from the local-residents-object-to-rezoning dept.
Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Green Bank Telescope (GBT) — among other telescopes — have determined that our own Milky Way galaxy is part of a newly identified ginormous supercluster of galaxies, which they have dubbed "Laniakea," which means "immense heaven" in Hawaiian.
This discovery clarifies the boundaries of our galactic neighborhood and establishes previously unrecognized linkages among various galaxy clusters in the local Universe.
"We have finally established the contours that define the supercluster of galaxies we can call home," said lead researcher R. Brent Tully, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "This is not unlike finding out for the first time that your hometown is actually part of much larger country that borders other nations."
The paper explaining this work is the cover story of the September 4 issue of the journal Nature.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v513/n7516/full/nature13674.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140903133319.htm
Video: http://vimeo.com/104704518
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Rivenaleem on Thursday September 04 2014, @01:11PM
I wonder if companies will add an extra address line on their forms for me to put this on my address.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Subsentient on Thursday September 04 2014, @01:22PM
Right after they add 'just tentacles' for your gender selector.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2) by Woods on Thursday September 04 2014, @01:23PM
From Wikipedia:
A 2014 announcement says that the Virgo Supercluster is just a lobe in a greater supercluster, Laniakea, that is centered on the Great Attractor. The Laniakea Supercluster would then be the Local Supercluster.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday September 04 2014, @03:27PM
"Laniakea" really?
Good job making sure that nobody cares past today.
It's nice to give a nod to the Hawaiians, but really, night-dwellers, think of how many people will bother to use the name if it's that easy to remember...
Then again that's ok. Like most us-named landmarks, it will eventually get rebranded after whoever gives the most cash to put its name on it. That's gonna be one hell of a billboard.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by hoochiecoochieman on Thursday September 04 2014, @06:17PM
For the vast majority of the people in the world, "Laniakea" is as hard to pronounce or remember as "Immense Heaven", or "Imenso Céu". Why do you think your own language is the centre of the Universe?
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday September 04 2014, @06:24PM
I know 4, and can easily ask people speaking 10 more. I'm looking for which non-Hawaiian language this combination of letters is easy to remember/use in.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Horse With Stripes on Thursday September 04 2014, @08:38PM
Clearly you missed the obvious. "Laniakea" translates to "Land of Ikea". That little tidbit, combined with this news story [soylentnews.org] tells me everything I need to know: Ikea's graphics department has manufactured 75% of the visible universe. The good news is that we should be able to order stars, constellations, and even galaxies from their catalog in the near future.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday September 04 2014, @08:57PM
Have some virtual mod points, since I can't mod a reply to my post.
I would recommend against ordering stars from Ikea. Do you really want to be known as the owner of build-it-yourself thermonuclear device?
Asteroids and comets are a safer bet, as long as you don't have tyrannosaurus arms and request home delivery of a pre-assembled version.
(Score: 1) by Horse With Stripes on Thursday September 04 2014, @09:09PM
What could go wrong? I have a one-size-fits-all allen wrench and directions in enough languages that one of them has to be right, right?
Good tip on the pre-assembled 'heavenly surprises'. Free delivery doesn't make up for the downside.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday September 04 2014, @09:34PM
Watch those international instructions!
If you follow the ones in Yiddish, you can never show off your star collection, or even admit that you have one, or have ever considered having one. But everyone will know anyway.
If you follow the ones in Farsi, the neighbors get really pissy even before you get the initial delivery. Some Allen wrenches may get sabotaged as a result.
If you follow the ones in Afrikaans or Kazakh, you'll have to take it apart without even playing with it.
If you follow the ones in US English, you might misplace more stars than you actually fire up, but people will still worry that you always look like you might try to reverse that trend.
(Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Thursday September 04 2014, @08:39PM
I've noticed while making strange passwords that as long as I can actually say it, the more unusual it is the easier it is to remember (still got to remember the strings of other characters I add though).
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday September 05 2014, @08:55AM
If it's monstrously huge, then they should have called it something impressive, like "the motherfucker".
(R.I.P. Hicks)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by nitehawk214 on Friday September 05 2014, @02:01PM
Many of the best northern hemisphere telescopes are in Hawaii.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ticho on Thursday September 04 2014, @05:25PM
I love that despite the fact that we will most likely never visit even one zillionth of the "local universe", they still use the qualifier. :-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 04 2014, @07:49PM
Oh good! Writers have another science word to put into their fiction. Kids will be overjoyed to discover that the Laniakea they read about is a real place.