UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Summary:

Doesn't really have to much to do with the whole 2012 phenomena yet, but I've already seen some ill-disguised hints from the tinfoil wearing part of the population that this might be Nibiru/Planet X. What's your thoughts on what this might be?

UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Richard (guest) 10 May 2010 23:23

Okey, so just as I had gotten over my fears regarding the whole LHC project (which I now know is quite harmless, thanks to you guys) when I came across an article (http://news.discovery.com/space/rogue-brown-dwarf-lurks-in-our-cosmic-neighborhood.html) written by Iain O'Neill regarding the newly discovered brown dwarf named UGPSJ0722-05. My doomsday radar picked up on this, mainly because some sites point to this as the aleged Nibiru/Planet X (if only they could decide which one it is) It seems like there is some confusement regarding this whole entity, and some sites around the web already claims this to be Nibiru/Planet X. It sounds almost hilarious, being as this brown dwarf is located aproximately 10 Lightyears away from us, and most likelly wouldn't come any closer, would it? But I still find this new discovery to be somewhat intrigueing, so I just wanted to hear some of your qualified guessings on why this dwarf is so special? And is this actually the first brown dwarf discovered in our solar system? I don't really know anything about astronomy, so could someone here please explain what all the fuzz is about?=)

Kind regards

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Astrogeek 11 May 2010 04:19

Hi Richard;

From the first paragraph of Iain's article (by the way, I know Iain, and he was a guest on the March 29th episode of JAD)

This makes it the nearest brown dwarf and one of ten nearest stellar objects to our solar system. Although its location isn't entirely unexpected (it is thought that the galaxy is stuffed full of these objects), the chemical composition of its atmosphere is a bit of a conundrum.

So, it appears that this particular brown dwarf is notable because it is close (in astronomical terms, 10 light years is the next town over) and a bit of a surprise, chemistry wise.

We'll deal with the 'close' bit first. As you said in reply to Lynn below, the thing isn't going to hit us. Now, even if it were headed directly toward us, at a fairly good clip (I'll use 150km/sec, which is faster than Barnard's Star and the Andromeda Galaxy) we are still talking about an object that is $9.46 \times 10^{13}$ kilometers away. At that speed it would take it roughly 20,000 years to reach us (assuming my math is right, which is always an open question).

The second bit was the surprise. It is potentially the coolest brown dwarf ever discovered, with surface temperatures perhaps as low as 400 Kelvin (about 260 F). That's cooler than the surface of Venus!

There is also an 'anomalous' absorbtion line in it's spectrum.

Oddly, when looking at the spectrum from UGPSJ0722-05, there is an anomalous absorption line (i.e. a particular wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum that is missing) that cannot be explained by our current understanding of brown dwarfs. Perhaps the UKIRT has discovered a new breed of brown dwarf; a very cool object with some chemical in its atmosphere that absorbs infrared radiation at a wavelength of 1.25 micrometers.

So, yes, it is very exciting.

---

"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Lynn (guest) 11 May 2010 12:23

So, is it 10 years away from earth or 20,000 years away? Is there a good chance that there could be one of these things in our solar system that hasn't been found that could pose a threat?

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Astrogeek 11 May 2010 15:42

Hi again, Lynn;

The object is 10 light years away. A light year is a measure of distance… the distance that light (which is the fastest thing in the universe) travels in one year.

Light travels at 299,792,458 meters per second. In one year it will have traveled exactly 9,460,730,472,580.8 kilometers.

There are 31,557,600 seconds in a Julian year (365.25 days). In my post above, I showed that if the object were heading directly for us (which it probably isn't), and if the object were moving very quickly in relationship to the sun (150 kilometers per second) that it would still take about 20,000 years to reach us.

$( 9,460,730,472,580.8 km \times 10 )\div 150 km/s = 630,715,364,838.72 seconds$

$630,715,364,838.72 seconds \div 31,557,600 seconds/year = 19986 years$

So, to reiterate… this object is not "close" to us (in our terms). It is 10 light years away. It is not in our solar system. There is no evidence that it is headed toward us, I simply used that as an example of how far away this object actually is.

