Sky & Telescope March 1998 [antikvár]

Spectrum littr^Amateurs Have ResponsibilitesJOHNNY HORNEA year has passed since the Heaven's Gate mass suicide. The initial hysteria, hand-wringing, and finger-pointing is past, so I think this is a good time to reflect on that insanity. I'm still depressed that an amateur astronomer indirectly launched that debacle.I've read many accounts of what happened last March. Yet I still don't understand what perversity drove amateur astronomer Chuck Shramek in November 1996 to announce on Art Bell's nationally syndicated talk-radio show that he had found a "Saturn-like object" near Comet Hale-Bopp (ST: March 1997, page 97).Soon, thanks to Internet gobbledygook, this patently bogus object was transmogrified into a UFO that was supposedly dogging the comet. A few months later this UFO became the siren of death for 39 people. Who would have thought that the magnificent light of Hale-Bopp would be dimmed by the actions of fanatical fools?The rules for announcing astronomical discoveries are well defined. The rules for communication are not defined, except for media that choose to hold themselves to a responsible standard. Talk-radio programs and Internet chat groups aren't in that club. And, as the Heaven's Gate tragedy highlights, irresponsible behavior by one person, magnified by unvetted communications and embraced by gullible recipients, can have profound consequences.Because of modern technology and communications, amateur astronomers are experiencing a golden age. Amateurs can look forward to unbridled capability. And, as that capability grows, so does the likelihood of a real and globally newsworthy discovery. So it is incumbent on all of us to follow the rules when announcing a find, big or small.Credibility, like virginity, is something you can lose only once. If amateurs get a reputation for promoting shrill sensationalism rather than for doing solid science, the technological promise of the golden age will fade. That's not to say we should be shy. We simply have to make sure we get it right!What especially saddens me is that the accomplishments of hundreds of first-rate amateur scientists will never get the press coverage that can be grabbed by one rogue or one wacko. And, thanks to Shramek, all of us now carry a heavier burden to explain why we don't believe in UFOs with little green men aboard. Once again our hobby is placed on the defensive, which is always a no-win situation.P.S. David Levy has more to say on page 84.