Comments on: Approaching the Sun http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/ 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. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:34:12 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: icemith http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-27069 icemith Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:13:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/#comment-27069 I think Phil meant "... would APPEAR to be 3% bigger ...). It's all about appearances, man. Ivan. PS, I'm back, reading the few items left over from early last year, that I missed while on holidays. Shame is, I also have to admit that I didn't read any from April 2007 onwards, until last night. I'm working through them now, and slowly into the future, while also reading the latest from now. I think it is going to take a while to catch-up. Ivan. I think Phil meant “… would APPEAR to be 3% bigger …).

It’s all about appearances, man.

Ivan.

PS, I’m back, reading the few items left over from early last year, that I missed while on holidays. Shame is, I also have to admit that I didn’t read any from April 2007 onwards, until last night. I’m working through them now, and slowly into the future, while also reading the latest from now.

I think it is going to take a while to catch-up.

Ivan.

]]> By: Partouche Casino » Blog Archive » Happy Perihelion! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-27068 Partouche Casino » Blog Archive » Happy Perihelion! Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:10:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/#comment-27068 [...] Happy Perihelion everyone! (via Blog Physica and Bad Astronomy): Today, January 3, on or about 20:00 Universal Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time), the Earth will reach perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun. The distance from the Sun to the Earth will be roughly 147,093,600 kilometers (I have found several different distances on different sites, and this is an eyeball average). Over the course of the year, the Earth’s distance from the Sun changes because the orbit is not a perfect circle. It’s an ellipse. The average distance of the Earth from the Sun (what astronomers call an astronomical unit) is 149,597,871 kilometers. So you can see that we will be 2.5 million kilometers closer to the Sun than average at 20:00 today, a difference of about 1.6% or so. If you had a good ’scope and measured the Sun very carefully today, then measured it again on July 7, when we reach aphelion, the farthest distance from the Sun, you’d see it would be roughly 3% bigger today. [...] [...] Happy Perihelion everyone! (via Blog Physica and Bad Astronomy): Today, January 3, on or about 20:00 Universal Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time), the Earth will reach perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun. The distance from the Sun to the Earth will be roughly 147,093,600 kilometers (I have found several different distances on different sites, and this is an eyeball average). Over the course of the year, the Earth’s distance from the Sun changes because the orbit is not a perfect circle. It’s an ellipse. The average distance of the Earth from the Sun (what astronomers call an astronomical unit) is 149,597,871 kilometers. So you can see that we will be 2.5 million kilometers closer to the Sun than average at 20:00 today, a difference of about 1.6% or so. If you had a good ’scope and measured the Sun very carefully today, then measured it again on July 7, when we reach aphelion, the farthest distance from the Sun, you’d see it would be roughly 3% bigger today. [...]

]]> By: Jürgen http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-27067 Jürgen Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:52:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/#comment-27067 Evelyn, I just noticed it doesn't make much sense to send a trackback to an English blog if your own posts are in German, sorry! :-) I didn't write anything interesting, though, just a pointer to this nice article. It translates to "Phil Plait wishes us all a happy perihelion. I'd like to join him, especially now that [a few posts earlier] I complained about the fact that New Year's eve can't be moved to anytime you like". Evelyn, I just noticed it doesn’t make much sense to send a trackback to an English blog if your own posts are in German, sorry! :-)

I didn’t write anything interesting, though, just a pointer to this nice article. It translates to “Phil Plait wishes us all a happy perihelion. I’d like to join him, especially now that [a few posts earlier] I complained about the fact that New Year’s eve can’t be moved to anytime you like”.

]]> By: Salad Is Slaughter - Thoughts from a “D” List Blogger » Happy Perihelion Day http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-27066 Salad Is Slaughter - Thoughts from a “D” List Blogger » Happy Perihelion Day Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:31:38 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/#comment-27066 [...] Thanks to Bad Astronomy for the reminder. This entry is filed under Space. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Leave a Reply [...] [...] Thanks to Bad Astronomy for the reminder. This entry is filed under Space. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Leave a Reply [...]

