I actually got a note on twitter recently asking me why I haven’t posted a picture of my dogs recently. That was a refreshing idea since I get complaints when I don’t write about astronomy.
So here you go: nothing profound or deep or cosmic or philosophical. Just me and Canis Minor.
Happy Caturday!
… and as for the title of this, Harlan Ellison fans know what I’m talking about. I think I showed marvelous judgment, if not particularly good taste.
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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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February 25th, 2012 at 7:25 am
A Boy and his Dog, one of my favourite Harlan Ellison stories. I just hope for Mrs BA’s sake you never have to choose between her and Canis Minor!
February 25th, 2012 at 8:16 am
Sometimes you just have to be less Sirius.
February 25th, 2012 at 8:20 am
Nice to see Canis Minor isn’t put off by having his picture taken. My little guy will look around for places to escape and hide when I want to take a picture.
I’ll have to look up the book, I’ve been more Heinlein, Foster and Laumer.
February 25th, 2012 at 8:25 am
Canis Minor is telepathic, yes? My cat, the late Tycho Brahe had extraordinary telepathic gifts.
February 25th, 2012 at 8:26 am
“I think I showed marvelous judgment, if not particularly good taste.”
Not if you consider the movie.
February 25th, 2012 at 9:21 am
Geez Phil.
You’re supposed to be one of those uppity, elitist scientists.
This makes you look, well, like a normal, human being having an ideal Saturday morning.
What to make of it?
Cheers
February 25th, 2012 at 9:21 am
As the dog is clearly resting in thought, in and of whatever an astronomers dog might be resting in thought about:
“Iam king for a moment”
“hope he doesn’t turn on any of the funny lasery loud or smelly box’s today”
“How many moons does a dog have to howl, before…”
“What’s this. ‘JOO PITER thing he’s always talking about”
“If I only had a bone for everytime this guy says amazing”
“What the hell is he talking about when he points up in the sky and says “look! There’s Canis Minor right there!”, I still don’t get that one, iam down here silly”
“Don’t take my picture, jeeze, people & the shiny blinking things”
…
But who knows what a dog such as Canis Minor might think as he rests on the couch of his subordinates.
February 25th, 2012 at 9:54 am
And actually Phil I find something very profound, deep, cosmic & philosophical about the relationship between man and his best friend, the dog.
Luckily, I have the abilities and experience to have done the research on this one, all subjective of course, but the way we love is most certainly as much a profound, deep, cosmic and philosophical quandratic (I think I can do that there) observation as any could ever be made.
Not much science, I get ya, but there are still strange and mysterious forces at work in this picture which have yet to be discovered by science. Just like those not understood images from light years away.
I like cats but iam totally down with Dogurday.
February 25th, 2012 at 9:58 am
Canis Minor is the best name for a dog this side of the name for a cat I heard on a Stargate SG-1 episode: “Schrodinger”
February 25th, 2012 at 10:14 am
Pretty good movie, too.
“A Boy and His Dog” (1975; L.Q. Jones, director).
Don Johnson, Jason Robards, Susanne Benton
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072730/
February 25th, 2012 at 10:32 am
What kind of dog is that?
February 25th, 2012 at 10:35 am
Okay, you’ve shown poor taste, but what about your wife? How does she taste?
February 25th, 2012 at 11:08 am
(Artor’s not trying to be creepy, folks. That’s a ref to the movie.)
February 25th, 2012 at 11:26 am
Hi Phil,
Happy Caturday! Probably you’ve heard about this ludicrous “hollow earth” theory? Maybe you can write a blog about that? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IoG2qi6E0
Seems like your type of fight. Ding, Ding, Ding!
February 25th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Aww, cute dog Phil. Love the title of the post and the movie. Canis Major really your dogs name? Love it!
February 25th, 2012 at 3:11 pm
You have a messy kitchen.
February 25th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
Oh geez! You invoked Ellison’s name AND riffed on one of his titles. He’s sued people for less. He must be due for another frivolous lawsuit if he isn’t bogged down with one right now. He’s probably going to come after your dog for this one. (and I’d better use another layer of pseudonymmery–anagram of course–and a public wi-fi hotspot).
February 25th, 2012 at 4:15 pm
great photograph
February 25th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Hey BA
If that is “canis MINOR” I am not so sure I would like to meet canis MAJOR!!!!!!!
February 25th, 2012 at 8:08 pm
Awww!!!
I’m really more of a cat person, but I love that picture!! Perfect for, er, dogurday. And awesome dog name, too!
I wish there were a “Felis” constellation
February 25th, 2012 at 8:26 pm
“My dogs come sit next to me, a pack of dogs and some cigarettes.
My only friends speak no words to me. But they look at me and they don’t forget,
that a boy’s best friend is his mother or whatever has become his pet.” – Jack White
February 25th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I’ve read that short story before and yeah, Phil, not in good taste. Nice dog, though.
February 25th, 2012 at 9:55 pm
@20. Joseph G : “I wish there were a “Felis” constellation.”
There used to be – but then you know that already, right? Yeah, I’d like to see it reinstated too!
(Click on my name for Felis page via Ian Ridpath’s Star tales site.)
@19. ozprof – February 25th, 2012 at 5:50 pm :
Oh I dunno, bigger dogs are often better natured “gentle giants” than smaller ones.
@15. Michael Rector :
I could be mistaken but I think the BA has said before that “Canis Major” is a psuedonymn for use here not the dog’s true name.
OTOH, I persauded my folks to name one of our dogs Tycho (not Brahe – just Tycho), my last dog was called Sirius Dogstar Nell (long story) and the cat that owns me today is named Zosma after Delta Leonis. Mind you, the dog that currently owns me is named Harry -although not by me!
February 25th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
. . . and then there was a dog . . .
February 26th, 2012 at 6:58 am
What a beautiful pooch. Who is the bald guy?
February 26th, 2012 at 8:27 am
Thanks!
Really enjoyed seeing you recently at EMU.
February 26th, 2012 at 10:35 am
Clearly that dog is a leader of the elitist GW/pro-vaccine/”we landed on the moon” cabal. I mean, look at those big, brown elitist eyes! Awww, good boy, who’s got elitist eyes?
February 27th, 2012 at 6:48 am
Surprised you didn’t name the dog Blood…
February 27th, 2012 at 11:05 am
Um, just to be safe, can we see Mrs BA – just to make sure? lol
February 27th, 2012 at 3:32 pm
Hi, Phil. Happy Belated Dog/Caturday.
I suspect that you’ve heard the story Larry Niven told about his mother, who raised Keeshonds, I believe, curious about this “Science Fiction” genre that her son was making a name for himself in, decided to look for a movie that was “Science Fiction.”
Being a dog breeder, “A Boy and his Dog” jumped out at her…
I forget how long it was that she refused to speak to him.
—
Thank you for the time you take keeping all of us educated AND entertained. I’ve been an almost daily visitor since you beat the snot out of “Armageddon.”