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The Arthur C. Clarke Gamma Ray Burst
Larry Sessions, a columnist for Earth & Sky, has suggested in his blog that the gamma-ray event whose radiation reached us a few hours before Arthur C. Clarke died, and which occurred 7.5 billion years ago, be named the Clarke Event. The outburst, which produced enough visible light to render it a naked-eye object across half the universe, is officially designated GRB 080319B. What more fitting tribute to Clarke than to associate his name with the greatest bang since the big one? Sessions suggests writing to any astronomers, heads of physics departments, or planetarium operators you know and talking up the proposal.
Just don't name any missions to Europa after him! That would probably upset him.
I got a catholic block.
If they find a large cluster of stars in the near future, I'll recommend "The Dick Cheney Clusterfuck."
How does that follow? Astronomical bodies get named after famous people or scientists frequently. No one is saying Clarke caused it (after all, it did happen over seven billion years ago), but it's a way of recognizing one of the most influential science/sci-fi writers who has ever lived.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
So long, Mr. Clarke, and thanks for all the fiction...
eleven plus two / twelve plus one
"Look," whispered a Slashdotter, and Jollyreaper lifted his eyes to heaven. (There is always a last time for everything.)
Overhead, in glorious blazes of gamma radiation, the stars were going out.
What, having the single most valuable orbit type named after him isn't enough? The orbit has the further advantage of actually being his idea.
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a skull.
With all due respect, should we not remember him by naming something after him that itself will be remembered? I mean really, this Gamma Ray Burst is not going to be a topic for many people in even a couple weeks, let alone several years from now. We remember Kennedy via the Kennedy Space Center, Hawking gets Hawking Radiation, Einstein/Galileo has some satellites and the examples are really endless here. Why not name something after him which will carry his namesake more actively throughout the future. Of course this is not the only thing that will bear his name, but out of all the possibilities people want to spend their effort on this one? I'd like to see that enthusiasm directed towards something better than getting a GRB event named after him. Cool? Maybe. Lasting? No.
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The facts have come out. Years ago. He never did anything. No one ever came forward. No evidence was ever found. This is old news.
And as you tread the halls of sanity, You feel so glad to be, Unable to go beyond. I have a message, From another time..
How about making sure Clarke Orbit becomes the common name for the geostationary orbit?
Seriously, what if there's a inhabited planet around one of those stars and they find out what we think of them some day? We might be the ones who end up getting the shock-and-awe treatment, with a Mother Of All Nova Bombs.
The only collection of objects that might deserve the name Cheney might be a scattering of parasite-ridden coyote droppings. Although given that scavenger dung may have better poll ratings . . .
Overhead, in glorious blazes of gamma radiation, the stars were going out. "No, you dolt," said Jollyreaper. "It is a passing cloud." (The simplest explanation is usually the best.)
"Ah, so it is," replied the Anonymous Coward, and crawled back into his cave.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne