This past Wednesday, NASA announced they have scheduled a press conference for next Wednesday, May 14, at 1 p.m. EDT, to reveal the discovery of an object in our galaxy that astronomers have been hunting for more than 50 years. This gives everyone an entire week to speculate, ruminate and in some cases go [...]

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The black hole at the galaxy center ?

I'm going to guess something with black holes.

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We've already 'observed' the black hole at the galactic centre, via an IR camera taking images over a period of years of stars orbiting it. ( http://www.mpe.mpg.de/ir/GC/index.php )

I'm going to guess extra-solar Earth like planet.

It has something to do with X-ray astronomy, so extrasolar planets are out.

Neutron stars were discovered in the 1960s, black holes belonged to the realm of speculation before high-energy astronomy so they both are probably out of question.

Cataclysmic variables involving white dwarfs? Hot interstellar gas?

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Oort cloud parameters?

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Whether there is a limit to the magnitude of a modulation of chaos below which order remains invariant? Or, is order but a fiction invented by perspectives applied over finite, however large, time intervals?

It's the "Mirror Galaxy"! Every time we wave they wave too.

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Jimmy Hoffa? pete

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The fleet has turned toward us and invasion is just a few decades away.

Enjoy your summer!!!

Good one!

__________________
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"The only way to explore the universe is to go and look." - Brian Cox
Well, the best way to find out is to go there and, find out. - Raven's Cry
'Evolution and science are one thing, but you don’t mess with Yoko Ono. Everybody knows that. ' - 386sx

Pop III star?


Cheers.

Not if it was a pathetic little world used as the test subject for the empire's new battle station.

Seriously, though, Dyson Spheres were first thought of almost 50 years ago, and the article does say it was something that they've been trying to find for about that long. What other astonomical theories would have originated at about that time?

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You've now got 29 signatures, Tuckerfan. Nice job!

__________________
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"The only way to explore the universe is to go and look." - Brian Cox
Well, the best way to find out is to go there and, find out. - Raven's Cry
'Evolution and science are one thing, but you don’t mess with Yoko Ono. Everybody knows that. ' - 386sx

off hand....SETI has been ~ 50 years, but with x-ray data, I'm thinking maybe a pulsar responsible for the latest burp in the Local Bubble that enables dust-free Ultraviolet imaging of nearby stars. pete

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A third rate theory forbids
A second rate theory explains after the fact
A first rate theory predicts...A. Lomonosov

Well, it's tomorrow, people. Something to look forward to besides that Spanish test.

__________________
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"The only way to explore the universe is to go and look." - Brian Cox
Well, the best way to find out is to go there and, find out. - Raven's Cry
'Evolution and science are one thing, but you don’t mess with Yoko Ono. Everybody knows that. ' - 386sx

It is a 140 year old supernova remnant in Milky Way! Cool.

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Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
-- Richard Feynman

supernova remnant G1.9+0.3

Image Gallery

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Hmmm, hunting the thing for 50 years? Yawn.

Cheers.

P.S. Nice images, though.

That IS cool!

__________________
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"The only way to explore the universe is to go and look." - Brian Cox
Well, the best way to find out is to go there and, find out. - Raven's Cry
'Evolution and science are one thing, but you don’t mess with Yoko Ono. Everybody knows that. ' - 386sx

They pre-booked a press conference for that? Doesn't seem worth the hype unless you're a nova specialist.

So... how did they know 50 years back that it existed at all? Or is it just a general 'we were looking for a close nova' thing?

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Some knew it likely wouldn't be a big deal for the general population, but significant for people like us interested in space and astronomy science. Non-NASA commentary provided the hyperbolic hype -- though NASA's PR tactics greased the skids, so they get some blame.

General. Any single one would have been of interest.

As noted in the other topic (NASA to Announce Success of Long Galactic Hunt ):

BA Blog: Youngest galactic supernova (not aliens) found

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