Astronomers are scheduled to announce new findings about a star unlike any seen before at a media teleconference Wednesday, Aug. 15, at 17:00 GMT (1 p.m. EDT). The findings are from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer, managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, US.

The briefing participants are:
- Christopher Martin, principal investigator of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.
- Mark Seibert, astronomer, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Pasadena, California.
- Michael Shara, curator at the American Museum of Natural History and professor of astronomy at Columbia University, both in New York

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Brittany?

{sorry for this}

I can't help but recall Fr. Guido Sarducci's announcing from the Vatican Observatory their findings regarding SS-433 some years ago . . .

NASA press release

" NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has spotted an amazingly long comet-like tail behind a star streaking through space at supersonic speeds."

Hmmm, what is the speed of sound in space?

Whatever speed it is that causes a shockwave to form in the interstellar medium, I'd guess; LOTS faster than terrestrial Mach 1 at sea level, obviously!

Interesting discovery about a very famous star, one of the very few naked-eye variables known to the ancients, though you wouldn't know the latter from most of the media coverage I've seen & heard today. One announcer stated that Mira was only 30,000 years old (actually the age of the 'tail', from what I gather).

Wonderful discovery! It's nice to see the Galex mission finally getting some decent media coverage for a change. It's also gratifying to see a spacecraft that doesn't use solid-state detectors bringing home the scientific bacon (microchannel plates, baby!).

"...about a star unlike any seen before ..."

I'm more than a bit annoyed by the over-the-top PR hyperbole.