Astronomists Discover Runaway Star, Lack of Interest

Scientists at Duluth's Institute of Astronomy have discovered something very unique in the world of celestial bodies: a runaway star. The star, RX J0822-4300 began careening through space after a supernova explosion. As astronomist Peter Romero explains, "Basically, this star is racing away from the Milky Way Galaxy at 3 million miles per hour. That speed is truly shocking. The astronomical world hasn't really ever seen anything like this. It's an astonishing discovery."

Dr. Romero set up a town hall style meeting at the Duluth Convention Center on Tuesday to address questions and concerns from the public about the phenomenon. The meeting was not attended. As he was walking back to his laboratory, Dr. Romero stopped several passers-by to educate them about RX J0822-4300 and what it means to the scientific community. Most of these citizens found the discovery to be quite alarming.

Upon hearing Dr. Romero's analysis, one man responded, "Huh. That's interesting," before hurrying into a nearby building. A woman taking a smoke break out on the sidewalk before returning to work commented on the difficulty of finding the singing Hannah Montana doll that her granddaughter asked for for Christmas. Six others walked away from Dr. Romero without acknowledging him in any way.

Dr. Romero hopes that the excitement over this discovery will inspire more children and young adults to study astronomy.