Due to my travel schedule, I am posting this one early. I hope no one minds. Astronomical objects have a bewildering array of names. Is it M1, or The Crab Nebula, or NGC 1952, or what? Why are there so many weird names for these things? Find out in this week's episode of Q & BA: By Any Other Name. Viewing options: Watch it right here, right now! Watch it on YouTube. Watch it on Google video. Download it directly from LibSyn. Download the audio only version from LibSyn. NOTE: If you are already a subscriber through iTunes, you may be getting both the video and the audio-only versions in your feed. This is because both versions were in one feed until last week. If you want to get only one or want to download both separately, then unsubscribe first and then click on the link(s) below. Subscribe to AUDIO ONLY VERSION via iTunes. Subscribe to VIDEO VERSION via iTunes.
Show notes
The Question: The question was sent in by Teri Bootelaydi:
What is the rational behind the naming and numbering of astornomical objects?!?! I have shelves full of astronomy books and magazines, and close to a thousand sites and 'papers' in my Bookmarks -- and not one -- NOT A SINGLE ONE -- explains the logic behind these labels. It's a nightmare for an amateur to learn. It's as if the IAU gets together behind closed doors and laughs at us.
Images and Links The image of Charles Messier is from the French version of Wikipedia. The Comet SWAN picture is from makelessnoise's Flickr collection (usage is under the Creative Commons license). That's a meteor streak next to it! Pretty cool shot. The Orion Nebula image is from Space Ritual's Flickr collection (again, Creative Commons). The image of Sirius is from Hubble. All the myriad names for Sirius are from SIMBAD, an astronomical database. The Crab Nebula is from the Subaru Telescope.
