Brilliant, Sterling!
I believe you've just written the next verse for Monty Python's Galaxy Song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buqtdpuZxvk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buqtdpuZxvk > From: sterling_k_w...@sbcglobal.net > To: nf11...@npgcable.com; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > Date: Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:01 -0500 > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Quickie > > Jim, List, > > Whoops! > > The Sun revolves around the center of our galaxy > at about 220 km/sec which suggests a period of > about 240,000,000 years. That's the current estimate, > although the range of calculated values runs from > 225 million years to 250, so the Sun has made 20 > orbits so far. Oddly, it's a retrograde (backwards) orbit. > > What isn't known is the ECCENTRICITY of that orbit. > If it's reasonably eccentric, has the Sun plunged down > through the Galactic Core region 20 times? The Core > is incredibly crowded with stars and dust and molecular > clouds and weird sh-..., er, stuff of every kind. It's really > crowded in that neighborhood. Look at a picture of a > spiral galaxy and you'll see what I mean. > > The prospect of that particular joyride is a little daunting, > at least to me. Every time I read that some geologist or > other has detected a 250 million year periodicity in major > change on Earth (like orogeny), it bothers me. > > Now, you know that eight-year-old is going to ask the next > question, "What does the Galaxy go around?" The answer is > the barycenter of the Local Group, which is itself in orbit > around the barycenter of the Virgo Supercluster, which is > itself heading a some good speed toward the Great Attractor, > about which we know little... or maybe nothing, except it > must be a whopper. > > If he's the eight-year-old I think he is, he will then ask, > "Does the Universe go around anything?" Sheesh. In 1949, > Kurt Gödel published an exact and perfect alternative solution > of Einstein's equations in which the Universe rotates (but > doesn't have an axis). It also has a number of other truly > spooky properties that give me a headache. > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del_metric > > Since then, others have published other exact and perfect > solutions of Einstein's equations all of which show rotation. > None of these solutions are testable, at least not so far. > > But you can cut off the eight-year-old with "The universe > is everything there is, so there's nothing else for it to go > around." > > > Sterling K. Webb > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jim Wooddell" <nf11...@npgcable.com> > To: "Meteorite-List" <meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com> > Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2012 1:33 PM > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Quickie > > > > It was science week at an elementary school. > > A third grade teacher was teaching the young kids in his class about > > the solar system. He came in early one day and moved all the desks to > > the side of the classroom on each wall. He proceeded to set up the > > sun and planets using various sized styrofoam balls on stands that > > represented our sun, planets and moons. It took several hours to set > > up and filled the center of the class room. > > > > Later that morning, after the children arrived, he walked around > > explaining the orbits, and how things worked. > > Afterwards the children could ask questions. > > > > One young girl asked how the moon went around the earth. So he > > grabbed the moon and showed her how it went around the earth. > > > > Another young student asked how the earth went around the sun. So > > with the help of the young girl the asked the first question, he show > > the earth going around the sun at the same time the moon was going > > around the earth! It took some coordination! > > > > One of the brighter students then asked the question....if all these > > planets go around the sun, then what does the sun go around?? The > > teacher looked around the room, paused and said, "Good Question"! > > > > > > Are we having fun yet? > > Cheers! > > > > Jim > > > > > > Jim Wooddell > > http://k7wfr.us > > > > > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________ > > > > Visit the Archives at > > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > > Meteorite-list mailing list > > Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > > ______________________________________________ > > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
