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Mars Meteorites, Comet Satellites, and Multiple Exploded Planets

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Mars Meteorites, Comet Satellites, and Multiple Exploded Planets National Capital Astronomers, Inc. Phone: 301/320-3621 Volume 55, Number 6 ISSN 0898-7548 Mars Meteorites, Comet Satellites, and Multiple Exploded Planets The 1997 February meeting of NCA Comet Hale-Bopp be discovered to Research, to foster research into ideas will be held Saturday, February, at 7:30 have satellites orbiting its nucleus? not otherwise supported solely because PM at the Lipsett Amphitheater in the Hubble photos already suggest this pos- they conflict with mainstream theories ClinicaLCent.eJ--illl!ilding 10) of the sibility. in astronomy. Tom is editor of the Meta atlOnal Institutes of Health (NIH). Turning to Mars, what evidence Research Bulletin, which specializes in Our speaker, Tom Van Flandern, pro- supports and disfavors a Martian origin reporting anomalies and evidence that vided the abstract for his talk. for the meteorites containing possible does not fit with standard theories in the Recent astronomical discoveries microfossils of primitive life, and what field. (See the new Web site at and space missions in progress will have alternative origins exist? The strength <www.metaresearch.org>.) He is also a much to tell us about both favored and of the case for a Martian origin for these Research Associate at the University of alternative hypotheses in the field of meteorites has been exaggerated be- Maryland working on improving the astronomy. For example, the exploded cause alternative possibilities are not yet accuracy of the Global Positioning Sys- planet hypothesis predicted that the Ga- recognized by mainstream astronomy. tem. lileo spacecraft would find satellites of Yet, the exploded planet hypothesis North Atlantic Books is the pub- asteroids, which it did. The recent dis- suggests an origin that fits the data bet- lisher of Tom's 1993 book, Dark Mat- covery, however, of a second asteroid ter, and is easier to reconcile with the ter, Missing Planets and New Comets. belt beyond Neptune and dating evi- dynamic evidence. Moreover, it sug- As with his research papers, the book is dence in the geological record, have gests that intriguing possibility that critical of many standard models in as- forced the realization that more than one Mars itself is a former moon of the tronomy, such as the Oort Cloud, the such planetary explosion event must exploded planet. The Mars Pathfinder Dirty Snowball, and the Big Bang have occurred. What new evidence fa- mission will explore a small area of the theory. Tom has organized an expedi- vors and disfavors the multiple ex- surface of Mars and may help settle tion for 100 people to travel to the ploded planet hypothesis? The Near these matters. The companion space- Galapagos Islands for viewing the Feb- Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission craft, Mars Global Surveyor, should ruary 26, 1998 total solar eclipse. should provide a host of new data bear- provide high resolution photos of the During his career as a professional ing on this. The spacecraft is scheduled entire planet. Among many other goals, research astronomer, Tom has been to fly by asteroid (253) Mathilde on June this spacecraft should be able to settle honored by a prize from the Gravity 27, 1997, then go into orbit around aster- many controversies and other anoma- Research Foundation; served on the oid (433) Eros in January, 1999. The lous features in the Cydonia area of the Council of American Astronomical hypothesis also predicts that comets, red planet. Society's Division on Dynamical As- too, will be found to have satellites or- Tom received his Ph.D. degree in tronomy; taught astronomy at the Uni- biting their nuclei. Comet Shoemaker- Astronomy from Yale University in versity of South Florida and to Navy Levy 9, for example, may not have "bro- 1969. He spent 20 years at the U.S. Department employees; been a consult- ken apart" from a single nucleus, but Naval Observatory, where he became ant to NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab; and rather it may have had its orbiting satel- the Chief of the Celestial Mechanics done several spots for the "Project Uni- lites stripped away by its close passage Branch. In 1991, Tom formed a Wash- verse" series that continues to air occa- to Jupiter in 1992. Will approaching ington, DC based organization, Meta sionally on public TV. 0 Ca{enaar of Montftly T-vents Saturday, February 1, 5:30 PM-Dinner with the Fridays, February 7, 14,21, and 28, 7:30 PM-Tele- speaker and other NCA members at O'Donners Sea- scope making classes at American University, food Restaurant as 8301 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, McKinley Hall Basement. Information: Jerry Schnall, MD. See map and description on back page. 202/362-8872. Saturday, February 1,7:30 PM-NCA meeting, will Fridays, February 7 and 28, 8:30 PM-Open nights feature Tom Van Flandem. His talk will be "Mars with NCA's Celestron-14 telescope at