Pulsing planet???

[Spanrz]

:eyepop:

I might be slow on the uptake here, but I'm keen to find out what this is.

Ok, early this morning on a Melbourne radio station, I heard a tidbit that said something along the lines of a "Astronomers have discovered a planet that pulses with heat"
Something that changes heat very rapidly?

I don't know if it's a scam/furphy or for real.

Anyone got any ideas.

[renormalised]

New one on me....hmmmmm....might go checkout the relevant sites.

[ngcles]

Hi Spanrz & All,

Could this be it? :shrug:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/01/28/weather-sizzles-on-a-planet-that-kisses-its-star/

Original paper here at arxiv:

http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0711/0711.2106v1.pdf


Best,

Les D


Note to Mods: Perhaps this thread would be better in Astronomy, Science rather than Astronomy, Observational?? :shrug: Matter for you.

[renormalised]

Just had a quick read of the article there, Les. Quite interesting. Will come in handy this semester!!!. You know, it's hard trying to figure out what most of the media end up reporting anyway, especially with anything to do with science. They always get the bull by the horns and stuff everything up...due in no doubt to their pretty much complete ignorance in anything scientific.

[ngcles]

Hi Tenormalised & All,



Hmmm ...

Well the problem I think is that in the main, journalists as well as T.V and radio presenters are well ... expert journalists and presenters and it is difficult for them to get to grips with the very technical and exoteric language that astronomy and many other sciences employ.

Which is why a whole new "vocation" (profession, calling ??) has evolved over the last decade or so -- the science communicator. This person firstly "translates" the extremely technical stuff into everyday terms that will make sense to the journalists, presenters and hopefully the public and checks material in scripts, docos etc for scientific accuracy. Unfortunately they are under-utilised and I think in newsrooms sometimes it is just too much angst to try and get hold of someone who knows the subject area and they just make the best stab they can.

So while I agree with you it's hard to condemn completely because they're not scientists. But on the other hand, they've got a responsibility to report/comment accurately and like you I often wonder how often some producer/sub-editor etc say's "close enough --I hope ... Who'll know the difference anyway?"


Best,

Les D

[Spanrz]

Les,
I dare say that would be it. It sounds very much like the report.
Wasn't sure where to put this topic, but thought as it being an observation, I thought here was the best place.

I was confused by the report (radio), because I'm sure it would have made big news on IIS if it was as big of a discovery as it was made out to be.
I even tried the NASA site, only to come out empty handed. :/

I've tried not to use the media's reports as gospel, hence the post.
As you say Les, the media sometimes takes "their best stab at it" to get the news out, but some of it isn't correct.

It was just an interesting concept that a planet can heat and cool just like that one.

Thanks for coming up with the goods. :)