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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-117-382748962 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes; format=flowed On Oct 18, 2006, at 9:29 PM, Jim Wolford wrote: > > "However, even though Vega is only 25 light years away, at this speed =20= > it > would take our Sun almost half a billion years to reach it. > > "Astronomers call this point in space toward which we are rushing "The = =20 > Apex > of the Sun's Way". How lovely. How poetic. > > "... just after sunset, look almost overhead, focus on Vega and, if =20= > you have > a vivid imagination, let your spirit soar and you might almost feel =20= > our tiny > Earth hurtling through space toward ...." > --------------- > I find this truly mind-boggling, like much of what I know and don't =20= > know > about our Universe -- e.g. who can contemplate billions of light =20 > years?? > But after reading the above passages, at least maybe I can better > contemplate just a tiny bit of it -- multiply half a billion years by =20= > 644 > million kilometres ....! > > Cheers from Jim on Earth in Wolfville > > Hi everyone: The 19 km/s refers to the Sun's velocity with respect to the "local =20 standard of rest". All of the stars in the area around the Sun are =20 orbiting the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. Some are moving a bit =20 faster and some are moving a bit slower. If you take the average all of =20= the stars near the Sun, the Sun is moving a bit faster than the =20 average. 19 km/s faster. With respect to the centre of the galaxy, the Sun is moving at 230 =20 km/s. (Think of a NASCAR race.... the pack of cars is moving at over =20 200 km/s; the Sun is gaining on some of the cars in the pack by moving =20= 19 km/s faster than the average.) At the Sun's distance from the Milky Way's centre, the time it takes to =20= go around once is about 200,000,000 years. This period of time is =20 called a "cosmic year". The last time the Sun was on this side of the =20= galaxy, the Triassic Period was being replaced by the Jurassic Period. =20= The Sun has made about 23 trips around the galaxy since it formed=85 Pat =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20 =3D=3D Patrick Kelly Director of Computer Facilities =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20 =3D=3D Faculty of Architecture and Planning Dalhousie University =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20 =3D=3D PO Box 1000 Stn Central 5410 Spring Garden Road Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Canada Canada =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20 =3D=3D Phone:(902) 494-3294 FAX:(902) 423-6672 E-mail:patrick.kelly@dal.ca =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20 =3D=3D --Apple-Mail-117-382748962 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/enriched; charset=WINDOWS-1252 On Oct 18, 2006, at 9:29 PM, Jim Wolford wrote: <excerpt> "However, even though Vega is only 25 light years away, at this speed it would take our Sun almost half a billion years to reach it. "Astronomers call this point in space toward which we are rushing "The Apex of the Sun's Way". How lovely. How poetic. "... just after sunset, look almost overhead, focus on Vega and, if you have a vivid imagination, let your spirit soar and you might almost feel our tiny Earth hurtling through space toward ...." --------------- I find this truly mind-boggling, like much of what I know and don't know about our Universe -- e.g. who can contemplate billions of light years?? But after reading the above passages, at least maybe I can better contemplate just a tiny bit of it -- multiply half a billion years by 644 million kilometres ....! Cheers from Jim on Earth in Wolfville </excerpt> Hi everyone: The 19 km/s refers to the Sun's velocity with respect to the "local standard of rest". All of the stars in the area around the Sun are orbiting the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. Some are moving a bit faster and some are moving a bit slower. If you take the average all of the stars near the Sun, the Sun is moving a bit faster than the average. 19 km/s faster.=20 With respect to the centre of the galaxy, the Sun is moving at 230 km/s. (Think of a NASCAR race.... the pack of cars is moving at over 200 km/s; the Sun is gaining on some of the cars in the pack by moving 19 km/s faster than the average.) At the Sun's distance from the Milky Way's centre, the time it takes to go around once is about 200,000,000 years. This period of time is called a "cosmic year". The last time the Sun was on this side of the galaxy, the Triassic Period was being replaced by the Jurassic Period. The Sun has made about 23 trips around the galaxy since it formed=85 Pat <fontfamily><param>Courier</param> = =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Patrick Kelly Director of Computer Facilities = =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Faculty of Architecture and Planning Dalhousie University = =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D PO Box 1000 Stn Central 5410 Spring Garden Road Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Canada Canada = =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Phone:(902) 494-3294 FAX:(902) 423-6672 =20 E-mail:patrick.kelly@dal.ca = =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D </fontfamily> --Apple-Mail-117-382748962--
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