Comments on: One ring to rule them all… https://habitablezone.com/2020/08/21/one-ring-to-rule-them-all/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:03:37 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Vitruvius https://habitablezone.com/2020/08/21/one-ring-to-rule-them-all/#comment-45239 Vitruvius Mon, 24 Aug 2020 22:33:51 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=83520#comment-45239 According to a paper on the subject (<a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.14805" title="Unexpected Circular Radio Objects at High Galactic Latitude" rel="nofollow">Norris et. al., "Unexpected Circular Radio Objects at High Galactic Latitude" 26 June 2020</a>), they still could conceivably be distant Wolf-Rayet star explosion. While equably conceivable to be a galaxy, possibly a new type, the paper was unable to successfully conclude it was anything other than a new type of radio-astronomical object, though they also stated it was possble that they "may have more than one type of object represented in the class of ORCs". I hedged on possible star activity, due to the close resemblance to a nova - again, based off of my limited knowledge of astronomy. If there's another paper leaning towards the galactic end of scale, I'd love to see it - we don't get new developments in astrophysics in the news often enough. According to a paper on the subject (Norris et. al., “Unexpected Circular Radio Objects at High Galactic Latitude” 26 June 2020), they still could conceivably be distant Wolf-Rayet star explosion. While equably conceivable to be a galaxy, possibly a new type, the paper was unable to successfully conclude it was anything other than a new type of radio-astronomical object, though they also stated it was possble that they “may have more than one type of object represented in the class of ORCs”.

I hedged on possible star activity, due to the close resemblance to a nova – again, based off of my limited knowledge of astronomy. If there’s another paper leaning towards the galactic end of scale, I’d love to see it – we don’t get new developments in astrophysics in the news often enough.

]]> By: hank https://habitablezone.com/2020/08/21/one-ring-to-rule-them-all/#comment-45234 hank Mon, 24 Aug 2020 11:11:24 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=83520#comment-45234 These ORCs are exploding galaxies. They are hundreds of thousands of ly across. But the evidence is only at radio wavelengths, there is no optical signature at all. These ORCs are exploding galaxies. They are hundreds of thousands of ly across. But the evidence is only at radio wavelengths, there is no optical signature at all.

]]> By: Vitruvius https://habitablezone.com/2020/08/21/one-ring-to-rule-them-all/#comment-45229 Vitruvius Mon, 24 Aug 2020 09:57:59 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=83520#comment-45229 It's probably just a bubble of charged gas/plasma. The image isn't consistent with a Dyson Sphere, or other potential astroengineered megaobjects, there's little evidence of space-time warping/gravitational lensing, according to what I looked up, and only stars have the energy to put out a signal like this - nothing artificial could easily cause these patterns. The speed of light is also terribly slow when it comes to interstellar communication, so the crop circle theory is out, too. My money is on the aforementioned charged bubbles. Looking at the upper & lower right ones, you can see that the whole area around the star is shaded, consistent with a spherical shape. What differentiates this from a potential Dyson Sphere is the irregularity in the observed structure, and the emitted radio waves. The only source material in my (admittedly limited) knowledge of matter that emits EM radiation on the Radio wavelength is excited matter, due to either heat, gravity, or energetic charging by nearby material. I think what might be happening is that the bubbles are either a newly-observed type of nova remnant, still cooling off as it dissipates, or less likely, that they're nearby gas clouds being infused with additional energy by their host star, either through emitted light and heat, or the star's magnetic field. Personally, I'm keeping an eye out for new papers on the subject. Thanks for bringing it up! It’s probably just a bubble of charged gas/plasma. The image isn’t consistent with a Dyson Sphere, or other potential astroengineered megaobjects, there’s little evidence of space-time warping/gravitational lensing, according to what I looked up, and only stars have the energy to put out a signal like this – nothing artificial could easily cause these patterns. The speed of light is also terribly slow when it comes to interstellar communication, so the crop circle theory is out, too.

My money is on the aforementioned charged bubbles. Looking at the upper & lower right ones, you can see that the whole area around the star is shaded, consistent with a spherical shape. What differentiates this from a potential Dyson Sphere is the irregularity in the observed structure, and the emitted radio waves. The only source material in my (admittedly limited) knowledge of matter that emits EM radiation on the Radio wavelength is excited matter, due to either heat, gravity, or energetic charging by nearby material. I think what might be happening is that the bubbles are either a newly-observed type of nova remnant, still cooling off as it dissipates, or less likely, that they’re nearby gas clouds being infused with additional energy by their host star, either through emitted light and heat, or the star’s magnetic field.

Personally, I’m keeping an eye out for new papers on the subject. Thanks for bringing it up!

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2020/08/21/one-ring-to-rule-them-all/#comment-45216 podrock Sat, 22 Aug 2020 02:54:35 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=83520#comment-45216 Anti-matter warp-core explosion? (The pair was a battle...) A destabilized TARDIS exploding through time? Starburst inside a shielded ship? Stargate operation? Wormhole? Anti-matter warp-core explosion? (The pair was a battle…)
A destabilized TARDIS exploding through time?
Starburst inside a shielded ship?
Stargate operation?
Wormhole?

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