Comments on: GORT bags a burst http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/ 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. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:59:44 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: lynnc http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/comment-page-1/#comment-140450 lynnc Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:20:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/#comment-140450 Thanks to Phil for writing this nice article. He is being unusually modest though - the name GORT was his idea. We even bought a little statue of GORT to put out at the telescope. We have written an article for SSU's Newsbytes, which Steve could read if he is still on campus. Or if he is really interested, he could come visit us on the third floor of the Schulz library. We are always happy to show locals what we are doing. Just because Phil lives in Colorado now doesn't mean we don't communicate with him anymore. We still e-mail even if we don't talk F2F as much anymore.... Thanks to Phil for writing this nice article. He is being unusually modest though – the name GORT was his idea. We even bought a little statue of GORT to put out at the telescope. We have written an article for SSU’s Newsbytes, which Steve could read if he is still on campus. Or if he is really interested, he could come visit us on the third floor of the Schulz library. We are always happy to show locals what we are doing. Just because Phil lives in Colorado now doesn’t mean we don’t communicate with him anymore. We still e-mail even if we don’t talk F2F as much anymore….

]]> By: Sili http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/comment-page-1/#comment-139920 Sili Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:15:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/#comment-139920 If this is made with off the shelf components, shouldn't it be possible to set up a network of them around the world relatively cheaply? Then we could follow Fermi and/or Swift <em>as</em> they observe, rather than wait until they make a detection - that should get us a coupla important minutes more of observation. Or is that a pipedream? If this is made with off the shelf components, shouldn’t it be possible to set up a network of them around the world relatively cheaply? Then we could follow Fermi and/or Swift as they observe, rather than wait until they make a detection – that should get us a coupla important minutes more of observation.

Or is that a pipedream?

]]> By: steve http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/comment-page-1/#comment-139898 steve Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:55:40 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/#comment-139898 Very cool. Sad, though, that I have to read a blog by a guy in Colorado to find out what's happening across campus from me. Very cool. Sad, though, that I have to read a blog by a guy in Colorado to find out what’s happening across campus from me.

]]> By: Jonathan Lubin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/comment-page-1/#comment-139894 Jonathan Lubin Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:35:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/#comment-139894 At magnitude 12, isn’t that six mags fainter than what’s visible to naked eye, and thus 1/250 as bright? At magnitude 12, isn’t that six mags fainter than what’s visible to naked eye, and thus 1/250 as bright?

]]> By: philippec http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/comment-page-1/#comment-139892 philippec Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:31:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/#comment-139892 About the name: Good thing they used the G of GLAST, and not the F from Fermi for the name... It would have been (almost) rude just to pronounce the name..... :) About the name:
Good thing they used the G of GLAST, and not the F from Fermi for the name… It would have been (almost) rude just to pronounce the name….. :)

]]> By: PP http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/comment-page-1/#comment-139881 PP Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:57:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/#comment-139881 "GRB081203A (named thus because it was the first burst seen on 2008 Dec. 3) " So what are they gonna call GRBs after 2100? Have we already created a new 'millennium bug'? (It was/is of course a centennial bug.) “GRB081203A (named thus because it was the first burst seen on 2008 Dec. 3) ”

So what are they gonna call GRBs after 2100? Have we already created a new ‘millennium bug’? (It was/is of course a centennial bug.)

]]> By: Mike Simonsen http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/comment-page-1/#comment-139872 Mike Simonsen Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:37:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/09/gort-bags-a-burst/#comment-139872 Nice article, Phil. I've included it in the AAVSO Writer's Bureau for December. Write more variable star stuff! Nice article, Phil. I’ve included it in the AAVSO Writer’s Bureau for December. Write more variable star stuff!

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