Google Sky Weirdness

[half-jack]

Hey everyone, I'm new to BAUT and I hope that I don't sound like an idiot with this post... but it is something that's been on my mind.

I have to admit, that I'm usually one of the first to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to these conspiracy theories. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I realize that I'm one of those people who are easily scared by certain things. Maybe that'll be my first step towards the right direction... but I gotta admit, I freak out about things like Nibiru, Gamma Ray Bursts, Black Holes, the LHC Collider, 2012, etc. Sometimes it gets to a point where it does disrupt my daily living and no amount of people saying, "Live for today!" etc. helps.

Anyway, after laying that out on the table, hopefully people won't be quick to throw out sarcastic answers but more like informed ones that can create peace of mind.

I've recently kind of been looking into all sorts of things on the internet about random space news (one of which involved a hypothesis of rouge stars/planets which was totally disturbing) and came across Google Sky and it's missing panels.

Can anyone explain to me why there are random panels missing on Google Sky? Another question is, I did a search (in Google Sky) of Sirius. When I did that, there was this huge weird looking spot, like it was cut out in MS Paint type thing. What would be the purpose of that?

This is a sincere question, so please... have sincere answers.

Thank you in advance.

[slang]

Welcome to BAUT, hope you can find answers here to ease your anxiety

Can anyone explain to me why there are random panels missing on Google Sky?

If it works anything like maps.google.com, I've seen random missing panels there in situations where the local firewall/webproxy at work was overloaded and dropping web connections. Kind of like getting a web page, but not the images, or only some images.

[half-jack]

Thanks for the welcoming!

That is a good possibility. The one that is really weird to me is Sirius though... It's a giant orange blob that literally looks like it was edited with MS Paint. I'm not even sure where to begin with that.

I tried doing a search on Google (ironically) and all that comes up is, of course, conspiracy theories. I think I just want real answers and not as ya guys say "tin foil hat" theories. lol

[Neverfly]

Thanks for the welcoming!

That is a good possibility. The one that is really weird to me is Sirius though... It's a giant orange blob that literally looks like it was edited with MS Paint. I'm not even sure where to begin with that.

I tried doing a search on Google (ironically) and all that comes up is, of course, conspiracy theories. I think I just want real answers and not as ya guys say "tin foil hat" theories. lol

Can you post links so we can see what you're talking about? Or does Google Sky revert to default...

In the meantime, you will find that most CT's break down to Nothin once you learn about what's truly involved.
Like Planet X- etc. When you actually learn the science and the reality (Reality = A rock is hard, water is wet- etc...) you will chuckle at yourself for ever even having entertained such notions.
Welcome to BAUT.
May you one day become a debunking Skeptic- Like Joeboy seems to be becoming.

[half-jack]

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/200...gle-earth.html

This is the closest thing I could find without finding an image that was surrounded by a bunch of doomsday theories.

http://www.visionaryspeaking.com/Web...owPaperDot.jpg Wait, here's the direct link. (It's from the doomsday place.)

This is slightly off-topic, but I read that they have seed vaults and stuff now... all of this doomsday stuff is really getting to me. :S

[01101001]

The one that is really weird to me is Sirius though... It's a giant orange blob that literally looks like it was edited with MS Paint. I'm not even sure where to begin with that.

Do you mean this part of Google Sky?

What are you asking? That's exactly how Sirius looks through a telescope.

What do you think should be there instead of the artificial orange blob?

Should it look like Canopus? How many seconds with Photoshop do you think it would take a Google technician to cut a white patch from Canopus and paste it into Sirius? Why do you suppose they didn't bother to try that?

How about Arcturus? Alpha Centauri A? Vega? Procyon? Archernar?

[half-jack]

Thank you 011 for pointing that out... You made your point, but you didn't have to be so harsh about it. I was simply asking.

[01101001]

Thank you 011 for pointing that out... You made your point, but you didn't have to be so harsh about it. I was simply asking.

You're quite welcome.

As for harsh... I was simply asking.

I'm sorry if you found my questions harsh. I wanted to know what you were thinking. So I asked.

[Neverfly]

Do you mean this part of Google Sky?

What are you asking? That's exactly how Sirius looks through a telescope.

