The Arthur C. Clarke Gamma Ray Burst 120
Larry Sessions, a columnist for Earth & Sky, has suggested in his blog that the gamma-ray event whose radiation reached us a few hours before Arthur C. Clarke died, and which occurred 7.5 billion years ago, be named the Clarke Event. The outburst, which produced enough visible light to render it a naked-eye object across half the universe, is officially designated GRB 080319B. What more fitting tribute to Clarke than to associate his name with the greatest bang since the big one? Sessions suggests writing to any astronomers, heads of physics departments, or planetarium operators you know and talking up the proposal.
Re:no, don't care for it (Score:5, Insightful)
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Eccentrica Gallumbits (Score:3, Funny)
...was the biggest bang since the big one so this burst should be named after her.
OTH if a seven billion year old gamma ray burst could be used to debunk Christian mythology I think then maybe there is a case for naming it after Clarke [wikipedia.org].
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I haven't read a paperback years, yet now I am determined to catch up on more of Clarke's writings.
Re:no, don't care for it (Score:5, Funny)
"Look," whispered a Slashdotter, and Jollyreaper lifted his eyes to heaven. (There is always a last time for everything.)
Overhead, in glorious blazes of gamma radiation, the stars were going out.
Re:no, don't care for it (Score:5, Funny)
Overhead, in glorious blazes of gamma radiation, the stars were going out.
"Ah, so it is," replied the Anonymous Coward, and crawled back into his cave.
Re:no, don't care for it (Score:4, Funny)
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Do you also believe in Bat Boy?
No need to mod anything in this thread up. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No need to mod anything in this thread up. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Not only that... (Score:4, Informative)
I'm waiting for the lunar obelisk (Score:2)
Old news... (Score:3, Funny)
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Despite being best known as a SF writer, Clarke was always an engineer first and foremost. So I suspect he'd have been much more interested in having a real, tangible, visible event named for him than having his works of fiction as his contribution to posterity.
Besides, the lunar obelisk already has a name. It's TMA-1. Maybe not as snappy as "The Clarke Obelisk", but to the cognoscenti, that is definitely it's name. And
No Europa Landings! (Score:5, Funny)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke_belt [wikipedia.org]
-Jar
If they find a new cluster of stars (Score:5, Funny)
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Maybe abbreviate it to "DC Cluster F" to get it accepted by a naming committee.
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So, what do you have against stars? (Score:5, Funny)
The only collection of objects that might deserve the name Cheney might be a scattering of parasite-ridden coyote droppings. Although given that scavenger dung may have better poll ratings . . .
It already exists, and visible with the naked eye. (Score:2, Funny)
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it won't take much convincing (Score:2)
if you wanted to call it the eliot spitzer event, or the march madness event, you might have some trouble convincing
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On a serious note, I do hope we can name it after Clarke, he has inspired many (including myself). And this seems as fitting a tribute as any.
Minor correction... (Score:5, Funny)
So long, Mr. Clarke, and thanks for all the fiction...
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Re:Major correction... (Score:2, Informative)
It was Ms. Gallumbits describing Zaphod Beeblebrox [wikipedia.org]
How embarrassing!
Re:Major correction... (Score:4, Funny)
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In numbers I can understand, please (Score:2, Funny)
What would that be in Teraballmers?
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It's simple! Get a hand-held radar gun, find Steve Ballmer in a public place and ensure there's an easily-throwable chair nearby. Then point to someone and tell Steve that the guy said the iPod was inferior to the Zune. Viola! All that suffers is your conscience.
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Then Ballmer would need to throw a chair to defend himself.
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(had to consider the units)
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-Peter
Best bang since the big one (Score:3, Funny)
What more fitting tribute to Clarke than to associate his name with the greatest bang since the big one?
But Zaphod Beeblebrox already has a name. :)
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What more fitting tribute to Clarke than to associate his name with the greatest bang since the big one?
