[blam]

I'm getting motion sickness.

[capt. norm]

Perhaps all we can say for sure is that we've come a long way, yet we're still going nowhere—fast.

Now that's some pretty good word-herding.

[lysie]

ping

[outofsalt]

Is this the Big Bong theory?

[P.O.E.]

mysterious concentration of mass

[FlingWingFlyer]

My head is spinning. It's a good thing the NASCAR race at Michigan is about to start. Still, an interesting read.

[wolfcreek]

How soon before We run into something or visa versa??

[driftdiver]

I'm.....gonna.....puke

[RGSpincich]

Sky Lights: Confused About Your Direction?

Nah. Always choose Velux.

[Publius6961]

Earth rotates daily, spinning us all steadily eastward. If you've got a calculator handy, you can quickly determine your speed: Multiply the cosine of your latitude by 1,038.

For today's math refresher, work out how this reltionship is derived.

Hints: the circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,900 miles, by definition, a day is one revolution, no more, no less; Smartass astronomers need not get pickiyunish here...

Since there are 24 hours in a day, and 360 degrees, exactly, you can see that dividing 360 by 24 gives you exactly 15 degrees, the distance the surface of the earth travels in one hour.

But where did the 1038 come from? and where does the cosine come in?
Your latitude is the position of your city on the earth's surface, measured in degrees, from the equator.

[ASOC]

Sky Lights: Confused About Your Direction?

Nah - I pretty much stick to the Right, has worked well for me up to now.

[Quix]

I know you think you understood what I said. But what you think you heard is not what I meant. . . . I think.

[RightWhale]

Yet we each of us remain in the center of the universe.

[Zman]

Just remember: the Moon appears to be smaller than the Earth, but it is also farther away....

[Verginius Rufus]

According to the World Almanac, Deneb is twice as far away (3230 light years), so we can relax...it's going to take a lot longer before we get there. Anyway chances are Deneb will have moved so we aren't likely to hit it.

Deneb is tied for 19th-brightest star as seen from the earth (not counting the sun), but it's much further away than any of the other first- or second-magnitude stars, so it's much brighter than any of them.

[SamAdams76]

Fortunately the human body has adapted to all this motion. However, the consumption of alcohol lowers your resistance to all the motion. So if you want to get an idea as to how it feels to be spinning in space, have a few stiff drinks until you can no longer stand upright. Then lie down on your bed and enjoy the sensation of hurtling through space in several different directions at once.

[TXnMA]

Thanks, blam! No doubt, this will come in handy -- sooner or later... '-)