Uh....
No it isn't
Is this what You see when you look at Sirius through a Telescope?
It sure is not what I see...

What do you think should be there instead of the artificial orange blob?

Maybe a nice pretty picture of a star?
Heck, I'd love to know why that looks so cruddy and sloppy and I'm not even proposing a conspiracy here

Should it look like Canopus? How many seconds with Photoshop do you think it would take a Google technician to cut a white patch from Canopus and paste it into Sirius? Why do you suppose they didn't bother to try that?

How about Arcturus? Alpha Centauri A? Vega? Procyon? Archernar?

The rest of these are about as bad. It looks like Google Sky got lazy and hashed a lot of images together, didn't bother to account for brightness or just blocked brightness out completely and looks like various filter shots used all at the same time.

So essentially, it looks like sloppy work.

[01101001]

Uh....
No it isn't

I'm sorry you took my being facetious for anything but.

[Neverfly]

I'm sorry you took my being facetious for anything but.

With you, I can never tell

I'll buy ya a beer if you feel slighted... But If the beer bottle looks like an orange blob- You can't complain

[Neverfly]

Poll Options...
It's:
1.) a Star
2.) a UFO
3.) beer
4.) CHEESE!

[LotusExcelle]

I wonder how much a cheeseball that size would mass. And what different types of cheese produce what type of star? Sharp cheddar may be like our star.

[Neverfly]

I wonder how much a cheeseball that size would mass. And what different types of cheese produce what type of star? Sharp cheddar may be like our star.

God have mercy on the Occupants of Limburger IV...

[LotusExcelle]

I have some Limburger at home. I'm *scared* of opening it. My fiance and I want to try out new and different cheeses to go with wine. Well I said "hey let's get this Limburger", got it home and said "That may have been a bad idea".

The Swiss system has wormholes.

[HenrikOlsen]

Uh....
No it isn't
Is this what You see when you look at Sirius through a Telescope?
It sure is not what I see...



Maybe a nice pretty picture of a star?
Heck, I'd love to know why that looks so cruddy and sloppy and I'm not even proposing a conspiracy here

Slight misalignment of the mirrors?

Clouds?
Seeing?

[Neverfly]

Slight misalignment of the mirrors?

Clouds?
Seeing?

CHEESE!


Actually, it looks like they blocked out the Bright white center. You can see the cut and paste on it... I don't really know why.

[Laguna]

CHEESE!


Actually, it looks like they blocked out the Bright white center. You can see the cut and paste on it... I don't really know why.

Possibly they adjusted the briteness and contrast automatically and wanted to get rid off the too bright parts to get better "blackness" of space?

[Neverfly]

Possibly they adjusted the briteness and contrast automatically and wanted to get rid off the too bright parts to get better "blackness" of space?

In a recent Universe Today article about Nix and Hydra, Ian O'Neill shows some interesting images that demonstrate how the bright light from Pluto and Charon had to be filtered out so that Nix and Hydra would be visible in the photograph.
In fact, Pluto is so bright, it easily overwhelms even Charon and they look like one planet! Poor Nix and Hydra didn't stand a chance.
Someone in that thread asked why it appeared that Pluto and Charon had a Black Circle behind them.

ETA: I may have some misinformation in this post- as to whether or not it was actually Ian O'Neills article or not. I cannot find the article at the moment, so if I messed that up, uhhh I apologize to Ian and Fraser. I may be mixing up one article with a different article- The rest of the content about Pluto- remains the same.

[hhEb09'1]

I tried to measure the yellow blob using the on-screen location info, and it looks like it's about a half-degree across. That's the same size, approx., as the sun or moon. Weird.

[01101001]

With you, I can never tell

I'll buy ya a beer if you feel slighted...

The clue this time came a dozen words later when I referred to the "artifical orange blob".

But, you did right in asking for clarification. I write smiley-free and it's a risk I'm willing to take. When I write something outrageous, sometimes I expect a laugh and sometimes I expect outrage. A question is good.

No beer necessary.

[Neverfly]

The clue this time came a dozen words later when I referred to the "artifical orange blob".

But, you did right in asking for clarification. I write smiley-free and it's a risk I'm willing to take. When I write something outrageous, sometimes I expect a laugh and sometimes I expect outrage. A question is good.

No beer necessary.

