The Bad Astronomy Newsletter

1. Review of "Signs"
2. Naked Eye Sunspots
3. Egg Slap
4. Moon Trees
5. Subscribe/Unsubscribe info

1) Review of "Signs"

A couple of weeks ago I had to go to Pasadena for a meeting (that's where I saw the Mars Rover I mentioned in the last newsletter). I arrived the night before the meeting, so, bored, I went out walking. I stumbled onto a movie theater, and "Signs" was playing. Figuring it was better than sitting in my hotel room alone watching some home shopping channel, I watched the movie. Home shopping would have been better, So surprise, I didn't like it. Some people email me and accuse me of being incapable of enjoying a movie. That's so ironic I can hardly stand it; I love movies. I just wish science fiction movies were better. Anyway, I reviewed "Signs" which had plot holes big enough to drive a crop circle through.

2) Naked Eye Sunspots

Galileo Galilee was accused of many sins by the Church. He said the Earth revolved around the Sun, and that not all the planets went around the Earth. Saturn had ears (his telescope wasn't good enough to resolve the ears into rings) and Jupiter had moons. One of his "worst" sins was to say the Sun had spots on it. The heavenly bodies were without blemish, according to the Church, so this pronouncement of Galileo's really got them upset. They figured that it was more likely his telescope was distorting the heavens than the heavens themselves were besmirched. If only Galileo could have waited 400 years.

On the Sun today is a spot so big it can be seen with the unaided eye. Provocatively called "Group 10069", the Church would have had to think twice about this one. You can see the spot for yourself. Wait until sunset, because when the Sun is low enough there is not enough ultraviolet getting through the Earth's atmosphere to damage your eyes. When the Sun looks swollen and red on the horizon, you might glimpse the group near the Sun's limb. Need I say it? Don't do this when the Sun is high in the sky! It is unlikely you will suffer permanent damage, but there can be long term effects as well as lots of pain. If you have a pair of binoculars, you can aim them at the Sun (DON'T LOOK THROUGH THEM AT THE SUN!) and project the image of the Sun on a piece of paper. The spot will be pretty obvious. Better hurry! The spot will go around the other side of the Sun due to the Sun's rotation in a couple of days. For more, including a cool picture, try the Sky and Telescope website.

3) Egg Slap

There was a review of my book saying I spent way too much time and effort talking about standing up eggs during the equinox. I disagree, because I think it's a great example of Bad Thinking. However, even I would never have thought this had a direct impact on anyone's lives. In one case at least, it did. A teacher was talking about egg standing in a class, and asked a student to do it. The student and his family allege that when he couldn't get it to stand, the teacher slapped him. The family is suing, and the teacher denies it was anything but a sort of "buddy/buddy" punch on the shoulder. I don't know what to make of this. Someone suggested to me that perhaps the teacher was showing that egg standing really is a legend, but then why was he doing it on the equinox? This all sound sweird to me, and of course who knows if the reports are accurate? You can read about it for yourself. Maybe I'll send the teacher a link to my egg page.

4) Moon Trees

Nothing can grow on the Moon, right? No air, no water, radiation, cosmic rays, the odd meteorite or two... but some things came back from the Moon and grow right here on Earth. No, not a space fungus a la "Andromeda Strain". The Apollo 14 astronauts brought tree seed with them to the Moon. The seeds were returned to Earth, and many of them were planted. Some 40 or so "Moon Trees" are known, but there may be more out there. Do you have one near you? Then read this article all about the trees.

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Phil Plait
The Bad Astronomer
badastro@badastronomy.com
http://www.badastronomy.com