From: "ROGER L. SCHERRER" cydonia@aztec.asu.edu
GIGANTIC OBJECT CONFIRMED FOLLOWING HALE-BOPP.
APPEARS TO BE
SHIP LARGER THAN EARTH.
November 27, 1996. A prominent astronomer, working with a highly credentialed team at a major university observatory, has confirmed that an object four times the size of the earth is following the Hale-Bopp comet. This observation confirms findings made by amateur astronomer Charles Shramek in early November. Radio-telescope findings further indicate that it is emitting radio signals. The signals are of intelligent origin and the object appears to be hollow. Because of its apparent low mass, it is not currently felt that it will seriously disrupt the orbits of planets in our solar system. The comet, and the object, should slowly become visible to the naked eye after December 1, 1996, and by March 15, 1997 will be at their brightest, moving toward the sun at a distance from earth of 122 million miles. (This assumes that course corrections are not made. Such corrections appear to have been made in the past, involving the comet venting gasses.) If they remain on their present course, they will orbit the sun at close range in April of 1997 and then leave the solar system.
Whitley's Comment: If confirmation becomes final, this will be the greatest story in human history. So far, the astronomical data, gathered by highly professional astronomers with state-of-the-art equipment, appears to be undeniable. The object is there, and it is not a natural object. It suggests awesome technological capabilities on the part of its creators. The reason for its presence in our solar system is as unknown as the identity of those creators. This is a time for us not to jump to any conclusions about their nature and identity. Obviously, we are not in any way able to affect their activities. Should they be hostile to us, we must bear their actions. I feel that we ought to take a prayerful, meditative and calm approach to the situation, and hope that mankind can use this remarkable development for our benefit, or even to initiate the beginning of a glorious age of new potentials and opportunities. I will appear along with Courtney Brown and others on the Art Bell Program on Thursday, November 28 to discuss the object. I will particularly discuss how to create an effective system of mass response, using methods developed over ten years of experience with the visitors.
From: Dale Ireland direland@drdale.com To: Barbara Wilson bwilson2@ix.netcom.com
I don't believe Mr. Schramek edited out the SAO star, I believe this is simply a case of his not knowing
Barbara, Mr Schmuck certainly did make digital alterations to his image for the sake of publicity. As proof of his history of such stunts please see http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp_info.html where you will find my diagram of the orbit of the comet. Then go to his home page and you will see that he STOLE this image, erased my name and inserted "copyright 1996 Chuck Shramek" were my name was. His own page is proof of his low-life digital plagiarism. -- Dale Ireland direland@drdale.com
From: "R. Daniel Woolman" danwoolman@EARTHLINK.NET Organization: In Search of. . . Subject: Hale-Bopp For Immediate Release To: UFO-L@MB.PROTREE.COM
For Immediate Release:
The website that performs a complete technical analysis on Hale-Bopp and the Hubble Space Telescope is now complete. Our findings are very dramatic and require immediate attention of the government, the astronomers and scientists, and the media.
We have prepared letters which you can review and mail to the mail distribution list shown on each petition page. We suggest that you view the website then send letters to all three groups mentioned above. This is a most troublesome situation.
The Hale-Bopp / Hubble Space Telescope Website: http://www.in-search-of.com/frames/hale_bopp/hale_bopp.html
The following url's will take you directly to the petitions:
Executive Branch: http://www.in-search-of.com/frames/hale_bopp/executive/executive.html
Media: http://www.in-search-of.com/frames/hale_bopp/media/media.html
Scientists: http://www.in-search-of.com/frames/hale_bopp/scientist/scientist.html
Your friend,
Dan Woolman
- SearchNet's iufo Mailing List
diagram of the orbit of the comet. Then go to his home page and you will see that he STOLE this image, erased my name and inserted "copyright 1996 Chuck Shramek" were my name was. His own page is proof of his low-life digital plagarism. -- Dale Ireland direland@drdale.com
Wow! If this is true, have you taken legal action against him for this? If not, why not? If Shramek is as bad a guy as he's being painted to be in email lists and just about everywhere else, is anyone doing anything to put him out of business? Or are we just crucifying him in cyberspace? Boy, its amazing how much trouble a couple faked and/or erroneous pics can stir up.......
Hi Jiliain, I think that the anger with Mr. Shramek has more to do with his way to respond to criticism (legitimate, scientifically speaking, although with the burden of prejudice to UFOs, Paranormal and New Age stuff, which many scientists tend to equate-and this, without realizing that they are related but distinct fields in which there are scientific matters). I just posted some of the most generous messages I received regarding this matter (I receive between 500 to 600 messages a day).
