Starship Asterisk*

fszed wrote:In today's picture of the Seven Sisters and California if you look to the upper right you will see
"Michigan" in blue. This is also in the correct configuration of the U.S. map.

apodman wrote:

neufer wrote:Google search results give:

22,600 for "Pleïades"
299 for "Pleïads"
62 for "Pleiädes"
3 for "Pleiäds"

All the more reason to post an opinion against such spellings.

I see now the APOD description has backed off from 250 full moons to 25. Makes me feel good that I didn't waste my time pulling out my sky map and steradian calculator in the wee hours last night.

neufer wrote:Google search results give:

22,600 for "Pleïades"
299 for "Pleïads"
62 for "Pleiädes"
3 for "Pleiäds"

apodman wrote:

di-er-e-sis or <di-aer-e-sis>(die er'uh sis) n. pl. <-ses>(-seez )
1. a sign placed over the second of two adjacent vowels to indicate that it is
to be pronounced separately, as in the spellings naïve and coöperate.

If you wanted to use a dieresis in "Pleiades", it should be above the "a" (to be pronounced as a separate syllable from the preceding "ei") - not above the "i" (which is pronounced as part of the same syllable as the "e").

In any case, "Pleïades" looks hideous as if written by Kilroy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphthong wrote:
<<In phonetics, a diphthong (from Greek δίφθογγος, diphthongos, literally "two sounds" or "two tones") is a contour vowel—that is, a unitary vowel that changes quality during its pronunciation, or "glides", with a smooth movement of the tongue from one articulation to another, as in the English words eye, boy, and cow. This contrasts with "pure" vowels, or monophthongs, where the tongue is held still, as in the English word papa.>>

• Modern Greek has the following diphthongs:
  
  * αι (ai) represents /e̞/
  * ει (ei) represents /i/
  * οι (oi) represents /i/
  * ου (ou) represents /u/
  * υι (yi) represents /i/

di-er-e-sis or <di-aer-e-sis>(die er'uh sis) n. pl. <-ses>(-seez )
1. a sign placed over the second of two adjacent vowels to indicate that it is
to be pronounced separately, as in the spellings naïve and coöperate.

RBA wrote:250 moons is about what takes to fill the entire space in the image between the two objects,
not 250 moons one after another forming a single line.

• ____ 16 ~ sqrt(250)
  --------------------------------------------------------
  ____ King Lear > Act I, scene V
  
  Fool: The reason why the seven stars
  are no more than seven is a pretty reason.
  
  KING LEAR: Because they are not eight?
  
  Fool: Yes, indeed: thou wouldst make a good fool.
  --------------------------------------------------------