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Trish
SFN Addict
USA
2102 Posts |
 Posted - 01/18/2002 : 01:06:02
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Think you all know what this is for. Have fun. 
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There is no better demonstration of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've known. Sagan
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Stygma
New Member
36 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2002 : 17:20:04 [Permalink]
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| Holy crap. This has to be some sort of record. |
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Trish
SFN Addict
USA
2102 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2002 : 20:15:30 [Permalink]
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Stygma, BA has strict rules on his board. So those of us who frequent the BAs board come over here to vent some steam. This is actually the 5th board all some 20-30 pages in length. If you're curious about this stuff visit www.badastronomy.com . Then you'll understand why we use this forum to rant and rave against some particularly whacked individuals.
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There is no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our world. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've known. Sagan |
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Megan
Skeptic Friend
USA
163 Posts |
Posted - 01/20/2002 : 20:00:15 [Permalink]
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Hey everyone!! I was just wondering what planet is supposed to be like right beside the moon at the end of this month??
~Megan~
I only do what the voices in my head tell me to do. |
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Stygma
New Member
36 Posts |
Posted - 01/20/2002 : 20:48:08 [Permalink]
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Isn't it Uranus with Delta Capricorni near?
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Megan
Skeptic Friend
USA
163 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2002 : 21:19:33 [Permalink]
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quote:
Isn't it Uranus with Delta Capricorni near?
Stygma
Delta Capricorni?? Is that like some star near Uranus or one of its moons?? I'm probably way off, I know. But you have to remember who your talking to (obviously someone that doesn't know much about anything ).
quote:
Then you'll understand why we use this forum to rant and rave against some particularly whacked individuals.
Trish
Yeah, let's not forget about Piper .(I'll never forget how he must of felt when a(at the time)14 year old told him off). And what's his name?? Jack White?? John White??.... I don't remember.
~Megan~
I only do what the voices in my head tell me to do. |
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Xev
Skeptic Friend
USA
329 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2002 : 21:23:46 [Permalink]
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Please tell me what this is about?
*Makes bambi eyes*
"If anyone can show me, and prove to me, that I am wrong in
thought or deed, I will gladly change. I seek the truth, which
never yet hurt anybody."- Marcus Aurelius |
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Megan
Skeptic Friend
USA
163 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2002 : 21:30:30 [Permalink]
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quote:
Please tell me what this is about?
*Makes bambi eyes*
Xev
Sorry Xev you'll have to wait for Trish or Lisa to explain, they're better at explaining it then I am.
~Megan~
I only do what the voices in my head tell me to do. |
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Donnie B.
Skeptic Friend
417 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2002 : 06:41:43 [Permalink]
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Hi, Xev,
A number of us SFNers are also active in the Bad Astronomy Bulletin Board, a forum similar to this one that's part of www.badastronomy.com.
The BABB attracts a few nut cases, but Phil Plait (the astronomer who runs Bad Astronomy) is strict about being polite and civil on his forum. Good for him! But sometimes we need a place to "vent" when the whack jobs get to be too much. So here we are.
Megan is a young lass who knows our Skeptic Friend Trish (they go stargazing together) and she hits us with challenging questions sometimes, both here and on the BABB.
Hope this helps!
-- Donnie B.
Brian: "No, no! You have to think for yourselves!" Crowd: "Yes! We have to think for ourselves!" |
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James
SFN Regular
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2002 : 06:51:57 [Permalink]
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quote:
A number of us SFNers are also active in the Bad Astronomy Bulletin Board, a forum similar to this one that's part of BadAstronomy.com
The BABB attracts a few nut cases, but Phil Plait (the astronomer who runs Bad Astronomy) is strict about being polite and civil on his forum. Good for him! But sometimes we need a place to "vent" when the whack jobs get to be too much. So here we are.
Yes, there's been Pipe-up-his-butt; erwin, some asshole who didn't know what he was talking about who was pissing everyone off about the time I started following BABB; others that are too numerous to name. I'm sure that most, if not all, of the posters from BABB have their own story(s) to tell about the famous trolls we've seen over there.
[edit]Megan, thanks for reminding me. The dude's name was Jack White. Pain in the butt, if you ask me.[/edit]
"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your common sense." -Buddha
Edited by - James on 01/22/2002 06:55:16 |
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Donnie B.
Skeptic Friend
417 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2002 : 06:56:02 [Permalink]
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quote:
quote:
Isn't it Uranus with Delta Capricorni near?
