[nuconvert]

I thought it looked closer than 434 light-years away.
:~ )

[ProtectOurFreedom]

No wonder I get lost all the time. I’ve been correcting for 434 light-years of parallax, not 323 light-years.

[NonValueAdded]

(clickable)

[ClearCase_guy]

Scientists can change things anytime they want. They learn more, they adjust the theory, they move on. It's no big deal -- this is how science is done.

But if anyone else comes along and asks a question, it's -- "Hey, you moron! This is settled science! This is beyond dispute! Don't tell me what you believe -- I've got facts!"

That is, until they find new facts and have to change the science again. But it's OK. That's how science is done.

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

If it blew up today, would we see it in our lifetime?

[Doomonyou]

Crap. Now I have to readjust my whole life.

[Verginius Rufus]

Just goes to show that sometimes it doesn't pay to cut corners. The Europeans thought that they could save a bit of money by dropping the second H in Hipparchos and calling the satellite Hipparcos, but as a result they got less reliable information.

On the other hand, the fact this comes from a Russian source makes me a bit suspicious. If the light from Polaris is 323 years old, it started on its way here in the year 1689--the first year of the reign of Peter the Great. If Polaris is 434 light-years away, on the other hand, the light started on its way here in 1578, a year when the Russians were defeated by the Swedes.

May be some Russian chauvinism involved.

[hinckley buzzard]

Now there's a difference that makes a difference...

[left that other site]

OMG!!!! WE'RE DOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!

[layman]

According to my calculations it is 347 light years away.

[adorno]

434 downsized to 323?

Hmmm....

This could all be due to deflation, where even our money ain’t worth what it used to be some 10 years ago.

On the positive side, a savings of 30% would mean that, the amount of fuel (and cost) to get to Polaris, would be a lot less.

Also, what else could be the scientists be wrong about? Is it possible that, even the universe is 30% smaller than the current estimates?

[Red Badger]

No wonder the polar ice cap is melting.......