Francisco
- SearchNet's snetnews Mailing List
Another photo of Hale-Bopp's Companion? On April 20, 1996 H. Fukushima and N. Yamamoto of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan photographed the Hale-Bopp Comet. They used the observatory's 50cm Reflector and a CDD Camera. The photograph shows an anomalous feature on the edge of an "object" next to the "Comet". The photograph shows a funnel emanating from the top of the object and gradually dissipating into space.=20
Is this object the companion to Hale-Bopp? Here is the official explanation from the NAO:=20
"Thank you for your interest in our web site. Yes, we have an anomalous object in 1996 Hale-Bopp photo (at http://www.nao.ac.jp/pio/HB/hb_0420.gif) next to the comet. But it is just the artificial one we often have, where the saturated star caused the electronic trick when the electrons were transferred from the CCD. The direction of the odd plume is perpendicular to the line of transfer, and we are not able to explain the details of the mechanism. However, we can say that it is definitely a star."=20 We have not yet been able to ascertain which star the NAO has identified the object as.=20
- SearchNet's iufo Mailing List
On Mon, 2 Dec 1996, Allen Comstock wrote: Where did this thread come from? Perhaps I have missed something but my archive doesn't contain any posting from Barbara Wilson. It would be very useful if Ireland
I forwarded the messages from UFOR. In UFOR, which I manage, I post messages from participant lists (they can post freely from UFOR subject to copyright and author's wishes), I post from our many members (about half of them scientists, including astronomers- several .gov and .mil addresses- and UFO researchers- many of them with 30 years or more experience, the rest, electronic and printed Media, journalists, writers, other professionals and people from all walks of life interested in the UFO phenomenon-many with a variety of personal experiences). I also forward messages from different newsgroups. the list is article oriented, therefore, for interaction, our members use their favorite lists and newsgroups.
UFOR does not compete with this or any other interactive list, UFOR provide information any one can discuss elsewhere (and provide a nice medium to promote for free, lists, web sites, publications, research works etc.).
I receive around 500-600 messages a day and, regarding this controversy, I posted the most generous.
I'm agnostic on this and my interest is scientific. I had my share of paranormal experiences but I'm not a blind believer. I'm not from the group that "want to believe," I want the truth, whatever is.
======== Newsgroups: alt.alien.research,alt.alien.visitors,alt.conspiracy.area51,alt.paranet.abd uct,alt.paranet.ufo,alt .sci.time- travel,alt.ufo.reports,alt.alien,alt.bermuda.triangle,talk.religion.misc,ta lk.religion.newage
Subject: Hale Bopp ! OOPS ? Well ??
From: Robert Collins rmcoll@market1.com
Date: Mon, 02 Dec 1996 01:59:31 -0500
If you recall, November was FILLED with "stuff" about the Hale-Bopp commet and its associated rumors. Well, here are the latest rumors and seeing how this first one comes from "Art Bell", my first reaction is reader beware, but hey, it's still nothin but folklore till the facts roll in. This is an article from CNI News, a great bi-monthly news letter. For subscriptions contact Michael Lindemann Editor, CNI News
STRIEBER, BROWN SAY HUGE "SHIP" SEEN NEAR HALE-BOPP Brown: Top Astronomer Has Proof, Plans Disclosure Soon Professor Courtney Brown of Emory University, founder of the Farsight Institute and author of the sensational book "Cosmic Voyage," and famed author and professed abductee Whitley Strieber, teamed on Art Bell's syndicated "Coast to Coast" radio program in the early morning hours of Friday, November 29 to announce that a top astronomer associated with a "top-10 university" now has definite proof that a huge object, thought to be a "ship" of extraterrestrial origin, is trailing comet Hale-Bopp.
Two weeks ago, on November 14, Houston-based amateur astronomer Chuck Shramek imaged something while viewing Hale-Bopp with his 10" telescope, then went on the Art Bell show to describe what appeared to be a large "Saturnlike object" close to Hale-Bopp. This set off a firestorm of controversy on the internet, in which Shramek was generally denounced. Crushed by the negative publicity, he soon left Texas and went into seclusion in another state, where he reportedly remains at this time. However, having heard of Shramek's image, Courtney Brown assigned three of the Farsight Institute's remote viewers to examine the situation out at Hale-Bopp. On the basis of their findings, Brown asserted on Bell's show that there was indeed a second, huge object that was apparently under intelligent control. The ensuing huge controversy, which dismayed Shramek, did nothing to dampen Brown's insistence that the mystery second object does exist. Appearing again on the Art Bell program the morning of November 29, Brown went even further. He said that after the first round of viewing sessions nearly two weeks ago, he had quietly gone about seeking hard confirmation of his findings among professional astronomers.
