Difference between revisions of "Talk:2633: Astronomer Hotline"

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(I just got a message from the Odd Perfect Number hotline!: odd)
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I was trying to explain to someone today that the question of whether there are any {{w|odd number|odd}} {{w|perfect number}}s is an open problem, so I asked {{w|Google Assistant}} and was informed that https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.07176 proves that there aren't! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.235|162.158.166.235]] 21:15, 15 June 2022 (UTC)
 
I was trying to explain to someone today that the question of whether there are any {{w|odd number|odd}} {{w|perfect number}}s is an open problem, so I asked {{w|Google Assistant}} and was informed that https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.07176 proves that there aren't! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.235|162.158.166.235]] 21:15, 15 June 2022 (UTC)
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When I started reading the comic, I was sure it's referring to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_ray_visual_phenomena cosmic ray phenomena]. Reading further it made less sense, though I feel it should be mentioned in this explanation.

Revision as of 07:49, 16 June 2022


Someone really needs to check on the bot. This is the second day in a row where I have had to begin the article! SqueakSquawk4 (talk) 13:06, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

The fact that this is the Astronomer Helpline seems like commentary on the frequency with which astronomers are asked about mysterious objects, and/or the fact that astronomers (who tend to spend a lot of time looking at the sky) rarely report seeing unidentified objects. It could also be noted that calling fireflies a UFO would technically be accurate, as they are objects which are flying that the observers apparently could not readily identify. 172.71.82.121 13:36, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

There is about 2000 species of fireflies. OF COURSE I can't identify which one it is, considering it's so dark I only see the light. -- Hkmaly (talk) 18:22, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

Title text probably referes to Periodical cicadas that appears every 17 years. 172.71.98.99 13:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

As someone from a country without fireflies, is "Ground Stars" a normal word for fireflies or a joke? (similar to how planets are "wandering stars", so to an astronomer everything is a star, similar to 2017: Stargazing 2) Sqek (talk) 14:17, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

A joke. 172.70.115.4 14:54, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

The second last paragraph is extremely confusing. Someone should fix it. 162.158.203.38 15:17, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

I have removed the paragraph referenced in the above comment; it was confusing, and seemed focused on explaining the reasons for cicadas having prime-numbered year cycles. While this is interesting, it is not relevant to understanding any of the jokes, especially since two helpful links to periodical cicadas and Brood X were already included earlier in the article. Parties interested in learning cicada facts may follow those links; to explain the joke, it is enough to acknowledge that periodical cicadas are a thing, not explore the ecology or evolution of such a trait. If I overstepped, feel free to reinstate with a clearer explanation. Dextrous Fred (talk) 16:16, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

I just got a message from the Odd Perfect Number hotline!

I was trying to explain to someone today that the question of whether there are any odd perfect numbers is an open problem, so I asked Google Assistant and was informed that https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.07176 proves that there aren't! 162.158.166.235 21:15, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

When I started reading the comic, I was sure it's referring to cosmic ray phenomena. Reading further it made less sense, though I feel it should be mentioned in this explanation.