tryingtowrite
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Registered: 03-2007
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A few interesting things
The dew on a cow's nose fertilizes the grass while they graze.
Cows fur produces vitamin D, which they then lick off and use.
Most clover in a field will be connected by the roots, if one part gets overgrazed the rest will produce a mild form of arsenic.
Feel free to add your own interesting tidbits!
--- I'd procrastinate now, but it would be easier tomorrow.
A fantasy tongue twister: Sputtering silver sliver Sphinxes spit splinters.
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2/13/2012, 10:50 pm
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Reythia
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Registered: 11-2005
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Re: A few interesting things
I did not know that about cows' noses! Cool!
--- -- YAR!
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2/14/2012, 3:21 pm
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Flasheart2006
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Registered: 04-2004
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Re: A few interesting things
Antarctica is the driest place on Earth;
The highest mountain in the known universe is on Mars; and
The Earth has at least seven moons.
(I have The QI Book of General Ignorance on the shelf behind me, I could go on for a long time! )
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2/23/2012, 10:43 am
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Pastor Rick
The Reeve
Registered: 07-2005
Location: Texas
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Re: A few interesting things
But... the Earth only has 3 moons!
Luna
Cruithne
and one so small it just has a code "AA29" the poor thing...
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2/23/2012, 3:16 pm
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QS2
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Registered: 03-2006
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Re: A few interesting things
I suspect aside of Luna, the others aren't true moons really... for instance looking up Cruithne indicates that it's a quasi sattellite, something that has a 1:1 orbital resonance with Earth, but doesn't actually orbit it. I don't know what AA29 is, but is it something similar?
In any case... the reason for this is because I believe Luna will tend to chuck anything that tries orbitting around Earth eventually, as such there isn't much scope for there being a stable spot for further moons. And of course one could try arguing if even Luna is a true Moon, in some senses it's more like a double planet setup and only getting called a Moon due to it falling just short on technicalities. (Though I do believe that eventually once the Moons orbit widens far enough, that the definition will switch it from Moon to Planet automatically; this event is obviously a long time in the future still though)
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2/23/2012, 4:30 pm
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Pastor Rick
The Reeve
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Re: A few interesting things
AA29 has a very weird orbit so that once every 1000 years or so it actually does become a bona fide moon of the Earth for about 50 years before deciding to go wander around some more. The next time that happens won't be til 2600AD so I have my camera on a timer to capture the event.
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2/23/2012, 4:34 pm
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QS2
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Re: A few interesting things
Ahh, good plan, you might forget to take a picture at the time otherwise.
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2/23/2012, 9:48 pm
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Reythia
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Registered: 11-2005
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Re: A few interesting things
Interesting! I'd never run into AA29 before. You're right, it's not what anyone would really call a "moon" or "satellite" of the Earth. Apparently the correct term is "cosatellite", since it revolves around the Sun at about the same distance and at a harmonically-locked period as the Earth. But while it's close to us now, it's "running away" from the Earth. In ~47 years, it'll be on the far side of the Sun from us (ie: half a year out of phase), and in ~95 years, it'll have "run away" so far that it actually laps us and almost catches up from behind! But then Earth's gravity will give it a shove and get it going again in reverse, making the revolve around the Sun slightly slower than us.
AA29 is a good example of an N-body gravitational problem. If I'd known about it, I'd have tried to replicate it when I had that old homework assignment back in grad school!
--- -- YAR!
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2/26/2012, 5:47 pm
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David Meadows
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Registered: 09-2003
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Re: A few interesting things
quote: Reythia wrote:
I'd never run into AA29 before.
Which is a good thing, otherwise your dinosaurs might become extinct
--- "What is full of redundancy or formula is predictably boring. What is free of all structure or discipline is randomly boring. In between lies art."
-- Wendy Carlos
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2/27/2012, 3:29 pm
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Reythia
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Registered: 11-2005
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Re: A few interesting things
quote: David Meadows wrote:
quote: Reythia wrote:
I'd never run into AA29 before.
Which is a good thing, otherwise your dinosaurs might become extinct
Hahahaha!!! Indeed!
--- -- YAR!
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2/27/2012, 4:04 pm
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