Stygma
Delta Capricorni?? Is that like some star near Uranus or one of its moons?? I'm probably way off, I know. But you have to remember who your talking to(obviously someone that doesn't know much about anything).
Hi, Megan,
Delta Capricorni is a star, the 4th-brightest star in the constellation of Capricorn. That's how many of the brighter, visible stars are named - for the constellation they live in, and their rank (in brightness). The brightest star in the imaginary constellation of Megan could be called Alpha Megani, then Beta Megani, Gamma Megani, ...
Of course, some of the very brightest stars have unique names, like Sirius, Betelguese, and Altair.
Now, about Uranus: Stygma was telling you that he thinks Uranus is currently near the star Delta Capricorni. Remember, Uranus is a planet (which is a Greek word that means "Wanderer"). The planets move around in their orbits, so they drift across the background stars.
The stars themselves stay put (except for the apparent motion of rising and setting due to Earth's rotation). Actually, they do move a little, but don't stay up late trying to see them moving! It takes very sophisticated equipment and lots of patience to detect it. Several astronomers in the 1700's and 1800's spent their entire careers trying to measure the "proper motion" of stars. (Actually they were looking for something called "parallax", which is not the same as "proper motion", but is measured in more or less the same way.)
I hope this helps, and isn't even more confusing... 
-- Donnie B.
Brian: "No, no! You have to think for yourselves!" Crowd: "Yes! We have to think for ourselves!" |
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The Bad Astronomer
Skeptic Friend
137 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2002 : 12:26:32 [Permalink]
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Megan--
The Moon will be near both Saturn and Jupiter this month. If you want to make current skymaps for your location, try http://www.heavens-above.com. You put in your latitude and longitude (or select where you live from a BIG list) and you can make a map of the sky for anytime. I use it all the time. My only peeve at the moment: it doesn't list Uranus or Vesta, only naked-eye objects.
And thanks to everyone for the nice comments about the BABB. ;-)
*****
The Bad Astronomer
http://www.badastronomy.com
"With tremendous respect to [the] BA, the problem isn't getting scientists to talk, the problem can be getting them to shut up." |
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Trish
SFN Addict
USA
2102 Posts |
Posted - 01/23/2002 : 16:00:25 [Permalink]
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quote:
Megan is a young lass who knows our Skeptic Friend Trish (they go stargazing together) and she hits us with challenging questions sometimes, both here and on the BABB.
Actually, Megan lives next door to Lisa. Lisa came to Denver a couple months ago shortly after Trish's dad died.
Bad Astronomy is great. It's just some of the whackos that think they know better than Einstein with no proof. Hmm....
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There is no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our world. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've known. Sagan |
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Donnie B.
Skeptic Friend
417 Posts |
Posted - 01/23/2002 : 16:06:49 [Permalink]
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Oops, sorry, Trish and Lisa. I didn't get you confused, honest I didn't... er, well, okay, I guess I did. Darn.
-- Donnie B.
Brian: "No, no! You have to think for yourselves!" Crowd: "Yes! We have to think for ourselves!" |
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Hook
Skeptic Friend
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2002 : 19:24:13 [Permalink]
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Hi, folks.
Just popped in for a quick hello, having unintentionally dropped out of sight for awhile. Nice to see a shiney new BABB starting up.
Too much was going on Oct-Nov and work started burying me, so I decided best thing was to spend more time with family and less time on the internet. It worked. I feel great.
Good to see you all again. Will get back to posting on BAB again after a little lurking to catch up.
Belated Happy New Year. 
(P-)>
"I don't care whether my neighbor believes in zero gods or 20 gods, I care whether my neighbor believes in democracy."
--Bill Moyers |
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Megan
Skeptic Friend
USA
163 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2002 : 21:39:56 [Permalink]
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How come sometimes, when the moon is coming up, it is like huge?? And why does it look like an orange color??
quote:
Hi, folks.
Just popped in for a quick hello, having unintentionally dropped out of sight for awhile. Nice to see a shiney new BABB starting up.
Too much was going on Oct-Nov and work started burying me, so I decided best thing was to spend more time with family and less time on the internet. It worked. I feel great.
Good to see you all again. Will get back to posting on BAB again after a little lurking to catch up.
Belated Happy New Year.
P.S. It's nice to see you back again Hook!!
~Megan~
"If in the last few years you haven't discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead." - Zandermann |
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