# Things you were stunned that people didn't know **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146 "2017-06-29T17:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/101 "2017-07-01T19:27:03Z")
Every time i read a thread like this, I think - “That is SO wonderful! - more jobs for me!” ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/102 "2017-07-01T19:28:19Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > There are people with some wired beliefs about astronomy like: > > That we have a yellow sun, > that you can see millions of stars on a dark night, > that days get longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. Well, you _can_ see millions of stars on a dark night. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/103 "2017-07-01T20:38:49Z")
Just the other day, a talent scout from a L.A. radio station thought she had [discovered Annie Lennox.](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/30/annie-lennox-scouted-by-us-radio) ---
**Author:** ![DrForrester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@DrForrester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrForrester)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/104 "2017-07-01T20:40:44Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Well, you _can_ see millions of stars on a dark night. More along the lines of 10,000, depending on the time of year and your location, are visible to the naked eye. The weirder thing is that people would think that we have a yellow star. That one never made sense… ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/105 "2017-07-01T20:47:32Z")
> [@DeepLiquid](#): > > Pretty sure they’re not paying a lot of attention to that in rural Alabama. Lawsuits are given attention in rural Alabama. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/106 "2017-07-01T21:19:06Z")
> [@DrForrester](#): > > More along the lines of 10,000, depending on the time of year and your location, are visible to the naked eye. > > The weirder thing is that people would think that we have a yellow star. That one never made sense… What about the Milky Way? There are 100,000,000,000 stars in our galaxy, and you can see a great portion of it. Not to mention I can see M31, which is even bigger. Nobody said they all had to be countable. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/107 "2017-07-01T21:21:05Z")
> [@DrForrester](#): > > The weirder thing is that people would think that we have a yellow star. That one never made sense… Assuming you are referring to the Sun, it is depicted in numerous textbooks, children’s books, charts/artwork, etc. as a big yellow object, so it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to think. [Moreover, in sooty or late-evening conditions it looks like a big yellow orb.](https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8394/8675521589_e65f9b67a6_b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/108 "2017-07-01T22:03:23Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Well, you _can_ see millions of stars on a dark night. Count again you can see thousands of stars not millions. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/109 "2017-07-01T22:29:38Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > It all has to do with the way they kill the pig. It has nothing do with the way a pig is killed ! If it was killed the Kosher method is still would not be Kosher . [http://www.chabad.org/library/article\_cdo/aid/2376474/jewish/Pigs-Judaism.htm](http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2376474/jewish/Pigs-Judaism.htm) My dad would tell people he was cooking a Kosher ham most people believed him . I am Jewish but didn’t grow up Kosher. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/110 "2017-07-01T22:33:43Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > What about the Milky Way? > There are 100,000,000,000 stars in our galaxy, and you can see a great portion of it. Not to mention I can see M31, which is even bigger. Nobody said they all had to be countable. Or that you couldn’t use optical aid. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/111 "2017-07-01T22:35:14Z")
> [@DrForrester](#): > > More along the lines of 10,000, depending on the time of year and your location, are visible to the naked eye. Around 10,000 for the whole sky–but of course you never see the whole sky. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/112 "2017-07-01T22:39:47Z")
My wife, who is geographically challenged, was talking to her friend in Nashville on the phone and said she would like to come up there some time (we’re in Minnesota). After she hung up I said “You mean go DOWN there some time”. She said “Is there a difference?” I told her yes, typically up is north and south is down. That’s why people say they’re going camping up north or they’re flying down to Florida for vacation. She had never heard of this before and found the whole thing to be silly. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/113 "2017-07-01T23:07:49Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > My wife, who is geographically challenged, was talking to her friend in Nashville on the phone and said she would like to come up there some time (we’re in Minnesota). > After she hung up I said “You mean go DOWN there some time”. > She said “Is there a difference?” > I told her yes, typically up is north and south is down. That’s why people say they’re going camping up north or they’re flying down to Florida for vacation. > She had never heard of this before and found the whole thing to be silly. A young acquaintance of mine moved with his family from here (NY state) to Florida a year plus ago. He is back in town visiting his grandparents, and he came by to say hi. “How long have you been here?” I inquired. “And how long are you staying?” “I came down last Monday–” he began. Time for a geography lesson. Of course, he’s only 11… ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/114 "2017-07-01T23:27:08Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Count again you can see thousands of stars not millions. You mean you can _count_ thousands of stars. I mean you can _see_ millions. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/115 "2017-07-01T23:42:13Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > What about the Milky Way? > There are 100,000,000,000 stars in our galaxy, and you can see a great portion of it. Not to mention I can see M31, which is even bigger. Nobody said they all had to be countable. > [@beowulff](#): > > You mean you can _count_ thousands of stars. I mean you can _see_ millions. What is this the difference between visible and countable? You’re not trying to make it clear what you’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/116 "2017-07-01T23:43:40Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > You mean you can _count_ thousands of stars. I mean you can _see_ millions. Um, are you calling him dumb? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/117 "2017-07-02T00:02:58Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > What is this the difference between visible and countable? You’re not trying to make it clear what you’re talking about. When you see M31, you are seeing the light from near a trillion stars. When I look at the glow from the core of the Milky way, I am looking at something like 50 million stars. Sure, I can’t count them all individually, but that doesn’t mean I can’t _see_ them. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/118 "2017-07-02T00:25:15Z")
> [@DrForrester](#): > > . . . > The weirder thing is that people would think that we have a yellow star. That one never made sense… Please explain why the sun is not a yellow star. I thought it was a class G yellow dwarf and would like to know if I’m wrong. The sun looks yellow. Children color their sun pictures yellow. Sun emojies are yellow. Yellow rooms are described as “sunny”. Even if the sun is not yellow, it’s not strange to think it is. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/119 "2017-07-02T00:55:07Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > The schematic didn’t call for 0.360, 0.360 was the absolute top of tolerance. It doesn’t matter. **Chronos** is correct, if the top of the tolerance was 0.360 and 0.3603 was unacceptable, then the top of tolerance should have been expressed as 0.3602 or lower. If the intent of an absolute top of tolerance of 0.360 was that 0.360001 would be out of spec, why would they express it as 0.360 instead of 0.36? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146/120 "2017-07-02T01:07:27Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > It doesn’t matter. **Chronos** is correct, if the top of the tolerance was 0.360 and 0.3603 was unacceptable, then the top of tolerance should have been expressed as 0.3602 or lower. > > If the intent of an absolute top of tolerance of 0.360 was that 0.360001 would be out of spec, why would they express it as 0.360 instead of 0.36? Because most CAD systems dimension to a fixed number of places. Chronos is not correct in this case - this wasn’t a physics lab, it was a machine shop. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-stunned-that-people-didnt-know/790146.md?page=7)