Bad astro in Christmas Vacation

[MongotheGreat]

The ending scene of the movie, when they're all standing outside looking at the "Christmas star", it shows not only a hugely oversized full moon with extremely small detail along with a dark sky full of stars, it also has some Aurora Borealis thrown in just for measure.

[GrapesOfWrath]

Time exposure--remember, it's film too.

OTOH, were they facing the moon and saw the aurora? Maybe, it was the aurora australis.

[MongotheGreat]

It was obviously not a natural scene, but it was meant to inspire a feeling a christmas, or something, which no ordinary scene would do. The aurora was red and green. Plus Aurora australis wouldn't be visible from anywhere in the Northern hemisphere, especially somewhere with snow on the ground. The aurora acutally surrounded the moon

[GrapesOfWrath]

Aah, my emoticoncatenater is busted (whack! whack!)

True, works of art, especially those that don't purport to represent reality, are exempt.

[MongotheGreat]

Now that I think about it, it could have been the aurora australis./phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif But seriously, this didn't really strike a chord with me, it wasn't sci-fi where it really mattered. And it makes you feel good.

[GrapesOfWrath]

Yeah, it's probably not bad astro, per se. Sorta like the flag of Mauritania (http://www.flags.net/MAUR.htm) or the flag of Namibia (http://www.flags.net/NAMB.htm). Artistic license.

'Course, some little kids grow up thinking all mountains are like tetons, and trees are shaped like green cotton balls, even when they see them everyday.

[Donnie B.]

On 2001-12-04 19:08, GrapesOfWrath wrote:
'Course, some little kids grow up thinking all mountains are like tetons, and trees are shaped like green cotton balls, even when they see them everyday.


By the way, do you know how the Tetons got their name? I can't tell you because this is a family board! But perhaps it's a clue to mention that it derives from French...

[GrapesOfWrath]

Notice that I didn't capitalize them!

See, I'm from Wyoming...I know all about the tetons.

[David Simmons]

On 2001-12-05 08:01, Donnie B. wrote:

By the way, do you know how the Tetons got their name


As a friend of mine remarked, "That's what you get when you let a bunch of trappers who have been out in the woods for a long time name your mountains!"

[ToSeek]

On 2001-12-04 19:08, GrapesOfWrath wrote:
'Course, some little kids grow up thinking all mountains are like tetons, and trees are shaped like green cotton balls, even when they see them everyday.


And all birds are shaped kind of like letter "m"s and houses all have exactly four windows and one door and a pointed roof. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif

[Irishman]

SPOILER










Wait, I think you're wrong on the "aurora" thing. At the end of Christmas Vacation, they all go out to enjoy the sky, then someone realizes it's not the christmas star or the aurora, but the sewage plant is leaking gas and has a warning light on.

[MongotheGreat]

No, I the sewer gas is leaking from the sewer grating where the sh**er was dumped. Else how could it be set on fire? Plus how could a light from a sewage treatment plant be so high in the sky. They lived in chicago so it couldn't have been mountains.