Now, he says, he has received photographs from, and talked "for many hours" with an internationally known astronomer who works at a "top-10 university," who positively confirms that there is an extraordinary second object that appears to be a "ship" under intelligent control.
Brown refuses to give the name of the astronomer or the university, stating that this man is currently deliberating his next steps in consultation with his family and professional colleagues. "This is a free will universe, and this man must make his own decision," Brown stated on the air. Art Bell stated that he had in his possession copies of the photographs, which are described as of such high quality that, if they were posted to the internet, their origin would be easy to determine. Bell said he does not know the name of the astronomer. Whitley Strieber appeared later on the same program to assert his conviction that the photos, along with the astronomer's testimony, did indeed represent evidence of a huge, intelligently guided object running with Hale-Bopp. Strieber spent most of his two hours on the program talking about his own experiences of contact with "the visitors" and how humans might respond and adjust to the imminent certainty of extraterrestrial life visiting the earth.
Brown also stated that a radio astronomer, a colleague of the other astronomer, had discovered evidently intelligent radio signals coming from the Hale-Bopp object. Brown said it should soon be possible to announce the exact frequency on which the signals could be heard, so that others can verify them. Brown stated his belief that the astronomer would call a press conference within one week to announce his findings. He noted, however, that there were bound to be very serious repercussions to such a step, and that the astronomer might decide against it, at least for the moment.
However, if these claims are true, it can't be long before anyone with a reasonably good telescope can confirm that the second object is there. Thus, if it is there, some kind of announcement seems a certainty before long. On the other hand, if it is not there, Courtney Brown and Whitley Strieber, among others, will certainly be denounced. Both they and Art Bell acknowledged that talking about this on the air put them all at risk of grave ridicule, or worse. In the following story, Rebecca Schatte describes the first steps in this ongoing controversy, in which her personal friend Chuck Shramek made and announced his controversial images of Hale-Bopp. Following Schatte's story, CNI News editor Michael Lindemann interviews Farsight Institute representative Prudence Calabrese.
STRANGE HALE-BOPP IMAGES IGNITE HUGE CONTROVERSY Weeks After Amateur Astronomer Chuck Shramek Imaged "Saturn-like Object" Near Hale Bopp, Mystery Continues [Rebecca Schatte, a regular contributor to CNI News, is a close personal friend of Chuck Shramek, the amateur astronomer who produced controversial images of comet Hale-Bopp in mid November. Shramek has been a professional radio broadcaster for some 20 years and involved with astronomy since he was 8 years old. Rebecca was one of the first people Chuck contacted after he took his mysterious pictures. She watched at close range as the controversy erupted into an online firestorm. This is her story of what happened.] by Rebecca Schatte
When I met fellow Houstonian and radio newsman Chuck Shramek last February in Washington DC, he handed me his business card. It had his picture and six simple words: "I was right about the comet." We laughed about that then, but today, it just might not be a laughing matter. On November 14 at 6:10 pm, I received a call from Chuck. As an amateur astronomer, Chuck had been following the comet Hale-Bopp since the beginning. And over the last several months, he has been imaging the comet using his 10-inch Meade telescope and CCD imaging system.
Chuck was excited. He told me he was receiving his first pictures of the comet, and there was something in the image that should not be there. He described it to me, saying it looked like Saturn in that the "object" appeared to have rings. Chuck wanted me to reconfirm that the date was actually November 14 because, according to his computer star atlas, no star or other object should have been in his field of view. "Rebecca, what is it?" he asked me, somewhat apprehensively. I had no idea. And in the last 16 days, I don't know if I have come any closer to knowing. But here is how the story unfolded.
Shramek put the image up on his website (paradise.pplnet.com/shram/comet.htm) and posted a message on the USENET newsgroup sci.astro.amateur, asking "What is it?" He also sent the image to a few friends and to Art Bell, asking the same question. Shramek was immediately invited to appear that night on Bell's syndicated radio program "Coast to Coast."
