NASA to Announce Success of Long Galactic Hunt

[Gilded]

NASA to Announce Success of Long Galactic Hunt

 

"WASHINGTON -- NASA has scheduled a media teleconference Wednesday, May 14, at 1 p.m. EDT, to announce the discovery of an object in our Galaxy astronomers have been hunting for more than 50 years. This finding was made by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory with ground-based observations."

 

Oooh I'm excited already. I was trying to think of cosmic phenomena or objects that have been theorized but haven't been detected as of yet but only recent ones came to mind, with theoretical histories of around 20 years or less, where as this is something that has eluded detection for over half a century. Looking at the wording I suppose it could also be something that has been detected elsewhere but thus far not in our galaxy.

 

What do you think it could be?

[timo]

After unsuccessful searches for ET they now sell having found a radio transmission from YT as a great success?

[Reaper]

Maybe a Dyson Sphere? I hope?

 

But, it's probably something to do with dark matter, maybe they actually have a visual of it...

[Gilded]

Turns out it was a quite recent supernova. Meh.

[Reaper]

How boring!

[JamesBrown]

Am I being super paranoid because our current government is so scientifically stupid and this isn’t helping? What?

 

We live in a country where the vast majority of people mistrust science and scientists. This is reflected in pole after pole and the fact that the average citizen can be persuaded to vote against his own best interests because they will not listen critically to the scientific community.

 

One of the reasons for this is demonstrated clearly in this press release. The average person… Hell not the average person 99% of the population reading this will assume that the Supernova happened just before World War 1. The only part of the population that will know that it happened about 500,000 years ago are those who have an understanding of astronomy. How many of those are there. How about on this forum? You are all people way above average in an understanding of science but were you mislead by this press release?

 

How can we expect the informed citizens of the world to know what to think when they find out that the scientific community has *once again* demonstrated its disconnect with everyone else when it has to explain that it really didn’t mean 140 but 500,000.

 

Come on NASA proof read this stuff

[Gilded]

Am I being super paranoid because our current government is so scientifically stupid and this isn’t helping? What?

 

We live in a country where the vast majority of people mistrust science and scientists. This is reflected in pole after pole and the fact that the average citizen can be persuaded to vote against his own best interests because they will not listen critically to the scientific community.

 

One of the reasons for this is demonstrated clearly in this press release. The average person… Hell not the average person 99% of the population reading this will assume that the Supernova happened just before World War 1. The only part of the population that will know that it happened about 500,000 years ago are those who have an understanding of astronomy. How many of those are there. How about on this forum? You are all people way above average in an understanding of science but were you mislead by this press release?

 

How can we expect the informed citizens of the world to know what to think when they find out that the scientific community has *once again* demonstrated its disconnect with everyone else when it has to explain that it really didn’t mean 140 but 500,000.

 

Come on NASA proof read this stuff

 

I'm pretty sure many (and on science forums most) people are aware that such distant events have actually happened a long time ago and that we have merely observed them now. And btw it's around 26,000 years not 500,000.

 

I think it's okay to say that the supernova as a visual phenomenon from Earth's point of reference is 140 years old but saying that the actual stellar remnant is 140 years old is a bit on the border. I find it odd that the article on the actual Chandra page didn't mention anything about the distance, though.