Starship Asterisk*

The APOD explanations always call the planets by their unqualified names (i.e., "Mercury", "Venus", "Mars", etc) -- except the one we're on, which is consistently referred to as "planet Earth".

Is this standard nomenclature in solar-system astronomy, or just a shout-out to cheesy Flash Gordon-era science fiction? I cannot think of any non-planet meanings of "Earth" that it would be necessary to disambiguate against.

As an editor, I automatically strike the word "planet" from the phrase "planet Earth" under the rubric of "wordiness".

Way back in elementary school, the phrase "do you know there's life on (or rings around) the planet Uranus" would have been an improvement.

Don't forget the ever-popular "Planet X" or "Planet Hollywood", both with a capital "P", but meanwhile ...

I give you Floating by the Moody Blues from Days of Future Passed ...

Floating free as a bird
Sixty foot leaps it's so absurd
From up here you should see the view
Such a lot of space for me and you

Oh you'd like it
Gliding around get your feet off the ground
Oh you'd like it
Do as you please with so much ease

Now I know how it feels
To have wings on my heels
To take a stroll among the stars
Get a close look at planet Mars

Oh you'd like it
Gliding around get your feet off the ground
Oh you'd like it
Do as you please with so much ease

Bouncing about on the moon
Guess you'll all be up here soon
The candy stores they'll be brand new
And you'll buy a rock with the moon right through

Oh you'd like it
Gliding around get your feet off the ground
Oh you'd like it
Do as you please with so much ease

Come fly...
Come fly...
Come fly...

Duran Duran may help with this query:

Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop this is planet earth

Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop calling planet earth

Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop looking at planet earth

Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop this is planet earth

Bowie knows best (Space Oddity):

Ground control to major tom
Ground control to major tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

Ground control to major tom
Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition and may gods love be with you

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five,
Four, three, two, one, liftoff

This is ground control to major tom
Youve really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now its time to leave the capsule if you dare

This is major tom to ground control
Im stepping through the door
And Im floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet earth is blue
And theres nothing I can do

Though Im past one hundred thousand miles
Im feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell me wife I love her very much she knows

Ground control to major tom
Your circuits dead, theres something wrong
Can you hear me, major tom?
Can you hear me, major tom?
Can you hear me, major tom?
Can you....

Here am I floating round my tin can
Far above the moon
Planet earth is blue
And theres nothing I can do

We also speak of (for example) "Saturn's moon Titan" but we never speak of "Earth's moon Moon" or "Earth's moon Luna", nor even "planet Earth's moon 'the Moon'".

To those for whom the world is the whole universe, an Earthling is simply a human; to those for whom the universe includes more planets, an Earthling is a terran. Similarly, whether you speak of Earth or planet Earth depends on the size of the universe in your context, for those who feel it necessary (I don't) to differentiate between contexts.

In the musical examples, I believe the insertion of the word "planet" is mostly for the general poetic sound of the words and to provide the number of syllables required by the rhythm.

apodman wrote:We also speak of (for example) "Saturn's moon Titan" but we never speak of "Earth's moon Moon" or "Earth's moon Luna", nor even "planet Earth's moon 'the Moon'".

To those for whom the world is the whole universe, an Earthling is simply a human; to those for whom the universe includes more planets, an Earthling is a terran. Similarly, whether you speak of Earth or planet Earth depends on the size of the universe in your context, for those who feel it necessary (I don't) to differentiate between contexts.

I think part of that has to do with tha fact that we have only 1 moon while
Jupiter has 63+ confirmed moons
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/pro ... play=Moons
and Saturn has 60+ confirmed moons
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/pro ... play=Moons
Uranus has 27+ confirmed moons
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/pro ... play=Moons
and Neptune has 13+ confirmed moons
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/pro ... play=Moons
As the final planet, Pluto indicates the site is in need of update
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/pro ... 03353E5054
Where are Nix & Hydra???

When I was a younger nerd, I knew the names of all the known moons in the solar system along with the origin of each name. At the time, there were only 0+0+1+2+12+9+5+2+0=31 moons to deal with. Now with deep space probes and 166+ moons to deal with, I won't even try.

I've only seen 6 moons (Luna, Ganymede, Europa, Io, Callisto, Titan) with my own eyes (optically assisted in the cases of the last 5).

Just look at the inspired names given to some of the moons of Jupiter:

50. S/2003 J2
51. S/2003 J3
52. S/2003 J4
53. S/2000 J11
54. S/2000 J5
55. S/2003 J9
56. S/2003 J10
57. S/2003 J12
58. S/2003 J15
59. S/2003 J16
60. S/2003 J17
61. S/2003 J18
62. S/2003 J19
63. S/2003 J23

This appears to me to be an opportunity to submit your own name to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for consideration. I think #53 should be named "apodman".