Neither Bell nor Shramek could anticipate the firestorm of controversy his image, and the radio program, would create. Before the show aired, the image found its way to remote viewer Courtney Brown, who was previously scheduled to be Bell's guest that night [Nov 14-15]. By showtime, Brown had already contacted an unnamed astronomer from a top 10 university, who allegedly confirmed (for Brown, off the record) that there indeed was an anomalous object associated with the comet. This was enough for Brown. He gathered a team of scientific remote viewers to target the object. (For more information on scientific remote viewing and the reports from this team, see www.farsight.org.)
After Shramek made a brief comment on the program that evening about his image, Bell asked Brown to share the "data" from the remote viewers. That information was sensational, to say the least. While not directly validating Shramek's image, Brown's remote viewers claimed that a large, sentient object was in the vicinity of Hale-Bopp and that "it" was somehow trying to communicate with the people of Earth. Both Shramek's unusual image and his appearance on the Art Bell program were tossed into the fire that Brown was stoking. Shramek's original question -- "What is it?" -- got lost in the confusion that followed. Art Bell's listeners began asking questions to astronomers on the Internet. Not just any astronomers, but Alan Hale, who -- along with Thomas Bopp -- discovered the comet on July 23, 1995. Alan Hale and his webmaster Russell Sipe (www.halebopp.com) apparently declined to investigate the story. Instead, they set up a webpage, dubbed the image "SLO" (for Saturnlike Object), and proved to a lot of people that astronomers could use a better "bedside manner."
What was really in Chuck's image? He captured Comet Hale-Bopp as well as two lesser-magnitude stars ( 14 magnitude) and the "object." The object does look like Saturn. It is very bright, brighter than Hale-Bopp (magnitude around 4.5). And curiously enough, in the position where the Saturnlike image is, there should be a star -- even though Chuck's MegaStar Atlas computer software did not show it. (His software, set to reference the General Star Catalog, termed the star in question a "non-star.") In point of fact, a star IS there. That star, however, known as SAO 141894, has a magnitude in only the 8 to 9 range. The magnitudes of stars and other objects in space are a subjective matter. The lower the magnitude number, the brighter the object. With that in mind, why would an 8 to 9-magnitude star appear brighter than the comet?
That, apparently, is not a simple question to answer. If a comet has a magnitude of 4.5, and a star also, the star would appear brighter, probably much brighter. In this image, the comet has a 4.5 magnitude, and the star -- at least hypothetically -- an 8 to 9 magnitude. This star should not appear brighter than the comet.
Could the apparent brightness be caused by diffraction spikes? Maybe. But Shramek took 161 images that evening in a little more than 30 minutes. The images are of different exposure lengths, varying from one to five seconds. The five-second exposure length should make a star or object appear brighter and larger than the one-second exposure. In this case, there is no discernible difference in the images at different exposure lengths.
Some astrophotographers have commented that the diffraction spikes would appear larger and brighter the longer the exposure. Again, this is not the case. Shramek even re-imaged the area a couple of days later (there has only been one clear evening since November 14 in Houston). The star SAO 141894 appears in the image, but it appears just as an 8 to 9-magnitude star should. It brightens and becomes larger with the longer exposure lengths, and no diffraction spikes or rings are noted.
So what did my friend Chuck Shramek image? I don't know. It seems so coincidental that the "object" appears in the identical place that star SAO 141894 should be. But no one has been able to explain why his images appear the way they do. Despite many attempts and lots of erroneous information posted by supposedly professional astronomers, I don't think the mystery has been solved. It has only deepened.
All of this has had quite an effect on Chuck. For one thing, the name calling got very out of hand. Never once did any of the people attempting to discredit the story contact Chuck for information about his scope, the CCD imaging system, or his FOV [field of view]. Lots of conclusions were drawn prematurely. Lots of mistakes were made. The animosity between the varying opinion holders has run deep. Chuck has been criticized for not going through proper channels. He has been criticized for noting anomalies with Hale Bopp. He has been called crazy, and a hoaxer. He has even been accused of posting the image for financial gain. None of this is true. Chuck had a picture. All he wanted to know was, "What is it?"
FARSIGHT REP THINKS MYSTERY ASTRONOMER WILL TALK Foresees Social Chaos, But Says Aliens Intend No Harm Prudence Calabrese appeared on the Art Bell radio program, along with Dr. Courtney Brown and Whitley Strieber, to describe the Farsight Institute's latest evidence concerning an alleged mystery object near comet Hale-Bopp. Prudence has worked with the Farsight Institute since July 1996, when she became the Institute's webmaster. She has completed the Farsight Institute's basic training in remote viewing and is now in advanced training. She has also completed a Ph.D. dissertation in physics and will receive her Ph.D. degree within six months.
However, she prefers not to identify the university she attends. "I don't want this getting back to them at this point -- not until I have my degree in hand," she says. CNI News editor Michael Lindemann interviewed Prudence Calabrese by phone on November 30. The following is transcribed from that conversation:
ML: What is the Farsight Institute's best evidence at this time concerning the possibly anomalous object associated with comet Hale-Bopp?
PC: We have a series of photographs taken by a very well-known astrophysicist, and we've been getting all sorts of other independent confirmation that other observatories have taken photographs as well. [During the radio program, Art Bell and Whitley Strieber both said that they had received copies of five of the alleged photos, said to be of very high quality, showing a companion object with Hale-Bopp. By mutual agreement, these photos are being withheld from circulation on the internet for at least one more week.]
ML: Do you think the mystery astrophysicist will come forward?
PC: I think he will, yes, especially since there seems to be other evidence coming in. That may make him less hesitant.
ML: How would you summarize Farsight's current view of Hale-Bopp, based on the Institute's remote viewers and/or other evidence?
PC: There appears to be a companion object. It is spherical, rounded, larger than the size of the earth, and hollow. It seems to be both natural and artificial -- planet-like, a combination of planet and spaceship-like object. It is emitting light, or energy of some sort, and signals. The astronomer confirmed that they have received transmissions on two occasions from this object.
ML: Have Farsight's remote viewers sensed a sentient presence?
PC: The object itself seems to be sentient in some way. But there is some group of beings involved with this object that apparently have a mission that is directed toward earth, involving some kind of consciousness/awareness raising.
ML: Ed Dames [former Army remote viewer who trained Courtney Brown and heads a remote viewing organization called Psi-Tech] recently announced on the Art Bell show that Psi-Tech remote viewers have perceived a coming event, said to be "of cosmic proportions," that will radically alter the course of human history before the end of this century. To my knowledge, Dames has not associated this event with Hale-Bopp, but he has said that Psi-Tech is so convinced of this coming catastrophe that they have pretty much dropped all other concerns to focus on this alone. On the other hand, in "Cosmic Voyage," Courtney Brown claimed to foresee a gradual decline of conditions on earth, but not a sudden catastrophe in the near term. With this new information coming from Hale-Bopp, what do Brown and Farsight now think about the prospect of a sudden catastrophe?
PC: We're convinced that some kind of major event will happen, at least within the next four years. The feeling is it will happen much sooner than that. We don't know exactly what this event is going to entail, or whether it will involve some kind of catastrophe. We're feeling that any catastrophe that happens will most likely be of social origin and that it is unnecessary as well -- that there possibly could be ways that a catastrophe could be averted, as far as riots or things like that are concerned. We have a strong sense that whatever this alien presence is, that it will do no harm whatsoever, and that it is being extremely careful not to do harm.
ML: What would you say are the immediate needed steps to prepare the public, especially in the absence of appropriate leadership from the government?
PC: At this stage it is important for everyone to be aware that there are other groups of beings out there, other than us, so that that in itself will not be a major shock. We also need to start looking at raising our general awareness and our consciousness level, because that's the only way that contact will be effective. These beings think on much different levels than we do. We know from our remote viewing data that they don't think linearly like we do. They seem to think in "thought balls," all at once. (That's a term we use a lot. I don't know if we coined it or not.) We feel it's important for the human race to become more concerned with meditation, looking inward, not so much reaching out in fear. We think the human race will get through this event just fine. There may be some initial problems, but things will settle down and people will become accustomed, because humans in general adapt very quickly to all sorts of change.
ML: How soon do you think we'll have undeniable evidence concerning Hale-Bopp?
PC: I'm hoping that this astronomer comes forward this week. He gave the indication that he would come forward this week. But rumor in the astronomical community has it that if he doesn't, there will be others who will probably come forward within the next weeks, if not this week. Apparently there are so many different telescopes and radio telescopes focused on Hale-Bopp right now, everyone is trying to corroborate this evidence. I'm sure something will happen soon. We at the Farsight Institute are following up as many leads as we get, and any information we get we're posting immediately on our web site. [www.farsight.org]
-- SearchNet's snetnews Mailing List
Hello everyone,
In Search Of. . . has reveived numerous reposnes from the astronomical and scientific community in the last 2 days. All of the statemnets thus far received deny, wholeheartedly, our request for additional information. The folliwng letter was received yeterday. In Search Of suugests that the writer of the following post did not review our site for information or analysis. The responses provided are considered by In Search Of as the standard "government line of double-talk."
