#THIS GOT SO LONG...

[itsscaredycat]

so ok yeah fine i watched gravity falls again and read the book of bill

[druid-for-hire]

There's this sort of anthropomorphizing that inherently happens in language that really gets me sometimes. I'm still not over the terminology of "gravity assist," the technique where we launch satellites into the orbit of other planets so that we can build momentum via the astounding and literally astronomical strength of their gravitational forces, to "slingshot" them into the direction we need with a speed that we could never, ever, ever create ourselves. I mean, some of these slingshots easily get probes hurtling through space at tens of thousands of miles per hour. Wikipedia has a handy diagram of the Voyager 1 satellite doing such a thing.

"Gravity assist." "Slingshot." Of course, on a very basic and objective level, yes, we are taking advantage of forces generated by outside objects to specifically help in our goals. We're getting help from objects in the same way a river can power a mill. And of course we call it a "slingshot," because the motion is very similar (mentally at least; I can't be sure about the exact physics).

Plus, especially compared to the other sciences, the terminology for astrophysics is like, really straightforward. "Black hole?" Damn yeah it sure is. "Big bang?" It sure was. "Galactic cluster?" Buddy you're never gonna guess what this is. I think it's an effect of the fact that language is generally developed for life on earth and all the strange variances that happen on its surface, that applying it to something as alien and vast as space, general terms tend to suffice very well in a lot more places than, like... idk, botany.

But, like. "Gravity assist." I still can't get the notion out of my head that such language implies us receiving active help from our celestial neighbors. They come to our aid. We are working together. We are assisted. Jupiter and the other planets saw our little messengers coming from its pale blue molecular cousin, and we set up the physics just right, so that they could help us send them out to far stranger places than this, to tell us all about what they find out there.

We are assisted.

And there is no better way to illustrate my feelings on the matter than to just show you guys one of my favorite paintings, this 1973 NASA art by Rick Guidice to show the Pioneer probe doing this exact thing:

"... You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me. ..."

Gravity assist.

[hansoeii]

hannigram

[kensatou]

make men slutty again.

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bonus as rightfully added by @polyabathtub:

[jomo-is-here]

how long you think it'd been since he'd last seen his reflection?

[lamina-tsrif]

they are already planning your spontaneous burial (slingshot incident)

[abandoned-quiche]

I LOVE ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS BTW. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOUR HATE FOR THEM ON MY POST

[danceintheskies]

im goinfg to throw uup

[chloesimaginationthings]

Poppy playtime should have more Harley Sawyer ngl

[datcravat]

DANDADAN

[daeyumi]

I am what you made me 🩸

[silosbears]

i think alphonse would still experience depersonalization and dysmorphia even after getting his body back

[egophiliac]

o-oh my god

[skipblebee]

Sv au where everything is the same but it's like a reality tv show (the system takes interviews)

[sp00kymellonn]

meeting a quiet chatty cat

[raffi-cat]

red crowned crane grian