h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I agree with Baron Grim - the list of Zeta stars might by arbitrary but it's still interesting.

And I think 42 Pegasi is a particularly good star for hootooers to be interested in!

Patrick Moore always presented the sky at night with passion and enthusiasm, it was qwerkey and appealed to a small informed audience.

Thease are interesting and enjoyable entries, and provoke further reading. There is more than a little of Patrick Moore in the star series of entries. And that is what makes then what they are.

If there were a collective term for all the 6th most popular songs it would be an interesting topic, and tell me about something I didn't know.

If this were titled 'What Some People thought were the 6th Brightest Stars' I would agree that it would be almost useless.

However this explains a bit about star classification, and tell us about stars we may never know if we study only by magnitude. Why should stars only be rated by how bright they are? I read someplace that the really stars glow red.

If anyone knows of an other obscure group who share a common identification I would be interested in learning about it.



F S

If we started to question the point of guide entries, there'd be a whole long list of entries I could name. However, I won't.

We have a saying here: Wat den een sin Uhl is den annern sin Nachtigall, which translates as something like: One man's meat is another man's poison, or even One man's trash is another man's treasure.

I withdraw my objection to this entry, since other people feel it is worthwhile.

Entry: Zeta-tagged Stars - A87829122
Author: Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor - U128652

page turner

Thank you everyone

GB

I hope you know I don't object to it either. My concerns are about the wider editorial issue of novelty entries.

Icy we know we should keep the standard high and should be pleased that standards are being monitored.

Perhaps a review of the writing guidelines is in order to encourage the type of entry discussed.

Good job keep it up

I think it is important to maintain a balance. I personally warmly welcome quirky, novelty entries now and then, but of course if every single entry was quirky, the novelty would soon wear off. No-one wants to be bombarded by entry after entry after entry in the same style and about the same subject (not even/especially not Doctor Who) Part of what I find h2g2's appeal is that you never know what is going to be written next – whether the mathematics of triangles, a recipe for bread, some rubbish about the Isle of Wight, an event in the past or a zany look at the world.

h2g2 is a warm, friendly environment in which we want people to try writing in a different style now and then and see what works well, what people respond favourably to, what people enjoy. Everyone enjoys different articles differently – for instance, hands up, I confess that as I'm not interested in cooking, I find the articles about recipes less interesting than those who really pursue that as an active hobby and are inspired to try out the recipes suggested. It doesn't appeal to me, but recipe entries have a definite place in the Guide. Despite having a definite place in the Guide, I wouldn't want to see every entry being a recipe, or about Doctor Who or even about the Isle of Wight, as then there wouldn't be a balance.

We're writing about Life, the Universe and Everything after all.

<BB<

I would rather read quirky and well-written than cobbled-together copy&paste rubbish passed off as "writing" which used to be acceptable when the BBC was in charge.

GB

Post 22

I hope you understand what I was saying GB

Yes I did thank you Bob, what a wonderful compliment

Deserved

thank you Bob

How many stars does the constellation Crux have?

I have no idea, sorry

GB

Even though I hate to have to cite them; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crux

F S

Crux has four bright stars, one minor star and lots of dim stars.

Ah, thanks - I see it has more than 6 stars

I really enjoyed this - brings together a jewel box of astronomical facts

I could have just said "more than six" instead of "I don't know" (I thought you meant the exact amount).

I have changed the text from >>the sixth-brightest star of any given constellation, so even the smallest, Crux, has a zeta star.<< to:
the sixth-brightest star of any given constellation, so even the smallest in area, Crux, has a zeta star.

and thanks for your appreciation

GB