In Search Of. . . has been called "moronic", "idiotic", "a blatant lyer", by the astronomers and scientists. In Search Of. . . will not enter into any type of name calling our denegration of these people who work so verry hard attemting to better understand the universe. We have received numerous "demands" frnm the astronomical and scientific community to cease our petition drive. We feel this petition drive to free additional NASA/JPL documents to be soiund and in the best interest of the public.
We feel that we should take a moment and add some additional food for thought in regards to the following post.
-------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bert and Janet Stevens[SMTP:73357.1572@CompuServe.COM] Sent: Monday, December 02, 1996 10:06 PM To: Judy Ahrend Subject: In Search Of ... Hale-Bopp
Dear Judy Ahrend:
This message acknowledges receipt of your e-mail from the "In Search of" website urging you to help obtain the release of information on Comet Hale-Bopp. However, all the "mystery facts" that have been stated are incorrect or no mystery.
========================== In Search Of. . . response
We believe that our report at url: http://www.in-search-of.com/frames/hale_bopp/hale_bopp.html
was not reviewed by anyone responding to our petition. A brief review of the 45 pages of data and figures (17) instantly define numerous inonsistencies of data, lack of data, or misleading statements as provided by NASA/JPL. There remains mysteries in reference to comet Hale-Bopp.
************************************************** In Search of says: Assuming that Hale-Bopp was discovered at 20 months from perihelion by Hale and Bopp, that early a siting of a "normal" comet, in and of itself, would be very unusual. It is rare for comets to be found 3 or 4 months out. Kohoutek blew minds in 1973 because it was found 7 months out. Its discovery set a record for early discovery. Astronomers still cannot explain why Hale-Bopp, at its current NASA/JPL size estimate of 25 kilometers, was even visible that far out -- well beyond Jupiter.
Reality: The Comet H-B is a "new" Comet, and hence has volatiles on the surface that would evaporate at very low temperatures, making the Comet visible far out in the Solar System, No surprise here and easily explained (Kohoutek was also a new comet). Most comets have periodic orbits, such as Comet Halley, and have visited the Sun many times before; thus they have fewer exterior volatiles, having burnt off in prior passages. I suppose this is what is meant by "normal" comets.
========================== In Search Of. . . response
This is the first time I am aware that comet Hale-Bopp has been defined as a "new" comet. There is no mention of comet Hale-Bopp being "new." Does this assume that the comet has never been in orbit prior to this sighting? Does this mean that the comet can demonstrate an anomolous tendency as it might and be categorized as "new" thereby neglecting the need for intense study?
As stated in the report, "This comet has now been identified on a photograph taken with the United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring, Australia, on 1993 April 27, thus its orbit is now accurately known. I believe that this information may have been misconstrued into the above question."
Further wew state, " There have been reports that this comet is very large. Actually, the heart of the comet, the nucleus, is obscured by the dust and gas that forms the head of the comet. Nobody knows how large the nucleus is. We can't see it! The nuclei of comets range in size from a few miles (kilometers) or smaller to over 100 miles (~160 kilometers) in diameter.
It is obvious that the size estimate as shown in Figure 11. Comet Hale-Bopp Analysis is totally incorrect. This can be seen simply by looking at the figure. The 12,000 diameter comes from measuring the full cross coronal cross section. It might be true that at 7 AU the total coronal area is 12,000. Finally the other sizes are based upon the plasma discharge area as shown on the plate. Again, this is not the nucleus the visible discharge area.
What is quite troubesome however is the imaging of Hale-Bopp"s eyes which were first photographed in October 1995. It mut be assumed that the comet may have split in to two or more parts. There is simply no evidence to assume otherwise. This phenomena could also account for the gravitational changes effecting trajectory. There is an aberation in the structure of the comet. And I have no idea what it is."
************************************************* In Search of says: There is a body of information indicating that Hale-Bopp comet was actually spotted by ground based telescopes in 1992, well beyond the orbit of Jupiter. This raises even deeper questions regarding its size.
