07 Dec 2019, 12:59 pm
My profession is Electrical Engineering. One of my interests is Astronomy. While doing some “back of the envelope” calculations, I discovered that a planet in retrograde orbit around binary stars is more stable in that orbit than the same planet in a prograde orbit at the same distance from the binary stars.
So I called up a professional astronomer and told her of my ‘amazing’ discovery.
“Oh yes,” she said. “That’s been known for simply decades!”
Oh, well ... I can at least take pride in the fact that I discovered this independently, and without actually observing a binary solar system first-hand.
07 Dec 2019, 1:02 pm
So I called up a professional astronomer and told her of my ‘amazing’ discovery.
“Oh yes,” she said. “That’s been known for simply decades!”
Oh, well ... I can at least take pride in the fact that I discovered this independently, and without actually observing a binary solar system first-hand.
If the calculations can be done on a back of an envelope, the probability that somebody already did it is quite high.
But there is a satisfaction in coming to such things on your own, definitely!
07 Dec 2019, 1:09 pm
07 Dec 2019, 1:10 pm
So I called up a professional astronomer and told her of my ‘amazing’ discovery.
“Oh yes,” she said. “That’s been known for simply decades!”
Oh, well ... I can at least take pride in the fact that I discovered this independently, and without actually observing a binary solar system first-hand.
07 Dec 2019, 1:13 pm
07 Dec 2019, 1:15 pm
So I called up a professional astronomer and told her of my ‘amazing’ discovery.
“Oh yes,” she said. “That’s been known for simply decades!”
Oh, well ... I can at least take pride in the fact that I discovered this independently, and without actually observing a binary solar system first-hand.
I have one in my basement and I invented it before you did.
07 Dec 2019, 1:17 pm
07 Dec 2019, 1:18 pm
07 Dec 2019, 1:36 pm
No, but I have found the answer to life, the universe, and everything in it.
Also, I need time for other pursuits like drawing and world domination.
07 Dec 2019, 1:50 pm
The system I simulated had a pair of M8-V stars at 0.25 AU apart, with an Earth-sized world at 1 AU from their barycenter — too far from the life zone for a civilization to develop, but still useful for studying orbits. Now to write a program to allow adjusting the stellar separation and the planetary orbit.
It’s what I do in my spare time.
07 Dec 2019, 1:57 pm
I built one.
But it only skidded sideways. Sideways into the parallel universes of the present. Doesn't go forward nor backward.
We gave it a test drive the day Hillary was sworn into office, and for the last several years , I and the crew, have been trying to find our way back home.
We skidded FAR sideways at first, but have been navigating back.
At first we ended up in the "present day" of the earth that had NOT been hit by that meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. We found an Earth dominated by bipedal intelligent birdlike lizards who spend all of their time on social media sites on something like the web. The dinos were never wiped out. Mammals remained held in evolutionary checkmate, as small possumlike critters. And one species of human sized birdlike dinosaurs evolved intelligence, civilization, and technology. And they were about at the same level that humans are today in THIS present day parallel universe.
Then we fixed the machine a little. We managed to get back to an earth dominated by mammals- and even by primates. But we ended up in a 2019 in which France had won the Seven Years War (aka "the French and Indian Wars)back in 1763, in which the present day USA and Canada were one large French speaking world power.
We made more adjustments and took it for another spin. Ended up in a "present" in which North America is English speaking but in which the South had won the civil war, and the US was several separate English speaking countries.
So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work again.
Finnally we are almost there. In a present day US almost like home. Except in THIS present day- Donald Trump had won the election.
We are almost there! One more try and we should be able to make it home... to the normal Universe in which Hillary is Potus. May not be better than this universe. But at least its home! 
07 Dec 2019, 1:59 pm
But it only skidded sideways. Sideways into the parallel universes of the present. Doesn't go forward nor backward.
We gave it a test drive the day Hillary was sworn into office, and for the last several years , I and the crew, have been trying to find our way back home.
We skidded FAR sideways at first, but have been navigating back.
At first we ended up in the "present day" of the earth that had NOT been hit by that meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. We found an Earth dominated by bipedal intelligent birdlike lizards who spend all of their time on social media sites on something like the web. The dinos were never wiped out. Mammals remained held in evolutionary checkmate, as small possumlike critters. And one species of human sized birdlike dinosaurs evolved intelligence, civilization, and technology. And they were about at the same level that humans are today in THIS present day parallel universe.
Then we fixed the machine a little. We managed to get back to an earth dominated by mammals- and even by primates. But we ended up in a 2019 in which France had won the Seven Years War (aka "the French and Indian Wars)back in 1763, in which the present day USA and Canada were one large French speaking world power.
We made more adjustments and took it for another spin. Ended up in a "present" in which North America is English speaking but in which the South had won the civil war, and the US was several separate English speaking countries.
So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work again.
Finnally we are almost there. In a present day US almost like home. Except in THIS present day- Donald Trump had won the election.
We are almost there! One more try and we should be able to make it home... to the normal Universe in which Hillary is Potus. May not be better than this universe. But at least its home!
This explains a lot!
07 Dec 2019, 2:15 pm
It’s what I do in my spare time.
It sounds like that along with your time machine should be keeping you fairly busy. I wouldn’t want any competition as far as world domination goes.
07 Dec 2019, 2:50 pm
Ahh yes, 42. Now, what was the question?
07 Dec 2019, 3:16 pm
Tell your past self not to build it.
07 Dec 2019, 3:28 pm
