Story of a Civilian Stargazer: A Spacefarer



Once you witness the entirety of planet Earth or the darkness of the universe, I can tell you for certain, you can't continue with the beliefs you had on Earth even if you return back. I'm no astronaut nor have I been to space. But, I imagine. After all, I'm a spacefarer. 

I coexist in the worlds of quantum mechanics and the socio-culturally divided. I understand the extremes of the spectrum. Therefore, contemplate before putting forward your argument on a variety of topics. Unlike most, my knowledge is not concentrated, it is diversified and unrelated. I'm certain that this sounds like a self propaganda. But, I'm deliberately doing it for a reason.

I try to make and save money in every possible way so as to study and explore the space. Therefore, I'm compelled to tell some of my aspirations so that I may find opportunities to realize my aspiration of studying or exploring the space. But they mostly ask me, how will it help you to survive on Earth? They are unaware of the fact that I don't want to exist on planet Earth, but desperately wander in the cosmos. After all, I'm a spacefarer.

While the physics that we know, forbids time travelling into the past and the future, I'm in possession of a tool that allows me to do so. Imagination.

Today I'm stargazing. I feel, I'm the only one in the world who is awake 

The International Space Station passed through magnificent aurora Australis on 13th June 2016.

Aurora is one of the reasons, I'm fascinated about watching the planet earth from orbit or #InternationalSpaceStation #ISS. Just seeing this picture makes me feel 'God - like.'

June 15, 2019
The spacewalk is possibly one of the most daring endeavors, humans could ever do. Though astronauts are tethered to the station, their bodies are now experiencing relative velocity of 17,500 miles/hour - that's the speed at which International Space Station orbits the earth. Just imagine! Massive respect astronauts and cosmonauts.
What are you doing sitting or sleeping inside your home or criminally wasting money - eating in hotels or watching films with popcorn in malls? Step outside! The bright light next to planet Earth's only satellite, Moon, is the largest planet of our solar system, #Jupiter. It is visible to human naked eye tonight, June 15, 2019. Remember, unlike Earth, Jupiter doesn't have any rocky surface, it is composed of condensed gas, dating back to the formation of our solar system or big bang itself. Now, I'm peaceful as after some time, I'm able to do, what I like doing the most - gazing the night sky, space, universe. After all, I'm a spacefarer.
June 17, 2017
Spotted daytime moon today, June 17, 2017, 08:21 hours (IST). The pale white dot on the backdrop of blue sky between is #daytimemoon. Why is moon visible during the day? Briefly, for the following reasons 1) When it is large in its phase 2) Above the horizon 3) Far away from sun.
June 18, 2017

STARS DIE!
Every star goes through an evolutionary path of birth and death. While the supernova explosion marks the end of a star, it's​ remnants give birth to stars. Before going supernova, it diffuses leftover gases and expand into a shell kind, composed of gas and dust, namely 'Planetary Nebula'. #HubbleSpaceTelescope pictured a planetary nebula, known as #IC418, which is 2000 light years from Earth, is nearing it's end. Our star of the solar system, Sun, is going to meet it's end like this star, but incidentally, it has  another five billion years to burn. 
Image credit: NASA/Hubble Space Telescope

June 20, 2017

Earth has company. Does it?
#KeplerSpaceTelescope has discovered 10 Earth size planets in Cygnus constellation, which is been hunting for habitable exoplanets (planets orbiting a star outside of solar system) of our milky way galaxy. Interestingly, these 10 planets are orbiting within the distance from it's host star, which let's water to pool on it's surface. This is similar to Earth's position/distance to Sun, which makes atmospheric conditions suitable for life. Because of this reason, this discovery is considered to be a breakthrough. Further studies are being carried to ascertain it's conditions. I'm of the view that soon more habitable exoplanets would be found, and we would be able to travel to them. More importantly, we would be meeting our counterparts, and our quest for extra terrestrial life would become even more exciting.
Image Credit: NASA (An artist illustration of an exoplanet orbiting it's star.)

Source material and for further reading on understanding of the discovery:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-releases-kepler-survey-catalog-with-hundreds-of-new-planet-candidates

2016
The thin blue layer, predominantly composed of nitrogen, existing between blackness of space and planet earth is our atmosphere, which protects the planet from ultraviolet radiation, threats of cosmos, regulates temperature, controls green house gases, and more importantly, makes the planet inhabitable for organic forms. Without the existence of atmosphere, the planet earth would become hostile like most of the planets in solar system. It is our natural barrier and visible protector.

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July 31,2016
On 31st July, 2016, spacecraft Juno, which was destined to Jupiter, after completing 5 years of journey from earth, successfully entered its atmosphere earlier, and was 8 million kilometers from the giant planet, before making its closest encounter (4000 kilometers) on 27th Aug'16, with its scientific instruments wide open for observation. This is the moment, astronomers have been waiting for years, as it would through insights on the formation of Jupiter and Solar system. 

