Space and the Universe

May 2nd is National Space Day, so this week the Charles Fudgemuffin blog takes a lighthearted look at space.

If any astronomers have arrived here hoping for a serious discussion on space and the universe, then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed, because all of the following memes and jokes are silly and frivolous, and definitely not meant to be taken seriously.

1) The Milky Way

To start things off, here's a rare image of the Milky Way photographed from Mars...

Credit: imgflip

It's a shame the photo didn't also include a Starburst or a Galaxy, but at least it gave me a few Snickers.

How many times would you have to fold a sheet of paper in half for it to reach the moon?

Occasionally on the Charles Fudgemuffin blog I ask readers for help, for example with preference of book covers, or for other input when writing new stories. Once again I'm in need of help and this time I'm looking for a cross sample of how people would respond to a specific question. This is the scenario...

The Moon.
Reachable by origami, hypothetically.

In a forthcoming book which I'm writing called The Quiz Master, the main character asks a group of people the following question...

"How many times would you have to fold a piece of paper in half before it would be thick enough to reach the Moon?"

Now in reality you can't fold a regular piece of paper more than 7 or 8 times before it becomes impossible to fold it any more, but if it was a hypothetical situation where you could fold a piece of paper as many times as you wanted, how many times would you have to fold it before it was thick enough to reach to the Moon?

Just to clarify, I'm not trying to find out the actual answer. I know how to use Google so if I wanted to know the answer I wouldn't go to the bother of creating a poll! In fact a friend asked me this question many years ago, so I already know the answer. What I'm interested in is what other people would guess, and what sort of typical spread the main character would get with the answers.

Gravity, and how to lose weight

The weight of an average adult varies around the world, from an average of 57.7Kg in Asia, to an average of 80.7 in North America.

However, the weight of an average adult varies far more dramatically once you leave Earth and travel around the solar system. For example, the average adult weighs far less on the Moon than they do on Earth. So if you want to lose weight in a hurry, the quickest way to do so is to live on the Moon!

Here's what an average adult would weight on various planets and other universal objects, based on an average weight of 70 Kg.

Pluto, the dwarf planet.

Pluto - 4.6 Kg

As I'm sure everyone is aware now, Pluto is no longer a planet and in 2006 was reclassified by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as a dwarf planet. However, although the IAU had the power to take away Pluto's planetary status, they didn't have the power to take away it's gravity!

What little gravity it has, that is, because on the dwarf planet of Pluto, due to its low gravity an average adult would weigh a mere 4.6 Kg!

Equivalent object on Earth = That's a little heavier than a newborn baby.

Three Christmas gift ideas for the shopper with more money than sense!

There are now only 11 shopping days until Christmas, so if you're looking for a unique and creative gift for a friend, or even for yourself, then here are a few ideas which are ideal for anyone with more money than sense...

1)  Sign up to the Time Travel fund!

Time travellers from the future, pictured tomorrow.

If you're looking for an exciting gift for the friend that has everything, then here's something they probably don't have. The chance to travel to the future!

The Time Travel Fund is a website where you pay ten dollars to register your details on the time travel database. Then once people from the future discover the secret of time travel, they will then refer to this database and come back in time to get you, so they can then transport you to the future! Wow! What a brilliant present! And I'm sure that people from the future will definitely refer to this time travel database once they inevitably discover the secret of time travel.

As if the chance to travel to the future wasn't enough, you also get a signed certificate on acid free paper which you can mount on your wall. People from the future can then use this certificate for verification purposes once they come back in time to get you and transport you to the future. Pretty amazing value for only ten dollars!
Time travel fund website

True or false: A 'space and the universe' quiz

Origami, extreme diets and the planet 'Marjory'.

As today is National Astronomy Day, I thought it would be appropriate to base my latest True Or False quiz on the theme of 'space and the universe'. See if you can spot which of the following 'facts' are actually true and which ones are nothing more than a devious bluff.

The planets Neptune and Saturn, with the planet 'Marjory'
sandwiched in the middle. Note: Not to scale.

Fact 1) The planet 'Marjory'

The planet Uranus was discovered in 1628 by astronomer Richard Keplington and as a romantic gesture he originally wanted to name the planet 'Marjory' after his beloved wife. However, his wife was quite a humble lady and didn't want any fuss or attention, and so Keplington reluctantly agreed to respect her wishes and the name Uranus was eventually decided upon.

True of false?