Reality: Once an object is discovered, it is often found on older deep space photographs as just another anonymous star -- until you know it is really a comet and not a star.
========================== In Search Of. . . response Again we will restate what was said above,
"This comet has now been identified on a photograph taken with the United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring, Australia, on 1993 April 27, thus its orbit is now accurately known. I believe that this information may have been misconstrued into the above question."
It should be notes that many ground0-baed telescopes can reslove a star down to a magnitude of -20. In 1992 the mmagnitude of Hale-Bopp was a magnitude -13 (approximately.) Additional photographic has also found comert Hale-Bopp as early as 1992.
We believe one of two events may have ocurred,
1. All of the professional astronomers of the world missed a new "star" as it was found, or;
2. Proper information has not been provided to the public.
************************************************ In Search of says: There are indications that NASA/JPL has been aware of Hale-Bopp for four years. The "discovery" of Hale-Bopp by Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp was merely the point in time when the discovery was made public.
Reality: NASA has not been aware of H-B for four years. This is just not true. (See previous response.)
========================== In Search Of. . . response Again we will restate what was said above,
See above for a response.
*********************************************** In Search of says: The comet has consistently demonstrated its ability to "change course frequently." Although comets do make slight course changes due to off gassing, some of these mid-course corrections, for lack of a better term, are quite significant. Dr. Don Yeomans of JPL has calculated 45 ephemeris. The frequency and amount of adjustments that are indicated are simply not within normal scale
Reality: The Comet is where it was predicted to be by normal orbital mechanics. It has not "changed course" in any significant way. It is normal to refine the orbit as more observations become available. This just adds more digits of precision to the orbit elements, not making any significant change to them. The natural gasses jetting out of the comet make exceedingly slight changes in the orbit. These forces are called "non-gravitational". Every comet has these slight orbital changes.
========================== In Search Of. . . response
Quoting from our report,
"I believe the argument made by Mr. French earlier on this page accounts for the orbital shifts experienced by the comet. However, I do believe that other factors are at work dynamically altering its trajectory. And these other factors are unknown or the information has not been provided.
Even Brian Marsden of Harvard concedes there must be "non-gravitational" forces at work to alter HB's orbit. There have been enough observations of HB by now to calculate within feet where it will wind up, but something else is moving it. The last orbital update put it about 13 hundred miles closer to the sun than the previous calculations two months earlier. Not significant when compared to the diameter of the sun at nearly 1 million miles, but too much of a change to dismiss to any errors in calculations or observation."
Many mysteries concerning Hale-Bopp trajectory remains unsolved.
*********************************************** In Search of says: In response to recent requests for Hubble photos of Hale-Bopp, NASA/JPL said that no pictures or reports were available because Hale-Bopp was too near the sun for Hubble to be used. This is simply false to fact (re: clap-trap) on both the technical issue of using Hubble, and that pictures were taken.
Reality: NASA will not risk damaging the Hubble by pointing it too near the Sun. This has been part of their rules since the planning stages for Hubble in the late 1970's. This is why there are no new images. NASA agreements with individual researchers gives them exclusive right to use Hubble data for 1 year before it becomes public knowledge. This is the carrot that NASA used to keep many good astronomers during the building and launch of Hubble, when these astronomers could have been enhancing their careers by working at other observatories and pulishing papers that are the life-blood of the professional scientist.
========================== In Search Of. . . response
Images have ben taken of comet Hale-Bopp as late as October 16, 1996 and have not been released to the public. Numeorus other pphotos from other NASA/JPL ground based telescopes have been taken of comwet Hale-Bopp. These images are simply not available.
All of this information is contained within the body of the report.
*********************************************** In Search of says: Although amateurs can not determine any gravitational effects of Hale-Bopp, our scientific community can. And, here again, nothing has been made available
Reality: Hale-Bopp does not cause any gravitational effects because it does not have enough mass to do so. It is only 15 mile (25 km) or less in diameter, not anywhere near enough to change the orbits of anything else in our Solar System.
========================== In Search Of. . . response
We will again restate a statement from above,
"Even Brian Marsden of Harvard concedes there must be "non-gravitational" forces at work to alter HB's orbit. There have been enough observations of HB by now to calculate within feet where it will wind up, but something else is moving it. The last orbital update put it about 13 hundred miles closer to the sun than the previous calculations two months earlier. Not significant when compared to the diameter of the sun at nearly 1 million miles, but too much of a change to dismiss to any errors in calculations or observation."
