Stellar Water Fountain

ktulu1115 writes "Space.com writes: An aging star that spits water into space could provide astronomers the clues they need to explain the formation of planetary nebulae, the cloudy remnants of a star's death."

Comments

Re:more taxpayer money down the toilet

[ip_vjl]

But aren't there more pressing issues that we should be devoting our resources to?

[snip]

I like science as much as the next guy, provided that it is science that benefits humanity. This masturbatory gee-whiz hobbyist garbage is a shameful waste of precious resources.

Waste of resources? Exactly how much of the public money (of yours) has gone into this project? Seeing as it comes from a research team in Japan, you'd seem to only have a right to complain if you actually pay taxes in Japan.

Isn't the whole point of research - to find knowledge whether or not you have an immediate practical need? Granted, this probably won't directly lead to a cancer cure, but learning about stellar development and lifecycle seems to be relevant since all life on earth depends on our own neighboring star. (not that we'd be able to do anything about it, if we found something wrong, anyway) :)