Fingers crossed that he makes a major discovery...
...so that we can have the Boffin Science Prize, the Boffin Space Telescope etc.
A boffin called Boffin and other scientists at the European Southern Observatory say they have spotted an astronomical first: two doomed white dwarf stars that will likely spark a supernova when they collide. The puny pair, in the planetary nebula* Henize 2-428, will crash into each other in about 700 million years, we're told …
"It's an extremely enigmatic system," said team leader Miguel Santander-García. "It will have important repercussions for the study of supernovae Type Ia,"
Well, yes it will. But get back to us in 700 million years and let us know how it went. Hmm.. given the distance from us, make that 700 million + 4000 years. I can sleep better knowing that this isn't a problem for awhile.
What is ths unending fascination the Register has with the term, "boffin?" I just did a search of the site and it pulled up 899 pages containing that word. If this publication is going to to insist on being cutesy all the time, at least they could have the decency to try to broaden its repertoire.
dsuden: "What is this unending fascination the Register has with the term, "boffin?"
It is a recurring in joke shared with the regular readership in a similar style to those which appear in Private Eye
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um... no. Pluto was named for the Roman god of death.
Although, I can see how your mistake was made:
excerpt from citation 3
'In 1930, after Lowell's death, American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh observed Pluto. By tradition, the discovering astronomer of a new space object gets naming rights. But it was an 11-year-old British girl's idea to name the planet Pluto. Venetia Burney told her grandfather that the name fit the new planet because it stayed hidden for so long, and the Roman god Pluto could disappear at will. Venetia's grandfather wrote to Tombaugh and offered the suggestion, and Tombaugh chose it, happy that the name also honors Percival Lowell — the first two letters of "Pluto" are Lowell's initials.'
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So basically you are saying my mistake was to say that Pluto was chosen in honour of Lowell and Tombaugh, whereas your citation 3 - which differs from your citation 2 - says that Tombaugh chose it "happy that the name also honors Percival Lowell".
I can only conclude that your beef with me is that I spell "honor" the British way.
Arnaut, I have no beef with you whatsoever. I was merely providing information to counter what I perceived to be an incorrect statement. Offense was neither intended nor taken.
And I do agree with the assertion in your OP title. Calling Pluto a planet WAS indeed traditional. I, too, dislike the apparent double standard.