Random Thought Thread

Nathan the Machinist said:
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Look at this cool picture I took last night at 10:30 with my phone. I guess there was a smudge on the lens that created a streak on the moon over the view of the Atlantic Ocean from an area of the North Carolina coast that faces due south.

Drinking beer and hanging out with my twin brother, who I don't get to see very often anymore.
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wait. there are TWO of you?

Also I hope the Metallica shirt is pre ''black album''.... just saying.
 
tinfoil hat timmy said:
I think I'll leave that one alone for now
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Like the other observable planets in our solar system, the Earth is spherical shaped. In fact this is pretty much the only shape that it can take due to the nature of physics and planetary formation.

The effects of gravity are observable both on planet and off. Gravity will create a force normal to the surface of the object.

If that object is relatively large and you are relatively close to it, the curvature of that object will not be physically apparent. Particularly when the signal to noise ratio is poor such due to the imperfect undulating surfaces that make up a planet with plate tectonics.

According to Google:

"Visual daytime observations show that the minimum altitude at which curvature of the horizon can be detected is at or slightly below 35,000 ft, providing that the field of view is wide (60 degrees ) and nearly cloud free."

It isn't weird that the horizon appears flat when you're close to the ground. The Earth is pretty big. And, due to the boundary air layer that is typically above the ground or water, light can bounce a pretty good distance across the surface. We're all familiar with the visual effects of a mirage, and are not confused by its existence.

What is weird is that despite centuries of people knowing, understanding, and utilizing the curvature of the earth, there are people who genuinely believe it is flat. This and other clearly false beliefs make me worry about humanity sometimes.
 
Haha, what a coinkydink! I just sold something online (not a knife) to a Moorseville NC addressee (not named Nathan Carothers... would be quite funny if he ever orders something from me not knowing, but I doubt if our paths ever crosses that way!). I know that the place is not like tiny town of like 15 peep, but still amusing to me... Actually going by recent orders, I see quite a bit (for me and what I do) being shipped to both Carolinas. Moot to say that CA, FL and TX are always the top destinations but NC orders have being registering more and more in my head as of late. I can't recall the last time I have had orders from any of the Dakotas, like never!
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
What is weird is that despite centuries of people knowing, understanding, and utilizing the curvature of the earth, there are people who genuinely believe it is flat. This and other clearly false beliefs make me worry about humanity sometimes.
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Well, all that...and raisins in rice pudding.
 
Lorien said:
oh c'mon, what has a raisin ever done to you? Partially rehydrated raisins in either tapioca or rice pudding are like the friendliest thing ever
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I still get nightmares...



Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit (for you Lonesome Dove Fans)

(I think I once caught one of our dogs chewing on a raisin that found itself on to the floor. Gave me a scare so I've not quite forgiven raisins for being toxic to dogs...but I still enjoy a glass of wine.)
 
I'm really not down with raisins that are dried beyond normal raisin humidity, like in muffins or cookies, unless they're so dry that you can't tell them apart from the other stuff in there. It's a delicate balance. I guess you could say I'm all over zombified raisins, but totally not down with mummified ones
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Like the other observable planets in our solar system, the Earth is spherical shaped. In fact this is pretty much the only shape that it can take due to the nature of physics and planetary formation.

The effects of gravity are observable both on planet and off. Gravity will create a force normal to the surface of the object.

If that object is relatively large and you are relatively close to it, the curvature of that object will not be physically apparent. Particularly when the signal to noise ratio is poor such due to the imperfect undulating surfaces that make up a planet with plate tectonics.

According to Google:

"Visual daytime observations show that the minimum altitude at which curvature of the horizon can be detected is at or slightly below 35,000 ft, providing that the field of view is wide (60 degrees ) and nearly cloud free."

It isn't weird that the horizon appears flat when you're close to the ground. The Earth is pretty big. And, due to the boundary air layer that is typically above the ground or water, light can bounce a pretty good distance across the surface. We're all familiar with the visual effects of a mirage, and are not confused by its existence.

What is weird is that despite centuries of people knowing, understanding, and utilizing the curvature of the earth, there are people who genuinely believe it is flat. This and other clearly false beliefs make me worry about humanity sometimes.
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Neil Degrasse Tyson disagrees with the 35000 feet claim.


I dont really know what to believe. im SKEPTICAL of the place that we live being a globe is all. Theres got to be a way to PROVE beyond a reasonable doubt that it's a globe spinning faster than the speed of sound hurtling through space faster still? Einstein said there is NO experiment that can do so. 🤷‍♂️

ID LOVE FOR SOMEONE TO PROVE TO ME THAT ITS A GLOBE WITH AN EXPERIMENT THAT I CAN REPRODUCE MYSELF. I'd be ecstatic. I could go back to the way things were before I started asking questions.

I guess I dont have as much trust in an organization that has 57 million of our tax dollars PER DAY to lose if people dont believe what they say. (NASA has a $57million per day budget)

Theres got to be a way to measure the curve right?

This is the calculation of curvature for a sphere of a diameter of 8,000 miles and/or also the curvature of the circumference of a ball 25,000 miles. Schools teach the earth is about 25000 miles in circumference, about 8000 miles in diameter. For reference. 1 mile = 8inches of curvature 2 miles = 32.1 inches of curvature 3 miles = 72.02 (6 feet) inches of curvature 6 miles = 288 inches (24 feet) inches of curvature 30 miles = 72,000 inches (600feet) of curvature

I'm wondering if the curvature formula is accurate? I bet if someone had a super powerful zoom camera, a Nikon p900 for instance, there would be a way to test how far we can actually see?

I dont know.

Proof is in the pudding.

 
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