26 June, 2019:
 After weeks, night sky is visible. I gazed the darkness. Magnificent. I'm lost in the void. Universe is pretty big. How big? The observable universe (what sophasticated space telescopes could measure) alone has 2 trillion galaxies. Now, how big is our host, milky way galaxy? One lakh light years, let me put into perspective, if I'm able to travel at the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second, it would take one lakh year to travel from one edge to another, only the length of Milky Way galaxy. I'm not talking about the reminder of Milky Way. What did I say before? The observable universe alone has 2 trillion galaxies. What about the rest? Imagine how big the universe is? Some argue that it all came into existence from nothing - space time singularity.  But, what it means to me is, I really don't believe in anything, and I'm increasingly becoming free when I attempt to study them. You may differ. But I can say one thing, whatever your beliefs or values are, do they mean anything in the context of this void - universe? Perhaps, the virtue of being human makes us believe in something. I wonder. But, I'm immersed in nothingness or space. Most importantly, i'm peaceful and humbled when I gaze the night sky. 
An intriguing illustration of how big our universe is from "Contact" (1997):
https://youtu.be/EWwhQB3TKXA
Image credit: #NASA/#HubbleSpaceTelesco

Remember the bulk (hyper space), which consists of our brane (universe) is warped. Else, gravity will escape. So are it's constituents - universe, galaxies and planets.
Noise in the space.
#STARGATE
My portal to the fourth dimension. Access to unlock it's gateway is entrusted to me. #Sivan

Enlightened avatar of #BT, who is a spacefarer is 'Sivan', not otherwise. 

Location: Classified, somewhere in Asia
This isn't normal. At least not for me. Until, another habitat is found.
The end could be natural or human intervened - nuclear holocaust. While you all gaze the stars, I try to find another home, where humanity can prevail. After the new found planet is depleted of resources, which is quintessential of humans, we would find another. After all, humans are locusts, and we truly don't have a home.

Pictured here is a '#supermoon', on 19th February, 21:00 IST - a full moon, which is at its closest point (perigee) in its elliptical orbit to Earth. At this point, the moon is 14% brighter and 30% bigger to the regular moon from the Earth's viewpoint. I wish I had an analog camera or a telescope. I needed to document this celestial event. Therefore, I photographed it with a digital entry level phone camera. I don't like processing and filtering images as I'm an advocate of analog photography. This is how it appeared to my naked eye, when I photographed it. 

#SuperMoon 18-Feb-2019
21st Nov 2018:
#ISS20thAnniversary:

This picture was photographed when the International Space Station (ISS) was just 2 years in operation.

An orbiting laboratory, which travels at 17,500 miles per hour in Earth's low orbit, is the prestigious space cooperation mission between countries, the International Space Station (#ISS) marks the 20th anniversary today. I wish I could go to ISS at least once in my existence on planet Earth.
An orbiting laboratory, which travels at 17,500 miles per hour in Earth's low orbit, is the prestigious space cooperation mission between countries, the International Space Station (#ISS) marks the 20th anniversary today. I wish I could go to ISS at least once in my existence on planet Earth.
Go out and gaze the #Mars now. Yes, the pale yellowish orange dot just southwards below the moon is the red planet, Mars. You will have to excuse the image's resolution as neither do I have a telescope nor a sophisticated camera. I photographed it using an entry level smartphone digital camera. However, it doesn't refrain me from gazing the space. Because I'm a spacefarer.
Popping out of the evening sky, is neither the moon, nor a star, it is actually the gas giant, the largest planet of our solar system, #Jupiter. Yesterday, 2nd September 2018, an hour past dusk, the planets Venus and Jupiter were visible to naked eyes. I could spot Jupiter, though. Remember, unlike planet Earth, Jupiter doesn't have any surface, it is just condensed gas. It is estimated that oldest gases formed during Big Bang are still prevalent in Jupiter. After all, Jupiter gave birth to other planetary bodies of the solar system.
Everything will change. Everything we know and don't will change. The reality we exist in will hold no relevance. The very beginnings and ends of the cosmos can be explored. When I can or anyone can attain the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second, which is forbidden by physics. This thought occurs to me every night I gaze the darkness of the universe and its stars. I happened to photograph a star couple of days ago, which appeared to be so close to Earth, within the reach of my hands, yet I'm not even able to defy Earth's gravity or attain escape velocity of 7 miles per second. When will I become a #spacefarer for real?
The month of July 2018 is a fascinating month for stargazers as we get to see the planet Earth's natural satellite #Moon orbiting past Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Yesterday, it was cloudy, yet, I did encounter the mammoth Jupiter through my naked eyes, but I couldn't photograph. Today, even though, I managed to photograph it, the pale white dot southwest to the moon is the star, '#Antares'. I'm looking forward to witnessing one of the most important celestial events of the year on July 27, 2018. I wish I had a telescope.
To all the so-called travellers who find solace in visiting places, you do mostly because you have money not the intend, whereas, what I need to visit is the space. Technically, I don't need money to do that. All I need to do is, acquire the escape velocity to defy the planet Earth's gravity. Then, I will be on my own on a trajectory in the vacuum. I may need some oxygen though. Therefore, stop telling people like us on travelling.

The bright star below the moon in tonight's sky, isn't actually a star, it is actually the planet #Venus. Step out and witness the spectacular view through naked eyes. The sky was cloudy for a while, the moment it became clear, I photographed it. Venus orbit is currently in line with planet Earth and Sun. I wish I could witness this event through a telescope.
Spotted daytime moon today, July 4 , 2018, 07:10 hours, IST (Indian Standard Time). The pale white dot on the backdrop of blue sky is the #daytimemoon. Why is the moon visible during the day? Briefly, for the following reasons 1) When it is large in its phase 2) Above the horizon 3) Far away from the sun.
I'm peaceful as I just spotted the planet #Saturn through my naked eyes. Yes, Saturn will be visible tonight, apparently only today for the year as its orbit comes relatively closer to Earth's moon. Why don't you go out and look at the Southwest of Moon? You would see a star-like point standing alone. It is actually the planet Saturn. I wish I had a telescope with a camera. I could have photographed and shared.

#SpaceSnippet from #BT 
Is the universe infinite? 
The answer is both yes and no. It's a yes, because, there has been no observational evidence yet for universe ending. It is a no, because, as the universe inflates, it does at a constant rate. Therefore, an end possibly exists, as the universe inflates, it pushes it further and expands.

I simultaneously exist and don't exist. 
I exist everywhere, I'm composed of everything. 
I don't exist anywhere. I'm composed of nothing. 
I'm not talking about supernatural powers, but quantum mechanics, ironically mysterious in nature.
#BT

Does it not resemble the '#Gargantua' of #Interstellar? I felt the enormous gravity pulling me towards it. I managed to deflect at the event horizon, photographed it, and came back to planet Earth. Nevertheless, the Gargantua depicted in Interstellar is the mathematically precise version of a massive black hole. I'm grateful to the theoretical physicist Kip Throne and auteur Christopher Nolan for taking me on an odyssey between star systems.
The night sky is clear, therefore, I'm pleased. I wish I had a telescope. I would spend the entire night, until dawn gazing the stars. The pleasure I derive from gazing the night sky defies any human language. Pictured here is the planet Earth's only known satellite, the Moon. I needed to photograph the stars, but the camera of my entry level smartphone wouldn't function.
Witnessing #superbluebloodmoon as it is emerging somewhere in southern Asia. Excuse the clarity as I don't have a sophisticated telescope or a digital camera.  But do remember that no camera can match the resolution of human naked eye.

#SpaceSnippet from #BT
Why is the 'Supermoon' occurring on 31st January 2018 called 'Super Blue Blood Moon'? The reasons are: 1. A full moon occurring for the second time in a particular month is called a blue moon. 2. During lunar eclipse, the Earth passes between the sun and the moon blocking the sun's light on the moon. In effect, Earth's shadow casts on the moon. Thus, the light reflected from the moon passing through Earth's atmosphere, viewed by human naked eye appears red. 31st January of 2018 happens to be a lunar eclipse. Therefore, '#SuperBlueBloodMoon
#SpaceSnippet from #BT:

What is a '#Supermoon'?
A full moon, which is at its closest point (perigee) in its elliptical orbit to Earth. At this point, the moon is 14% brighter and 30% bigger to the regular moon from the Earth's viewpoint.
While space enthusiasts and photographers are busy capturing the '#Supermoon' in progress using sophisticated telescope and cameras, this moron couldn't resist gazing the night sky, and taking pictures of the full moon using an entry level digital phone camera. Therefore, if you choose to look at his work, excuse the clarity. 
Also, it must be noted that he is a stargazer, and anything to do with the night sky fascinates him, not particularly the moon. Unlike others, he is not under compulsion to photograph the 'Supermoon', as his aspirations lay far beyond our star, Solar system. He does out of curiosity.
What is a 'Supermoon'?
A full moon, which is at its closest point (perigee) in its elliptical orbit to Earth. At this point, the moon is 14% brighter and 30% bigger to the regular moon from the Earth's viewpoint.
Why is the 'Supermoon' occurring on 31st January 2018 called 'Super Blue Blood Moon'? The reasons are: 1. A full moon occurring for the second time in a particular month is called a blue moon. 2. During lunar eclipse, the Earth passes between the sun and the moon blocking the sun's light on the moon. In effect, Earth's shadow casts on the moon. Thus, the light reflected from the moon passing through Earth's atmosphere, viewed by human naked eye appears red. 31st January of 2018 happens to be a lunar eclipse. Therefore, '#SuperBlueBloodMoon'.

I'm content not because I ate or going to sleep, but the night sky is clear, and the stars are visible.  
Let us assume that I travel at the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second, which current laws of physics forbid, I will take 1lakh calendar years to just cover any diagonal of our host, '#MilkyWay' galaxy. Imagine, how big our galaxy itself is? I don't need to talk about the vastness of the universe as it is comprised of billions of such galaxies. Then, there is a concept of multiverse - many universes. Bewildering, isn't? Pictured here is my attempt to photograph 'Milky Way' galaxy.
Pictured here is a '#supermoon', on 1st January 2018, 23:45 hours IST - a full moon, which is at its closest point (perigee) in its elliptical orbit to Earth. At this point, the moon is 14% brighter and 30% bigger to the regular moon from the Earth's viewpoint. I wish I had an analog camera or a telescope. I needed to document this celestial event. Therefore, I photographed it with a digital entry level phone camera. I don't like processing and filtering images as I'm an advocate of analog photography. This is how it appeared to my naked eye, when I photographed it. 
Does anything mean everything or nothing means everything?
Only 5% of our universe is composed of atoms, therefore it is observable, because it reflects light. The remainder, 95% is a combination of dark matter and energy, which hold the universe together and functional. Since its composition is not known yet. They are called #darkmatter.

Aug 27 - Aug 29, 2020:

The two largest planets of our star system, solar system, Jupiter and Saturn will be closer to the moon when viewed from Planet Earth through Human naked eye from 27th August to 29th August 2020.

Both Jupiter and Saturn are gaseous planets. Unlike Earth, they do not have Rocky surface. 


September 7, 2020:
Spotted daytime moon today, September 7, 2020, 07:52 hours, IST (Indian Standard Time). The pale white dot on the backdrop of blue sky is the #daytimemoon. Why is the moon visible during the day? Briefly, for the following reasons 1) When it is large in its phase 2) Above the horizon 3) Far away from the sun.

September 8, 2020:
While it is increasingly becoming an uphill task not only for me, but almost every human, to just spend a day or a year on Earth, just 100 kilometers above, where the atmosphere ends, and the space begins, events spanning billions of years have been happening, dating before the inception of Earth. I just don't want to limit my existence to the reality of planet Earth, and I really dislike it. I need to be part of something better and bigger - the universe. I wish I could be in the space, alive or dead. I'd find peace and purpose there, and certainly not here.

September 9,2020
Planet Earth is just one strange rock, which incidentally possesses liquid water - a prerequisite for organic forms. The emptiness of the space is the real home.
The temporary address of BT, a Spacefarer
Planet: Earth
Star System: Solar
Galaxy: Milk Way
Brane: Universe
Bulk
2/12/2020:
Spotted daytime moon today, 2nd December , 2020, 07:35 hours, IST (Indian Standard Time). The pale white dot on the backdrop of, and between the blue sky is the Day-Time moon. Why is the moon visible during the day? Briefly, for the following reasons 1) When it is large in its phase 2) Above the horizon 3) Far away from the sun.

4/12/2020:
The spaceship that I'm on has completed 339 days orbiting its star - sun.

17/12/2020:
I'm pleased not because I have achieved something materialistic, but could spot the progress of the closest conjunction of the planetary bodies of our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, which is happening after centuries on 21st December 2020, through my human naked eyes. I tried photographing using my entry level smartphone camera, but the image was blurred. However, it does not deter me from looking up. Because, even when I walk or ride in the dawn and the dusk, I don't look straight, but up, looking for stars, planets, Exo-planets and galaxies. This is yet another day in the life of a civilian stargazer: A Spacefarer. I wish I had a telescope. 

21st December 2020:
Humans will continue to lead a normal life unless they look up. While the closest conjunction of the planetary bodies Jupiter and Saturn is happening today, most remain unaware of it, and looking straight riding. However, I was looking up through the dusk, even when I was riding. I tried photographing this unprecedented celestial event using my entry level smartphone camera, but I couldn't because the image was blurred. I wish I had a telescope. This is yet another day in the existence of a civilian stargazer. 

31st January 2021:
If you want to understand, how insignificant we are, not only as a species, but as a planet, do pay close attention to this image, shot by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, 1.5 billion kilometres from Earth, while it was beyond Saturn on July 19, 2013. This was the first picture of Earth, captured from an interplanetary distance. In the context of vastness, of space, we are obsolete. That pale white dot is Earth.
March 10, 2021:
My chances of becoming one of the crew members of the #dearMoonCrew are very less. Yet, I try because I'm a spacefarer and not destined to live and die on planet earth. 

