[vsnet-chat 4776] Re: 160,000+ measurements of WZ Sge a record?

[Brian Skiff <bas@lowell.edu>]

     Michael wrote:
>> over 160,000 data have been reported in a little more than one month.

     Apart from the sheer volume, the remarkable thing to me is that it
isn't massively redundant:  there is so much activity in the object that
none of this was overkill.

>> I really, really dislike the number of press
>> releases in astronomy these days...
>> and their endless claims of
>> "first" and "best" and "groundbreaking discovery".

     ...when in fact there is nothing first, best, or groundbreaking
involved, such as the embarrassing ESO press release last week about the
large Kuiper belt object, or this week's one about the speed of light
variation.

>> But if it turns out that the entire VSNET team has, say, 
>> beaten the old record...

     I would argue that a press release would be salutary if only as a
counteractive to the "big science" (often non-science) blurbs.  Rather
than claiming some extreme, I would highlight the global-ness of it, and
at least the near-equality of the amateur and professional observers (or even
that the whole has been largely amateur-driven), lots of backyard
telescopes, and the indispensable coordinating role provided by vsnet (and
the seemingly indefatigable Kato-san!).  Add in a few quotes from the
far-flung participants and sent it out!

\Brian

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