Earth:
Luna
Mars:
Deimos
Phobos
Jupiter:
Adrastea
Aitne
Amalthea
Ananke
Aoede
Arche
Autonoe
Carpo
Callirrhoe
Callisto
Carme
Chaldene
Cyllene
Elara
Erinome
Euanthe
Eukelade
Euporie
Europa
Eurydome
Ganymede
Harpalyke
Hegemone
Helike
Hermippe
Himalia
Io
Iocaste
Isonoe
Kale
Kallichore
Kalyke
Kore
Leda
Lysithea
Megaclite
Metis
Mneme
Orthosie
Praxidike
Pasithee
Pasiphae
Sinope
Sponde
Taygete
Thebe
Themisto
Thelxinoe
Thyone
S/2003 J2
S/2003 J3
S/2003 J4
S/2000 J11
S/2000 J5
S/2003 J9
S/2003 J10
S/2003 J12
S/2003 J15
S/2003 J16
S/2003 J17
S/2003 J18
S/2003 J19
S/2003 J23
Saturn:
Aegir
Albiorix
Anthe
Atlas
Bebhionn
Bergelmir
Bestla
Calypso
Daphnis
Dione
Enceladus
Epimetheus
Erriapus
Farbauti
Fenrir
Fornjot
Greip
Hati
Helene
Hyperion
Hyrokkin
Iapetus
Ijiraq
Janus
Jarnsaxa
Kari
Kiviuq
Loge
Methone
Mimas
Mundilfari
Narvi
Paaliaq
Pallene
Pan
Pandora
Phoebe
Polydeuces
Prometheus
Rhea
Siarnaq
Skathi
Skoll
Surtur
Suttungr
Tarqeq
Tarvos
Telesto
Tethys
Titan
Thrymr
Ymir
S/2004 S7
S/2004 S12
S/2004 S13
S/2004 S17
S/2006 S1
S/2006 S3
S/2007 S2
S/2007 S3
Uranus:
Ariel
Belinda
Bianca
Caliban
Cordelia
Cressida
Cupid
Desdemona
Ferdinand
Francisco
Juliet
Mab
Margaret
Miranda
Oberon
Perdita
Portia
Prospero
Puck
Rosalind
Setebos
Stephano
Sycorax
Titania
Trinculo
Umbriel
Neptune:
Despina
Galatea
Halimede
Laomedeia
Larissa
Naiad
Nereid
Neso
Proteus
Psamathe
Sao
Thalassa
Triton
Pluto:
Charon
Hydra
Nix

G'day from the land of ozzzzzzz

My son wishes to thank BMAone23 for the solar system links.

He is doing a project and is using those links.

Huh? The APOD forum index, where I first posted, shows zero replies. But somehow my post has been moved over here, and morphed into a discussion of moon names?

You're all welcome do continue with the moons -- much worse things happen on Usenet, and I wouldn't presume to own a thread. But I'd like to know if I did anything wrong or it was the subsequent discussion that triggered the move. Are postings in the APOD forum supposed to be about single specific pictures?

Henning Makholm wrote:The APOD forum index, where I first posted, shows zero replies. But somehow my post has been moved over here.

This is confusing. You posted in The Asterisk* Forum Index -> Discuss an Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) and were later moved to The Asterisk* Forum Index -> Asterisk Cafe. Only the moderator who moved your post can say the reason for sure, but apparently it was not about a specific APOD. But don't expect to find consistency in what gets moved and what doesn't - with rambling topics and posts, it's confusing for the moderator too when trying to figure what we're actually talking about. Topics can be combined by the moderator as well as moved - this can interleaf posts from the mixed threads and create another brand of confusion, as direct replies become nonsequiturs.

Whan a topic is moved, it also stays listed in its original forum category (the first strange feature) without any mention of what category it has been moved to (the second strange feature) but the number of replies shown for the listing in the original forum don't increase after the move and the topic doesn't move to the top of the list with each update (the third strange feature). You have to go to the Asterisk Cafe to get the actual count. But once you go there, you will see that others have found the moved topics and continued to post. It all just comes with the territory. Roll with it.

Starting your post (especially the first post of a new topic) with a date-specific link to the APOD being discussed (see this old post) is useful in more than one way, but among its uses is letting the moderator know that this discussion really is about (or at least was spawned by) a specific APOD.

