Well then, New Zealand is certainly safe from an attack by us, isn't it, Cap K? Thank you, Max--this is cute!

One thing about geography that's no joke is the number of places that have changed their names, some of them a couple times. I feel it quite probable that a lot of us would have trouble with current African country names.

I know I don't have every place in the world nailed down, but the profound ignorance of world geography is quite sad, IMHO. Imagine the problems we'd have in space where everything is 3-d. "Look, Ross 128 is right next to Earth!" "No, numbskull, from this direction it is 10 light years away." "Oh."

*sigh*

Cheers,
Bryan

Bryan, good point about locations in space. That made me think of something. Don't we call it geo-graphy because it refers to the Earth? What're we gonna call it when space travel becomes routine? Universe-ography?

apologies to any string theory experts among us

Max, your ability to cross threads is amazing.

Max, your ability to cross threads is amazing.
So he's Max Quordleweaver?

I was serious about my what does "geography" become when the field of reference is outer space question, folks.

RE: What're we gonna call it when space travel becomes routine? Universe-ography?

well, space travel is routine-- we just don't notice, because we are traveling on a planet, and moving very slowly..

but i don't think it Universe-ography or even Universography-- since that is the wrong scale

we start with earth (geography, and yes, it comes from geo (a word for for earth) and graphy (write/writing).)

Next scale up is our planetary system.. which we at least know and can more or less map--problem is, while thing change on earth (plate techtonics, and politacaly), the movement is slower.. once you get to a plantetary system, everything is moving all the time..

moving to the next scale would be our galaxy-- the Milky Way galaxy (redundant, since the word Galaxy is from the greek for Milk!--Gala--> lac )

Next scale up is the local cluster-- our galaxy is in the same neighborhood as 3 other galaxies-- (ok, i forgot the cluster name..)

Next scale is the universe-- all the known galaxies, nebuals, dark matter, black holes, pulsars, and other stuff.. some of which can only be seen with radio telescopes.. and is, it seems still expanding..

by the time you've left the Milky Way Galaxy, and move to our local cluster, the study is cosmolology. studying the cosmos.. (greek again--for order , universe)

the current show at the Planetarium has just this theme...and i have seen it once or twice...

Stellar Cartography. Or, if you want to shorten it, we could call it "Stellography" or "Galactography" if you like.

Re: Stellar Cartography

wouldn't that be "Star Maps" ? and does that really work? how do you map-- a moving object? and from what perspective? surely as we move out into space we will not keep our star, or maybe even our galaxy as the center point?

one of my favorite t-shirt/posters is the one of the Milky Way galaxy, seen from above, so that you see the spiral shape, with a small arrow, pointing to one of the stars on the out edge -- labeled You are Here!-- it help you change your perspective of your place in the world!

one of my favorite t-shirt/posters is the one of the Milky Way galaxy, seen from above, so that you see the spiral shape, with a small arrow, pointing to one of the stars on the out edge -- labeled You are Here!

How do they always know where I am? I thought it was bad when I went to Russia and they knew where I was. Now I'm being told that even outside the galaxy there are beings that know where I am. Is there no escape from these fiends?

How 'bout cosmography? And maybe you'd have to travel with a self-adjusting map in constant flux according to the recalculations of the Theory of Relativity. You know...you are here, but not really. And how would a cosmographer map black holes?

And how would a cosmographer map black holes?

Carefully, very carefully!

Heere there bee dragonns.

And how would a cosmographer map black holes?
Not too much of a problem in most cases, since I'd imagine that all relavant data can be ascerained from a distance. But how would a cosmographer map wormholes?

I have this little list of places where I'd like to see America start a war. Unfortunately, I don't think most of them would be approved of by those poor students ...