Starship Asterisk*

by **Star*Hopper** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:51 pm

You can lead a horticulture,
but you can't make her think.
~anon

by **neufer** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:01 pm

Star*Hopper wrote:"I stink, therefore I am."
~Me - At age 15

You can lead a Star*Hopper to soap & water
but you can't make him not stink.

by **Star*Hopper** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:47 am

"I stink, therefore I am."
~Me - At age 15

~*

by **neufer** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:17 am

urchin wrote:Stop nitpicking. One needs only to see the majestic beauty in this photo and think that it may one day inspire a young mind into looking at the night sky to ask the most fundamental question in all of science. Why?

I wonder why.
I wonder why.
I wonder why I wonder.
I wonder why I wonder why I wonder why I wonder!"

--- Richard Feynman at 17

by **geckzilla** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:22 am

This forum may as well be called nitpickers-semi-anonymous, urchin. You're in the wrong place if it bothers you.

by **urchin** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:28 am

Stop nitpicking. One needs only to see the majestic beauty in this photo and think that it may one day inspire a young mind into looking at the night sky to ask the most fundamental question in all of science. Why?

by **DavidLeodis** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:23 pm

geckzilla wrote:
DavidLeodis wrote:Thanks geckzilla for the annotation as I wasn't certain which was Sirius and which Canopus. I'm curious though why Sirius (the brightest star in the sky as we see it) appears less bright in the APOD image than Canopus (the second brightest star we see in the sky).
It's definitely the cloud in front of it. It blocked some of the light from Sirius and most of the light from the other stars near Sirius but Sirius is so bright that it pierces through.

Thanks geckzilla.

by **Star*Hopper** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:10 pm

owlice wrote: "...Moai -- on my list (my long long list) of things to see with mine own eyes someday."

Your 'Bucket List'?

Mine too.
Only, it also bears the dreaded 'Prolly Ne'er' asterisk.
Thank Go(d)re for da InnarWebz!

At least, I've landed my LearJet there in Flight Simulator. Oddly enough, in flying a circumnavigation of the island, the next-to-latest Version 9 didn't have the Moai represented, whereas my first (Win95 version, back then), did. And we call ourselves a progressive society!?!

by **geckzilla** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:55 pm

DavidLeodis wrote:Thanks geckzilla for the annotation as I wasn't certain which was Sirius and which Canopus. I'm curious though why Sirius (the brightest star in the sky as we see it) appears less bright in the APOD image than Canopus (the second brightest star we see in the sky).

It's definitely the cloud in front of it. It blocked some of the light from Sirius and most of the light from the other stars near Sirius but Sirius is so bright that it pierces through.

by **owlice** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:44 pm

All that's needed for this pic is a soundtrack, which would have to be Throat Culture's Easter Island Head.

Moai -- on my list (my long long list) of things to see with mine own eyes someday.

by **Star*Hopper** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 12:12 pm

Yes - Easter Island has been cited as an example of a completely collapsed ecology. Didn't look back at the picture to verify your observation, but there is/are ongoing project(s) to re-introduce formerly native botanics - or at least, as close as they can come to it. No way to verify what you saw as part of that of course, but that might explain it.

by **groverwa** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 12:00 pm

New to sending comments but have been a fan of the site for a long time - look at it each day

My impression of Easter Island from pics and documentaries is that there are no or few trees on the island but it seems, to me, that there are trees on the horizon in this pic - maybe I am wrong

Mike

by **DavidLeodis** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:29 am

geckzilla wrote:Was bored this morning, just figuring things out for myself but figured maybe someone would want it so here is an annotated version of it.

Why are the constellations in Stellarium different from the ones on Wikipedia?

Thanks geckzilla for the annotation as I wasn't certain which was Sirius and which Canopus. I'm curious though why Sirius (the brightest star in the sky as we see it) appears less bright in the APOD image than Canopus (the second brightest star we see in the sky).

by **Star*Hopper** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:07 am

Raises the spector of those 'dot-to-dot' pix we drew as kids. Hard to think of some 'not so bright' kids' products being copyrightable art, just cuz he couldn't stay 'on the line' or connect the correct ones, eh?
*LULZ*

Silliness, I say. Ancient Chinese scientist /Arabian nomad descendants

sue everybody! Ho La-a-ah!!!
~*

by **geckzilla** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:22 pm

Any work one creates is automatically copyrighted to oneself. So upon creation, it's copyrighted. I guess it makes sense for asterism names and the connecting lines to be copyrighted since they are some kind of artwork but it seems strange.