On the second part of your question: No… there is no chance that one or more of these objects exists in the solar system.

In 1781 William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus. By 1845 it had completed nearly one full orbit. Careful observations of the orbit disclosed a series of irregularities which could not be resolved using Newton's laws, unless there was another planet beyond Uranus. In 1845, astronomers Urbain Le Verrier in Paris and John Couch Adams in Cambridge separately began calculations to determine the nature and position of such a planet. The first telescopic observation of Neptune was made on September 23, 1846 at the Berlin Observatory, by astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle (assisted by Heinrich D'Arrest), working from Le Verrier's calculations.

If an object like this brown dwarf were anywhere in our solar system, it would be causing changes in the orbits of the inner planets. We do not see those changes. Therefore there is no brown dwarf running around in our solar system.

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Lynn (guest) 11 May 2010 00:04

This scares the crap out of me. Now I fully believe that we are going to die. Can you guys debunk that this isn't going to hit us??????????

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Richard (guest) 11 May 2010 00:25

Lynn, I can assure you that this thing isn't going to hit us. Even the doomsayers claim it to be about 9-10 lightyears away, and will probably remain there. I just posted this because it is somewhat an "special" brown dwarf, and most likelly would be associated with the whole Nibiru hoax (which it already has been). But to my understanding, findings like this have been expected by astronomers (I think it says so in the article). Thus, there really isn't any cause for concern. Unique findings happen quite often without posing a threat to our existence.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Lynn (guest) 11 May 2010 00:29

How far is a lightyear? Who is to say that it isn't Nibiru?? Didn't they say that it would be visible in the Spring of THIS year?? AstroGeek, Alene…Someone please explain this to me. I'm really freaking out!!! 2012 doesn't sound so absurd now.

If a planet was/is going to hit us, could it be blown up or averted by NASA?

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Lynn (guest) 11 May 2010 00:37

Guys, I am super scared!!! I mean if this one has gone undetected for so long and it's this close, who is to say there isn't another one out there that hasn't been found and then BOOM. The so called "Doom-Sayers" were right.

i really need help with this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

bikenbeer2000 11 May 2010 06:02

Lynn, this is rather like driving your car down a road in Texas and expecting to be hit in the next 10 minutes by someone who's driving their car down another road in Alaska.
It isn't going to happen.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Alene Y 11 May 2010 06:21

That's a great analogy, Bikenbeer.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Jade (guest) 23 May 2010 00:40

Lynn;
A lightyear is not a year- its a measure of distance- its the distance light can travel in a year. I'm going to repeat Astrogeeks earlier message. Even if this dwarf was oving at an extremely fast speed, it would still take about 20 thousand years to reach Earth- if it even IS moving toward us! Ten light years is very close in universal terms, because the universe is infinite, BUT in our terms thats an extremely long way away! Its nothing to worry about… at least not for 19000 years ! The reason its so 'interesting' is because cool brown dwarfs aren't common and its a new discovery.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Alene Y 11 May 2010 01:22

Hi Lynn,
Calm down. This object is very far away. A light year is the distance that light travels in a year. No object can travel at the speed of light or even close to it. 1 light year is 63 239.6717 Astronomical Units. An AU is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun (93 million miles). If you multiply 93 million miles by 10, then multiply that by 63,240, you will get the distance in miles. IF it COULD and DID travel at the speed of light, and if it WERE moving toward us, it would take a minimum of 10 years to get here. But it can't move anywhere near the speed of light and it isn't moving toward us. An object that is 632,397 times farther away than the Sun is no threat to us.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Lynn (guest) 11 May 2010 01:27

How do you know it isn't moving this way? Also, could there be more that are closer that hasn't been found yet?

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Alene Y 11 May 2010 01:56

The reports on it say it is floating in interstellar space. That is a far cry from hurtling toward us at the speed of light.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Laura (guest) 11 May 2010 02:31

If it or something else did come at us, could it be blown up or knocked off its course?

