Accretion Disk ?

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The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

Aren't we all?

Okay, back to the usual skull cracking …

I'm flattered but I'm much, much smaller and quite a bit closer to home.

Dave Mitsky

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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
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is this a "single" body or made up of several things?

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"I will do my best to understand and explain the universe from big to small without invoking miracles, unrepeatable events, or divine intervention. In place of those things I will use observations, mathematics, and science."


-Cross
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Those that lack education have a hard time understanding its value. - Cross

Our own planet 'Earth' ?

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The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

The ULTIMATE Astronomy 20 Questions!

Reiner Gamma, an albedo feature on the Moon?

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- There must be a new moon out, she said. He's always bad then.

You got it, Eroica!

Irving Reiner was an American mathematician. Gamma, of course, is the Greek part of the clue.

Reiner Gamma is an anomalous, bright albedo area of high magnetism located in the Oceanus Procellarum at 57.8° West, 8.1° North. It is easily visible through a small telescope.

http://www.geocities.com/kc5lei/SWIRL2001.htm

http://www.physorg.com/news63547674.html

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM05FNFGLE_index_0.html

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Hmm, further research indicates that the link attributing the name of Crater Reiner to Irving Reiner is in error. I should have checked my copy of Rukl's rather than rely on the 'net.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiner_(crater)

So I guess "I'm" half Italian (Vincentio Reinieri), half Greek.

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

__________________
- There must be a new moon out, she said. He's always bad then.

since hydrogen and oxygen are not metals - by far the bulk of weight launched into space, I will have to go with iron.

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"I will do my best to understand and explain the universe from big to small without invoking miracles, unrepeatable events, or divine intervention. In place of those things I will use observations, mathematics, and science."


-Cross
My travel blog

Some of my Astrophotography


Those that lack education have a hard time understanding its value. - Cross

Ah, but astronomers consider everything other than hydrogen and helium to be metals.

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

then the answer will be oxygen.

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I've met ngc3314


"I will do my best to understand and explain the universe from big to small without invoking miracles, unrepeatable events, or divine intervention. In place of those things I will use observations, mathematics, and science."


-Cross
My travel blog

Some of my Astrophotography


Those that lack education have a hard time understanding its value. - Cross

The human element™.

Good point. But I meant metal in the traditional sense.

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- There must be a new moon out, she said. He's always bad then.

That's not the right answer according to my source.

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- There must be a new moon out, she said. He's always bad then.

Aluminum?

copper.

__________________
I've met ngc3314


"I will do my best to understand and explain the universe from big to small without invoking miracles, unrepeatable events, or divine intervention. In place of those things I will use observations, mathematics, and science."


-Cross
My travel blog

Some of my Astrophotography


Those that lack education have a hard time understanding its value. - Cross

And if none of those are right, titanium?

If "launch" is meant to include natural occurrances as well - i.e., the sequelae of impacts, then the answer would be silicon, which is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust after oxygen (which is not a metal according to some silly non-astronomical definitions ).

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Non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem.

No right answers yet!

(This is not a trick question! Ignore natural impacts, etc.)

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- There must be a new moon out, she said. He's always bad then.