Word of the day (& a podcast)

I was reminded of a word today.
A VERY COOL word.
The word is...

Syzygy
Pronounced: \ˈsi-zə-jē\ or 'seh-zeh-gee' for the non-linguists out there
Webster's definition:  the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies (as the sun, moon, and earth during a solar or lunar eclipes) in a gravitational system

How often do you find a word with THREE Ys and a Z in it?  Probably about as often as a syzygial event happens.  They're not that common - especially if you're talking about ALL the planets aligning, and not just the sun, moon, and earth.

So, what reminded me of this fabulous word???  I was catching up on over a month's worth of The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcasts (syzygy was mentioned in the December 9, 2009 episode).

I heard about SGU about 6-months ago (maybe less) from the hubby when I came home one day complaining about people and their "homeopathic" or "natural" remedies.    He said SGU was an excellent place for science-based info... everything from astronomy to medicine to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
He was right.
Each member of the group brings his/her own unique perspective and expertise to the discussion; but better yet, their chemistry really works (no pun intended).

My favorite part of the podcast is the game at the end... Science or Fiction... when Dr. Steven Novella tries to stump his panelist with two 'science' and one 'fiction' news items (they have to deduce (or guess) which is which).  I always try to make my decision before the panelist give their answers, but sometimes I'm just blindly guessing.  At that point I listen to each person give their reasons for choosing their answers and then decide.  Either that, or I'm on the fence and wait to hear what Bob says and go with his answer.  ;)

That's about all I have to say (for today).  But, if you want to know more cool science-related current events... check out SGU - Your Escape to Reality.