[vsnet-chat 2946] re: Outburst visual observations

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

Apropos Lew Cook's letter:

 

When the Johannesburg Observatory was on the point of being closed down, a senior scientist from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (who should have known better) asked us :"Why do you want to keep all these old books and periodicals?  Surely you should only be interested in the latest publications!"

 

We were at pains to explain to him that astronomy was in many respects a historical science and that today's observations are not made in isolation, but form part of a long history stretching back into the mists of time. If we want to make rules and regulations laying down what is important and what unimportant , we do so at  our peril, because the verdict of future history may well be very different.

 

Let us be thankful therefore that there are so many  dedicated observers who  want to do their own thing just of the love of it, untrammeled by regulations and "good advice" from here and there, and who will cheerfully continue to follow apparently "do nothing stars"  - and making  unexpected discoveries as they go along.  Our scientist friend  did probably not agree with that, because soon after that the very fine library was allowed to disintegrate, but there is one basic fact that every observer should remember at all times:

 

That observation - whichever it is - which you  missed last night can NEVER be repeated.

 

Jan Hers,

Sedgefield,

South Africa.

 

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