Wandering star screaming from Milky Way Runaway youngster clocked at more than 1.5 million mph

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Friday, February 11, 2005 | - David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor

[budman_2001]

A lonely young star has been discovered fleeing from the Milky Way galaxy at the most fantastic speeds ever seen, and Harvard astronomers say it is doomed to wander throughout the universe for the rest of its life.

"We've never before seen a star moving fast enough to escape the confines of our galaxy," said astrophysicist Warren Brown, its co-discoverer. "We're tempted to call it the outcast star."

[RadioAstronomer]

Thanks for the ping. :-)

[RadioAstronomer]

through the ether

LOL! Shades of E.E. Doc Smith. :-)

[Semper Paratus]

If that star came near our solar system it would put a serious dent into our way of life.

[MissAmericanPie]

Looks like Kerry trying to outrun his reputation.

[ImaGraftedBranch]

Well, first of all there is no atmosphere, so the tail of the "star" can not be due to friction.

It can only be there out of stupidity.

[Mark17]

Geez, what an awful, awful movie that was.

I am going to take a wag, and guess it was Paint Your Wagon. Am I close, because it really is a guess?

[ScottFromSpokane]

Yep, that's it.

[RightWingAtheist]

There's one shot in the "stargate" sequence of 2001: A Space Odyssey which looks almost identical to that image.

[RightWingAtheist]

Don't forget that it featured Algore's favorite song: "I Sing To The Trees"

[ASA Vet]

Excellent series. I read it again every few years.