I’m off to investigate the Unexplainable on location in the mountains east of Vancouver, BC and will not be returning until March 8th. If at all. If at all, I imagine you saying with a mocking, condescending tone. Like, anything could possibly happen in Vancouver, one of North America’s reputedly safest cities. May I remind you that the X-files was filmed in and around Vancouver for the not-widely-publicized cost savings on special effects. I leave it to you rto put one and three together. Peace ho.
Archive for the Uncategorized Category
Texas as a benchmark for planethood
Posted in Fact Checking, Objects in Space, Uncategorized on February 27, 2008 by Eric S.You know that scene in Armaggedon when the nerdy science guy is trying to tell the president how big the asteroid hurling toward the Earth is, and Billy Bob jumps in to say, “It’s the size of Texas, sir.” On top of totally putting that nerdy science guy in his place, Mr. Thornton’s character gave us all a handy benchmark for scaling celestial objects.
I’d hereby like to set the requirement that objects being considered for planethood must be at least one Texas. Insert your own joke about Texans here and get it out of your system. There is, of course, the minor matter of Texas’s size being defined in two dimensions, easily overcome: clearly, Billy Bob meant that the diameter of the object was as broad as the state of Texas. Running some basic Math:
Area = πr²
696,241km = πr²
r = 471
So a Texas-sized object would have a diameter of approximately 950 km.
Our newly appointed planets stack up as follows:
- Eris: 1,300
- Pluto: 1,195
- Ceres 487
Accordingly, I believe it’s my duty to object to Ceres, as a scarcely Missouri-sized object, from being considered for planethood. I’ll be circulating a petition.
