Comments on: Heliocentrism Day! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:09:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: SUPER M http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11616 SUPER M Fri, 17 Feb 2006 01:52:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11616 I mean world I mean world

]]> By: SUPER M http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11615 SUPER M Fri, 17 Feb 2006 01:51:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11615 why not make that a warld record cake? why not make that a warld record cake?

]]> By: The Centipede http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11614 The Centipede Thu, 16 Feb 2006 22:42:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11614 Mmmm... California-sized cake... y'know, we could just get around the whole scale and eccentricity issue if someone good with a frosting pen can write "sizes and shapes are not to scale" real small in one corner. Then as long as Pluto's perihelion is inside Uranus' mean orbital distance, we're good enough for government or engineering work. Mmmm… California-sized cake… y’know, we could just get around the whole scale and eccentricity issue if someone good with a frosting pen can write “sizes and shapes are not to scale” real small in one corner. Then as long as Pluto’s perihelion is inside Uranus’ mean orbital distance, we’re good enough for government or engineering work.

]]> By: DJ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11613 DJ Thu, 16 Feb 2006 18:23:02 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11613 Yes! Let's bake a cake of our solar system. Just remember that if you want to properly represent the planets and their orbits, do the following: To represent the sun at the center of the cake use a walnut. Pluto then will be 1/5 the diameter of the period at the end of this sentence - use whatever you can find. Based on these Walnut/Dust Spec dimensions, to include Pluto's orbit, bake a cake about 22 acres in size (average diameter about 240 meters). Place Pluto at the edge of the cake, roughly 120 meters from the walnut. Place Earth about 3 meters out from the walnut. Use something the size of the period at the end of this sentence. The other planets range in size from Mercury the dust spec, to Jupiter the single bb pellet of buckshot like that which VP Cheney generously donated to the interior of his hunting buddy. When the tenth planet becomes official, the diameter of your cake will have to be tripled, and if you want to include the farthest reaches of our actual solar system your cake will need to be larger than the state of California. Have fun with that. Yes! Let’s bake a cake of our solar system.

Just remember that if you want to properly represent the planets and their orbits, do the following:

To represent the sun at the center of the cake use a walnut. Pluto then will be 1/5 the diameter of the period at the end of this sentence – use whatever you can find.

Based on these Walnut/Dust Spec dimensions, to include Pluto’s orbit, bake a cake about 22 acres in size (average diameter about 240 meters). Place Pluto at the edge of the cake, roughly 120 meters from the walnut.

Place Earth about 3 meters out from the walnut. Use something the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

The other planets range in size from Mercury the dust spec, to Jupiter the single bb pellet of buckshot like that which VP Cheney generously donated to the interior of his hunting buddy.

When the tenth planet becomes official, the diameter of your cake will have to be tripled, and if you want to include the farthest reaches of our actual solar system your cake will need to be larger than the state of California.

Have fun with that.

]]> By: Wes Davis http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11612 Wes Davis Tue, 14 Feb 2006 22:05:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11612 Irony at work. 17 Feb is the day recognized that Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake by the inquisition. His crime, among others, was that the lights in the sky were actually suns, around which other worlds revolved, and that Copernicus was right. Irony at work. 17 Feb is the day recognized that Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake by the inquisition. His crime, among others, was that the lights in the sky were actually suns, around which other worlds revolved, and that Copernicus was right.

]]> By: Nigel Depledge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11611 Nigel Depledge Tue, 14 Feb 2006 21:41:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11611 That works better if you happen to know that the French onomatopoeia for "bang!" is "pan!".... That works better if you happen to know that the French onomatopoeia for “bang!” is “pan!”….

]]> By: Nigel Depledge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11610 Nigel Depledge Tue, 14 Feb 2006 21:40:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11610 My god, that's it!!! There was no Big Bang! It was a Big Pan!!!!! My god, that’s it!!!

There was no Big Bang! It was a Big Pan!!!!!

]]> By: Colin Purrington http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11609 Colin Purrington Tue, 14 Feb 2006 12:20:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11609 I would be delighted with even a square cake...as long as the planets were all represented, by thin frosting lines, with their proper circular or elliptical orbits. The universe is the same proportion as a 9 x 15" cake pan, right?? I would be delighted with even a square cake…as long as the planets were all represented, by thin frosting lines, with their proper circular or elliptical orbits. The universe is the same proportion as a 9 x 15″ cake pan, right??

