I know it’s Caturday, but what the heck.
When we watch movies in the evening, Canis Minor likes to snuggle with us on the couch. The other night, there wasn’t room because The Little Astronomer had sprawled out across the cushions.
Canis Minor is, however, intelligent and determined, and found a solution.
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I’m glad she was comfortable.
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The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking, movie reviews, and all that) can be found here.
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 | Bad Astronomy was chosen as one of Time.com's Best Blogs of 2009. |
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January 24th, 2009 at 8:03 am
Awwwww… You both look comfy!
January 24th, 2009 at 8:09 am
My dog does that all the time! It’s good there isn’t much in that glass, though. Dogs don’t usually care where their feet are.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:13 am
awwwwwwwr. Isn’t she cute.
Do not move and disturb the cute dog!That’d be unforgivable!
January 24th, 2009 at 8:16 am
Awww .. Bew-dee-full!
What a goo-ood dog!
Canis Majore .. Ilove it! :heart: (Can you do hearts here?)
Very cute BA, very cute indeed.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Great dog & great shot.
Once she gets off your lap & goes outside will she pause and stare up at Canis Major … and Canis Minor … and even trouble to look for faint Canes Venatici?
January 24th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Looks familiar actually.
I can relate to that very well. My pets do exactly the same thing.
I’ve got a little Jack Russell (named Harry though I didn’t name him) & am currently minding a labrador houseguest for a week at the moment ..
Just imagine that picture with a green sleeping bag, an uglier person and a litle tan-&-white Jack Russell plus a big fat yellow labrador .. oh and a small black cat who thinks she’s a dog as well .. and you’e got me pictured there!
BadMA wrote on January 24th, 2009 at 8:09 am :
“My dog does that all the time! It’s good there isn’t much in that glass, though. Dogs don’t usually care where their feet are.”
I’ve had the experience of getting up and leaving a glass of bundy rum & coke on my armrest only to get back & find my brothers inbred mutant miniature bull terrier lapping away casually at my rum when I got back ..
January 24th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Btw., What breed is Canis Major BA?
Any kelpie in there?
January 24th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Oh & did I say cute photo?
No?
Well it is.
But then we all knew that already ..
January 24th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Canis Minor’s demonstrates her successful efforts to domesticate Phil Plait.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:50 am
My mom took the same kind of picture of my dad and our dog! He is far too big to be a lap-puppy, but he tries anyway.
You look incredibly uneasy though watching that movie!
Oh, and I finished your book yesterday. It was much different than I expected. I didn’t expect a thorough yet brief description of the physics of a star. I had learned most of the stuff in class, but there were a few surprises (the energy from neutrinos!).
January 24th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Dear Mr Plait
I just want to THANK YOU from the bottom of my little scared heart
I read your book last night in about 2 hours cover to cover because I have been looking for this book for a long time (unknowingly).
I have been afraid of something “falling out of the sky” since I was a little girl. I believe this “irrational” fear is attributed to the fact that i grew up very close to an Air force Base and I heard many loud scary noises (like the sound barrier being broken)while I was trying to go to sleep at night. Unfortunately this fear has followed me to adulthood. I am a level headed person (at least I think!) and try not to buy into any mass hysteria, but I must say that the 2012 issue scared me a bit because it seemed to me that the “jury is out” on this planetary allignment issue and what exactly it could do to our planet. I don’t care about the Mayan thing, I don’t believe, nor did I even know about until just yesterday, the Planet X theory. I went on to the NASA website to read the forum, figuring that this was a credible source on all things astronomy related and from what I can see there is nothing remarkable about this day in 2012 as far as the planets are concerned.
My question to you is, and forgive me if this is covered already as I am most certain that it probably has been, what is your take on the planet alignment theory? Can such an event have any effect on our planet big or small? Again, thanks for writing your book, after reading it I slept a lot better last night!
January 24th, 2009 at 9:24 am
I’ve seen some awe-inspiring pictures on your blog before, Dr. Phil, but this one is truly Awwww-inspiring.
I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.