]]> By: B Rauscher http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-27065 B Rauscher Mon, 08 Jan 2007 17:57:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/#comment-27065 Babelfish offers this translation of jstarek.de: "Phil Plait wishes us everything a beautiful perihel. I follow, after I weighted degrees about the Nichtverschiebbarkeit of Silvester, - celebrates beautifully!" Hmmm, well that sure helps, eh? I know that Phil gave a rather precise distance for perihelion and I find it interesting that the value was not simple to determine. The internet, of course, offers many opinions, but this type of measurement should be known and published (as by NASA) as an accurate number. With such precision, by the way, is the distance between the Earth and Sun from surface to surface? Or center to center? Only curiosity makes me ask as I don't think it will affect me much either way.... Also, does the speed of the Earth vary much from perihelion to aphelion? Do we speed up as we descend in orbit with a gradual slowing as we move further out? Or is it the opposite, so that we maintain roughly the same progress in degrees as we move to a longer orbital arc? Either way, the roller coaster analogy does clearly explain my continuing dizziness and light-headed feeling that I experience every year around this time!! :-) Babelfish offers this translation of jstarek.de:

“Phil Plait wishes us everything a beautiful perihel. I follow, after I weighted degrees about the Nichtverschiebbarkeit of Silvester, – celebrates beautifully!”

Hmmm, well that sure helps, eh?

I know that Phil gave a rather precise distance for perihelion and I find it interesting that the value was not simple to determine. The internet, of course, offers many opinions, but this type of measurement should be known and published (as by NASA) as an accurate number. With such precision, by the way, is the distance between the Earth and Sun from surface to surface? Or center to center? Only curiosity makes me ask as I don’t think it will affect me much either way….

Also, does the speed of the Earth vary much from perihelion to aphelion? Do we speed up as we descend in orbit with a gradual slowing as we move further out? Or is it the opposite, so that we maintain roughly the same progress in degrees as we move to a longer orbital arc?

Either way, the roller coaster analogy does clearly explain my continuing dizziness and light-headed feeling that I experience every year around this time!! :-)

]]> By: DennyMo http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-27064 DennyMo Fri, 05 Jan 2007 21:04:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/#comment-27064 Somewhat related, on 17 Dec 03, while perusing the National Weather Service's web site, I came upon this weather warning for Turney, MO: .UNUSUALLY HOT WEATHER HAS ENTERED THE REGION FOR DECEMBER...AS THE EARTH HAS LEFT ITS ORBIT AND IS HURLING TOWARDS THE SUN The top of the statement was labeled "..TEST...TEST...TEST...", and its authorship was attributed to "HEINLEIN". But obviously somebody didn't have a sense of humor: the warning was gone when I tried to call it up again to show coworkers. Fortunately, I had printed it out, and it's now in my Funny File Somewhat related, on 17 Dec 03, while perusing the National Weather Service’s web site, I came upon this weather warning for Turney, MO:

.UNUSUALLY HOT WEATHER HAS ENTERED THE REGION FOR DECEMBER…AS THE EARTH HAS LEFT ITS ORBIT AND IS HURLING TOWARDS THE SUN

The top of the statement was labeled “..TEST…TEST…TEST…”, and its authorship was attributed to “HEINLEIN”. But obviously somebody didn’t have a sense of humor: the warning was gone when I tried to call it up again to show coworkers. Fortunately, I had printed it out, and it’s now in my Funny File

]]> By: EVelyn Plait http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-27063 EVelyn Plait Thu, 04 Jan 2007 14:41:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/02/approaching-the-sun/#comment-27063 Phil, If I remember correctly, you took German in school. If jstarek.de cannot or will not write in English, then how about translating his comments. I would like to know what he/she has to say. [Of course, I am assuming it is German.] Or maybe one of your bloggers can help out. BA Mom Phil,

If I remember correctly, you took German in school. If jstarek.de cannot or will not write in English, then how about translating his comments. I would like to know what he/she has to say. [Of course, I am assuming it is German.]

Or maybe one of your bloggers can help out.

BA Mom

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