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Astronomy/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| New Earth-like plant discovered | 12/7/2011 | Philip Stahl |
| Q: A new Earth-like planet has been discovered, c.600 light years away. Based on the information in ... A: The mean temp. of this new planet has been given as about 72F, but so far none of the sources I've ... | ||
| black holes | 12/5/2011 | Courtney Seligman |
| Q: What happens to the objects that are swallowed by black holes A: They fall into the singularity (the point of infinite density, temperature, and gravity) at the ... | ||
| Age of the universe | 12/5/2011 | Ed |
| Q: How was the age of the universe calculated. Could the universe be older than this calculation? A: Kevin, there were several techniques used: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/age.html For the best ... | ||
| thickness of the universe's shell | 12/2/2011 | Patrick Weiler |
| Q: Why is the universe's shell so thick (by the shell, I mean the distance between the inner and the ... A: .. In the analogy of the balloon I should have also mentioned the necessity of disregarding both the ... | ||
| big bang/void | 11/29/2011 | Courtney Seligman |
| Q: When the big bang occurred, with all the universe and space/time in it, what was outside the big ... A: Presuming the origin of the Big Bang is as generally thought -- a single point of space-time in some ... | ||
| thickness of the universe's shell | 11/28/2011 | Patrick Weiler |
| Q: Why is the universe's shell so thick (by the shell, I mean the distance between the inner and the ... A: .. Thank you for using AllExperts... The first thing you should understand is that the Big Bang ... | ||
| RE: Black and White Holes (..more) | 11/23/2011 | Patrick Weiler |
| Q: My apologies, I had forgot to point out in my previous statement and question that I see Black and ... A: .. Your description of what white holes could be is accurate; however, nothing even resembling such ... | ||
| RE: Black and White Holes | 11/23/2011 | Patrick Weiler |
| Q: I was curious to know why there isn't much talk about about white holes? I am by no means an expert ... A: .. I received your two questions out of sequence, so you'll probably see an answer to your second ... | ||
| jason model 313 telescope | 11/23/2011 | Paul Wagner |
| Q: Mr. Wagner I recently got a jason model 313 scope that a friend found in an attic to a house he ... A: Sounds like you have a fun project. These Jason scopes were made for many, many years...and they ... | ||
| bermuda triangle | 11/21/2011 | Tom Whiting |
| Q: sir i am suraj from india i want to ask u that what is the main history or hidden story behind ... A: You've been watching too much of that science fiction on TV (or reading too much metaphysics reports ... | ||
| Apparent size of Jupiter | 11/19/2011 | Tom Whiting |
| Q: I have what I think is possibly a fairly simple question to answer but the thought of what the ... A: Since Io orbits Jupiter at about the same distance as our own moon, we can proportion it from the ... | ||
| Jason Model 307 Explorer Astr. Telescope | 11/14/2011 | Paul Wagner |
| Q: Someone has donated this telescope w/a mount to our upcoming church fair. I don't know whether to ... A: You are right--this is more of a toy than a serious scope. But it's a toy that kids can enjoy. It ... | ||
| Things to do on a budget..... | 11/12/2011 | Harry Hayfield |
| Q: Several of my friends and I have a lot of interest in astronomy and wish to get into backyard ... A: Absolutely! There are loads of projects where they ask ordinary astronomers (armed very often with ... | ||
| Things to do on a budget..... | 11/12/2011 | Tom Whiting |
| Q: Several of my friends and I have a lot of interest in astronomy and wish to get into backyard ... A: Not much in this the 21st Century. Even strictly visual observations are down to about 2 items ... | ||
| Things to do on a budget..... | 11/12/2011 | Ed |
| Q: Several of my friends and I have a lot of interest in astronomy and wish to get into backyard ... A: Todd, what a great thing to do when you are on a budget. Good for you. This is probably one of the ... | ||
| Things to do on a budget..... | 11/12/2011 | James Gort |