January 24th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Jamie, don’t be afraid. The biggest influences on earth due to gravity are the tides caused by the moon and partially by the sun. The planets don’t do anything, because their gravitational influence on the earth is negligible. For more information: Just search this blog. Phil has said some words about it several times and in great detail!
January 24th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Please tell me that isn’t a Snuggie you’re using!
January 24th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Awww, so cute. Our new puppy is in the “I want to lick your face all the freakin’ time” stage. So annoying.
January 24th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Angstrom does the same to me, and she gets mad if one dare to shift positions even just a little
January 24th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Phil’s dog is obviously showing some lingering resentment over being named Canis Minor instead of the Canis Major title she secretly craved.
January 24th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Sirius, Mirzam, Wezen, Adhara, Aludra, imagine if she spotted Felis the cat. That would be a veeerrrry sloooow chase!
http://www.jackstargazer.com/cartoonOct06.jpg
January 24th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Actually, I was pretty comfortable, but we were trying to get the picture taken before she noticed Mrs. BA had the camera. CM loves to chase reflections and lights on the floor (we stopped using a laser pointer with her because I was afraid she’d get so excited she’d explode)… and she knows the camera has a focus light and a flash. When she sees the camera she starts looking for the light, and it ruins the picture.
No, Nancy, it’s just blanket.
CM is a mutt, and we’re not exactly sure what she has in her. Some border collie, but I suspect also part atomic reactor. When she sees squirrels, she has a laser focus which is almost creepy.
January 24th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Jamie: I’ve written about alignments in the past. Try this one.
January 24th, 2009 at 10:29 am
What Phil, no post on the “UFO” at the OBama inauguration?
January 24th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Mutts are the best dogs ever. You should send pics of her at Luvmutt.com! she’s worthy.
January 24th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Ceiling Cat is keeping watch over both of you this Caturday!
January 24th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Thanks for the link, and again thanks for the information! I am so glad I found your work, you are on a much needed (and appreciated) crusade against misinformation so abundant out there!
January 24th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Jamie:
You’re among friends here, come back daily!
Phil:
Tell TLA that her toes are now world famous!
I fiddle with my daughters’ toes to wake them up each schoolday morning. Never fails!
January 24th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
January 24th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I miss my dog, now…
January 24th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
“…but I must say that the 2012 issue scared me a bit because it seemed to me that the ‘jury is out’ ”
I’m curious as to why you think the ‘jury is out’ when in fact planetary “alignments” have occurred millions of times throughout the solar system’s history and yet we are still here – completely unharmed.
I think I recall some figure where the tidal forces of all the planets exerted on Earth is only 0.00006 as much as the Moon. The Earth didn’t end when we last had an eclipse did it?
January 24th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Oh, and please tell me you were not watching, “Underdog”! I took my then 11 year old daughter to see that, and she was less than impressed!
January 24th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Phil, I didn’t think it was possible for me to respect the Bad Astronomer more than I already did.
But, seeing anyone, ANYONE, who’s that kind to our furry friends–well, you just went up another notch!
January 24th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Hey Phil, does your dog know montana the dog? The should be friends!
http://twitter.com/montanathedog (Alex Albrecht’s dog)
January 24th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
“I’m curious as to why you think the ‘jury is out’ when in fact planetary “alignments” have occurred millions of times throughout the solar system’s history and yet we are still here – completely unharmed.
I think I recall some figure where the tidal forces of all the planets exerted on Earth is only 0.00006 as much as the Moon. The Earth didn’t end when we last had an eclipse did it? ”
I was only communicating what I had understood from the limited conversations I had found on the NASA forum. I admittedly know very little about past or present “facts” when it comes to the planets and the universe in general. I am learning more each day that I choose to even put any energy towards it
It’s just that there is so much information out there it is hard to know what is true and what is not. Most information that seemed half credible to me was also “over my head” so to speak, I am in the medical profession so all of this planetary stuff is just not my forte’!
This is why I posted the question here, I trust the answer I get is actually based in fact…which is all I really need
January 24th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
good dog
January 24th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I has an astronomer!
