[Godfrey]

Godfrey  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
First, great show.  I listen to it often, especially when I am working out at the gym.

Would our solar system and the ability of earth to have life be any different if it was in intergalactic space - for example by itself somewhere in the Bootes void?  I am asking because I heard that stars (and presumably their planets) are sometimes ejected from their parent galaxy.  Does our galaxy provide any sort of "protection" that we wouldn't have in intergalactic space?

Godfrey
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

What do you think?

[Vern]

This is an interesting thought. I suspect that a solar system such as ours could exist with life as we know it outside the galaxy. I haven't heard of any special protection the galaxy provides us. And the galaxy does present numerous hazards such as supernova and gamma ray bursts.

Maybe we should pay attention on December 21, 2012 when the orbital plane of the solar system should be aligned with the orbital plane of our Milky Way galaxy.


This is a link to some explanations.

The Sky on December 21, 2012

The check mark is on the calendar and we are asked to look for "Signs in the Sky." So, what does the sky look like on December 21 2012?

Before the what can be answered the where must be found. When I was first starting the research on this "End of Days" my astronomy program was Red Shift 4. By default, Red Shift was set to show the sky at my residence. So my first look at the sky on this wondrous morning was from The City of the Sacrament.

At the solstice, Saturn is just above the horizon. By five thirty Venus is on the horizon and the Sun is on the cross. Although the exact center of the Sun is not on the exact point of crossing of the galactic equator and the ecliptic, this intersection is behind the disk if the Sun. To the left of the Sun is the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula is below. I wonder if the people that live there call it that. The Sun, Venus and the Cross are strong Mayan symbology. As the morning progresses the sky begins to lighten Venus fades. The Maya used this helical rising to keep track of the Venus cycles.