We have found gas giants in our galaxy already. This discovery sounds like something new.

Consider yourself whooshed.

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Tuckers! Science! Automotive Oddities! Boycott Trek XI! Building my hot rod with the help of the intarwebs Those who would delay scientific progress for a little temporary prosperity shall have neither.

Bingo!

LOL. I do. Cheers!

They are supposed to be, but there is also the idea that some Pop III "remnants" can be found in our galaxy, see this review. There are already reports of very low metallicity Pop II stars, although none have the characteristics thought to match real Pop II stars. Let's wait for the press release.

Cheers.

In live chat Sunday May 11, the Bad Astonomer commented on this alert. I listened without my full attention. So my specific memories are likely to be off.

His take was that it's certain to be cool news, for those interested in space and astronomy science, but that it's almost certain not to be revolutionary news, earth-shaking news.

They do these kind of news alerts all the time and it's never the sort of thing that the more excitable members of our species (like the ones who are predicting an announcment of an approaching alien invasion, or Planet X, or... you know the type) imagine/fear/fantasize it will be. It will just be yet another typical revelation of a discovery that happens in ordinary scientific progress. Happens all the time.

He commented that he needs to contact the NASA public relations people and offer advice to change their ways, perhaps to like the Hubble PR people who announce upcoming news maybe just 2 days in advance. As it is, NASA PR's practice of offering veiled hints, to entice interest, but to avoid tipping off the actual news, done a whole week in advance, just gives too many people a chance to get worked up over nothing and is probably counterproductive to good science and good outreach.

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Aww, I wanna be doomed!!!!!

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We want our children to go to the planets. Burt Rutan 6/21/04
Tuckers! Science! Automotive Oddities! Boycott Trek XI! Building my hot rod with the help of the intarwebs Those who would delay scientific progress for a little temporary prosperity shall have neither.

And so you shall be. We all reach the end of our production run eventually, some sooner than others, sort of like a certain car.

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Your recollection of what the BA said is very close to what I remember. Good job!

He's right, if you start a lot of speculation that something you're going to reveal is "earthshaking" (as in the result of a 50+ year hunt), you had better deliver, or else there will be a backlash.

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Yes, but I want there to be an Earth shattering kaboom to be involved! I want panic in the streets, cats and dogs living togther! Real wrath of God type stuff.

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We want our children to go to the planets. Burt Rutan 6/21/04
Tuckers! Science! Automotive Oddities! Boycott Trek XI! Building my hot rod with the help of the intarwebs Those who would delay scientific progress for a little temporary prosperity shall have neither.

Guess you wouldn't be much of a T. S. Eliot fan then:Personally my guess is NASA has found a Boojum.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Maksutov And so you shall be. We all reach the end of our production run eventually, some sooner than others, sort of like a certain car.

That would have to be a Pinto then...

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To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

SO BE GOOD for goodness' sake! Whoa-a-a-oh, somebody's comin'!

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Yes, they laughed at Einstein, but only because of his silly hairstyle; no one was actually laughing at his science.

Clearly we're all doomed!

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Talent develops in quiet places, character in the full current of human life.
- Goethe

Jump in with both feet!
- Me, indulging my inner eight-year-old

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"Are you a mad-hatter that just types what he wishes, or have you actually any physics training?"
Occam's Ghost to Grant Hutchison.

And ominously the news will be released day after tomorrow.

Just a coincidence? Well I don't think so!

We're doomed.

Good article. Thanks!

Good points. Building hype is a two edged sword.

On one hand NASA needs a certain amount of hype in it's media relations. I wrote on another forum:
And on the other hand hyped and veiled messages may build wild, unscientific and counterproductive speculation. I don't think there's an absolute way to avoid it - but I agree that limiting the advance to 2-3 days could be a very good idea.

BA Blog: No, NASA hasn’t found aliens

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