19 April 2021:

History is made. For the very first time a human made object flown in another planet, rather, the red planet. NASA's ingenuity - a Mars helicopter, which was sitting in the belly of the recently landed Perseverance Rover, had successfully detached itself, moved a few meters and then flew in the martian atmosphere some 3 meters above the surface for a few minutes. This is of paramount importance as this is the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another world. 
I would say this is the inception of humans becoming an interplanetary species. 
I desperately need to leave planet Earth. 
After all, BT is a spacefarer. 

2nd May, 2021:
While a section of humanity is fighting over solving the crisis caused by humans and nature, another section is painstakingly working on taking the humanity out of the earth to other planets. I belong to the latter, or at least I aspire to (but constrained by circumstances) because I'm aware of the fact that the chances of resolving the human and nature made crisis are very less. 

9th May 2021:

China Rocket Debris: Reportedly, space debris from the Chinese rocket Long March-5b could fall over the Indian Ocean. This is the first time in a decade segments of a rocket is entrying the earth's atmosphere in an uncontrolled manner. However, space experts are of the view that most of the debris would burn in the atmosphere when the rocket reenters. Only the materials with high melting points may not burn up and land on Earth's surface. Since most parts of the Earth are uninhabited, a combination of ocean and land, the space debris are not likely to cause damage. 

image credit: BBC News


17th May, 2021:
Do we realise that universe exists between 'Big Bang' and 'Big Crunch' singularities? It implies that at any moment in the astronomical scale everything would become nothing. Therefore, let's remain what we are, as long as we are here, calm, humble, grounded and keeping our happiness private. 
When I'm not out on the streets struggling for my livelihood, I'm listening to NASA's curious universe's podcast. 
When I'm not out on the streets struggling for my livelihood, I'm listening to NASA's
Houston, We have a podcast. 

While the universe is 13.8 billion years old, today marks DCCXXX Earth days since inception. In order to become a multi planetary species or a spacefaring civilization, humans will have to look out into the universe and multiverse. Telescopes are the enablers. Therefore, the introduction to the telescopes of NASA has launched so far become imperative so as to induce curiosity in the subconscious mind. Most importantly, when the conscious mind takes effect, ideas instilled in the subconscious mind may influence the behavior. That's the idea. What does the time have in store? No one knows though. Thanks to the friends of the olden days of advertising Chandrasekar and Guruprasad, who helped in getting the posters aesthetically printed on acrylic board.
20th September, 2019:
What feeds me absolutely doesn't have anything to do with my aspirations of a spacefarer, an indie storyteller and a tech starter, but the universe conspires and continues to impart me with wisdom absolutely essential to my aspirations. I can't act, though.
My livelihood demands to be in the field throughout the day and extended hours in the night. I do not find time to think that I can't think. Yet, today I found time to have a glass of tea. A paper was wrapped under the glass to endure the heat. Incidentally, that paper was an article about an Indian origin CERN scientist, who is working hard to understand the origins of the universe. Serendipitous. I believe in serendipity. That's how I have learned so far and I will continue to do so.
Wish list Books on Physics:
While the clock maker's partially successful endeavor in building a time machine so as to protect his loved ones, resulted in the universe split into a multiples of three realities, the intend on building a time machine to deter an event from happening in the past and to alter the future is stalled. Because, it appears that the universe is reluctant in helping me build one.
27 September, 2021:
Little did I know what was covering our earth or what was protecting the planet Earth from radiations. Thanks to NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and science fiction writers, especially Jim Green, Chief Science Officer of NASA, my curiosity graduated from atmosphere to space, universe, cosmos and multiverse, otherwise an amateur physicist like me would not have learnt not only the fundamentals of human space exploration but technicalities of missions carried out so far. Jim Green has been instrumental in this process of instilling knowledge. And, he is set to retire in 2022. May the force be with him. Godspeed.
November 6, 2021:

NASA's chief scientist Jim Green always asks guests what is their “gravity assist” – that person, event, or other thing that inspired them to choose a career in science and space exploration. While Jim Green has not asked this question to me yet, and I don't have a career in science and space exploration, but curiosity lies there, my gravity assist has always been my father Thangapandian and Sri Mappillai Vinayagar (Madurai Mappillai Vinayagar Theatre and Manicka Vinayagar Theatre) 

November 12, 2021:

A #blackhole weighs 6.5 billion times than than the star of our solar system, sun, and, its event horizon (the outer edge or the rim of a black hole. The outgoing hot gas from a black hole is lensed giving the rim kind structure, when viewed from outside a black hole) is so large, our entire solar system can be placed inside it. Now, imagine how big that star was when it was active. Remember, a black hole is sometimes, a massive star exhausting its nuclear fuel, exploding into a supernova explosion, and its remnants imploding and because of the enormous gravitational pull and becoming a space time singularity. #BT

Check out Supermassive Black Hole from AirSpace on Amazon Music.
https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/f983c729-5610-41da-a8d6-f14be92c3b0b/episodes/d9b569c9-62f3-4b0e-888c-a94f60df2e9e/airspace-supermassive-black-hole?ref=dm_sh_P0ABfmGvAOVfX1UFjTw3ygtkn

https://eventhorizontelescope.org/press-release-april-10-2019-astronomers-capture-first-image-black-hole


November 21, 2021:
When our theories or mathematical calculations agree with the actual astronomical observations that is when we would realise that not only are we godlike but insignificant. This has happened multiple times to Albert Einstein when he developed his relativity theories and he attributed it to the belief that nature had spoken to him. I always attribute what I think, write, speak and do to chance. If I'm a believer of god, then I'd attribute that chance to an act of God, else, I'd attribute it to an act of coincidence.