But Zaphod Beeblebrox already has a name. :)
I'm not sure... (Score:2)
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Neither is GRB 080319B since it is too far away. Haley's comet at least comes closer to us than GRB 080319B and it got named after someone. If it did hit Earth it definitely would do some damage too. What does the level of catastrophe associated with a celestial event/object have to do with whether it is named after someone?
GRB naming? (Score:1)
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Overdoing it (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Overdoing it (Score:5, Informative)
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No,it wasn't (Score:2)
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Naming something after someone who came up with the idea doesn't accredit them as being the only person ever (before, now, later) to possibly be able to think of it. It just means that they did first. It's just like a patenting system - you get credit for your idea
The Objective is to Remember (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:The Objective is to Remember (Score:4, Informative)
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As an aside, I'm surprised no comments (that I've read) follow this line of logic:
Of course Clarke's death didn't cause the burst, but wouldn't it be remarkable if somehow, even if by seeming coincidence, the burst caused his death?
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If this GRB is as rare as it appears to be, it will likely serve as a reference magnitude for other GRBs observed in the future (i.e., today's burst was the largest ever - 1.3x the magnitude of the Clarke Event observed in 2008, etc.)
"If" that is true then it would be fine. Really, it is fine either way; my quarrel is with the effort being directed towards this objective when surely there are others far better. Provided what you said ends up being true, then chalk it up as another fitting thing baring his namesake. We can add it to the list others have replied with above me; but it still doesn't change the fact that the effort to remember him could focus its attention on something much more memorable for those of use still around.
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I have enjoyed, and have been inspired by, his many excellent stories.
I will tell my children about them, and I believe they will read them and feel the same about them.
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The Star (Score:4, Funny)
An explosive event in space named after Clarke? Oh, great.... [lucis.net]
A good slashdot poll (Score:2)
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( ) Hell yes!
( ) Yes
( ) No
( ) Don't really care
( ) It's up to Cowboy Neal
The Star (Score:2)
Geosynchronous orbit is already named after him (Score:1)
An alternative proposal (Score:5, Insightful)
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No, how about making sure geostationary orbit is the common name for the geostationary orbit.
It's descriptive, it makes sense, it's already the common name for it. Why change it?
An issue I've always had with scientific and mathematical theorems is the tendency of scientists to name them after themselves, or after some reason which ultimately sheds little light on the underlying nature of the system. I mean, why? It
greatest bang since the big one? (Score:1)
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It's an alien conspiracy (Score:2)
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Why God? (Score:4, Funny)
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Can someone please fix the modding on the parent? (Score:2, Informative)
This is not a troll, unless you have no geek cred whatsoever. It's a small segment from one of the best sci-fi short stories you'll read.
I'm as anti-religion as the next nerd, but just because a post mentions a god, you can't immediately presume it to be trolling.
Besides, it's a science-fiction article, if there was ever going to be a perfectly suitable place to make reference to gods, it's here.
And I paraphrase... (Score:1)
Beeblebrox (Score:2)
bigggest ever? (Score:1)
Reminds me of when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter. Levy said (during the live TV coverage) that it was a once-in-a-hundred-million-year (I forget the exact number, but it was big) event. What a remarkable coincidence that it happened just a handful of
Let's Rename Europa "Clarke's Moon" (Score:2)
Re: "the greatest bang since the big one..." Seems unlikely. It's only the biggest one since we've been watching.
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There wasn't just *one* burst (Score:1)
Biggest bang since the big one (Score:2)
ZWithaPGGB=Zaphod With A Pan Galactic Gargleblaster. Imagine a very soused two headed guy wandering around a bar having conversations with all and sundry.
Cool! A Minnie Driver/Anne Hathaway love scene! (Score:1)
> event whose radiation reached us a few hours before Arthur C. Clarke died, and which
> occurred 7.5 billion years ago, be named the Clarke Event.
However, the discoverer of the burst quickly responded, saying "That's a nice thought, but I was planning on naming it the Anne Hathaway Event in hopes of getting some premium ass."
"Arthur is NOT Dead..... (Score:1)
K [Men in Black]
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