Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site rabbit.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!alice!rabbit!wolit
From: wolit@rabbit.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: I can name that star in 1 note...
Message-ID: <1820@rabbit.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Aug-83 13:38:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: rabbit.1820
Posted: Fri Aug 19 13:38:10 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Aug-83 16:56:49 EDT
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 23

Contrary to the apparent tide of public opinion, I think "Sol" is a
dumb name for our star.  First of all, no one seems to know whether
it's pronounced to rhyme with "doll" or with "dole."  Secondly,
"Sol" is a boy's name, which is gonna get a lot of girls ticked off.
(On the other hand, as a boy, I'm not sure I like a big ball of hot
gas automatically being named after one of us.)  Also, given the role
of our star in the development of our species -- it's either a
distant ancestor, if you believe in evolution, or our Creator, if your
a Sun worshipper (Judeo-Christo-Islamo types can flame to /dev/null) --
it seems a little informal to refer to it as just "Sol," rather than
"Honourable Sol," or even "Solomon."  Why can't we just go on
referring to it as "the sun" (or "the Sun," if you will)?  I mean,
going metric is tough enough without also having to relearn old sayings
like, "Sol rises in the east and sets in the west" and songs like,
"Here come Sol."  New Yawkers always refer to New York as "the city,"
even if they're in California at the time, and everyone knows what
they mean.  What are we risking by maintaining the status quo -- being
considered parochial by Alpha Centaurians?

I move that this discussion be continued on Vega, or at least on
net.misc, if at all.

	Jan Wolitzky, Bell Labs, Murray Hill