[milankovic]

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?

[ozmbie]

It mentiones why this is useful:

> 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.

[flyGuyOnTheSly]

>don't they teach basic astronomy in schools anymore?

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.

[greglindahl]

Many astronomers don't study astronomy until grad school! Physics is fundamental.

[flyGuyOnTheSly]

I did well in Physics in High School, and my instructor was massively interested in Astronomy, but he taught us very little about it.

[milankovic]

What do you mean by fundamental here? For studying astronomy at an university? Then yes, agreed, but I am wondering about the very basic understanding of the principles at all, are you implying that kids today don't learn this anymore? You know, what our solar system is, what the earth is, and it's, well, shape..

[greglindahl]

This particular cycle was not taught in the Astronomy PhD courses where I attended. Your comment near the top of this thread appears to claim that it's a part of 'basic astronomy'. That is not correct. The precession of the equinoxes is basic astronomy.

(Ha. Firefox's spellcheck doesn't have "precession" in it.)

[milankovic]

Wait.. are you serious?

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.

[recursive]

Or at least don't do it in such a dismissive way.

[Milner08]

You think this is equivalent to knowing about the Milky Way? You seem to have put some major significance on something that really has very little baring on our day to day lives. Im sure most countries teach a good deal about the solar system and the planets, It's taught at a very young age in the UK and its refined through the years of school to the point where you should have a good understanding of it all. But we never put any emphasis on this. You know why? Its irrelevant at that level. Unless you are studying for a degree or even higher this won't have any baring on what you are learning.

[labster]

The Milky Way is a candy bar, everyone knows that!

By your nick, I'm not surprised you know about Milankovitch cycles.