November 28, 2021:
When we reach the realisation that our existence is a mere coincidence, only then will we appreciate the fact that not only are we insignificant, but never in control of anything but we always appear to be. 
December 01, 2021:
Not only massive planetary bodies galaxies, stars, planets, black holes, etc. warp or bend space-time fabric, but infinitesimal human bodies do, which means time is relative to humans either. Therefore, even though our physical clocks may appear to show the same time, actual time differs for everyone. 
December 2, 2021:
I cannot completely buy when physicists claim that mathematics is the only language, which can describe the universe because mathematics is a human intervention not born out of the big bang. However, based on astronomical observations, mathematical equations seem to be explaining the working of the universe. How is it possible? Mathematicians and physicists are able to adjust its equations in a manner, which can describe the workings of the universe, which are incidentally proven by astronomical experiments and observations. I'm not alone, though. I have the company of eccentric discoverer Nikola Tesla and coveted physicist Brain Greene. 

It's the audacity of humans attempting to explain the incomprehensible universe using the language they have invented, mathematics. 

https://youtu.be/z7XKKYlFLjs

December 12, 2021:


Is there a symbiotic relationship between the source of the universe and the "OM" of Hinduism?

Well, the answer to this question leads to another and another. A never ending chain. That's what happens when we are posed with a metaphysical inquiry. However, the answer appears to be a yes. Its verification is humanly impossible.

It is not made of anything. But, it is what makes everything in the universe we know and don't. The very microscopic landscape, the building block of the universe, the indivisible and the inside a quark, which makes you, your clothes, pen, cars, rockets, galaxies, stars etc., is a vibrating filament of energy. These filaments of energy vibrates in different frequencies, each frequency producing a particle that in various configurations creates the universe. Since these vibrating filaments are reminiscent of strings of a violin, vibrating at different frequencies, producing varied sounds, this idea is theorized as "String Theory".

The recital "OM" of the Hinduism faith is believed to be a vibration of sound enabling the spirit of humans to establish connection with the cosmos so as to derive physical and mental energies.

The underlying idea of both the "String Theory" and "OM" is the vibration of energy enabling creation. There appears to be a correlation. Therefore, based on my superficial understanding of both the "String Theory" and "OM", I theorized that there could be a possible symbiotic relationship between the origin of the universe or the metaverse and the Hinduism.

Disclaimer: This theory needs further study and verification by subject matter experts, researchers, scientists and scholars. Neither can i claim credit nor can i be held accountable.



16th December 2021:
Official certificate from NASA confirming my participation in the 'A Mission To Touch the Sun'.

It's official on 14th December 2021, NASA announced that earlier this year Parker Solar Probe successfully entered the #Sun's atmosphere Corona, which means that my name alongside the names of fellow civilian stargazers are a part of the only star, sun of our solar system.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-enters-the-solar-atmosphere-for-the-first-time-bringing-new-discoveries

25th February 2016:
I hear some asserting that everything happens for a reason. The very creation of life, universe, galaxy, everything we ever know, don't know and will know, cannot be reasoned. They are random. Possibly the driving force of the cosmos is nihilism - nothingness. So are my thoughts and actions.
#Sivan | An Enlightened #BT | 

April 18, 2022:

I was not what I needed to be. All I did was looked up. There were stars, and stars, and stars, and stars. I was contented.



12 May, 2022

If you can travel at the speed of light, which is 1,86,000 miles per second, which is forbidden by the known physical laws, you will reach the star or the black-hole pictured here in 27,000 years.
The presence of a massive black-hole at the center of every galaxy is very likely. Our host, the milky way galaxy had been scientifically speculated to have one, and now it's visually proven.  Thanks to Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which radio observed the light emitting from the hot gas swirling the event horizon of the black hole named "Sagittarius A* "or" Sgr A".  Remember, this is not an actual image as the optical light can't penetrate enough through gas and dust and reach the observatories but X-Ray can.


https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/sagittarius-a-nasa-telescopes-support-event-horizon-telescope-in-studying-milky-ways.html
https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2022/sgra/
https://eventhorizontelescope.org/blog/astronomers-reveal-first-image-black-hole-heart-our-galaxy

13 June, 2022:

According to the known history, on July 20, 1969, humans first landed on the natural satellite of planet Earth, Moon. Now, after five decades, humans are going to stay or colonize the moon. And, I'm going to be a part of this colonization. 
https://www.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/#user-information

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/first-person-on-moon.html#:~:text=On%20July%2020%2C%201969%2C%20Neil,walked%20around%20for%20three%20hours.