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Alene Y 11 May 2010 02:59

There is no currently no known object large enough to be a threat that is on anything likely to be a collision course with Earth. We haven't yet tried mitigating the orbit of an object, but there are methods that have been suggested in case it might become necessary at some time in the future.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Keith (guest) 21 May 2010 01:32

Read this carefully: IT WOULD HAVE TO MOVE AT FIVE TIMES THE SPEED OF LIGHT TO BE IN OUR VICINITY BY 2012!!! This. Is. Impossible. Wiki E=MC² if you don't believe me.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

UndeadxNurse 11 May 2010 12:44

In a simple word, the Brown Dwarf mentioned is completely harmless.
To be frank, Lynn, you have a better chance at getting struck by lightning while doing an Elvis Presley impression and simultaneously going cross-eyed and eating a Twinky.

If indeed anything were to enter our atmosphere within the time-frame of only two years, you would already be able to see said object, especially if said object is as big as people claim, you would be able to see it with the naked eye and it would stick out like a sore thumb, trying to text message and dial a phone number.

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Wie Sie säen, so sollst du ernten.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Marko S 13 May 2010 17:12

To put some perspective here… Here's some of the nearest stars in relation to our Sun:

Proxima Centauri (4.2421 light years away)
Alpha Centauri A and B (4.3650 light years away)
Barnard's Star (5.9630 light years away)
Wolf 359 (7.7825 light years away)
Lalande 21185 (8.2905 light years away)
Sirius A and B (8.5828 light years away)
Luyten 726-8 A and B (8.7280 light years away)
Ross 154 (9.6813 light years away)

These are all closer than the discovered brown dwarf. So why fret about this particular object?

Even the closest one of these stars, Proxima Centauri, is about 4 light-years away. So if we could travel at the speed of light (which is the ultimate speed limit in the universe), it would still take us 4 years to reach the star. If we use more realistic speeds which we can reach with today's technology or even imagine being available some time in the future, it would take at least several hundred years, if not thousands, to reach even this closest star.

So, it really is absolutely impossible that this brown dwarf 10 light years away from us could threaten us in any way. It just cannot happen. Simple as that.

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One's convictions should be proportional to one's evidence. - Sam Harris

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Richard (guest) 11 May 2010 00:06

And I managed to find the source of the claims to: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message1044716/pg1
How's that for credible evidence?* Here's even some video evidence of it's existence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR3-lG16zgo&feature=player_embedded

The video that supposedly shows Nibiru, wouldn't that in fact be the newly discovered brown dwarf (and not any fictional planet)? And if so, is this brown dwarf ever going to end up in our neighborhood?

*Please observe sarcasm=)

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

TheGreatJuju 11 May 2010 02:51

Here's even some video evidence of it's existence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR3-lG16zgo&feature=player_embedded

"Its [sic] heading right toward our solar system is already somewhere near jupiter [sic].

Oh, good god. The mindless hysteria on YouTube knows no bounds. I butted heads with some doomsayers last year who started an e-panic over a mythical brown dwarf called Hellion 1957, which they claimed was going to hit the sun (and, of course, it never did). There were guys going on camera literally freaked out because they thought they were going to die in a few days, and the object of their fear didn't even exist. In fact, people used similar claims —- "It's already hit Jupiter! OMFG!" Of course, last summer there was a collision on Jupiter that left a disturbance in part of its atmosphere, and this was inevitably cited as "evidence" of the rogue object's impending rendezvous with our beloved sun.

Godlike Productions is the same site where the Hellion hoax started last year. It's no surprise that someone is trying it again.

As you are already aware, UGPSJ0722-05 is 2.9 parsecs (~10 light years) away, and there's no indication, from what I've read, that it is moving toward our solar system.

