Talk:Runaway star/Archive 1

intersect?

could this type of star intersect our solar sistem? could it be the cause of the human extintion? i guess is pointless to try to predict that since we can't do anything about that

What's the comparison?

The meaning of this pair of sentences is not clear.

"... all of which are moving away from each other at velocities of over 100km/s (for comparison, the Sun moves through the galaxy at about 20km/s faster than the local average)."

In my opinion, it would be more helpful to state the actual velocity of our Sun. That WOULD provide a comparison to the actual velocity of these Runaway Stars.

What is the "local average?" (What does "local" even MEAN in this context?)

I guess another comparison would be to state how much faster than THEIR "local average" the Runaway Stars travel.

The bottom line is, if you're going to make a comparison, the two things you're comparing have to be parallel.

Perhaps an example will more clearly illustrate what I mean. Take this sentence in the wiki article on Antelopes: "Some species of antelope can reach speeds of 60 miles (100 kilometers) per hour." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope) If you were to add to that sentence one which said, "For comparison, our favorite antelope runs 20 mph faster than the average antelope in our neighborhood," that doesn't really help us understand the significance of an antelope running at 60 mph.

Laurie Fox 02:15, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Vela X-1

Wish list: an article on Vela X-1. Suitable source is [1] as per the first external reference of the Runaway star article. If nobody does it before me – i'll do it myself. Rursus 15:11, 25 January 2007 (UTC)