]]> By: Cindy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11608 Cindy Tue, 14 Feb 2006 03:02:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11608 Nigel, Mars' orbit is more elliptical than Earth's (and Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter) which is what prompted Kepler to abandon the "perfect circle" and settle on ellipses. Mars' eccentricity is 0.093 vs 0.017 for Earth. But still pretty circular. Colin, Does it have to be the cake part or can you fudge it with icing? ;-) Nigel,

Mars’ orbit is more elliptical than Earth’s (and Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter) which is what prompted Kepler to abandon the “perfect circle” and settle on ellipses. Mars’ eccentricity is 0.093 vs 0.017 for Earth. But still pretty circular.

Colin,
Does it have to be the cake part or can you fudge it with icing? ;-)

]]> By: Colin Purrington http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11607 Colin Purrington Tue, 14 Feb 2006 01:20:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11607 I'm looking for the best photograph of aforementioned cake, for inclusion on the Heliocentrism Day web site. Any baker/astronomers out there? I’m looking for the best photograph of aforementioned cake, for inclusion on the Heliocentrism Day web site. Any baker/astronomers out there?

]]> By: Nigel Depledge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11606 Nigel Depledge Mon, 13 Feb 2006 23:44:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11606 But could you bake a cake in the shape of an ellipse with a small enough eccentricity to represent the orbit of, say, Earth or Mars ...? After all, Earth's orbit is nearly circular, give or take a few percent. But could you bake a cake in the shape of an ellipse with a small enough eccentricity to represent the orbit of, say, Earth or Mars …? After all, Earth’s orbit is nearly circular, give or take a few percent.

]]> By: Dave Kary http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11589 Dave Kary Mon, 13 Feb 2006 20:05:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11589 Of course, those of us who insist on being Keplerian about it will insist that the cake needs to be elliptical, not circular. Of course, those of us who insist on being Keplerian about it will insist that the cake needs to be elliptical, not circular.

]]> By: The Atheist Mama http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11588 The Atheist Mama Mon, 13 Feb 2006 19:29:02 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11588 <strong>February - Science Literacy Month (for kids)</strong> Thanks for Phil Plait for his post on Heliocentrism Day: February 17th - a comprimise between Copernicus' birthday (February 19th) and Galileo's birthday (February 15th). Swarthmore College has more on Science Literacy Month including Darwin Day, Ori... February – Science Literacy Month (for kids)

Thanks for Phil Plait for his post on Heliocentrism Day: February 17th – a comprimise between Copernicus’ birthday (February 19th) and Galileo’s birthday (February 15th). Swarthmore College has more on Science Literacy Month including Darwin Day, Ori…

]]> By: The Creative Tech Writer » When is “Put a Dogmatist to Sleep” Day? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11590 The Creative Tech Writer » When is “Put a Dogmatist to Sleep” Day? Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:58:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11590 [...] Science Literacy Month [via Bad Astronomy Blog] [...] [...] Science Literacy Month [via Bad Astronomy Blog] [...]

]]> By: Cindy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11594 Cindy Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:23:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11594 Hmm, my students have been asking for cookies lately. Maybe I'll just bake cookies instead. They're circular, too. Hmm, my students have been asking for cookies lately. Maybe I’ll just bake cookies instead. They’re circular, too.

]]> By: nancy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11591 nancy Mon, 13 Feb 2006 13:38:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11591 I work at a library, and am always looking for an excuse to host a science program for children. We use the book “Chase’s Calendar of Events: the day-by-day directory to special days, weeks and months” to help us pick out our programs. It has daily listings of national and international events, holidays, historical anniversaries, astronomical phenomena, and birthdays of famous people (like scientists!). The latest versions include a searchable CD-ROM so you can easily find the anniversaries of all the science history milestones, and discover that: Bunsen Burner Day is March 31 Astronomy Day is April 16 National Chemistry Week is October 16-22 "Hot Enough For Ya’ Day is July 23. Thanks, BA, for sharing the Swarthmore page. I think I feel a science program coming on... I work at a library, and am always looking for an excuse to host a science program for children. We use the book “Chase’s Calendar of Events: the day-by-day directory to special days, weeks and months” to help us pick out our programs. It has daily listings of national and international events, holidays, historical anniversaries, astronomical phenomena, and birthdays of famous people (like scientists!).