Ridgeview Ob- Meteorites, Comet Satellites, and Multiple Explodes servatory; near Alexandria, Virginia; 6007 Ridgeview Planets." More information on Comet Hale- Bopp will Dri ve (off Franconia Road between Telegraph Road and also be provided. For directions, see map and descrip- Rose Hill Drive). Information: Bob Bolster, 703/960- tion on back page. 9126. Mondays, February 3, 10, 17, and 24, 7:30 PM- See page 8 for more Washington area astronomical Public nights at U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), in events. Other events too numerous to list in Star Dust are Northwest Washington, D.C. (off Massachusetts Av- listed in the publications Sky & Telescope, the Astro- enue). Includes orientation on USNO's mission, nomical Calendar 1996, the Observer's Handbook viewing of operating atomic clocks, and glimpses 1996, in numerous software packages, and other links through the finest optical telescopes in the Washing- available on the NCA Home Page (see above for ad- ton-Baltimore region. Held regardless of cloud cover. dress). NCA members can purchase all these (and much Information: USNO Public Affairs Office, 202/762- more) at a discount. To join NeA, use membership 1438. Home page: http://www.usno.navy.mil. application on page 9. Tuesdays, February 4, 11, 18, and 25, 7:30 PM- During questionable weather, call the IOTA Hotline Telescope making classes at Chevy Chase Commu- (Phone: 3011474-4945) for NCA meeting status. The nity Center, Connecticut Avenue and McKinley absence of a cancellation notice on the Hotline means the Street, NW. Information: Jerry Schnall, 202/362- meeting will take place. 8872. On December 24, 1996,a letter was sent tion about events honoring Carl Sagan The area science fairs are coming up in by Bruce Murray, Vice President of the can be found at the Society's Web site, March and April. NCA gives special Planetary Society, to its members re- http://planetary.org/tps/. Members can awards at these fairs. We need volun- garding Carl Sagan. Memorial services share their thoughts and memories of teers to spend a couple of are planned both at Cornell University Carlon their ongoing ''Tribute to Carl hours on one Saturday (Bailey Hall, Cornell Univeristy Cam- Sagan" page. Suggestions are welcome to judge astronomy pus, Ithica, NY) on February 3 and at the on how the Society might best memori- projects for NCA. If Pasadena Civic Auditorium (300 E. alize him in a significant and lasting people live in Vir- Green Street, Pasadena, CA) on Febru- way. An upcoming issue of The PLan- ginia they should ary 17 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Both etary Report will be devoted to Carl and contact Bob Bolster memorial events will be open to all. his accomplishments. (While writing at 703-960-9126. If Carl's family has suggested that dona- this little peice, I entered the web and they are interested in tions in his name be directed to the Carl went to the site. There are notes and assisting in DC, PG Sagan Memorial Fund, The Planetary even letters from allover the world and county or Mont- Society, 65 N. Catalina Avenue, Pasa- in many languages. It is amazing to gomery county they should contact dena, CA, 91106, or to the The learn just how much of an impact this Jay Miller at 301-530-7942 or Children's Health Fund, 317 E. 64th man had on many people's lives. He [email protected]. Street,New York, NY, 10021. Informa- will be missed greatly. A. J., Ed.) Automated Telescopes: The Talk and the Future Possibilities by Harold A. Williams At our January fourth meeting, in the astronomical researcher and teacher di- could control the telescope to do re- Lipsett auditorium in the Clinical Build- lemma is to team up with an amateur search. Students would include NCA ing of the National Institutes of Health, astronomer whose professional scien- members as well as students at the Saul Adelman spoke to us on "Small tific discipline is other than astronomy. schools who would work through their Automated Telescopes: An Assess- Louis Boyd, a professional Electrical faculty. The telescope would be con- ment." This article will review his talk, Engineer was such a person. He had trolled by software like "The Sky." A and discuss some of the possibilities for already constructed the first fully auto- student would dial into the observatory NCA to become a leading partner in an mated telescope using a personal com- with his modem and computer to control automated telescope venture called puter for his own use. Four colleges the scope and to take data. Fully auto- Washington Astronomical Remote Ob- with their astronomer faculty and sev- mated remote computer controlled servatories for Schools (W AROS). eral amateur astronomers with their cre- domes with telescopes and weather Saul Adelman is currently a profes- ativity and entrepreneurial abilities pro- monitoring systems are already being sor of physics at the Citadel in Charles- duced a 30 inch automated telescope installed by Technical Innovations of ton, South Carolina, where he has been with a photoelectric photometer.
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