Sunday, 15 September 2019

Catastrophe Averted

An item in yesterday's Times should have caused more alarm than it did. Had it been taken at its word there really would be no further point in music, poetry, future relations with the EU or bad horse racing advice.
Rhys Blakely, Science Correspondent, wrote,
The black hole at the centre of our solar system is swallowing up unprecedented volumes of interstellar gas and dust

A black hole at the centre of our solar system would be bad news. For about 400 years we have believed the Sun to be at the centre of the solar system. But, as Rhys goes on to explain, this one is 'about 26000 light years away' so he means 'galaxy', not 'solar system'.

One might have been tempted to send a droll riposte to Letters to the Editor but factual accuracy doesn't seem to matter anymore, neither on earth or on a vaster scale. It looks like it's not over yet and it is worth thinking about today's Irish Leger.