Astronomy Day Contest?

April 17, 2007 9:42 AM

What about an Astronomy Day post contest?
posted by freebird to MetaFilter-Related at 9:42 AM (15 comments total)

Some of my favorite posts tend to toward the extraterrestrial - why not a little themed contest action? I'd pony up a little for some kinda collective prize, but I'd think bragging rights (maybe a Gold Star?) would be sufficent motivation....it could end on Astronomy Day, or be a 24 hour contest. I dunno, maybe we have plenty of those posts anyhow - the idea just struck me when I saw the referenced Post.
posted by freebird at 9:46 AM on April 17, 2007

Are there enough websites about astronomy (that are good enough for an FPP that Metafilter hasn't seen already) to hold a contest for posts on the subject?

/seriously asking
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:56 AM on April 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

There are trillions of "community" projects/pictures that could be linked to. Although after maybe 3 one's eyes would tend to glaze over.
posted by DU at 10:10 AM on April 17, 2007

What about just a really great post on astronomy?
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:33 AM on April 17, 2007

I am interested in astronomy, which I prove my noting that last summer I built my own 6" dobsonian, but I still close most APOD posts with barely a glance. Nebulae, galaxii, star fields.....blah. Planets == awesome, though.
posted by DU at 10:37 AM on April 17, 2007

FREEBIRD!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:40 AM on April 17, 2007

Whoa....at first I thought I was being called out for double posting, but I see that's not the case.

Great idea, I say.
posted by achmorrison at 10:44 AM on April 17, 2007

About freakin' time, I say.
posted by AstroGuy at 11:10 AM on April 17, 2007

Are there enough websites about astronomy (that are good enough for an FPP that Metafilter hasn't seen already) to hold a contest for posts on the subject?

What about just a really great post on astronomy?

Both totally valid questions. I guess I mostly just meant "let's do cool astro posts for astro day". The contest thing needn't be anything official, but a little approbation might encourage good posts.

As to the limited pool of astronomy sites - there are a lot out there, and the posts I really like are more than just "check out this picture". When some good scientific papers, history, culture and zany people get strung together, there's plenty of posts we haven't seen, methinks.
posted by freebird at 11:14 AM on April 17, 2007

Astronomy Day? Astronomy EVERY day!
posted by blue_beetle at 11:44 AM on April 17, 2007

Are there enough websites about astronomy (that are good enough for an FPP that Metafilter hasn't seen already) to hold a contest for posts on the subject?

I don't know. I know a way we could find out, though.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:21 PM on April 17, 2007

Maybe astronomy fans could agree (in a MetaTalk post?) on who will write about what -- each person pick a favorite celestial object or event, for example, and a day on which to post about it.
posted by pracowity at 1:57 PM on April 17, 2007

I think this is a cool idea, although I think it should be a theme day, rather than a contest.

Like the elephant day, but better.

*ducks*
posted by anomie at 2:35 PM on April 17, 2007

Yeah! Like duck day, but better!

*elephants*
posted by found dog one eye at 3:20 PM on April 17, 2007 [2 favorites]

Isn't "astonomy day" sort of an oxymoron?
posted by spock at 8:46 AM on April 18, 2007 [1 favorite]