The Ghost Planet
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BOOK REVIEWS The Ghost Planet TERENCE HINES In Search of Planet Vulcan: The Ghost in Newton's Clockwork Universe. By Richard Baum and William Sheehan. Plenum Trade, New York. 1997. ISBN 0-306-45567-6. 310 pp. Hardcover, $28.95. he planet Vulcan? Hey, wasn't Adams and LeVerrier that just a made-up planet Gene solved the problem TRoddenberry created for Star almost simultaneously. Trek Not at all, gentle reader. For a ne Ghost in Me.' On September 23, period of many years in die late nine- Clock 1846, German astro- teenth century, some, if not all, of the nomers in Berlin, world's astronomer's believed in the exis- using LeVerrier's pre- tence of a planet Vulcan that orbited die dictions (Adams had Sun inside the orbit of Mercury. Vulcan been somewhat shy about publishing his was actually "observed" quite a few work) discovered Neptune. times through the telescope by both The discovery was hailed, quite professional and amateur astronomers. properly, as a great victory for But, Vulcan never really did exist. It was Newtonian theory. LeVerrier and Adams a theoretical construct created to solve a went on to great fame. The discovery of problem in planetary dynamics that Neptune was, it should be noted, a great never would be solved by die then- embarrassment to astrology, which had standard Newtonian model of planetary 111 c. H A n i never even hinted at the existence of motion. The story, widi its fascinating such a planet. The same was true of die twists and turns, the fleeting and earlier discovery of Uranus and die later ambiguous sightings of Vulcan, and die another planet beyond Uranus, the grav¬ discovery of Pluto. Not to be phased, however, astrologers attributed influ- lengths to which supporters of Vulcan's itational influence of which was causing ences to the planets following their dis- existence went to explain away die lack Uranus to orbit as it did. coveries. Linda Goodman, in her 1968 of evidence make this story of interest to Finding diis hypothetical planet was a Love Signs, stated that planets have no skeptics. huge challenge. In the early 1840s, two astrological effects until discovered by The story actually starts in 1781 with mathematicians, John C. Adams of astronomers! the discovery by William Herschel of England and Urbain Jean Joseph the planet Uranus. It soon became clear LeVerrier of France (shown above on a Impressive as the discovery of to astronomers that Uranus was behav- 1958 French postage stamp—England Neptune was, another challenge to the ing badly—it wasn't moving along die has never so honored Adams), both Newtonian view of the solar system orbit predicted for it by Newtonian started working on the problem inde- remained. Mercury was also orbiting in physics. What could be the matter? Was pendently. It was incredibly complex, for a fashion that was not predicted by Newton wrong? Impossible! If Newton it required taking into account the grav- Newton's laws. It was natural to try the wasn't wrong, then he had to be fight, itational influences of die Moon, die same approach to the problem of and something else had to be causing Sun, and die known planets on the orbit die odd orbit of Uranus—something of Uranus and then using the nature of Terence Hines is in the psychology depart- doing so in obedience to Newton's laws. die unexplained Uranian movement to ment at Pace University Pleasantville, The obvious answer was that there was predict die orbit of the new planet. N.Y. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER January/February 1998 S3 BOOK REVIEWS Mercury's orbit as had been applied so Discovery of Neptune but add substan- feet) when he hears a strange "voice" successfully to the case of Uranus. And tially to die post-1846 events. They speak to him about hidden "dimen- try LeVerrier did. He spent much time include much on the personalities sions." We later learn that diis voice was and effort throughout the test of his (often, but not always, charmingly from another magical teacher, the productive life calculating where die eccentric) of die major players in the Oracle, whom Fwap introduces to our planet Vulcan, interior to Mercury's story and the difficulties of doing astro- intrepid trekker. Seers among Tibetans orbit, should be. He was occasionally nomical observation in, say, the South are sometimes called oracles. Through- buoyed by supposed reports of sightings Seas or American Indian Territory in the out die story, Fwap and the Oracle of Vulcan where die calculations, sort of, late 1800s. It