Topic: Exposing PseudoAstronomy Podcast #75: Creationist Sues NASA, Loses

[astrostu]

"ee-o" if you're European or Carl Sagan.

I'm trying to remember, but I think it might have been the only moon that Pamela has pronounced correctly on AstronomyCast.

[Chew]

Oh, burn!

[Nigel]

Stuart,

It just seems that the puzzler may be more trouble than its worth.  If something strikes you from time to time as a good puzzler then by all means do it.  However, it sounds as if its a big time sink for little return or at least the return you were hoping for at the time.  If you ditch it as a regular bit I don't think crowds with pitch forks and torches will appear in Colorado chanting for retribution. 

If you want to encourage more user interaction, just show up unannounced at listeners houses around dinnertime. (I don't even know that that means.  I'm tired. sorry)

[quirk3k]

Stuart,

I really love the show and enjoy the puzzler section, but I alway end up only thinking about it for 5 minutes or so and never following up. I listen to the show in the car usually, so I can't really take notes.

I would miss it if it was gone, but I would encourage you to stop putting in so much effort if you are not getting what you want out of that effort. The last thing I want is for you to get burn out. Again, thank you so much for all the work you've put into the show. It's really great.

[astrostu]

Thanks quirk3k.  Your sentiment seems to be the general response I've gotten on this matter.

[Parrot]

I love audience participation stuff, but I've only answered the puzzler when it felt like something I could reason out by myself.  If I feel like I could just look up the answer, then it doesn't feel challenging enough to interest me.  On the other hand, if I feel like I don't even know where to begin looking to answer the question, then it's too challenging.

I think it's tough to come up with something right in that sweet spot.  Maybe it would be a good idea to replace the puzzler with another audience participation segment that more people could enjoy.  I know that's not very helpful without an idea of what form that would take, but if I think of anything I'll let you know.

[Chew]

Ok, I've seen power-laws for meteor magnitude vs frequency and asteroid diameter vs impact interval but what's the law for dating a surface from craters? If one surface has 50 1 km craters and another has 100 1 km craters how much older is the latter surface? How does throwing in a 8 km crater adjust the age? 

[astrostu]

Chew - I'll answer your question in a later Q&A (so you'll have to keep listening ...).  FYI folks, real work calls and today's episode is going to be a day or two late.

[mindme]

Thinking about the puzzler. A comet is mostly ice. An asteroid can be metal. I'd think a big loogie of iron hitting would make a bigger crater. However, a comet is rushing towards the sun and that maybe has to be mighty fast vs what an asteroid is traveling at. A fast moving ice cube is going to make a bigger crater in the sand than a slow moving hex nut. So I'll guess comet.

[Chew]

stu never specified their orbits so he better not invoke the "average" comet velocity against the "average" asteroid velocity or I'll report him to the Fair and Non-Pedantic Podcasting Commission.

[astrostu]

stu never specified their orbits so he better not invoke the "average" comet velocity against the "average" asteroid velocity or I'll report him to the Fair and Non-Pedantic Podcasting Commission.

I think that one should consider all standard properties of objects at Earth in this kind of puzzler.

[Chew]

stu never specified their orbits so he better not invoke the "average" comet velocity against the "average" asteroid velocity or I'll report him to the Fair and Non-Pedantic Podcasting Commission.

I think that one should consider all standard properties of objects at Earth in this kind of puzzler.

You son of a -

That's ok. I still have an impact crater diameter trump card to play if you try to cheat.

[astrostu]

After a two-day delay, episode 41 is finally up.  This one might be a bit technical - sorry if I didn't explain everything well enough.

[quirk3k]

Yeah! I knew that nearly all craters are circular, but I didn't know why. Thanks Stu.

[astrostu]

On time! Episode 42 is up. Figure out who birthed us (are we the bastard child of the Milky Way?), what crater density is what age, and the outcome of the Puzzler Poll (and ep. 40's puzzler solution).


Edited to Add, per Chew: Sorry folks! Mistake in episode 42, puzzler solution to episode 40.  Mass goes as density, not density-cubed.  So the greater speed of the comet given the numbers I used means the comet will make the bigger crater.  It's corrected in the shownotes.