24 June, 2022:




It was not only a rare viewing, but rejuvenating for me as I derive happiness from gazing the night sky and the stars. Today, 24th June 2022, from a classified location on planet Earth, I photographed this celestial event in a features limited smartphone. I wish I had a better camera or a telescope. But, it doesn't deter me from gazing the cosmos. After all, I'm a spacefarer, Thanks to "Hubble Space Telescope" as I borrowed the title from it.

http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2020/08/story-of-civilian-stargazer-spacefarer.html

https://opensea.io/assets/matic/0x2953399124f0cbb46d2cbacd8a89cf0599974963/77790520556543151905491335858183757855234419477455310520086264996325385830401/

30 June 2022:



Physicists have been trying to bridge the classical physics with quantum mechanics to create the elusive unified theory. What if I told you, the bridge is the spiritual science. In the exploration of the cosmos, everything must be taken into consideration. What's wrong in taking all the help we can get?

#BT | #Sivan

http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2020/08/story-of-civilian-stargazer-spacefarer

https://opensea.io/assets/matic/0x2953399124f0cbb46d2cbacd8a89cf0599974963/77790520556543151905491335858183757855234419477455310520086264998524409085953/

July 12 | 2022
The celestial events of the beginnings or the unseen universes, which my #cosmic_time_machine, where I'm held captive for the betterment of humankind, has photographed in infrared (visible light cannot penetrate deep into the clouds of gas and dust but infrared can). Remember, these visuals are processed and they don't appear what they are in these images to a human naked eye. And, if somehow you manage to travel at or exceed the speed of light, which is 1,86,000 miles per second to those distant universes, you may not find these planetary objects seen in these visuals. Are you wondering why? Explored here:

http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2020/09/is-now-past-present-or-future.html
For further study:
http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2020/04/how-big-is-milky-way-galaxy.html
http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2020/08/story-of-civilian-stargazer-spacefarer.html

#BT | #Sivan

26 September 2022

Science stems from science fiction!

I have always reasoned that science fiction gives birth to science fact, mostly it does. This notion of mine is not only rejected by the art and the literature admirers but the academics as well. When I conceptualized a theory based on Albert Einstein's "Theory of Relativity" for my son's first birthday as a trigger to indulge him in physics and cosmos (I must submit that the theory was path breaking still it had substance) , it was declined to be published by a science journal citing that not suitable for their journal. However, the idea that I saw in the films "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" in the year 1998 has sort of become a reality.


Welcome to the Planetary Defence System:
I have a unique blend of aspirations of studying and becoming a soldier of the second world era and gazing the cosmos by becoming an astronaut. Thanks to films like Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Contact, Interstellar etc, I watched, which kind of instilled this idea into my subconscious. Thus, I qualify to work for the office of the Planetary Defence System.

Today, 26th September 2022, NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Technology) spacecraft, travelling at the speed of 14,000 miles per hour was intentionally made to collide with an asteroid named "Dimorphos", deflected it and consequently changed its orbit. Thus, if an asteroid or a comet were to collide with our Planet Earth, it's path could be possibly altered with DART. This is what was precisely the plot of films "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact", released way back in 1998 and has interestingly become a reality.

Today, 26th September 2022, NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Technology) spacecraft, travelling at the speed of 14,000 miles per hour was intentionally made to collide with an asteroid named "Dimorphos", deflected it and consequently changed its orbit. Thus, if an asteroid or a comet were to collide with our Planet Earth, its path could be possibly altered with DART. This is what was precisely the plot of films "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact", released way back in 1998 and has interestingly become a reality.




The Theory:
http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2020/09/is-now-past-present-or-future.html

The story of a Spacefarer:
http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2020/08/story-of-civilian-stargazer-spacefarer.html


October 18 | 2024

Yesterday, towards the dusk, i was standing in the backyard  of our home "Thangapandian Kudil',  and i spotted it. I yelled, i have finally spotted it. It was so vivid. We the Pandians and the Thevar siblings got excited.  For a moment, it appeared to be watching us, changed its orbit, came towards us, photographed and went back to its orbit. It was the International Space Station (ISS).
And, i woke up.

images source: NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration  NASA's James Webb Space Telescope  ESA - European Space Agency  Canadian Space Agency

Image credit: NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration #NASA
Image credit: NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration #NASA
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Hubble Space Telescope

A Work In Progress blog. Not completed yet. Perhaps, I will never be able to. 

Authored by Balaji Thangapandian aka #BT - a spacefarer, who is also curious about film-making, connectivity technologies and military history.

