More to the North Star Than Meets the Eye

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More to the North Star Than Meets the Eye

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday January 9, 2006 @06:35AM from the polaris-trifecta dept.

__roo writes "By stretching the capabilities of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to the limit, astronomers have photographed the close companion of Polaris for the first time. This sequence of images shows that the North Star, Polaris is really a triple star system. 'The star we observed is so close to Polaris that we needed every available bit of Hubble's resolution to see it'" said astronomer Nancy Evans of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts."

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High Res by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-09 06:38 · Score: 1, Funny

The star we observed is so close to Polaris that we needed every available bit of Hubble's resolution to see it And everyone says New Year's Resolutions don't work out...
Not Informative by saskboy · 2006-01-09 06:39 · Score: 4, Funny

"sequence of images shows that the North Star, Polaris is really a triple star system."

Damit! OK, so which star do I point my sextant at then if I'm trying to find my latitude? Modern science complicates things so much!

[Yes this is a joke, for those who don't get astronomy humour.]

--
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
1. Re:Not Informative by Red+Flayer · 2006-01-09 06:53 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  "Damit! OK, so which star do I point my sextant at then if I'm trying to find my latitude? Modern science complicates things so much!"
  
  Modern science? This is, once again, proof that the Bible is truly the word of the Lord, the Intelligent Designer, and all you heretics are condemned to burn in the fires of hell.
  
  You think He did not Design to have the Balthazr, Melchior, and Gaspar (the Three Wise Men) follow three stars?
  
  Bah, karma to burn today... go ahead and mod this to oblivion.
  
  --
  "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
2. Re:Not Informative by einhverfr · 2006-01-09 07:00 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Call me a luddite but I still use an astrolabe....
  
  --
  
  LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
Looks like the Bard screwed that up... by Gandalf_the_Beardy · 2006-01-09 06:40 · Score: 3, Funny

"I am as constant as the Northern Star." Always though Caesar was a little unstable and went round and round in circles....
ASCII Picture Mirror by big_groo · 2006-01-09 06:48 · Score: 5, Funny

Polaris ---> O
Polaris Ab---->.

Polaris A --------->o
1. Re:ASCII Picture Mirror by Fulcrum+of+Evil · 2006-01-09 08:09 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Do you pronounce that Ab or A flat?
  
  --
  "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
Re:More. by AviLazar · 2006-01-09 06:53 · Score: 2, Funny

When do we get to see the edge of the universe cafe?

When Starbucks agrees to the contract negotiations.

--

I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
Gah.... by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-09 06:57 · Score: 3, Funny

That's space for ya, nothing for millions of miles, and all of sudden, three stars at once.
Enough of this defeatist attitude! by QMO · 2006-01-09 07:04 · Score: 3, Funny

"We only have the binary stars that nature provided us"

Don't give up so easily. Make some more binary stars, instead of making excuses.

SHEESH, IDIOTS!

--
Exam 4/C again. Maybe I'll do better this time.
1. Re:Enough of this defeatist attitude! by VitaminB52 · 2006-01-09 11:06 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Make some more binary stars, instead of making excuses.
  Making more binary stars is beyond our technological capabilities, however seeing more binary stars is within the capabilities of 2 gallons beer :)
Yep. by game+kid · 2006-01-09 07:06 · Score: 2, Funny

It's retina-burning, hydrogen-fusing, yellow-white-hot star-on-star-on-star action! ;)

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You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
The North Star: More Than Meets The Eye by LightningBolt! · 2006-01-09 07:11 · Score: 5, Funny

The North Star: Robots In Disguise

--
Old people fall. Young people spring. Rich people summer and winter.
UP. by mmell · 2006-01-09 07:16 · Score: 2, Funny

^
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Re:some questions by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-09 07:29 · Score: 1, Funny

whilst
Please stop using this word.
Re:I doubt this a a triple star system by iibagod · 2006-01-09 07:48 · Score: 1, Funny

Spoken as a true geek. Maybe someday you'll be part of a stable binary pair....but I doubt it.

Mod -1, Missed Obvious Menage a Trois Remark
no wonder I've been getting lost! by peter303 · 2006-01-09 07:51 · Score: 2, Funny

I've been following Polaris #3 instead of Polaris #1.
Odd Article Title... by addictedavi · 2006-01-09 08:11 · Score: 2, Funny

"More to the North Star Than Meets the Eye"

Well I'd certainly hope so, it just looks like a small white dot to me...
aha... by d1rty_d0gg_ · 2006-01-09 10:20 · Score: 2, Funny

Polaris is really a triple star system

so this why Sun is still excited about PowerPC.

--
"Show me your tables and I won't usually need your flow charts; they'll be obvious".
We're missing the real news here by Jay+L · 2006-01-09 13:10 · Score: 4, Funny

astronomers have photographed the close companion of Polaris

Waitaminute. Polaris is GAY?