No, the lurid headline above did not appear on the AARP web page, or on a geriatric porn site. It is the banner of a full page advertisement on page 78 of the October, 2017 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine (“The Essential Guide to Astronomy”).

S&T advertising is normally about equipment, software and publications of interest to amateur astronomers, this is something new. Perhaps amateur astronomy (at least in print media) is becoming associated with old farts. Sad.

The ad is classic; extravagant claims, scientific-sounding technobabble, and a barely believable table/chart (“Jaw-Dropping Clinical Proof”) detailing the product’s benefits with excruciating statistical precision. A bulleted list of arousing testimonials from anonymous happy customers is also included, along with a photograph of a trim and attractive boomer couple leering salaciously from underneath their bedcovers.

Is it just me, or is this really, really funny?