| Q: Several of my friends and I have a lot of interest in astronomy and wish to get into backyard ... A: Yes, indeed there is! But let me first say that one of the most important things you can do (IMHO) ... | ||
| Things do to on a budget..... | 11/12/2011 | Paul Wagner |
| Q: Several of my friends and I have a lot of interest in astronomy and wish to get into backyard ... A: There are a few things that amateurs can do these days, but they may not be as exciting as you would ... | ||
| Things to do on a budget...... | 11/12/2011 | Patrick Weiler |
| Q: Several of my friends and I have a lot of interest in astronomy and wish to get into backyard ... A: and thanks for using All Experts One of the most popular contributions that a private citizen can ... | ||
| Things to do on a budget..... | 11/12/2011 | Philip Stahl |
| Q: Several of my friends and I have a lot of interest in astronomy and wish to get into backyard ... A: There is certainly much to do beyond simple "looking at things". Today, the most relevant role for a ... | ||
| Relative speed of sunset | 11/8/2011 | Paul Wagner |
| Q: I was asked to explain this phenomenon, why is it that as the sun is setting, or rising, it appeared ... A: It's because there is nothing in the middle of the sky to measure the sun's speed against. If you ... | ||
| brown clouds | 11/7/2011 | Tom Whiting |
| Q: On my google sky map I notice brown clouds extending from the north pole, down past the moon and to ... A: You're welcome. Tough to see those northern lights, even from Michigan, with a near full moon. I'll ... | ||
| light speed | 11/6/2011 | Ed |
| Q: We know that negative energy exists but in extremely small quantities. If negative energy exists, ... A: Shivam, you probably already know more than I do, about this. One thing that came up when I tried ... | ||
| Nuclear Fusion in the Sun | 11/5/2011 | Philip Stahl |
| Q: since fusion is a fast chain reaction, I don't understand why hydrogen will remain unconverted to ... A: The problem is one first broached and explored by Prf. Martin Schwarschild in his excellent ... | ||
| brown clouds | 11/4/2011 | Tom Whiting |
| Q: On my google sky map I notice brown clouds extending from the north pole, down past the moon and to ... A: Probably, but on most charts the Milky Way swath is colored dark blue. The 1st quarter moon tonight ... | ||
| Cosmology/physics | 11/3/2011 | Patrick Weiler |
| Q: I hope this question doesn't ramble too much I recently heard on the radio that astronomers have ... A: .. My apologies for not completely answering your initial question. In your second question you ... | ||
| Binary system | 11/2/2011 | Tom Whiting |
| Q: Was our Sun ever part of a binary system and are binary systems the norm or the exception ?. Thanks. A: It's thought that about half (50%) of all stars are part of a binary, or multiple system. Whether ... | ||
| Cosmology/physics | 11/1/2011 | Patrick Weiler |
| Q: I hope this question doesn't ramble too much I recently heard on the radio that astronomers have ... A: and thank you for using All Experts. The radio was absolutely correct..! The reason behind this ... | ||
| can meteors change direction? | 10/30/2011 | Courtney Seligman |
| Q: I am having an argument with people who think a particular video shows a UFO, when I think that it ... A: Meteors (or more accurately, the meteoroids that produce meteors) can change their path, usually as ... | ||
| Telescopes | 10/23/2011 | Ed |
| Q: How do scientists maximize the size of the collecting mirror? A: Miki, scientists use many different techniques. They want the largest mirror possible, in order to ... | ||
| A thought experiment | 10/20/2011 | Courtney Seligman |
| Q: I wonder if you could attempt an answer to this thought experiment I am presently struggling with. ... A: I'm afraid the answer is no, we can't look into our past. When we say that we can look "into the ... | ||
| the whole shabang | 10/18/2011 | Courtney Seligman |
| Q: As an amateur cosmologist I come across much talk of multiverse, dimensions etc. It seems to me that ... A: If by the xth dimension you are referring to a quantity encompassing the "space" occupied by all the ... | ||