Amateur Astrophotographers:
https://astrobackyard.com/backyard-of-the-week/2021-10-11/


Space Telescopes:

solar system – was not one of Spitzer’s original goals. But innovations during its mission improved Spitzer's precision and enabled it to become a critical tool for exoplanet work. Spitzer marked a new age in planetary science by being the first telescope to directly detect light from exoplanets. It has played a key scientific role in everything from planets larger than Jupiter to small, rocky worlds that may be similar to Earth.

In 2017, Spitzer helped reveal TRAPPIST-1, the first known system of seven Earth-sized planets. The discovery set a new record for the greatest number of habitable-zone planets found around a single star outside our solar system. Data from Spitzer also showed that all of these planets are likely to be rocky. Studying TRAPPIST-1 leads scientists a step closer to answering the question "Are we alone?"

This poster depicts the TRAPPIST-1 planets, some of which were discovered by Spitzer. The physical characteristics of the planets are not currently known, beyond their mass and distance from the TRAPPIST-1 star, which is visualized in the background. The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to teach us more about this fascinating system.

Credit

NASA/JPL-Caltech



Launched in 2009, the Kepler Space Telescope taught us that our galaxy has more planets than stars. Initially, Kepler stared at a single patch of sky for four years, watching for shadows: the extremely tiny dip in starlight as a planet crosses the face of its star. Kepler's field of view contained more than 150,000 stars, and the telescope saw thousands of such shadows, known as transits.

The telescope lost much of its pointing capability in 2013, and soon began its second mission, known as K2. In K2, Kepler looked at stars in the plane in which our solar system’s planets orbit, and changed its view more often. The spacecraft continued discovering new planets around other stars, or exoplanets, until it was retired in 2018 after running out of fuel. Kepler holds the record for discovering the most planets of any exoplanet mission: more than 2,600. Kepler revolutionized the field of exoplanet science, showing us that exoplanets have far more fascinating variety than we imagined.

Credit

NASA/JPL-Caltech



TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, launched in 2018 to discover small planets orbiting bright stars all over the night sky. Like its predecessor, the Kepler Space Telescope, TESS identifies exoplanets by watching for tiny dips in a star’s brightness caused by an orbiting planet. But unlike Kepler, which focused on a single patch of stars, TESS is conducting an expansive survey that encompasses almost the entire sky.

During its two-year primary mission TESS monitored more than 200,000 pre-selected stars and detected over 1,900 exoplanet candidates. In July 2020 TESS began its first extended mission during which it continues to monitor our stellar neighborhood and identify the planets that reside within it. The next time you look up at the stars you might think of TESS - hard at work discovering previously unknown worlds around those scattered points of light.

Credit

NASA/JPL-Caltech



Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope is a large, space-based observatory that has revolutionized astronomy. One of NASA's great observatories, Hubble has observed planets inside and outside our solar system and some of the most distant stars and galaxies yet seen. Exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system, are incredibly hard to image directly due to how far they are from Earth, and their proximity to bright stars.

In 2000, Hubble studied HD 209458 b – the first exoplanet known to transit, or pass in front of, its star. Hubble also was the first telescope to directly detect an exoplanet's atmosphere, by observing the star's light passing through it. Using this method of "transit spectroscopy," Hubble observed signatures of sodium in the planet's atmosphere.

In 2018, Hubble studied the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system. Its observations revealed that at least three planets in the star's habitable-zone exhibited characteristics of dense atmospheres that might be rich in heavier gases.

More than 30 years after launch, Hubble continues to investigate the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets, and remains one of our most valuable and successful windows on the cosmos.​

Credit

NASA/JPL-Caltech

MULTIMEDIA

James Webb Space Telescope Poster

illustrated poster depicting the James Webb Space Telescope against a colorful geometric background

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is a true technological marvel. The largest and most complex space telescope ever built, Webb will be able to gather light that has been traveling for 13.5 billion years, almost since the beginning of the universe. In effect, Webb is a time machine, allowing us to peer at the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang. Because it gathers infrared light, it will see right through the giant clouds of dust that block the view of most other telescopes. Webb will be 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope. Most notably, once it unfolds its 21-foot-wide (6.5-meter-wide) set of segmented mirrors, Webb will be powerful enough to search for water vapor in the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars. It will open a new window on these exoplanets, observing them in wavelengths of light at which they have never been seen before and helping us gain new insights about their nature. Webb will help us understand how galaxies evolve over billions of years into grand spirals, like our own Milky Way, search for signs of habitability on distant planets, and penetrate into the hearts of dust-shrouded stellar nurseries. The observatory is expected to launch in 2021.

Credit

NASA/JPL-Caltech


https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/exoplanet-travel-bureau/?linkId=128144307&utm_source=FBPAGE&utm_medium=NASA+-+National+Aeronautics+and+Space+Administration&utm_campaign=NASASocial&linkId=128507900

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