Ah yes.. a clue...
In retrospect, I'm thinking, "duh".
But yeah, I like to avoid the smilies on occasion and shoot for effect. The downside of doing it on the forum is that I'm never always sure what that effect is... Either way, my post was meant in the same air and in fun, which I think reflects in the following posts.

I tried to measure the yellow blob using the on-screen location info, and it looks like it's about a half-degree across. That's the same size, approx., as the sun or moon. Weird.

Those follow the plane of the Ecliptic...

[hhEb09'1]

For the record, I do not think it looks like the sun or moon

PS: smiley-free posting for the past **001** posts

[Neverfly]

For the record, I do not think it looks like the sun or moon

Aww.. C'mon. It's yellow isn't it?

[NEOWatcher]

This is the closest thing I could find without finding an image that was surrounded by a bunch of doomsday theories.

Yeah, the mainstream sees this stuff as normal missing, or mis-applied data, and doesn't mean a thing. It takes a conspiricist to actually put something behind the meaning.
To me Laguna2 has the best idea. Of course, my opinion is based on that halo of interference that I get from the picture.

But; I rest easy with this... Why would a public company who makes money from advertising based on people going to see interesting things want to hide something interesting?

This is slightly off-topic, but I read that they have seed vaults and stuff now... all of this doomsday stuff is really getting to me. :S

A lot of "It might be a good idea even though the risk is minimal" ideas are sold on overstating the risk.
The seed vault is one of those. I'm not sure that the thinking is really focused on "bye bye Humanity" types of disasters. I think a large part is based on local ecological issues. Many varieties are in small areas that can be wiped out by a single incidental issue that might not have any impact on anything else. Another issue is the evolutionary. We have seen plants adapt to changing conditions. So; if we save the seeds, we have a before and after representation of that change.

[01101001]

The rest of these are about as bad. It looks like Google Sky got lazy and hashed a lot of images together, didn't bother to account for brightness or just blocked brightness out completely and looks like various filter shots used all at the same time.

So essentially, it looks like sloppy work.

I'd be surprised if Google did not entirely automate the process and just put together whatever images they have access to, updating as new images are received.

I wouldn't expect them to attempt to improve the content. I wouldn't want them to. Data trumps looks. Slop on, Google. Keep up the good work.

Google Sky :: About :: FAQ

3. Where did all these data come from?

The imagery for Google Sky comes from some of the largest ground- and space-based astronomical surveys.

The visible data comes from a combination of surveys: the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the Digital Sky Survey Consortium which you can find more about at: http://www.stsci.edu, http://www.caltech.edu, http://www.roe.ac.uk, and http://www.aao.gov.au; NASA and ESA's Hubble Space Telescope about which you can find more at the Space Telescope Science Institute and the ESA Hubble Space Telescope home page. More details about these observatories can be found on our partners page.

Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) SkyServer FAQ

Why doesn't SDSS have data for well-known visible stars (Sirius, Vega, etc.)? Top
The SDSS has a very sensitive camera. Stars that you can see with your unaided eyes are a little too bright for the SDSS's camera, so they show up as washed out. The SDSS still gets an image of those stars (for example, here is Pollux - link opens in a new window), but their images are unreliable, and the SDSS gets no catalog data.

Compare:
SDSS Pollux
Google Sky Pollux

It looks like they stomped on the original some. Boo, if they did.

[MAPNUT]

I think poor Half-Jack has gotten discouraged. That would be too bad, because it appears 0110etc. has finally posted the answer.

[Neverfly]

I think poor Half-Jack has gotten discouraged.

He will return as Half-Hearted.

[01101001]

I didn't find Sirius at SDSS, but did find it, in somewhat familiar form, at Space Telescope Science Institute (Hubble).

Sirius (grayscale, GIF, about 10 megabytes, don't bother, it's not very pretty, small version is attached, from STScI search form):



Anyone seen that before? (Hint: Google Sky)

If you were a Google person, or some Google software, and you were given this image (or a colorized version thereof) by the fine Hubble folks (or DSS), what processing would you do before putting it into Google Sky -- so, ya know, you weren't charged with laziness or sloppiness?

[PhantomWolf]

There are few parts missing, for example this section near the Southern Cross. This is obviously not included because Google is hiding Planet X.