Henning Makholm wrote:or [was it] the subsequent discussion that triggered the move

No. Mine was the first reply, and it had already been moved at that time.

Henning Makholm wrote:I wouldn't presume to own a thread.

Yeah, nobody controls a topic. Sometimes it's two or three topics leapfrogging each other and you just have to read selectively. Some topics stay focused, others spread out all over the place, and some morph into a different focus. Like Forest Gump says, "you never know what you're gonna get." For example, this recent topic started out about a nebula, went on for five pages of cosmology, and never returned - a popular thread, but one having nothing to do with its origin. Once again, it all just comes with the territory. Roll with it.

apodman wrote:Only the moderator who moved your post can say the reason for sure,

What confuses me is just that the reason was not said. To sanction some conduct without explaining how the sanctioned conduct was wrong strikes me as a very ineffective means of behavioural adjustment. I read the rules before I posted; I just now reread them, and I still cannot see how my comment violated them.

apodman wrote:but apparently it was not about a specific APOD.

No it wasn't. But just from the latest month, see July 18, July 10, July 9, July 4, July 3, June 28, and June 21.

Non-planet "Earth"s featured on June 23, July 2, July 7, and July 14, so the use of "planet" was not as consistent as I claimed initially.

Henning Makholm wrote:from the latest month, see July 18, July 10, July 9, July 4, July 3, June 28, and June 21

That's enough "planets" to start your own Solar System.

It's not only the originator who can feel stigmatized by the moving of a topic. The first time I encountered the weird world of a moved topic, mine was the first reply to be posted after the move, so mine was the reply that didn't get updated in the list, and I spent a day trying to figure out what I did wrong to break it.

On the other hand, the Game Theorist in me gets a kind of sick enjoyment out of playing a game where the rules are not fully disclosed and can only be determined by trial and error during the course of the action. Sort of like Physics. Sort of like Life.

apodman wrote:

Henning Makholm wrote:from the latest month, see July 18, July 10, July 9, July 4, July 3, June 28, and June 21

That's enough "planets" to start your own Solar System.

And they're all inhabitable, too. You know, this could become quite profitable.

Unfortunately, I'd probably have to bring in outside investors in order to afford a star for them. Possibly enough to lose control of the corporation. Sigh, back to the drawing board ...

All fine and good, as long as no one says, "Planet Pluto." Mwahahaha

Ultimate song for the astronomy nerd / indie rock nerd: Far Out by Blur.



"Far Out"

I spy in the night sky don't I...
Phoebe, Io Elara, Leda, Callisto, Sinope
Janus, Dione, Portia so many moons...
Quiet in the sky at night...
Hot in the Milky Way...
Outside in...

....

Vega, Capella, Hadar, Rigel, Barnard's Star
Antares, Aldebaran, Altair
Wolf 359, Betelgeuse...

sun sun sun...

G'day from the land of ozzzzz

The cafe is better, here you can have a cup of coffee and put your feet up and relax.

Hello Harry,

Yep, the Caf is cool.

Henning Makholm wrote:a shout-out to cheesy Flash Gordon-era science fiction

Hey, I went looking for a list of sf dialog cliches (take me to your leader, etc.) and found lots of plot and character cliches but no lines of overused dialog.

Along the way, I searched for "earthling planet earth science fiction" using google.com, and guess what? The #10 search result (on page 1) pointed me to this topic in this forum. After only two days of exposure, we've been found! If I had known I was going to be famous, I would have written better.

So having your topic moved doesn't hide it from the world at all. Even the moderators may move topics of general interest to a general category as a promotion (for both the topic and the category), not just as a "sanction" for the originator or housekeeping for the original category. That's my latest theory, anyway.

Hello apodman,

It's really true what you say but one has to move kinda fast to catch us. I was on google search for "old mars photos" page 5, now it's page 9.

http://asterisk.apod.com/vie ... 4d17aae175

APOD is gettig famous

G'day from the land of ozzz

APOD is famous for what?

Have I missed something.

Darn,,,,,,,left in this cafe drinking my last coffee before bed.

harry wrote:APOD is famous for what?

Famous for our witty commentary, or for our being facetious in characterizing it like that. And harry, why the varying number of z's in "oz..." - some sort of coded message?

Seriously, search engines just love URLs that, once established, remain set in stone forever. APOD is now famous for providing such a reliable subweb of content.

G'day from the land of oz

With one Z if you wish.

Mate I know the APOD is famous. Its the greatest.

I was joking, just incase you did not not see the joke.

A pod man

Keep cool.