is an exciting and adven- guide their student into new insights said it should be. turous scientific mystery, very well told. and experiences, especially at the LeVerrier died in 1877 and so never Skeptics will be especially interested Oracle's Thunderbolt Monastery hidden knew the solution to die mystery of to note diat while Vulcan was aban- deep in the "Anapurna [sic] Himalayas." Mercury's orbit. It's orbital deviations doned by astronomers by the early They give Lenz a Handbook for were shown by Einstein in 1915 to be twentieth century, astrologers, no doubt Enlightenment, conveniently written in due to relativistic effects of die Sun's stung by being caught out when English. Passages from the handbook are huge mass bending space-time. These Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were dis- interspersed throughout Snowboarding, effects are utterly trivial for planets fur- covered, have refused to give up on shaded in gray for easy reference. The ther away from die Sun. Vulcan. Thus, Goodman, again in her Oracle and Fwap have an uncanny The authors trace die entire story of 1968 Love Signs, assigned astrological resemblance to die shamanic duo of don Vulcan from the time of Herschel to the influence to Vulcan, calling it the "true Genaro and don Juan of die Castaneda resolution of die problem by Einstein. ruler of Virgo" and stating that it "will series in dieir capricious manner of They cover some of the same ground as become visible through telescopes in a teaching. They often laugh at their Grosset did in his wonderful 1962 few years." • befuddled student after playing tricks on him. They also offer premonitions of whom and what the young Lenz will Snow Job in the Himalayas encounter next. And, of course, it all happens as diey predict. JOE SZIMHART Lenz reiterates some of die insights he gained in die first book—he and his Snowboarding to Nirvana. By Frederick Lenz. St. Martin's Press, snowboard are one (p. 15), enlightened 175 Fifth Avenue, New York. 1997. ISBN 0-312-15293-0. 225 pp. $16.95. masters are funny and have brilliant auras (Oracle glows "electric azure blue" hen this book was released, I or may not have actually met. In both on p. 28), and Earth's crowded human- had no idea diat Frederick cases, the mystical masters are fantastic ity has psychically polluted the astral WLenz had contracted with St. alter egos of die authors, who seem to planes, dius making it difficult to medi- Martin's Press to write a series of books delight in fooling some of die people tate (pp. 32 and 214). Meditation is die about his life as a New Age snow- (their devotees) all of the time. key to enlightenment, and Lenz's pecu- boarder. Snowboarding to Nirvana is die Although 1 have read dozens of liar meditation views are spelled out in sequel to die author's first "novel," books in diis genre, it is not something die second chapter of the Handbook: Surfing the Himalayas (1995), in which I do for enlightenment. My job requires meditate twice daily without fail and Lenz fictionalizes a "series of experi- it. Widi diat in mind, you might under- connect with your "Tantric root guru" ences" diat he claims to have had. stand why I chose a trans-Atlantic trip (pp. 85-86)—for Lenz devotees, diat Snowboarding continues where to read Snowboarding and annotate it on means him. The prescribed meditation Surfing left off—die young Lenz contin- empty back pages, as is my habit. I fin- technique is replete with hypnotic ues in Nepal to engage his guru, Master ished this task in four hours or less and inductions that can create suggestible Fwap, who represents a mysterious fell asleep. I may have had a dream diat states in die practitioner. The detailed Tantric Buddhist order. Fwap is a char- all of Lenz's devotees left him out of instructions guide the meditator to visu- acter in the neo-occult tradition of spir- sheer embarrassment after diey read alize (a rose, the ocean, joy) through itual-adventure novels popularized by Snowboarding. If you follow Lenz's logic guided imagery, to breath, to imagine, Carlos Castaneda. Fwap is to Lenz what in his books, dreams can come true. and to use yantras (sacred pictures or don Juan is to Castaneda—a literary cre- In die story, young Lenz is snow ¬boardingobjects) an ad l omantras n e agai. nLen inz suggestNepal s diat e ation who may or may not represent "extreme" heights (14,000 to 19,000 traditional Buddhist mantra, OM [sic] actual shamans whom the author may mani padme hum. The Handbook rescm- 5 4 January/February 1998 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER .