NASA records the death of a star

[Dimocritus]

The reason I used the term supernova in the first place was because I couldn't think of the name of the process with which a low mass star expels its outer layers. Turns out there's no cool term for it, its just a series of thermal pulses.

Also:

It will swell into a red giant and then shrink into a white dwarf.

also, there are two seperate red giant phases with a helium burning phase in between. But I guess now I'm getting a but pedantic.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Ah you are right. Forgot about that. Stellar evolution is cool.

[Dimocritus]

Indeed, though I have a tendancy to be more interested in stellar corpses, like white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, and even then, I have a tendancy to prefer the latter high-mass varieties in particular.

On topic side-rant: The term "pulsar" pisses me off. A pulsar is just a neutron star "pointed" towards the Earth. Like, a laser-pointer is called a laser-pointer regardless of what direction it's pointing in, right? A neutron star is a neutron star. Fuck a fucking "pulsar." It's sort of an antiquated term from before they realized "pulsars" are just neutron stars "pointed" at us. I hate it. But then again, it's probably just me.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Indeed, though I have a tendancy to be more interested in stellar corpses, like white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, and even then, I have a tendancy to prefer the latter high-mass varieties in particular.

On topic side-rant: The term "pulsar" pisses me off. A pulsar is just a neutron star "pointed" towards the Earth. Like, a laser-pointer is called a laser-pointer regardless of what direction it's pointing in, right? A neutron star is a neutron star. Fuck a fucking "pulsar." It's sort of an antiquated term from before they realized "pulsars" are just neutron stars "pointed" at us. I hate it. But then again, it's probably just me.

True. I'm sure there's still some useful technical reason for calling them pulsars though. Otherwise they would have given them the Pluto treatment already.

[Doktor Howl]

Indeed, though I have a tendancy to be more interested in stellar corpses, like white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, and even then, I have a tendancy to prefer the latter high-mass varieties in particular.

On topic side-rant: The term "pulsar" pisses me off. A pulsar is just a neutron star "pointed" towards the Earth. Like, a laser-pointer is called a laser-pointer regardless of what direction it's pointing in, right? A neutron star is a neutron star. Fuck a fucking "pulsar." It's sort of an antiquated term from before they realized "pulsars" are just neutron stars "pointed" at us. I hate it. But then again, it's probably just me.

It's just you.

Dok,
Likes anything with a name like "pulsar", and thinks Ron Jeremy should have made a movie about it.

[LMNO]

"Barely Legal Pulsars 7"?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Side note- I dig red dwarves due to their long lives. At first I thought that colonizing yellow dwarf systems were our best target, but for staying power, it's all about the red dwarves. Red dwarves alive now will still be around now will last until all of the Sun type stars have died and stopped forming. There is the problem with tidal locking in the habitable zone though.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

"Barely Legal Pulsars 7"?

Pulsars are the equivalent of stellar granny porn.

[Doktor Howl]

Side note- I dig red dwarves due to their long lives. At first I thought that colonizing yellow dwarf systems were our best target, but for staying power, it's all about the red dwarves. Red dwarves alive now will still be around now will last until all of the Sun type stars have died and stopped forming. There is the problem with tidal locking in the habitable zone though.

Might be a LITTLE too much planning ahead, there.

[Dimocritus]

Indeed, though I have a tendancy to be more interested in stellar corpses, like white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, and even then, I have a tendancy to prefer the latter high-mass varieties in particular.

On topic side-rant: The term "pulsar" pisses me off. A pulsar is just a neutron star "pointed" towards the Earth. Like, a laser-pointer is called a laser-pointer regardless of what direction it's pointing in, right? A neutron star is a neutron star. Fuck a fucking "pulsar." It's sort of an antiquated term from before they realized "pulsars" are just neutron stars "pointed" at us. I hate it. But then again, it's probably just me.

It's just you.

Dok,
Likes anything with a name like "pulsar", and thinks Ron Jeremy should have made a movie about it.

Haha, good point! It would bother me less if we could just use one term for it, and "pulsar" sounds way cooler than "neutron star," especially in this context:

"Barely Legal Pulsars 7"?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Side note- I dig red dwarves due to their long lives. At first I thought that colonizing yellow dwarf systems were our best target, but for staying power, it's all about the red dwarves. Red dwarves alive now will still be around now will last until all of the Sun type stars have died and stopped forming. There is the problem with tidal locking in the habitable zone though.

Might be a LITTLE too much planning ahead, there.

It's only to make up for humanity's short-sightedness.  

[Dimocritus]

"Barely Legal Pulsars 7"?

Pulsars are the equivalent of stellar granny porn.

It's funny cuz it's true!!

[Nephew Twiddleton]

"Barely Legal Pulsars 7"?

Pulsars are the equivalent of stellar granny porn.

It's funny cuz it's true!!

[Dimocritus]

Side note- I dig red dwarves due to their long lives. At first I thought that colonizing yellow dwarf systems were our best target, but for staying power, it's all about the red dwarves. Red dwarves alive now will still be around now will last until all of the Sun type stars have died and stopped forming. There is the problem with tidal locking in the habitable zone though.

This spurs another side rant: The term "red dwarf" also pisses me off. It's just a small main sequence star. It's nothing like a white dwarf or a brown dwarf, which are dead of failed stars, respectively. It's just a regular M class star. But again, probably just me.

[Doktor Howl]

Side note- I dig red dwarves due to their long lives. At first I thought that colonizing yellow dwarf systems were our best target, but for staying power, it's all about the red dwarves. Red dwarves alive now will still be around now will last until all of the Sun type stars have died and stopped forming. There is the problem with tidal locking in the habitable zone though.

This spurs another side rant: The term "red dwarf" also pisses me off. It's just a small main sequence star. It's nothing like a white dwarf or a brown dwarf, which are dead of failed stars, respectively. It's just a regular M class star. But again, probably just me.

BUCOLIC MIDGET