In this episode we dive into some of the mythology surrounding christmas, namely the Star of Bethlehem which informed the Wisemen to go and visit the baby Jesus. As there was no distinction between stars and planets, it is highly possible that one of the planets, Jupiter or Venus, which would have been very bright in the night sky, could have been what gave the Wisemen their sign.
Beyond this, we delve into some physics christmas carols, such as Phrosty the Photon, the 12 Days of Physics, and O Physics Problem Set of Mine.
Lastly, I found some very interesting resources which describe in some detail the physics of Santa Claus and what is physically involved in his journey. This kind of keys off last week's The Physics of Star Trek, in that the "Required Reading" of the week is The Physics of Christmas. Apparently some of the facts that I found while traversing the internet have been yoinked directly from this book. I haven't read it yet but I had a really good time with the factoids, so I think I will certainly be picking it up from my local library in the near future.
For those of you listening in the USA or another Christmas celebrating country, I wish you all the best this season! I can't imagine Physics is high on your to-do list this week. Rest up and get ready for more soon!
