From a Galaxy Very Near You| E-Home Advisor July 25, 2015 - Capell Flooring and Interiors

It’s not very often that scientists admit they drew incorrect conclusions from an experimental result.  But this assumption led to an Olympic-sized wave of speculation that spread around the world.  And it was all dead wrong.


Our story begins in 1998 at the Parkes Observatory in New South Wales, Australia, when a mysterious signal was first identified. 

Fast radio bursts called perytons were sometimes detected by the station’s equipment. These signals appeared to come from all directions, lasted only a short time and did not seem to have any predictable pattern.

For 17 years, the phenomenon continued, giving rise to many theories.  Speculation ran all the way from a new theory of cosmic waves to alien communication.  A typical headline of the time read:  “Mysterious fast radio bursts from outer space:  Astronomers baffled, admit they could be alien in origin.”

Finally in the spring of 2015 PhD student Emily Petroff and her team discovered the truth:  "…tests revealed that a peryton can be generated at 1.4 GHz when a microwave oven door is opened prematurely and the telescope is at an appropriate relative angle."

Turns out the waves were being produced by the microwave oven in the observatory cafeteria, but only when people opened the door while the unit was still running.

So what conclusions can we draw from this story?

1. Don’t make unwarranted assumptions
2. Don’t jump to conclusions
3. Don’t believe everything someone says, even if they’re a scientist
4. Do check your microwave oven for leakage and never open it while it’s running.

Your friend,
               
Matt Capell – Owner Capell Flooring and Interiors

 

"We used Capell Flooring to replace all the carpet in our home as well as refinish our wood floors. Wow, what a great experience we had! Capell Flooring began by helping us find the perfect carpet. They allowed us to browse through their large selection of carpet options and gave us great advice on what would look the best, wear well and make our home look fantastic. Next, they gave us a fair, competitive quote which made us feel like we were getting great value for our money. They arrived as scheduled, did a fantastic job and finished on time! I can't tell you what a difference it made in our home to have all new flooring. The house seemed brand new again! Capell Flooring is wonderful and I would recommend them to anyone!"

Dr. Andrew Baird – Meridian, Idaho