this post was submitted on 12 Jan 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 4 points 10 hours ago

The sun is literally having zero part in this. We would still circle around the galaxy in the same way without her. Only orbits would change a bit.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

Mama knows how we behave. She's taking us to the nearest galactic playground where she'll abandon us.

[–] BanMe@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

IDK sometimes it feels like everything is just gonna explode one day

[–] GrammarPolice@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

Wait a minute... We're moving?

[–] stiffyGlitch@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (4 children)

ok! time for all those years of science to finally pay off:

Would you still love "her" if you knew that, every single second, thousands of waves of extreme radiation from the Sun, traveling at a million light-years per millisecond, hits our planet's atmosphere? These waves slowly erode one of the only protections that we have against the Sun. But don't worry, this planet has several more tricks up -- and under -- the crust of the Earth. The iron core of the earth emits a geomagnetic field that extends into space, creating a region called the magnetosphere. This magnetosphere blocks most of the Sun's deadly rays, deflecting them back into space.

(also I didn't get this off of Google. I just have a really good memory. also I added the bolded words)

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 6 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

traveling at a million light-years per millisecond

You're only off by a factor of about 30 quadrillion.

Light (famously a type of radiation), takes 1 year to travel a light-year, hence the name.

If you want to make it sound impressive, then astronomical units aren't the right choice. The sun is only 1 AU away from us after all.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 4 points 10 hours ago

A million lightmicroseconds every second

Fixed that for them

[–] massacre@lemmy.world 5 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

million light-years per millisecond

Gonna need a citation on that one! ;)

kidding aside, Mars is a great example of what will happen to Earth should our core stop generating our magnetic field. Also... Auroras!

[–] stiffyGlitch@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

Yes! The Auroras are the result of the Sun's rays that were rebounded and sent to both of the poles. Also, I don't know the exact speed, but its really reeeeeaaaaalyyyyy fucking fast. Like, my brain can't even fathom how fast it is. I can't imagine the scientists that study this every single day think. Are they like "oh shit the sun is just about to shart some deadly fucking radiation time to do some science to make it stop" I am actually convinced that science is magic, and every scientist that ever lived had to say some oath to never tell people that they're wizards. Meanwhile we're like "oh ok they have this tool that looks like a medieval torture device they either must be really smart or stole that from a museum or time-traveled and yoinked that shit and brought it back here"

[–] Zamboni_Driver@lemmy.ca 4 points 14 hours ago

Um, yes because without those waves plants wouldn't grow and we wouldn't be alive.

[–] peetabix@sh.itjust.works 2 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

If those deadly rays are getting reflected back into space, how do astronauts protect themselves against it? Is the ISS beneath the magnetosphere?

[–] ContriteErudite@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

On the side of the Earth facing the sun, the magnetosphere extends about 40,000km into space. On the side facing away from the sun, the solar wind stretches the magnetosphere into a tail that extends well beyond the Moon's orbit. The ISS orbits at an altitude of about 400km; it is well within the magnetosphere.

Because it is above the majority of the atmosphere (and also because it just barely passes through the lowest part of the Van Allen radiation belts), astronauts in the ISS are exposed to higher levels of radiation. However, the ISS has shielding specifically designed to minimize radiation, and astronauts living there are considered to be within safe levels of exposure.

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[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 3 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

It's all oscillations.

[–] Zwiebel@feddit.org 79 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Uhhm guyss shes just taking us around the galaxy

[–] shneancy@lemmy.world 42 points 1 day ago (9 children)

and where is the galaxy taking us then?

[–] IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 56 points 1 day ago

To visit/fistfight the Andromeda galaxy.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 40 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

to the Great Attractor

Through a series of peculiar velocity tests, astrophysicists found that the Milky Way was moving in the direction of the constellation of Centaurus at about 600 km/s. [citation needed] Then, the discovery of cosmic microwave background (CMB) dipoles was used to reflect the motion of the Local Group of galaxies towards the Great Attractor.[8] The 1980s brought many discoveries about the Great Attractor, such as the fact that the Milky Way is not the only galaxy impacted. Approximately 400 elliptical galaxies are moving toward the Great Attractor beyond the Zone of Avoidance caused by the Milky Way galaxy light.

We're actually traveling with a lot of friends through the immeasurable heavens.

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[–] 0ops@piefed.zip 56 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Sun: "Hey, do you want toooo... go for a walk?"

Planets: go apeshit

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[–] ZombieMantis@lemmy.world 33 points 1 day ago (7 children)

Did everyone forget about the galaxy? It's also a giant circle, and the sun orbits it like we orbit the sun.

Perhaps the real question should be "Where is the Galaxy taking us?"

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago (9 children)

“Where is the Galaxy taking us?”

Towards the andromeda galaxy which is over twice the size of the Milky Way. We are hurtling towards each other at about a quarter millions miles per hour.

For thousands of years after you die, that little fuzzy spot near Cassiopeia will slowly get larger and larger in the sky, and in about a four billion years, long after the Earth's oceans have dried up and the sun is a giant, reddish monster hovering in the sky, and our magnetic field will have long since died out, our atmosphere will have been mostly stripped away and the weather will feel like being on the highest mountains in an oven, the night sky will be covered with a dazzling display of the Andromeda galaxy overhead, spiral arms visible with the naked eye stretching from horizon to horizon.

We will merge, in a series of passes through each other, with almost no stars actually colliding most likely, although a good number will be ejected into the emptiness of intergalactic space, and will finally settle into a new shape, and may trigger a new phase of star formation as new clouds of gas and dust collide and collapse in the new super-galaxy.

[–] Spaniard@lemmy.world 5 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago

Interesting article but it's sad to see that website using dark patterns like subscribe popups and fucking with the back button.

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[–] RedSnt@feddit.dk 5 points 23 hours ago

As far as I know we're headed toward another galaxy. Luckily we'll all by long gone by the time that collision happens.

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[–] Noite_Etion@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

And like all good mothers one day she will grow into a red giant, engulfing her children and obliterating all life on earth.

That is the true meaning of mothers day ❤️

[–] Zink@programming.dev 10 points 1 day ago (5 children)

Fun, fun, we skip along together!

Swirling towards the center...

Where there is no pain and we are truly together, forever.

...

Eat at Arby's

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago

burma shave

[–] stiffyGlitch@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago

I saw that once and thought that it was an actual jingle for an Arby's commercial x_x

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