
A teenager discovered a new planet on the third day of his NASA internship - kerng
https://m.sfgate.com/news/article/A-teenager-discovered-a-new-planet-on-the-third-14966111.php
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jobseeker990
Usually who ever is in charge of the lab gets the credit for any discoveries.
You never hear much about undergrads making discoveries because the
professor's name goes on the paper.

I wonder why this article keeps appearing everywhere. I'm not sure why they're
allowing the student to get the credit. Maybe it's a feel-good-encourage-STEM
piece.

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currymj
I think it would be very unethical for an undergraduate who contributed to a
research effort not to be listed as an author.

normally the professor's name goes last on the paper, and the convention is
well understood that being last author means they functioned in an
advisory/funding role and may not have done much of the actual work.

there's plenty to be cynical about in the world of scientific research but
it's definitely not the norm for professors to claim sole credit for work done
by their students or employees.

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toyg
Most of the stories I’ve heard from people I know who used to be in the sector
(mother, brother, ex-wife, friends...) don’t match your perception. This is in
Europe, but still: credit is hard currency in that world and people can be
pretty cut-throat about it.

~~~
currymj
People can be cutthroat about trying to get their name on papers to which they
contributed little, and they may be reluctant to discuss work too openly with
others lest the discussion be construed as a collaboration which would require
coauthorship. But I think leaving people off the paper who made some
contribution is really frowned upon at least in the US.

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overlordalex
If anyone at home wants to discover new planets (without the need for a NASA
internship) there has been a citizen science project running for several years
[1]. It uses TESS data (I believe Kepler data was used before TESS) and is
essentially the same as what the intern has done

I'm mystified why this story is getting spammed so far and wide? Is this a
recruiting advert?

[1] [https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/nora-dot-
eisner/planet-h...](https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/nora-dot-
eisner/planet-hunters-tess-mobile/classify)

~~~
capableweb
> I'm mystified why this story is getting spammed so far and wide? Is this a
> recruiting advert?

It ticks all the boxes of becoming a viral story:

\- "A teenager discovered a new planet on the third day of his NASA
internship"

\- "Teenager" > relatable to people who share most on social media

\- "discovered a new planet" > woah, aliens/space

\- "the third day of his NASA internship" > Wow, what a accident/savant

~~~
Izkata
Don't forget "teenager discovered" -> special skills not needed / anyone can
do it / "I" could do this too.

~~~
happytoexplain
Can somebody clue me in on the cynical overtones of this thread?

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allovernow
Scientifically illiterate media tends to occasionally treat fairly mundane
work as exceptional when performed by a teenager. Particularly if they're from
an underrepresented group. It's frustrating to read about such exaggerated
accolades.

But laymen eat this shit up.

~~~
happytoexplain
While I follow this explanation and agree with it outside any other context, I
usually find that this position is actually more negative/harmful/self-
gratifying on par than that particular flavor of misleading writing is.

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konschubert
I think that a discovery is made by everybody who enabled the collection and
analysis of the data, not just the person who happens to stumble upon it
during a routine processing of the data.

(Now it may be that I missed it and the intern did something special that
prevented this discovery from being otherwise overlooked. )

(And of course none of this is meant as a jab at research interns, it’s
honest, fun work and a great way to learn!)

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rolltiide
What is the point of this article? I've seen it on a few mediums,
publications, the morning show.

Isn't there a whole set of enthusiasts looking at snapshots of the entire sky
to see if changes or orbital patterns represent planets or other things for
categorization?

It just seems like that is being ignored, and its also an aberration to
elevate this action as interesting.

It has nothing to do with who gets the take credit for it. That's a red
herring to the whole discussion.

It could have just as easily been another headline about "planet found in
habitable range" with a random artist illustration. But honestly, maybe this
way is more effective since the PR engine is going on overdrive. Its just
weird to read.

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dakial1
It seems that the framework used to discover the planet is, in basic terms, to
follow trajectories of what is visible (stars) and identify anomalies that end
up being planets. My doubt is: Couldn't this be made in a massive way using
software? To identify the anomalies and the identify them (as planets or other
things)?

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Koshkin
In the course of his lifetime, every man should plant a tree, have a son,
write a book, discover a planet...

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zihotki
The whole article is described in one sentense, you can save the click.
Discovered, and what?

