<Iskierka>
"Astronomers are playing "name that tune" by watching the volume lights on a home stereo go up and down, without hearing the music..."
<UmbralRaptor>
Iskierka: *SPANG!*
<Iskierka>
actually in reference to people suggesting a super-high-res imaging of KIC8462852
<Iskierka>
then pointing out that it's very much smaller than a single pixel in the best telescopes
<UmbralRaptor>
KIC8462852?
<UmbralRaptor>
Qboid?
<Iskierka>
Tabbystar
<UmbralRaptor>
!acr -add KIC8462852 Tabby's Star/Boyajian's Star/WTF Star/that one that dims weirdly and might have alien megastructures
<Qboid>
UmbralRaptor: Invalid key!
<UmbralRaptor>
!acr -add KIC8462852 Tabby's Star
<Qboid>
UmbralRaptor: Invalid key!
<Iskierka>
don't tell me it needs to look somewhat like an actual acronym :V
<Iskierka>
!acr -help
<Qboid>
Iskierka: This key is not registered!
<UmbralRaptor>
!wa 1.59 solar radii / (391.4 parsecs) in arc seconds
<Qboid>
UmbralRaptor: convert (1.59 ℛ_☉^N (nominal solar radii))/(391.4 pc (parsecs)) to arc seconds: 1.889×10^-5" (arc seconds)
<egg|zzz|egg>
UmbralRaptor: -add:KIC<numbers>
<egg|zzz|egg>
don't forget the colon
<UmbralRaptor>
!acr -add:KIC8462852 Tabby's Star/Boyajian's Star/WTF Star/that one that dims weirdly and might have alien megastructures
<Qboid>
UmbralRaptor: I added the explanation for this acronym.
<Iskierka>
!acr -add:8462852 Tabby's Star/Boyajian's Star/WTF Star/that one that dims weirdly and might have alien megastructures
<Qboid>
Iskierka: I added the explanation for this acronym.
<Iskierka>
not sure how you'd do a two-word acronym
<egg|zzz|egg>
but it's not two words, it's KIC8462852
<egg|zzz|egg>
oh, it's KIC 8462852
<egg|zzz|egg>
blarg
<egg|zzz|egg>
KIC?
<Iskierka>
can be both. Maybe a KIC -> May refer to: thing?
<egg|zzz|egg>
!acr -add:KIC Kepler Input Catalog
<Qboid>
egg|zzz|egg: I added the explanation for this acronym.
<UmbralRaptor>
Let's see, with a UV (300 nm) array that uses a 12 km baseline, you should be able to resolve the star into 3 pixels.
<egg|zzz|egg>
(Simbad to the rescue)
<Iskierka>
UmbralRaptor, to confirm I understand that correctly, a 12 km large telescope?
<egg|zzz|egg>
no, telescopes 12 km apart
<UmbralRaptor>
A 12 km telescope at the ultraviolet end of atmospheric transparency.
<UmbralRaptor>
Or telescopes 12 km apart.
<egg|zzz|egg>
well, I mean you can also use a 12 km telescope, I won't stop you
<egg|zzz|egg>
might be slightly less practical
<egg|zzz|egg>
YMMV
* Iskierka
is unclear of what requirements interferometry has beyond just the normal spacing. Is there not also requirements for numbers and individual size to get good results?
<UmbralRaptor>
Some requirements about getting the optical path spacing really exact.
<egg|zzz|egg>
EPIC?
<Qboid>
egg|zzz|egg: [EPIC] => Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera
<Iskierka>
is that particularly finicky enough to be why they don't use it all the time?
<UmbralRaptor>
CHARA works somewhere in the optical(or near IR?), and looks to have a max spacing of 330 m.
<egg|zzz|egg>
but Ecliptic Plane Input Catalog too...
<UmbralRaptor>
Iskierka: AIUI, yes. But it's wavelength dependent, so out in Radio...
<UmbralRaptor>
s/Radio/radio/
<Qboid>
UmbralRaptor meant to say: Iskierka: AIUI, yes. But it's wavelength dependent, so out in radio...
<Iskierka>
radio is easier?
<UmbralRaptor>
Vastly so.
<egg|zzz|egg>
well you need spacing tolerances proportional to the wavelength
<egg|zzz|egg>
soo... don't do VLBI ultraviolet
<UmbralRaptor>
Hence things like the VLA, ALMA, CARMA, EHT...
<Iskierka>
Ah. "Spacing tolerances" makes it quite obvious
<egg|zzz|egg>
UmbralRaptor: clearly we need x-ray VLBI
<Iskierka>
though I had a silly idea at the start: smooth out a lunar crater and build a mega-arecibo in it.
<UmbralRaptor>
egg|zzz|egg: AAAAAH
<egg|zzz|egg>
Iskierka: I think the idea has come up in kspacademia already
<Iskierka>
entirely possible
<egg|zzz|egg>
iirc the light from pluto can damage your eye at the eyepiece or something like that
<Iskierka>
o.O
<Iskierka>
fun
<UmbralRaptor>
egg|zzz|egg: Potentially non-obvious problems: Some sources emit so few photons you can name them; the energy levels mean you get things that act a lot more like particles than waves.
<UmbralRaptor>
egg|zzz|egg: wait, what? Are we paving Aitken basin?
<egg|zzz|egg>
I think that's what we were working with yes
<UmbralRaptor>
;c 5*log10(2500)
<kmath_>
UmbralRaptor: Unknown token: log10
<UmbralRaptor>
Eh, it should be 2500e3.
<UmbralRaptor>
So, uh, light gathering making things ~32 magnitudes brighter?
<egg|zzz|egg>
hmm
<egg|zzz|egg>
UmbralRaptor: pluto might be ok, though very bright?
<UmbralRaptor>
You could make 6th - 7th magnitude stars seem as bright as the sun. (As in 1361 W/m^2). If I understand things correctly.
<egg|zzz|egg>
UmbralRaptor: Jupiter is definitely not safe to look at
<UmbralRaptor>
Pluto would probably seem like a full moon.
<UmbralRaptor>
;c 32-14
<kmath_>
UmbralRaptor: 18.0
<UmbralRaptor>
Hrm. Brighter. Not sure if Pluto would be safe.
<egg|zzz|egg>
UmbralRaptor: wait wait, what about conservation of étendue
<Iskierka>
well uh, objects in the LMC are about 10 magnitudes brighter than at 1 AU