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From: palmer@tybalt.caltech.edu (David Palmer)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space
Subject: Re: Catch-A-Planet (was:Re:Curiosity)
Message-ID: <11333@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 21 Jul 89 17:14:52 GMT
References: <7092@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> <790@censor.UUCP> <2729@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu> <479@tahoma.UUCP>
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In article <479@tahoma.UUCP> jpg3196@tahoma.UUCP (James P. Galasyn) writes:
> 
> Off-the-wall observation here, which probably belongs in
> talk.religion.newage:

It does :-)

>  the Dogon tribe, among others in Africa, have rather
> precise astronomical information on the period of Sirius B, the white
> dwarf companion of Sirius.  It can't be seen by the naked eye (by a long
> shot), yet this knowledge is thousands of years old.

The precision of the astronomical information is more or less limited to
its existence and invisibility to the naked eye.  (I think I've heard that
they also know the period, but I don't know how accurately they know it.  If
my God were a double star, one of the possible periods I might use would be
the typical time it takes a person to die of old age.  (Although a more likely
period owuld be one Human generation time.  The choice depends on the God.)
The actual period of Sirius B is 50 years.)   They also have information
about Sirius C, D, E ... (I forget the exact number of companions they know
about.)  This 'knowledge' goes far beyond anything which has shown up on
astronomical plates of Sirius.

		David Palmer
		palmer@tybalt.caltech.edu
		...rutgers!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!palmer
	"Only 10% of the 4000 mile long coastline was affected."
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