Yarrr!!!!! We be Starrrrrgazin’!

Ahoy, mateys, ’tis September 19th, and that means one thing—’tis Talk Like a Pirate Day!  As usual, I participate in the piratey goings-on by putting a distinctly starrrrrrrry cast on my blog entry, since astronomy is what I talk about (usually), and ’tis all about sailin’ the starrrrrrry deeps o’ space!

Now, I don’t approve of the nasty side ‘o piratin’ — you know what I mean, the ugly folks who take to the seas and really hurt people, or those folks who steal other people’s hard work (piratin’ music, etc.) … that’s not what TLAPD is all about (which ye’ll learn, if ye go to the Piratey Link above). As they say on the TLAPD page, ” So when we urge you to TALK like a pirate, we don’t mean you should ACT like a pirate. The Pirate Guys are solidly against pillaging, plundering and slaughtering like pirates.”

So, the idea here for TLAPD and the starry side o’ things is to think about what pirates and starrrrrrs have in common.

Aye, ye chumbuckets, they DO have things in common. Fer one thing, no pirate would be complete without a sextant. That’s an instrument the piratey ship’s navigator would use to help the captain and his/her crew find their way around the ocean blue by usin’ celestial objects’ (like starrrrs and planets) positions. (Ye can learn more about sextants here.)  For another thing, there’s a space pirate’s treasure chest full of celestial sights up there in the starry deeps that just beg for piratey exploration, like the Lagoon Nebula.  Pirates and lagoons go together like walkin’ and plankin’.  And, when yer out starrrrrgazin’ on Talk Like a Starry Pirate day (well, night, actually), ye should look smartly!  Ye WILL see the planet Jupiterrrrrr, and ye may also see a meteor or the Moon, risin’ up over the yardarm. If ye stay up all night into the wee hours of the mornin’, ye’ll see Marrrrrs risin’ in the east.

So, swing yer eyeballs and telescopes and binoculars around smartly, me lads and lasses, and check out the starrrrrs tonight!  Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day (and night) with the starrrrrs!

Ahoy There, Me Stargazin’ Hearties!!!

Yarrrr, ye lasses and lads of the starry deeps! Time for me annual September 19 celebration of “Talk Like a Starry Pirate Day” message! Today is indeed Talk Like a Pirate Day, which means ye can affect all FUN piratey attitudes (but NOT the pillagin’ and other law-breakin’ activities–those are frowned upon in TLAPD circles). “All in good fun” is the piratey watchword.

Do astronomers celebrate “Talk Like a Pirate Day”?

Welll… aye, of course they do.

How to celebrate TLAPD if yer an astronomer? Well, stargazin’ like a pirate is always in good form. First, wait til it gets dark (if ye want to see stars). If ye want to see just one star, then go outside and pretend yer on a desert isle with yer piratey treasure and make sure ye have yer eye patch on!  Oh, and a pair of piratey sunglasses!

Count yer doubloons and cackle with glee. And, let the sunshine warm ye, but do not be a chumbucket and actually LOOK at the Sun — it’ll mess with yer eyes somethin’ fierce! Just enjoy it, and as Captain Jack warns ye, wear sunblock!

Nighttime starlubbers should wander out after the Sun’s been down fer a while (darkness is a good clue) –and look up! Check out the stars. Look for a piratey planet! This year, the King o’ The Piratey Planets is up — Jupiter!  See if ye can spot the Milky Way.  It’s the milky band o’ whiteness running almost overhead this time o’ year!

That’s all there is to sailin’ the starry seas! Oh, and ye must talk like a piratey astronomer! Every once in a while say something like “Shiver me timbers, look at Jupiter there!” or “Yarrrrr…. will ya look at that Milky Way!” or “Take this telescope to the Lagoon Nebula, me hearties!!!” Or, challenge yer hearties to see who can find the “Black Eye Nebula” (M64 for ye geeks in the audience).

Wear somethin’ warm (even pirates’ timbers get shivered in cool night air), and if ye like, bring a grog or other beverage (our personal favorite is piratey hot chocolate). After yer done, go back inside and watch a good piratey movie. Pirates of the Caribbean comes to mind, or maybe even Aye, Robot, or Men in Blackbeards. Or maybe Yarrrrrrr Wars… or one of my personal favorites, The Pirate Wears Prada… or Mutiny on the Bounty Hunter or Around the World With 80 Pirates or Bravehearty… ye get the idea!!