[ngcles]

Hi All,

Trying to put two and two together I think the important clues might be:

In our galaxy (they didn't say solar-system)

*Chandra* plus ground-based observations

Searching for 50 years

Chandra observes at x-ray wavelengths so that almost certainly discounts anything in our solar-system and in all probability it has something to do with a bright, compact x-ray emitting object like a neutron star, neutron star binary or black hole/singularity or magnetar?

Neutron star binaries are very, very rare but also emit x-rays and are an important lab for physicists to study gravity. Could it be proof of gravity waves and the speed of gravity? Hmmm ...

50 years ago -- that roughly coincides with the first spaceflights. _One_ important discovery back about then was Cosmic Rays -- maybe connected? Maybe not. Dunno

My guess (boring!) is an intermediate mass black-hole in our Galaxy _or_ ironclad proof of Sagittarius A*'s nature as a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.

But who knows?

Slartibartfast's signature on the glacier?

An effective way to prevent pilling on clothing? (No, we've been searching for the answer to that one for much longer than 50 years)

A way for NASA/Astronomers to extract more funding out of the government?

Wally?

Seriously, intermediate mass black hole I'd reckon.

Best,

Les D
Contributing Editor
AS&T