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The closest star system to the Earth is the famous Alpha Centauri group. Located in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur), at a distance of 4.3 light-years, this system is made up of the binary formed by the stars Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, plus the faint red dwarf Alpha Centauri C, also known as Proxima Centauri.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has given us this stunning view of the bright Alpha Centauri A (on the left) and Alpha Centauri B (on the right), flashing like huge cosmic headlamps in the dark. The image was captured by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). WFPC2 was Hubble's most used instrument for the first 13 years of the space telescope's life, being replaced in 2009 by WFC3 during Servicing Mission 4. This portrait of Alpha Centauri was produced by observations carried out at optical and near-infrared wavelengths.
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Tuesday September 06 2016, @06:38PM
I'm just saying, in an innumerate society, a dude who can do basic arithmetic is like a wizard-bard.
No kidding. I was in a store and the girl behind the counter asked if I was good at maths. I said, uh, yeah, with some slight trepidation. But then she asked her killer question: if you have 42p (pence) and then you, like, have ten of those, how much is that?
She actually did look at me like I was a wizard when I answered in under five seconds (I had to spend a few making sure I wasn't having a psychotic episode).
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 06 2016, @06:49PM
No kidding. I was in a store and the girl behind the counter asked
So did you get any?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday September 06 2016, @07:45PM
Any what? Any of the 42 pence? Or any of the ten items?
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday September 06 2016, @06:53PM
Oh, and the picture, fake or not, does kind of look like a painting. And one that shouldn't have taken 6 years to do... but what do I know, I can't paint.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday September 06 2016, @07:36PM
Painting genius Van Gogh painted a lot of his million-dollar masterpieces in one day (at least most of the painting, not necessarily the finishes).
NASA genius geeks use billions of dollars to take years to image a couple bright dots, and the lens effect is the most obvious part.
Both images will be one someone's desktop today.
Humans are amazing.
(Score: 2) by ledow on Tuesday September 06 2016, @07:20PM
There have always been innumerate people.
You really think that most Victorian schoolchildren were capable of basic arithmetic, let alone actual maths?
I think it's more a sign that stuff is so automated nowadays that it doesn't really matter, and nobody wants to pay the staff who just need to swipe barcodes "Boop, boop, boop" all day long a proper wage.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday September 06 2016, @07:27PM
Maybe she was asking you to do or sell drugs.
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