| the whole shabang | 10/18/2011 | Courtney Seligman |
| Q: As an amateur cosmologist I come across much talk of multiverse, dimensions etc. It seems to me that ... A: Yes, I would agree that if something can affect part of our Universe, then it should be considered ... | ||
| the whole shabang | 10/17/2011 | Courtney Seligman |
| Q: As an amateur cosmologist I come across much talk of multiverse, dimensions etc. It seems to me that ... A: (Note added partway through answering yourThe start of this answer is about a definition of hidden ... | ||
| What would happen to the earth if an asteriod hit the moon? | 10/16/2011 | James Gort |
| Q: What would happen to the earth if an asteroid hit the moon? Would we as people be affected. Would ... A: A lot depends on the size of the asteroid. If it had enough mass to eject material beyond the ... | ||
| Supernova | 10/15/2011 | James Gort |
| Q: Gort, I recently saw an astronomy documentary about supernovas, and they said that Betelgeuse--one ... A: You've asked a very interesting question, and one in which there has been some research, but no ... | ||
| dark matter | 10/12/2011 | Tom Whiting |
| Q: maybe this is more of a Physics Q, but I've liked your answers before so I'd like to give you a try! ... A: Even if you allow for unknown "free-floating" black holes, and unknown very massive black holes, ... | ||
| light | 10/2/2011 | James Gort |
| Q: I Have some questions related to light. They are stimulated from the recent 'alleged' speed of ... A: You're right - you didn't ask WHY they have the speed they do, but you ask about their "creation" - ... | ||
| light | 10/2/2011 | James Gort |
| Q: I Have some questions related to light. They are stimulated from the recent 'alleged' speed of ... A: I'll do my best to answer the question. But the "why" question you ask - why neutrinos have the ... | ||
| Star formation | 9/27/2011 | James Gort |
| Q: I have a hypothetical question. Ok lets start with a large 1st generation star. Now lets say that ... A: Interesting hypothetical situation. Although your assumption that a second generation star needs a ... | ||
| Astronomy beginner | 9/26/2011 | Tom Whiting |
| Q: My love for physics and astronomy is of cosmical scale! I am an absolute beginner and recently got a ... A: Congratulations on finding M-31, and yes, we can only see the primary galaxy naked eye. The other ... | ||
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Astronomy
Answers by Expert:
Tom Whiting
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Astronomy has been my hobby/pasttime for over 50 years. Currently own 3 telescopes, the largest of which is a 30 inch Newtonian truss Dob that is portable.I taught Astronomy/Meteorology at the University Level for 13 years before retiring in 1995. Being retired and home most of the time, I am able to answer all questions relatively quickly, unless it's a new moon weekend with good observing conditions. No astrology questions please, or questions about alleged UFO picture identifications.
Experience
Experience: Astronomy has been my hobby and study for over 50 years. We currently now own a 30 inch portable telescope (Updated - Pennsylvania`s largest portable telescope). It can be seen on our website at:http://www.velocity.net/~bwhiting and also attend several regional starparties during the year, and have been on 5 total solar eclipse expeditions.
Organizations: President, Erie County Mobile Observers Group for over 15 years.
Publications: Wrote the "Over Erie Skies" newspaper article in our local newspaper for 11 years (1975-86).
Education: Masters Degree- Taught at the University level for 13 years. Retired 20 years -USAF Pilot - KC-135 with 180 combat missions; Also Eagle Scout, Philmont staff 2 Yrs, Order of Arrow Lodge Chief, Ham Radio (inactive).
Awards: two discoveries: The mini-coathanger asterism in Ursa Minor (the little dipper) And the mini-ladle- another asterism in the bowl of Ursa Minor. Clients: Currently President of the ECMOG as mentioned above.
Education/Credentials
BS Metallurgical Engineering Grove City College, PAMaster's Degree, Gannon University, Erie, PA
Also retired USAF pilot, 20 years.
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