Fastest Star in Our Galaxy

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Fastest Star in Our Galaxy Propelled by a Thermonuclear Supernova

A team of astronomers, including University of Hawaii at Manoa astronomer Eugene Magnier, used the 10-meter Keck II and Pan-STARRS1 telescopes in Hawaii to find a star that breaks the galactic speed record. It travels at about 1,200 kilometers per second (about 2.7 million mph), a speed that will enable the star to escape from our Milky Way galaxy.

“At that speed, you could travel from Earth to the moon in 5 minutes,” Magnier commented.

The team showed that unlike the half-dozen other known escaping stars, this compact star was ejected from an extremely tight binary by a thermonuclear supernova explosion. These results will be published in the March 6 issue of the journal Science.

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[bubblykiss]

That free-bird of a star should keep in mind, it is not only the destination that matters, but also the voyage.

[Athena1979]

he's a loner...and a loners got to be alone.

[keithisco]

In other words a theoretical double thermonuclear event propelled this star at this velocity.

Sorry, a theory, based on an assumption, leading to a synthesis of events does not make for good science.... just IMO of course

[paperdyer]

In other words a theoretical double thermonuclear event propelled this star at this velocity.

Sorry, a theory, based on an assumption, leading to a synthesis of events does not make for good science.... just IMO of course

Isn't that how science is done? You have a theory based on an observation which leads to an assumption that you try to prove.

[Just_Seeking]

Words really can hurt you Athena1979.

[MJNYC]

he's a loner...and a loners got to be alone.

We should name the star: Jessie!

[Tsurugi]

@paperdyer: That's right, except you're supposed to try and disprove your assumptions, not prove them. Nothing can be proved 100%, so theory testing is supposed to be done with falsification. The longer the theory holds up, the stronger it becomes...but it can never be totally "proven".

[toast]

@paperdyer: That's right, except you're supposed to try and disprove your assumptions, not prove them. Nothing can be proved 100%, so theory

testing is supposed to be done with falsification. The longer the theory holds up, the stronger it becomes...but it can never be totally "proven".

Nonsense.

[Tsurugi]

In other words a theoretical double thermonuclear event propelled this star at this velocity.

Sorry, a theory, based on an assumption, leading to a synthesis of events does not make for good science.... just IMO of course

True, but if there was a supernova the remnants would still be visible. I haven't seen the paper but I'd bet they traced Speedracer Star here back along it's path and found the remnants of a binary supernova.

[moon tide]

Stars, being massive compared to, say, the size of the Earth, 1200 km per second still seems quite ponderous to me.

He'll just wander off from the galaxy when he's ready.

[highdesert50]

I could imagine a technologically advanced civilization putting a planet in an appropriate orbit around a comparable unbound star and using it as a vehicle for extended travel. Generations could pass while living in an uncompromised environment.

[C.J.]

A real shooting star!

[CRYSiiSx2]

So it travels roughly 42 million miles a year right? Light is something like 6.5? I dunno I'm really drunk and am just justing testing my math

[toast]

So it travels roughly 42 million miles a year right? Light is something like 6.5? I dunno I'm really

drunk and am just justing testing my math

Test drunkenness: passed.

Test math: failed.

Edited March 12, 2015 by toast

[+Noteverythingisaconspiracy]

So it travels roughly 42 million miles a year right? Light is something like 6.5? I dunno I'm really drunk and am just justing testing my math

Light moves at around 5,9 trillion miles a year (9,46 trillion kilometers for us in the civilised World !).

So you are only out by a factor of a million.

[+joc]

I could imagine a technologically advanced civilization putting a planet in an appropriate orbit around a comparable unbound star and using it as a vehicle for extended travel. Generations could pass while living in an uncompromised environment.

You have a brilliant imagination! And all this time we thought they were traveling through wormholes...interesting. lol