Bad Astronomy...

Mr Q · #1 (**permalink**) 17-February-2008, 04:54 PM

I remember reading about the meaning of "Bad" somewhere in the past but it has since escaped my memory. Could you enlighten me on meaning? Mr Q

01101001 · #2 (**permalink**) 17-February-2008, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Q

I remember reading about the meaning of "Bad" somewhere in the past but it has since escaped my memory. Could you enlighten me on meaning? Mr Q

BadAstronomy.com Intro

Quote:

As an astronomer, teacher, lecturer and all-around science junkie, I am exposed to all sorts of people and their ideas about what goes on in the sky around them. I have been delighted to find that most people are very curious about the night (and day!) sky, but unfortunately a lot of misinformation is spread about astronomy. Sometimes this information is just plain silly, but many times it makes just enough sense that people believe it. Sometimes the news media help spread these ideas (like the one that you can spin or stand an egg on end during the Vernal Equinox), sometimes it's TV and sometimes it's plain old word of mouth, but the misinformation does get around.

I feel obliged to right these wrongs when I can. The Bad Astronomy web pages are devoted to airing out myths and misconceptions in astronomy and related topics. At the moment, I have no desire to tackle here such thorny topics as astrology, alternate views of the universe that are clearly in contradiction to observations, and the like. I may add something like that eventually, when I have more time (translation: "never").

antoniseb · #3 (**permalink**) 18-February-2008, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 01101001

BadAstronomy.com Intro

And all this time I was assuming it was bad in the Chaucerian sense, meaning the past tense of 'to bade', or 'to call to'. In the sense that there were dumb ideas being expressed that really called for a real astronomer.

Mr Q · #4 (**permalink**) 19-February-2008, 05:13 PM

01101001 - Thanks for the info. I thought it was about the junk science involved in astronomy but was'nt sure. Yes, it reminds me of a quote by "Bill Nyse the science guy" on a tv program;"Fosssil fules are called that because the oil we get from them comes from their bones". With such psudo-science trash offered to the public these days on TV, its a wonder science can survive in the schools, where such learning belongs. MR q

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