I was reading on the NASA page for the LRO, it states it will have a 1 metre resolution for it’s optical images on the surface.

What does this really translate to? 1m per pixel, able to define 1m wide objects – and what would they look like? Do you have an example image of 1m resolution?

I’m really curious what the apollo sites will look like. I’m wondering if the tracks from the lunar rover will be visible, hopefully this would be a good argument against the moonhoaxers.

Perhaps a blog post suggestion

Heck, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein is what…40-ish years old now? You have to scrutinize it pretty intensely to figure it out! (Or read the fine print on the inside of the cover. Even the technological aspects of that book have aged REMARKABLY gracefully.

*Ahem*
Sorry about that. I get carried away sometimes.

From the point of view of a person on the moon would a ‘New Earth’ mean it’s a full moon from a point of view on Earth?

I ain’t any astrologomerist, but I do know that the ‘phase of Earth’ would be the opposite of the ‘phase of the Moon’. It was always one of my favorite situations, easy to remember.

J/P=?

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Why not compile some of your best posts from the BA blog into a non-fiction book in their own right? A title I’d suggest is ‘Best of the Bad Astronomy Blog’.

That way great posts that survive the test of time & are particularly informative & interesting would be saved from cyber-oblivion, be more widely available and people would be able to easily find, catch up on & stumble across ones they might have missed!

Book form does have its advantages too – you could, for example compare all the “best photos of year X” columns easily & see how some stories have evolved over time and much more. Plus they’re easier & more fun to read on the train, in bed, etc ..

Perhaps with you publishing your original article-posts with maybe some of your own later thoughts and comments about what sort of response and some of the comments people had on each. I’m thinking something like Isaac Asimov did with some of his anthologies perhaps?

Or just the originals or however you’d prefer.

Personally I’d rather read the printed form & a good book than feel stuck to an often frustrating, computer anyday! Of course, the book wouldn’t stay as up to date like the blog does but then that would be okay & encourage people to visit your blog for the very latest too – as well earning you money for old columns also!

So for whatever its worth, here’s ten or so superb articles which you’ve written & posted on the blog which I’d suggest deserve proper publishing and including in this hypothetical book :

1. The Best photos of 2008- 20007 -2005 etc ..

2. The Puzzling planetary (SuWt2) article – “One ring to fool them all” &also the T Leporis one too …

3. “The Red Dwarf that Roared” article /post on EV Lacertae’s huge flare.

4. The original & the follow-up “No Green Stars?” threads. (Which btw. I consider two of your best ever! )

5. The Gliese 581 “earthlike” exoplanet blog post.

6. The “Welcome our Tiny Family” item (The borderline star or brown dwarf with low mass planet -MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb) & some of the other threads on exoplanets such as mapping one of the Hot Jupiters, etc ..

7. Some of the pareoilda threads eg. the face in the A-bomb, in the wood, the “angel” at the fairground, etc ..

8. Those GLAST .. & now .. ‘Fermi’ items where you note your own involvement in science.

9. Some of the Pluto / Planetary Definition threads & also the KBO / TNO discoveries like Eris & Sedna (BTW. Did you ever post about Sedna?Might’ve been before I found this blog I think ..

10. Your Galapagos trip diary & also some of your movie reviews & Dr Who /Trek /SF TV series comments.

Of course, there’s also far more you could include – enough for quite a few “Best of the Bad Astronomy blog” books in fact. Thus we could have Book I, Book II, Book III, etc ..!

Please think of doing this as I really reckon this is worth considering & would help you reach a wider audience as well as just on-line people.

I’d certainly buy it & I bet many others would too.

Best regards :

Steven C. Raine (a.k.a. Plutonium being from Pluto, StevoR, …)

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Any other commenters care to second this or add their own selctions of the BA’s best ever that they’d like to see perpetually in print rather than evanescently in electrons only?

Surely I’m not the only one that thinks this might be a good idea … ?

BTW. Thinking books, BA – are you writing anything at present? (Other than these blog items I’m meaning, natch.)

I’ve said this before but can I please again suggest and urge you to compose a “Best of the Bad Astronomy Blog book featuring all the best articles and things from this blog and your old site too only in one lovely more permanent rather than more evanescent, easier to read on the bus textual form?

Please?

… Pretty please with Eta Carinae going supernova and NOT delvering us death but rather heaps of awesome information from the skies on top?

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/fullmoon/about.html

Andrew Chaikin, who contributed an essay to this volume, is the author of the definitive study of the Apollo missions, A Man on the Moon (1994), which was the basis of the award- winning television series From the Earth to the Moon.

i’ll have to check out Voices. thanks for the tip!

(Ever think of implementing a “Contact Me” or “Suggest a Link” button?