If our solar system was inside a nebula...

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by Gawdzilla Sama, Sep 1, 2019.

  1. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    ... how would that affect astronomy? Speculations, please.
     
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  3. dumbest man on earth Real Eyes Realize Real Lies Valued Senior Member

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    Wouldn't that affect vary quite widely depending upon which type of nebula or nebulous object that our Solar System existed within?
    - planetary nebulae?
    - emission nebulae?
    - reflection nebulae?
    - dark nebulae?
    - supernova remnant?

    http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/N/Nebula
    " Nebula
    A nebula is an interstellar cloud of gas and dust. The properties of nebulae vary enormously and depend on their composition as well as the environment in which they are situated. Emission nebulae are powered by young, massive stars and emit their own light, reflection nebulae shine by reflecting light from nearby massive stars, and dark nebulae, as the name suggests, are dark and can only be seen when silhouetted against a bright background.

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    The Orion nebula is an emission nebula.
    Credit: AAO/David Malin

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    The Pleiades is a reflection nebula.
    Credit: AAO/ROE/David Malin

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    Barnard 68 is a dark nebula.
    Credit: ESO

    Nebulae can also result from the end stages of stellar evolution. In this case they are present as either a planetary nebula or a supernova remnant depending on the mass of the dying star. " http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/N/Nebula

    As speculation, Gawdzilla Sama, in the case of a nebula resulting from the "end stages of stellar evolution" - if it is our dying/dead star, then any of Human kinds 'Astronomy' may indeed end/die with our stars dying/death!
     
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  5. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    Say, the Pillars of Creation type nebula.
     
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  7. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Ahh my favourite deep space photograph!
    I would say probably all stellar objects and associated planets are born in such conditions. What has been observed to happen, is that whatever planets [and star/s] that do form under gravitational collapse, would in the course of time, sweep out areas within their orbital parameters. This is one of the stipulations re planetary classification by the way.

    The other relative point also is that generally speaking, nebula are really very diffused conglomerations of dust etc, and there was once a time when even M31 [Andromeda galaxy] was seen as a nebula and so called the Andromeda nebula.
     
  8. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    That's because it was nebulus and wouldn't resolve as a point. Better telescope showed why that was. Blessing be to Hubble.
     
  9. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    Anyway, if we couldn't see any other stars what would our astronomy be like? (Assuming it isn't the obvious, of course. (And assuming you and I have the same obvious. (Obviously.)))
     
  10. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    And when *shock, horror* we believed the MW was all there was, not realizing the M31 nebula, was another galaxy 2.5 million L/years distant.
    In the far far distant future as spacetime continues to expand [and apparently accelerate in that expansion rate] the galaxies near our observable horizon, will have moved beyond and lost from our sight forever, while of course M31 and the other galaxies in our local group, will have merged into one giant galaxy.
    https://phys.org/news/2011-04-far-future-astronomers-deduce-big.html
     
  11. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    Yeah, but I'm wondering about a race tucked into a big cloud of gas that hides all the other stars in the Universe. Would astronomy even been a science?
     
  12. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Obviously probably not. But I'm guessing that after the star and planets had formed and swept out areas devoid of the debris and associated with their orbital parameters, then what was left would get even more dispersed.
    It has been suggested [in the linked article] that any civilization that did happen to survive into the far far future, when galaxies had moved beyond the cosmic horizon, and our local group merged, with many many stars having gone S/nova, that it is going to be far far harder to observe and formulate the expanding universe model we have today.
     
  13. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    I have to admit that "Nightfall" inspired this question.
     
  14. dumbest man on earth Real Eyes Realize Real Lies Valued Senior Member

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    Wouldn't that depend on if that race had ever discovered electricity, Gawdzilla Sama?
     
  15. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    If a nebula is large enough it may not effect a local solar system all that much (the gases may be dispursed enough to not appear as concentrated as it does to us). In addition if local residents have our technology they could still observe stars outside of the nebula (even if optical telescopes weren't helpful by using X-rays).
     
  16. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    I'm uncertain as to your point.
     
  17. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    True, but if the nebula is irrelevant there wouldn't be an issue, I suspect.
     
  18. dumbest man on earth Real Eyes Realize Real Lies Valued Senior Member

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    No Electricity...No Radio Telescopes?
     
  19. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    OK, point taken......If this was an issue, such as for example the galactic dust cloud we often see when viewing our galaxy towards the center, then we do have other means. Some infra red and radio 'scopes are able to penetrate such dust clouds and nebula.
    So, at least in my opinion, any sufficiently advanced civilisation should be able to overcome that scenario you describe.
    It would be, as I mentioned earlier, be a problem in the far far distant universe, when the accelerated expansion of spacetime, would see the distant galaxies moved beyond our cosmic or observation horizon.
     
  20. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    Why?
     
  21. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    But would they build those things without knowing there was something to see with them?
     
  22. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Why would they presume there was nothing beyond? Do we presume there is nothing beyond our cosmic horizon?
    If they were at least to the stage of intelligence that we were at the turn of the 20th century, I don't see that presumption being valid.
     
  23. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    If you look out and seen nothing, what's your incentive for looking with more expensive equipment?
     

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