Good thing Stellarium is open source, eh? I guess it's ok for me to use its lines as long as I don't break the GNU agreement and then just hope Mr. Guisard does not mind.

by **Star*Hopper** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:00 pm

Silliness in itself, considering one would only need add (or subtract) a single short line segment in only one constellation to have their own, "unique" set. What would be absolutely delightful would be if EVERYone were to create, and copyright, their own version -- one has to wonder what some 'modern' skycharts would look like.

I'd guess, a great Chinese Fire Drill In The Sky.

~*

by **Chris Peterson** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:30 pm

geckzilla wrote:Heh, that's funny, the info bit in Stellarium says it's using the IAU version... Wikipedia is probably, too. All three sources are different. I guess the connection lines aren't what matters.

Not only are the connection lines unimportant and unspecified by any central authority like the IAU, but in many cases they are protected by copyright. So charts that include lines will either design their own, license an existing design, or use patterns that are in the public domain.

The IAU only specifies the names and rectilinear boundary coordinates of each of the 88 constellations, not any stick figures or asterism names.

by **Star*Hopper** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:18 pm

geckzilla wrote:I take it you're one of those who is indignant at Pluto's loss of its planet status?

More indignant at the ever-so-presumptive IAU & their shenanigans.
Offering choices that are ludicrous, and adding a single 'most acceptable' option claiming "best compromise", voting, THEN revealing the consequence of what was just voted on, is no way for an "Official" body to run things.

by **geckzilla** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:47 pm

I take it you're one of those who is indignant at Pluto's loss of its planet status?

by **Star*Hopper** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:43 pm

Like said, HIGHLY arbitrary.

Insofar as the 'sticks' & concurrence, largely depends on who's using what reference - even which version of that reference.

And yes, the 'IAU' is supposedly the shot-caller of the 'official' boundaries - for the actual constellations.
But then again, the IAU doesn't represent everyone - including ME! Would you believe, they actually decided Pluto's not a planet any more?!?!?!? Of course, only 4% of their membership voted that in....during closing ceremonies - then they slammed the doors & refuse to discuss it any further. But that's the IAU for ya!!!

~S*H

by **geckzilla** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:20 pm

Heh, that's funny, the info bit in Stellarium says it's using the IAU version... Wikipedia is probably, too. All three sources are different. I guess the connection lines aren't what matters.

by **bystander** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:15 pm

I think the definitive authority on modern constellations is the IAU.

http://www.iau.org/public_press/themes/constellations/

by **geckzilla** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:14 pm

Yeah, I knew they were arbitrary, but I thought since I was using the Western version (it has a lot of different ones available, like Inuit, Chinese, Navajo, etc) , they'd at least sort of match up. It seems like in Stellarium they are connected in a way that most closely resembles their namesake while on Wikipedia ... well, I'm not sure how they are connected.

by **Star*Hopper** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:03 pm

Depends on what you think a 'constellation' actually is.
A constellation is roughly equivalent to something like the bounded states on a map of, eg, the USA. It's an area of the sky, delineated by boundaries. Constellations, and their boundaries, have changed many times over history, and have practically always varied with various civilizations.

The 'stick figures' most people think are THE constellations (they aren't) are only a caricatural representation of (usually) their namesake....and the individual figures we are subjected to, are HIGHLY arbitrary. It's actually unusual to see sky charts from two independant sources whose 'figures' completely agree.

Incidentally, those stick figures usually represent, or contain what is known as an 'asterism'. For example, many people think the 'Big Dipper' is a constellation -- it isn't. It is rather, an asterism in the constellation's caricature for Ursa Major, or, the Big Bear.

by **geckzilla** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:20 pm

Was bored this morning, just figuring things out for myself but figured maybe someone would want it so here is an annotated version of it.

Why are the constellations in Stellarium different from the ones on Wikipedia?

Starship Asterisk*

Stars Over Easter Island (2009 Oct 12)

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