Today is Sweetest Day, Hallmark's 'Valentine's Day, Take 2.' Now, while flowers, candy, and cards are sure, generally safe ways to go when it comes to gift giving, one modern take on a romantic gift is not even worth the paper it's printed on: the naming rights to a star.
The short answer (go here for the detailed one) as to why this is stupid: only the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has authority to name anything in space. Honestly, as stupid as this seems, I could open a 'business,' give it a fancy name, and then offer to name stars for people, too. It's simple really: convince people that there's something real to your service, get their cash, and then print up an authentication slip (that's not worth the paper it's printed on) stating that some obscure star is now named for their loved one.
And you thought paying $30 for a dozen dead flowers was dumb, didn't you?
Humble requests:
If you found this informative (or at least entertaining), help me pay my bills and check out my Examiner pages for space news, cleveland photography, national photography, and astronomy for more great stuff.
If you think this was cool, why not tell a friend?
For something even better, follow this blog.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment