First Star Trails!

[Scott Walker]

Because the Earth is the pivotal point of the entire universe, which rotates at a rate of 15 degrees per hour.

In Canada we have a substantial portion of the population that believes Toronto is the center of the universe.

[pbryld]

Oh my.
I thought it might have something to do with the rotation of the earth, but it didn't occur to me that we weren't talking about shooting stars (which, when I think about it, is a stupid though, because they will of course not show on the negative), and I forgot that there are other stars than the shooting ones as well. LOL. I don't think I've ever had such mind lapse before... :O

[Vaughn]

Careful! Astronomical innocence can get you killed here.

There was an image and story floating around on Facebook about a child's bike high up in a tree, with the tree engulfing the tree. The story was that a boy chained the bike to the tree, went off to WWI and never returned.

The good number of people -- even educated people who studied some botany -- thought that as the tree grew, it lifted the bike 10 feet up into the air as the tree grew! Silly people! If one puts a nail into a tree 5 feet above the ground and the tree grows one foot a year, 60 years later, if the ground has stayed the same, the nail will still be 5 feet from the ground.

Astronomical ignorance is built into our language -- the sun does not set, nor does it rise -- it is just the earth spinning around. Nor are shooting stars stars.

It is interesting that starfish (not being fish) are often called seastars now.

[E. von Hoegh]

In Canada we have a substantial portion of the population that believes Toronto is the center of the universe.

Well, it IS on Earth. Compared to billions of light years, I'd say it's close enough.

[Brian C. Miller]

Careful! Astronomical innocence can get you killed here.

Right! You could fall off the edge of the Earth without an umbrella to cushion your fall.

If one puts a nail into a tree 5 feet above the ground and the tree grows one foot a year, 60 years later, if the ground has stayed the same, the nail will still be 5 feet from the ground.

An old frontier fort (Fort Simcoe) I used to visit as a child had a plank that had rested against one of the trees for so long that the tree engulfed one end of it in bark.

It is interesting that starfish (not being fish) are often called seastars now.

But dogfish haven't been renamed, and they have nothing to do with dogs!

[E. von Hoegh]

It is interesting that starfish (not being fish) are often called seastars now.

What are they calling sanddollars?

[Vaughn]

What are they calling sanddollars?

Sandeuros?

But dogfish haven't been renamed, and they have nothing to do with dogs!

And then there are the catfish, too...

[E. von Hoegh]

Sandeuros?



And then there are the catfish, too...

Don't forget hagfish.

[Heroique]

Oh my. :O

I thought your question was refreshing!

We get so much long-winded technical expertise here, it’s startling to hear simple questions about the universe.

Funny thing is, no one here could answer your simple question to anyone else’s satisfaction – there will always be something technically misleading about any answer, and in dire need of immediate correction, or entertaining irony...

However, Vaughn’s single-sentence explanation does quite an admirable job, even if it fails to take into account that... ;^)

[E. von Hoegh]

I thought your question was refreshing!

We get so much long-winded technical expertise here, it’s startling to hear simple questions about the universe.

Funny thing is, no one here could answer your simple question to anyone else’s satisfaction .........

I didn't try.