January 24th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Been there, Phil.
However, seems I’m a bit more fortunate in that I don’t have as large a dog using me as his personal bed; he’s a min-pin.
January 24th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Jamie, I think you don’t fine stuff like that on the NASA site because they try to not get caught up in the “controversy” and tend not to answer to the woo woos.
Unfortunately, there are far to many other sites that are happy to prey on your fear and limited understanding of the forces at work. A good tip is if they are trying to sell you something, credibility should be questioned.
Don’t take anything you see at face value. Even if the topics are hard to understand, try to do some research yourself. And I’m not talking about Google research.
January 24th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I thought for a minute you’d stolen my sofa. And THEN I noticed the snuggly dog. A little big for a lapdog, but cute as a button. We don’t have a snuggly dog or a Bad Astronomer at our house. We do, however have an identical sofa.
January 24th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
For those (few?) who don’t already know : Sirius, Mirzam, Wexzen, Adhara and Aludra are all stars in Canis Major.
Sirius is a relatively nearby – 9 ly off – A-type star & Wezen is a extremely bright F supergiant, the others are all distant, very bright B-type stars. In real terms compared at the same distance, Sirius would in fact be the dimmest – but being so close it appears the brightest in our sky. Sirius also goes by thename the Dogstar & its binary companion, a white dwarf, is called the Pup!
Click on my name for a map of the constellation via Kaler’s Stars website.
Actually, I should’ve chosen Procyon and Gomeisa – the names of the stars of Canis Minor instead as my tag here shouldn’t I?
@ Mena: Thanks! Sure would be.
January 24th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
That’s Wezen not Wexzen, typo there.
Bit of trivia for today – Adhara is actually the brightest star inthe sky even at its current vast distance (500 ly) – in ultraviolet wavelengths!
Mirzam is Beta Canis Majoris (CMa abbriev.)
Wezen is Delta CMa
Adhara is Epsilon CMa
&
Aludra is Eta Canis Majoris.
These names are all Arabic exceptSirius which is Greek for “scorching.”
I could go on for hours like this but I”ll spare you!
January 24th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
My sympathy for you is tempered by the fact that
my lap dog weighs 105lbs. and has the worlds boniest
elbows, which are handy for rearranging the primates
anatomy so it’s more comfy
January 24th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
@Phil:
Off-topic, but have you seen the video of a UFO during the Presidential inauguration (click my name for the link to Faux News’ in-depth (cough) coverage)? Ripe for debunking (and getting some snark in on Rupert’s so-called news organization).
January 24th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
You think Canis Minor looks comfy:
http://www.mattandrews.net/remy/#couchremy
67 pounds of velcro wrapped in a fur coat. We wouldn’t have it any other way, though.
January 24th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
When I was a kid, I had a Husky/Samoyed cross, that would sleep in my room. ‘Muffy’, and no, I did not name her, would actually push me out of my bed by pressing her paws against the wall, and muscling me out with her body. I cannot count how many times I would give up my bed to that dumb dog! (And, boy do I miss her too!)
My last dog was an American Eskimo, that would get on the bed and curl up on the pillows between my ex-wife and I. I would frequently wake up with her tail in my mouth.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Oh I meant Canis Minor not Canis Major or Majore even of course!
& I still love it & yes I see that, no, you can’t do hearts here ..
Quick qu if that’s alright BA – why doesn’t Canis Minor merit the “Canis Major” name? Is there another larger dog in the household?
(There’s a black hole cat too isn’t there; from memory?)
January 25th, 2009 at 12:08 am
So, Canis Major has yu undr her control, Phil? It’s a dog-eat-dog world, you know…
(And clearly, the BA is barking mad…)
January 25th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Ah, look at the love.
She wuvs you.
January 25th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Flashback to the 40s and 50s where we find Captain Marvel’s nemesis, Doctor Sivanus, contemplating Krypto (Superman’s dog). In fact, Captain Marvel was introduced in Fawcett’s “Whiz Comics” and we hope that Canis Minor is not considering that odd bit of trivia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Sivana