What is it about space and nerds? You can't officially have a religion so you make one up under the cover of "science" and "exploration"?
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: SiliconWizard on January 02, 2019, 08:45:48 pm
Quote from: boB on January 02, 2019, 08:15:16 pm

Awful picture !  Can't they replace it with an "artist's conception" or something to make it look better ?

It's awful, but it's low-res enough that people can actually read all kinds of fantasies into it. ;D
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: apis on January 02, 2019, 09:31:10 pm
It is obviously just the NASA lizards that are trying to distract us from the fact that the earth is flat.
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: donotdespisethesnake on January 03, 2019, 10:25:08 am
Just your regular contact binary. The Kuiper belt is probably full of them. Hopefully Hew Horizons can find and flyby another one.

(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/9FB3/production/_105038804_titled-624-nc.png)
Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: CJay on January 03, 2019, 12:34:49 pm
Quote from: chris_leyson on January 02, 2019, 08:11:27 pm
Wow, turns out it's a giant snowman how cool is that. Well done NASA, a fantastic effort from all the engineers and scientists involved. Hires images and IR spectrocopy data to follow in the coming weeks and months.

Wow, so if it was a Rama like object then someone, somewhere must have asked 'Do you wanna build a snowman?'

Title: Re: Holy crap - does this sound like the beginning of 'Rendezvous with Rama' to you?
Post by: Gary350z on January 03, 2019, 12:43:04 pm
Quote from: chris_leyson on January 02, 2019, 08:11:27 pm
Wow, turns out it's a giant snowman how cool is that.

The real Ultima Thule.

(https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/holy-crap-does-this-sound-like-the-beginning-of-rendezvous-with-rama-to-you/?action=dlattach;attach=612127)