---

"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

http://www.undeadrufus.com

Last edited on 11 May 2010 02:55 by TheGreatJuju Show more

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

ticktock 11 May 2010 16:00

Here's another way to look at it. Anything farther away from the Sun than ONE LIGHT YEAR is independent of the Solar System. Just to make matters worse, if something that was one light year away came towards the center of the Solar System, it would accelerate to speeds likely to cause it to never come back.

So, in summary. 1) If someone says an object is more than ONE light year away, it has nothing to do with us and 2) anything that could possibly interact with the Inner Planets HAS TO BE very close (in inter-stellar terms) in order to have a stable orbit.

All of the wacko "3600 year orbits" proposed by the 12-tards are UNSTABLE orbits, and their claims can be dismissed. This is just physics, and reminds me of the claims made by the anti-electricity crowd a hundred years ago. They said that if you wired your house for AC current, that you could "get zapped" from an outlet ACROSS THE ROOM! This is a very good analogy, because even after explaining that the voltage required to overcome 10ft of air resistance would be in the tens of millions, many of the "anti-AC-tards" still chose to believe their fantasy over reality, just as so many people hang onto Nibiru like a pit bull with a hambone.

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Richard (guest) 11 May 2010 21:04

Just out of curiousity, does the video actually show UGPSJ0722-05 or is that some other object? And, this one perhaps hasn't bean figured out yet, but what was the source of the collision on Jupiter? Are these kinds of collisions common or was this actually kind of an one-of-a-kind event?

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

TheGreatJuju 12 May 2010 00:44

Just out of curiousity, does the video actually show UGPSJ0722-05

It purports to show "Nibiru" in Google Earth, which is hilarious for two reasons. One, it contradicts the multitude of doomsayers who claim that Google, Microsoft and WikiSky have been strong-armed by the government into censoring Nibiru from their software. Two, the image used in the video, like all Google Earth content, is copyrighted 2007, as you can clearly see at the bottom of the screen while the user is pointing out the object. It's not a real-time or even a current view of the sky, so it's obvious the object didn't just recently move into view.

or is that some other object?

The coordinates given in the video are RA: 9:46:58, DEC: 13:12:30. UGPSJ0722-05 was discovered "at the midway between Sirius and Procyon," which isn't even close. In all likelihood, the creator scanned Google Sky for some lone, unnamed object that would not be readily identifiable, then posted a hysterical video claiming it was Nibiru. Par for the course, really.

what was the source of the collision on Jupiter?

Not really known, but it was probably an asteroid. You can read about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Jupiter_impact

Are these kinds of collisions common or was this actually kind of an one-of-a-kind event?

They are routine in cosmic terms, but it's certainly interesting from our perspective. Given Jupiter's gravitational influence on the solar system, it tends to be a target for this sort of thing. It was hit by a comet in 1994.

---

"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

http://www.undeadrufus.com

Last edited on 12 May 2010 00:44 by TheGreatJuju Show more

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Richard (guest) 12 May 2010 22:09

Sorry if I am more then a little slow now, but this object (in the video) is it 9-10 lightyears away, and not getting any closer? Or is this infact an object that resides in our own solar system? Again, sorry if these are kind of dumb questions, but my knowledge about astronomy is limited, to say the least. I also noted that you actually could see similar objects elsewhere on Google sky, so what could this be (by the looks of it, these objects doesn't seem to be that uncommon)? Is it a brown dwarf or is it a different type of stellar body? Why would someone even try to get this object to pass as Nibiru, when Nibiru is supposed to be (a) an habitable planet and (b) right in our own backyard (which this object doesn't seem to be=). These kind of finding seem to be, as you pointed out, quite contradictory so why even bother?

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

TheGreatJuju 13 May 2010 00:42

Sorry if I am more then a little slow now, but this object (in the video) is it 9-10 lightyears away, and not getting any closer? Or is this infact an object that resides in our own solar system?

It is 2.9 parsecs out (about 9.5 light years), which is well outside of our solar system. I haven't read anything that suggests it is moving this way.

