# NASA set to announce discovery... any guesses as to what it is? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575 "2008-05-08T16:37:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/161 "2008-05-15T07:39:57Z")
Well the mysterious pre-announcement really. I’m surprised it wasn’t just released as a press-release. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/162 "2008-05-15T08:12:01Z")
Supernova don’t do press release! Supernova think press release stupid! Supernova like make people wait! Supernova go live webcast! Supernova angry! ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/163 "2008-05-15T12:09:00Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Supernova don’t do press release! Supernova think press release stupid! Supernova like make people wait! Supernova go live webcast! Supernova angry! [/QUOTE] Looks like Supernova should switch to decaf. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/164 "2008-05-15T14:45:38Z")
[QUOTE=Angua] Except ours really will be a yawn-fest – our Sun is too small to go supernova and will die quietly. [/QUOTE] “Quietly,” of course, being a relative term. I imagine it’ll be the height of excitement for anybody still stuck on our planet. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/165 "2008-05-15T15:31:17Z")
[QUOTE=KRM] Looks like Supernova should switch to decaf. [/QUOTE] Yeh, Supernova was feeling a little punchy last night. Supernova up till 5 am. Supernova apologize. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/166 "2008-05-15T16:19:43Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Yeh, Supernova was feeling a little punchy last night. Supernova up till 5 am. Supernova apologize. [/QUOTE] No apology needed IMHO. I thought the post was insanely funny. 😃😃😃 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/167 "2008-05-15T16:30:54Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] No apology needed IMHO. I thought the post was insanely funny. 😃😃😃 [/QUOTE] Well, Supernova _is_ life of party! ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/168 "2008-05-15T17:24:25Z")
I think we need an “Ask The Supernova” thread. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/169 "2008-05-15T17:25:38Z")
Yeah, NASA doesn’t know its ass from its face when it comes to public relations. It should take the billions it squanders inefficiently on the space program and pay a few actual marketing guys. (The lifer engineers there probably would think that’s an outrage.) It’s true, this thing wasn’t hyped up to the public, but it definately spoiled it for the _reporters_ who then didn’t feel like making a new story out of it. Finding a new supernova actually would have been pretty cool, especially if you say it exploded during the Civil War but was blocked by clouds of dust so thick they’ll blot out the light of a million suns. Except now everyone who’s in a position to report it is like, ‘meh.’ ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/170 "2008-05-15T18:29:43Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Yeh, Supernova was feeling a little punchy last night. Supernova up till 5 am. Supernova apologize. [/QUOTE] Was that _last night_ last night, or last night 24,000 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/171 "2008-05-15T18:39:34Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] I think we need an “Ask The Supernova” thread. [/QUOTE] Supernova indulges Inigo. Supernova provides [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9805264#post9805264) for convenience. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/172 "2008-05-15T18:56:16Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] _Supernova fix mistake_ [/QUOTE] 😃 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/173 "2008-05-15T19:07:37Z")
[QUOTE=Alex\_Dubinsky] Yeah, NASA doesn’t know its ass from its face when it comes to public relations. It should take the billions it squanders inefficiently on the space program and pay a few actual marketing guys. (The lifer engineers there probably would think that’s an outrage.) It’s true, this thing wasn’t hyped up to the public, but it definately spoiled it for the _reporters_ who then didn’t feel like making a new story out of it. Finding a new supernova actually would have been pretty cool, especially if you say it exploded during the Civil War but was blocked by clouds of dust so thick they’ll blot out the light of a million suns. Except now everyone who’s in a position to report it is like, ‘meh.’ [/QUOTE] To be fair, sometimes they get it right. [Death Star Galaxy](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7148671.stm) anyone? Though that is more the _Chandra_ Press Office rather than the NASA one. I know the people involved with that too ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/174 "2008-05-15T19:10:08Z")
I knew a Chevynova back in the day. She ended up playing a significant role in a move about a planet of apes, then went on to form an informative space documentary series. What?! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575/175 "2008-05-15T19:33:08Z")
[Gary Lockwood] Yeah, she was nova, that one. [/Gary Lockwood] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-set-to-announce-discovery-any-guesses-as-to-what-it-is/448575.md?page=8)