The latest versions include a searchable CD-ROM so you can easily find the anniversaries of all the science history milestones, and discover that:

Bunsen Burner Day is March 31
Astronomy Day is April 16
National Chemistry Week is October 16-22
“Hot Enough For Ya’ Day is July 23.

Thanks, BA, for sharing the Swarthmore page. I think I feel a science program coming on…

]]> By: icemith http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11604 icemith Mon, 13 Feb 2006 08:32:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11604 What about, " You can't have your cake and eat it too " Day ? What about, ” You can’t have your cake and eat it too ” Day ?

]]> By: Blake Stacey http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11603 Blake Stacey Mon, 13 Feb 2006 06:57:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11603 A "More Planets Known Outside the Solar System than In" Day? A “More Planets Known Outside the Solar System than In” Day?

]]> By: arensb http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11592 arensb Mon, 13 Feb 2006 05:32:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11592 As long as we're coming up with excuses to have cake, should there also be a Most of the Way to the Edge of the Galaxy Day? And how about The Universe Has No Center Day? As long as we’re coming up with excuses to have cake, should there also be a Most of the Way to the Edge of the Galaxy Day? And how about The Universe Has No Center Day?

]]> By: CR http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11593 CR Mon, 13 Feb 2006 03:17:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11593 Mmmm... cake... Mmmm… cake…

]]> By: Tim G http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11597 Tim G Sun, 12 Feb 2006 21:39:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11597 Fine, but I think the day should be on February's fifth Friday. Fine, but I think the day should be on February’s fifth Friday.

]]> By: Thomas Siefert http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11596 Thomas Siefert Sun, 12 Feb 2006 21:04:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11596 We could bake buns with raisins in them and show the children how the raisins all move away from each other when the dough is set to raise, like the universe expanding. We'll make to batches of dough, one with raisins for the demonstration in and one without for eating (only evil old ladies put raisins in buns for eating). We could bake buns with raisins in them and show the children how the raisins all move away from each other when the dough is set to raise, like the universe expanding.
We’ll make to batches of dough, one with raisins for the demonstration in and one without for eating (only evil old ladies put raisins in buns for eating).

]]> By: Scott McLean http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11595 Scott McLean Sun, 12 Feb 2006 20:30:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11595 What a magnificent idea. If we of the skeptical community could invest a little time into creating holidays celebrating the great moments in the history of investigation of the universe around us, we could almost effortlessly provide children with a fun way to leap into the world of science. We need more people with such wonderfully active ideas as Heliocentrism Day. It is our own ivory-tower passivity towards the world outside that provides the breeding ground for horrors like the I.D. movement. It is a delight to see someone taking an active role like this. What a magnificent idea. If we of the skeptical community could invest a little time into creating holidays celebrating the great moments in the history of investigation of the universe around us, we could almost effortlessly provide children with a fun way to leap into the world of science. We need more people with such wonderfully active ideas as Heliocentrism Day. It is our own ivory-tower passivity towards the world outside that provides the breeding ground for horrors like the I.D. movement. It is a delight to see someone taking an active role like this.

]]> By: Mark Martin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11598 Mark Martin Sun, 12 Feb 2006 20:19:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11598 No, it shouldn't be Heliocentrism Day, Between Copernicus' & Darwin's birthdays. It should be some sort of average of the b'days of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo & Newton, and called "Barycenter Day". No, it shouldn’t be Heliocentrism Day, Between Copernicus’ & Darwin’s birthdays. It should be some sort of average of the b’days of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo & Newton, and called “Barycenter Day”.

]]> By: Geoff http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/comment-page-1/#comment-11599 Geoff Sun, 12 Feb 2006 20:03:16 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/12/heliocentrism-day/#comment-11599 We should remind all those kids that Heliocentrism is just a theory. There is plenty of evidence that Intelligent Design advocates stand still and the rest of the universe revolves around them. Well there's my bad joke of the day. ;-) We should remind all those kids that Heliocentrism is just a theory. There is plenty of evidence that Intelligent Design advocates stand still and the rest of the universe revolves around them.

Well there’s my bad joke of the day.
;-)

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