[vsnet-chat 767] Re:[ASTR} SN, Novae comet reports

["Jan Hers" <janhers@pixie.co.za>]

Having read the surprising letter of Lew Gramer  on the subject of David
Levy's "The name of the game"  I immediately went back to the February 1998
issue of "Sky and Telescope" and carefully read the article three times.

And I must admit that I  could not find fault with it in any way at all, in
fact I agreed with every word of it.

I did not notice VSNET and  the ISN  having been mentioned at all , and I
certainly did not notice  any evidence of "denigration" ?  Or is this
perhaps just an instance of : "If the cap fits...." ?  And by the way, what
is the meaning of the words "ill-used" in this connection?  Abused, badly
treated??

It surely cannot be denied that some very unfortunate things have happened
precisely  because information was irresponsibly broadcast among people who
knew little if  anything of the issues involved, and did not realise the
importance of the rules of the game.  

It goes without saying that the expertise and dedication of very many
amateur  observers is of the highest order, but "inadvertently failing to
stress the POSSIBLE nature of a discovery" is NOT a simple oversight, it is
a misdemeanour  which should never be condoned.  And as new observers join
our ranks all the time, people with less experience of how things should be
done, this cannot be stressed too often. And  here I am speaking from many
years  sad experience. There have been too many cases of spurious
'discoveries' , yes, even by professional astronomers that in the end I
came to disbelieve anything I was told, until there was solid proof of the
contrary.

I really think that David Levy deserves to receive an apology. 

Jan Hers
Sedgefield, South Africa  (ex Johannesburg Observatory)

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