It's Gonna Happen One Day... When It Does, How Do You Want the World to End?

[theguru]

I like Woodford Reserve every now and then, but again, don't tell the wifey. Forgot my Sapphire and tonic too.

 

You better hope your wife is not Alien, they have detailed files.

[theguru]

If it is going to be something natural, then I guess with the big bang idea, we will be too far away from the sun to sustain life. I thought that the earth was continuing to move farther away from the sun as a result of the big bang.

 

I wonder how the environment will be impacted when all the continents bang into each other.

 

I'm not sure what will happen first.

 

I believe God will eventually destroy the earth but maybe it was his intention to have it be one of the natural theories we've heard about.

 

I can't argue against your destruction theory in this one but you just got demoted back to Science 099 with the bold.

[theguru]

There have been 5 mass extinction events in the history of this planet. It seems reasonable to assume there are to be more. I completely believe that humans will be the cause of the next one.

 

I sure hope you are wrong @swamprat

 

What a waste of talent that would be.

[theguru]

Few will be spared in the robot revolution.

 

 

I heard it happened in California.

[theguru]

Your science here isn't accurate (Big Bang, continents). I can give you some info there, if you are interested.

 

Sure. I really don't know much about it. I could have sworn that eventually the continents will eventually crash into each other. The whole pangea continental drift thing.

 

I didn't mean to pile on @PP1

 

This is my science fiction thriller of the night for me.

 

We are held in a tight orbit by the sun's immense gravity. And on that thought, I think any Sun Worshiping cultures would be an interesting case study for you.

 

Another way of looking at it is the Big Bang Theory (and frankly a lot about the theory doesn't make any sense to me) is so far removed from us and this little Tardigrade we live on that are massive sun (relatively puny as suns/stars go) is Billions and Billions of times more powerful by comparison.

[SnottieDrippen]

I didn't mean to pile on @PP1

 

This is my science fiction thriller of the night for me.

 

We are held in a tight orbit by the sun's immense gravity. And on that thought, I think any Sun Worshiping cultures would be an interesting case study for you.

 

Another way of looking at it is the Big Bang Theory (and frankly a lot about the theory doesn't make any sense to me) is so far removed from us and this little Tardigrade we live on that are massive sun (relatively puny as suns/stars go) is Billions and Billions of times more powerful by comparison.

 

He isn't entirely wrong though. We are moving away from the sun, just at a speed slower than a snail on codiene.

 

My question, mostly directed at TB&G is how effective our atmosphere is at protecting the planet from wind damage? How can we be moving at 65,000 MPH and not be losing feet off the surface per year to more than rising water levels?

[theguru]

He isn't entirely wrong though. We are moving away from the sun, just at a speed slower than a snail on codeine.

 

My question, mostly directed at TB&G is how effective our atmosphere is at protecting the planet from wind damage? How can we be moving at 65,000 MPH and not be losing feet off the surface per year to more than rising water levels?

 

Read this stuff everyone:

 

One idea is that the Sun is losing enough mass, via fusion and the solar wind, to gradually be losing its gravitational grip (see Astronomical unit may need to be redefined). Other possible explanations include a change in the gravitational constant G, the effects of cosmic expansion, and even the influence of dark matter. None have proved satisfactory.

 

Why is the Earth moving away from the sun? | New Scientist

[theguru]

He isn't entirely wrong though. We are moving away from the sun, just at a speed slower than a snail on codeine.

 

Or the funny response, the Big Bang is a dirty old man, the Sun is losing its grip, and even the Moon is messing with us.

[SnottieDrippen]

Or the funny response, the Big Bang is a dirty old man, the Sun is losing its grip, and even the Moon is messing with us.

 

If you and the laws of physics will allow me to disregard the gravity of the moon for one comment, I'd like to know why it isn't more reasonable to think the tides are a result of the planet coming to a rest, (figuratively? speaking) in its orbit?

 

The best analogy I can come up with is a seatbelt holding the body in place while the head continues on its forward trajectory, where the continents are the body and the bodies of water are the head.

[plantmanky]

You just made the list.

 

You know they know who you are, even we can't keep secrets from them...

 

I was already on their list. Ive been to their ship once back in 03. Some of the details are still foggy.

[plantmanky]

You just made the list.

 

You know they know who you are, even we can't keep secrets from them...

 

I was already on their list. Ive been to their ship once back in 03. Some of the details are still foggy.

[OlDog75]

You better hope your wife is not Alien, they have detailed files.

 

Believe me, she has detailed files already!! And I have told her quite a few times she is out of this world!

[OlDog75]

I like that one as well. Would love to see Trump have a smack down with an alien.

 

That would be YUUUGE!

[True blue (and gold)]

Sure. I really don't know much about it. I could have sworn that eventually the continents will eventually crash into each other. The whole pangea continental drift thing.

I think that your are simply confusing a few things and over simplifying another.

 

First, when you mention the Big Bang causing the sun to move away from us, I believe that you are referring to one piece of evidence that we have that supports the BBT - red shift of light from other galaxies that are moving away from us and each other, evidence of the continuing expansion of the Big Bang. Our Milky Way belongs to a cluster of galaxies called the Local Group, which Doppler shift evidence shows has enough gravity that these galaxies move together, rather than apart. There are 28 galaxies that are part of our Local Group and move with our galaxy, but all others are moving away. I think this is where you confused the sun moving away from us.

 

Continential Drift was a good beginning understanding for the motion of the Earth's land masses, but it had a lot of inaccuracies and was replaced with Plate Tectonic Theory. In short, the Earth's crust (including ocean crust) is broken into about 20 major tectonic plates, which move over top of the hot, plasticy asthenosphere. Some plates are moving apart, others move together, some slide past each other. For example, the Erasian plate and the Indian plate have been colliding for millions of years, producing the Himalayas. Various plates in the Atlantic Ocean are moving apart, with new crust being made along these divergent boundaries, creating the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which runs across Iceland, giving it its volcanic nature. The Marianas Trench is created where two oceanic plates collide, with one sub ducting beneath the other. Also, you have faults created where part of plates slide past each other, causing earthquakes (i.e., San Andreas.) So, to say that the continents will one day slam into each other is inaccurate. We already have that occurring in some places, but it isn't the only motion.

 

In my general physics classes, we go over these things in detail, but also learn about the supporting evidence for these theories.

 

Let it me know if you have any follow up questions. Plate Tectonics, in particular, is a favorite of mine.

[True blue (and gold)]

If you and the laws of physics will allow me to disregard the gravity of the moon for one comment, I'd like to know why it isn't more reasonable to think the tides are a result of the planet coming to a rest, (figuratively? speaking) in its orbit?

 

The best analogy I can come up with is a seatbelt holding the body in place while the head continues on its forward trajectory, where the continents are the body and the bodies of water are the head.

You are referring to inertia (Newton's First Law of Motion.) The problem with using this as a stand alone idea for tides is their periodicity. Tides happen in very predictable patterns. Inertia is not periodic. The motion of the moon around the earth perfectly explains the tidal pattern.

 

At the risk of sounding too "Cliff Clave," an inter sting fact...the words tide and tidal refer to gravitational pulls, not water.