Exactly, but what is new here? The duration of the complete cycle?
Well, that number is new, to me at least, but the principle was well known before, I assume?
I don't get it.. don't they teach basic astronomy in schools anymore?
Well, that number is new, to me at least, but the principle was well known before, I assume?
I don't get it.. don't they teach basic astronomy in schools anymore?
> it will give scientists a much more accurate method of dating prehistorical events — the dates of fossils, for example.
> “The dream is have a framework independent of the fossils that you can plug the fossils into and see more interesting things — the coexistence of disparate forms, or of similar forms widely separated in location. Now we can place things more accurately in time rather than depending on the fossils to tell us what the time is.”
It's also fascinating to see how it was done:
>By comparing the amount of decay of uranium to that of lead trapped in zircon, the layers in the Arizona core can be dated quite accurately.
Not in Ontario, Canada, they don't...
I had to get accepted into a university and then apply for first year astronomy to get any basic astronomy instruction whatsoever.
(Ha. Firefox's spellcheck doesn't have "precession" in it.)
Guess I should consider myself lucky that I had a physics teacher who taught us about the thing that we stand on and live on, what it is, where it is, what's around and how our solar system works.
Ha, I am really shocked now. Honestly, I can't believe this. I should probably not dare to ask someone on HN if they ever heard about the Milk Way or something.
By your nick, I'm not surprised you know about Milankovitch cycles.