I also noted that you actually could see similar objects elsewhere on Google sky, so what could this be (by the looks of it, these objects doesn't seem to be that uncommon)?

Correct, even in the vicinity of that very object.

Is it a brown dwarf or is it a different type of stellar body?

I'm not sure about that. The object is unnamed in Google Sky, and the Stellarium database apparently doesn't include it (which isn't surprising —- Stellarium is free and quite limited). If I track down what it actually is, I'll let you know. Just bear in mind that most celestial bodies are unnamed.

Why would someone even try to get this object to pass as Nibiru, when Nibiru is supposed to be (a) an habitable planet and (b) right in our own backyard (which this object doesn't seem to be=). These kind of finding seem to be, as you pointed out, quite contradictory so why even bother?

The person craves attention and/or derives some twisted sense of enjoyment from sparking hysteria. Some people actually convince themselves that this crap is true, I think, which is perhaps even more sad.

---

"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

http://www.undeadrufus.com

Last edited on 13 May 2010 00:43 by TheGreatJuju Show more

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Richard (guest) 13 May 2010 01:43

Okey, that was quite comforting to hear=) One thing I can't help to wounder about is the claims made in the commentfield. According to the creator of the video Nibiru should now be visible to the naked eye just by watching to the east of the sun as it sets. So by that logic, that object has travelled 9,5 lightyear in less than three years and then suddenly stopped moving (more or less). Because if it in fact were able to travel by 3*the light then it must have stopped, in order for us to be able to see it in the sunsets huh? Otherwise it would just pass us by in the blink of an eye, wouldn't it? I'm sorry for the pop-quiz but this subject is somewhat intrigueing. Also, could you guys please just take a look at this video, that is supposed to show Nibiru on the SOHO Lasco c3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3n8-ZT2xQ&feature=related

I think I have a weak recollection of Phil Plait debunking thoses videos, but I haven't been able to find the article. Anyhow, if I'm correct, then he said it simply was distortion in the actual SOHO image due to radiated particles hitting the "lens". Could that be it?

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

TheGreatJuju 13 May 2010 03:37

So by that logic, that object has travelled 9,5 lightyear in less than three years and then suddenly stopped moving (more or less). Because if it in fact were able to travel by 3*the light then it must have stopped, in order for us to be able to see it in the sunsets huh? Otherwise it would just pass us by in the blink of an eye, wouldn't it?

Yes, the object would have to violate numerous laws of physics in order to reach us, and we can add the fact that no such object is visible in our sky. Further, doomsayers who make claims about these sorts of objects never consider the gravitational influence of such a body flying through the Solar System. To say we would notice it is an understatement.

Also, could you guys please just take a look at this video, that is supposed to show Nibiru on the SOHO Lasco c3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3n8-ZT2xQ&feature=related

Ah, this old gem.

I think I have a weak recollection of Phil Plait debunking thoses videos, but I haven't been able to find the article. Anyhow, if I'm correct, then he said it simply was distortion in the actual SOHO image due to radiated particles hitting the "lens". Could that be it?

That is basically correct. When the pixel receives more light than it can handle, you get the effect seen in those photos. It is a very common artifact with the LASCO C3, which is probably why so many woo-woos use it to find "evidence" of everything from alien invaders to Nibiru. You also have to consider the exposure time, which I think is around 20 seconds (could be mistaken about that). In any case, debris floating near the spacecraft can be detected as blurs that make all kinds of strange shapes.

The doomsayer I mentioned to you before regarding the Hellion 1957 hoax used this C3 image to support his insane claim of a sun-bound brown dwarf. NASA's insistence that Mylar insulation routinely breaks off of the spring-loaded doors and floats in front of the cameras was summarily disregarded by certain parties, I'm afraid, but the mythical Hellion 1957 remains mythical to this day.

---

"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

http://www.undeadrufus.com

Re: UGPSJ0722-05 - what's up with that?

Keith (guest) 21 May 2010 01:34

Dr. Plait not only debunked it, he destroyed it.

http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/planetx/index.html