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Steven Hawking is a bit of an overcorrection in the opposite direction toward someone too famous for logical credentials to apply. Simply consider if some or all points were changed in the list:

* The journal it is published in is well known internationally for its astronomy coverage. The paper is freely available in their current online edition <here>.

* The author has understated their credentials. They are not just the described "professor", they are a senior research fellow at X university, and are not simply employed at the mentioned respected company, they actually were instrumental in creating it. They also didn't mention their awards or other involvements.

> The article describes the author as a principal investigator at Observatory 251. This IAU code references the telescope more commonly known as Arecibo, which was the largest such telescope in the world for some 50 years.

* The author is well known for their professional knowledge and research integrity.

* Everything in this story is verified by multiple respected sites.

I agree that there's utility in the list. The journal impact level, the quality and truthfulness of the author's credentials, the character of the author, and the article sources are the important question in this evaluation, not fame.




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