For those of you of a Leftpondian persuasion, Katie Melua is a British singer of Georgian (the country, not the state) extraction. Pretty in a dark way with a sweet, bubbly voice and a prediliction for slow, jazzy ballads with slightly odd lyrics. She's recently caused a minor astronomical firestorm in the UK by singing the following stanza in her recent single, "Nine Million Bicycles":

We are twelve billion light years from the edge,
That's a guess,
No-one can ever say it's true
But I know that I will always be with you.

Science writer Simon Singh fired back in The Guardian that he happened to KNOW with absolute certainty that the actual distance to the edge of the universe was exactly 13.7 billion light years, and to claim any other figure, or, God forbid, to claim it is a guess, is a slap in the face to all the astronomers who spent so many years working out Hubble's constant.

But then a second group of astronomers have apparently rushed to her defence, and though I don't have their exact quote, I imagine that they remind the general public that nothing is absolutely known in science.

It just seems so unfair. We don't hold our politicians to such a level of scientific scrutiny, why single out balladeers?

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It's gotten to the point where careful investigation is needed just to tell parody from reality. I think that means reality is broken.- Noclevername.

It's pedantry, of the very worst kind. It's just the lyrics to a song! I'd be surprised if the general public, or in fact anybody outside the astronomical community, gives the vaguest hoot about it. And those who do give the vaguest hoot about it ought to take a long, hard look at themselves.

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I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, was in no way fair comment and was motivated purely by malice. I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.

Yeah ...

At Least, she's Trying ...

More than I Can Say, about Some People, anyway!

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If you Ignore YOUR Rights, they Will go away.

Those guys could have a field day with Monty Python's Galaxy Song.

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I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, was in no way fair comment and was motivated purely by malice. I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.

What's the fuss about? "13.7 million" wouldn't fit the rhythm.

- Maha "...that Georgia girls are always on astronomers' m-m-m-m-minds" Vailo

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When you get down to it, Science answers how. Religion answers why. - hippietrekx

In his fervour to show his knowledge, he's got it wrong. It's 13.7 bn light years to the cosmic light horizon. The present distance to the edge of the observable universe is much greater, due to expansion. Current estimate is about 78 bn light years.

Maybe Katie should rewrite the first line of the stanza to read "We're eighty billion light years from the edge."

Well she could argue that she never said to the edge of what. So until she does people cant say shes wrong i guess.
Id say she at least deserves credit for using light years as unit of distance rather than going the George Lucas route and using it as time and then having to shoe horn a feeble excuse into the chorus!

I'd like to see the wording used in the article. As we understand the universe, a physical "edge" doesn't exist. It is a bit like talking about the edge of the surface of the earth, just as it makes no sense to talk about the center of the surface of the earth.

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Disclaimer: Avatar is not an official NASA image and does not imply any specific interplanetary or interstellar capability.

The Leif Ericson Cruiser

Apperently Simon Singh doesn't have anything better to do with his time. People like him really bug me.

tbm

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Paddle faster!! I hear banjo music!!

Tempest in a teapot, really.

If there's a Katie I feel sorry for, it's Katie Holmes. Deprogramming, anyone?

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"It is quite clear that Occam's razor does not sharpen in your pyramid." (Nicolas)

"Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." (Paul Simon)

As her over-hyped warbling is likely to make her VERY rich then no I dont feel sorry for her.