************************************************** In Search of says: Hale-Bopp has a companion. As examples, they display images of the Comet with "eyes" , a "saturn-like object" and an object with a funnel.
Reality: The "eyes" of Comet H-B is the result of overprocessing of an image with a computer. The other two objects are the result of imaging the Comet with a bright star near the Comet. From the "saturn-like object" the star is SAO 141894, for the Janapese image, the star is SAO 162944. All these images were taken with "CCD" cameras rather than with film. These devices greatly improve our ability to take pictures of faint objects, but they work somewhat different than photographic film. The "funnel" is a result of how these cameras work, and happens quite often with a fuzzy object like a comet tail with a bright star in it. The "saturn-like object" is the result of distortion in the optics of the telescope. This happens quite often with brighter stars and are generally ignored. There is no object near Comet Hale-Bopp.
========================== In Search Of. . . response
All of the images thus far taken have been explained by NASA/JPL. In all cases, images, where aberations are recorded, the telescopes CCD develops an "aberation." Whenever a clean piture of comet Hale-Bopp is taken no CCD artifacts appear. It is suggested that the CCD artifact is a common occurance when the unexpalined is photographed. However, in addition the report states,
"While Hubble and major observatories are not revealing recent pictures some astronomers in New Mexico took these shots on the evening of July 23, 1996 (exactly 1 year to the day after Mr. Hale and Mr. Bopp discovered the comet.) They reveal that Hale-Bopp's nucleus apparently divided! Theories that this could have been a background star or a flaw in their imager have been rejected. To see more of this and read the story go to:
http://www.halebopp.com/z05eyes.htm "
***********************************************
While I am sure that you are sincere about your concerns, the WWW page which you are reading is completely wrong in the information that it has provided.
The Astronomical League is a federation of amateur astronomy clubs and individuals from across the United States. We have no connection to NASA or any other government agency and certainly have no influence on them. If you want more information about the Astronomical League, please visit our website at www.mcs.net/~bstevens/al/index.html.
Clear skies!
Janet Stevens Executive Secretary Astronomical League
========================== In Search Of. . . response
The data provises by In Search Of. . . is only that information as created by NASA/JPL and other recognized and professional astronomy organizations. Our data is correct (if our data is incorrect then NASA/JPL has provided incorrect information).
In Search Of stands fully behind our report and will debate the issue with anyone who is willing to debate facts and not personalities.
Again I want to extend my sympathy to Mr. Chuck Shramek who was an unforntunate victim of honest astronomy. It may be that his photograph does contain an artifact. It was totally reprehensible that Mr Alan Hale chastised Mr. Shramek for his efforts and work. I personally would be ashamed had I attacked in such a manner.
If you have not reviewed and signed our petition I urge you to do so today. In Search Of. . . maintains its belief that the public has been mislead.
Personal regards,
Dr. Dan Woolman, Ph.D.
============================ Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 01:40:53 -0500 (EST) From: Francisco Lopez d005734c@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us Subject: Reaction to the Lick Observatory message from Joshua Chase X-Status:
From: Steve Jolly sjolly@avana.net
Josh, I don't mean to call you a liar, so either you got a wrong number, or drastically misunderstood something!
I have a close friend who's on the staff at Lick, and he says exactly the opposite: yes, Lick and its astronomers are aware of the "reports" (from Shramek and other inexperienced amateurs), and there are interesting unexplained phenomenae--_minor_ ones--about Hale-Bopp, just as there are about _any_ major comet or astronomical object that's studied closely (look back at the "progress reports" of other major recent comets, such a Halley's in the mid-1980's, and you'll see lots of similar "unexplained" events, but no panic, and _no_ spaceships!).
But--and a big, big "but"!--there are no mysterious "intelligent" radio signals, and the photo of Hale-Bopp's "eyes" is interesting but not unexplainable (the burst of light faded away almost immediately, and there are plenty of precedents for sudden outbursts of gas from extra-big comets coming in after a long, long time in cold space).
He also says, in particular, there is _no_ evidence of a mysterious companion object. All this from the same Lick observatory--but from a real astronomer, one who has a strong private interest in Hale-Bopp and is following its progress closely. Nobody there, or anywhere else, is hiding anything.
Sorry! Still very interesting, but in normal, real-world terms.
But _stay_ interested in it, and when it turns out that Hale-Bopp isn't filled with funny little aliens, stay interested in _astronomy_--there's plenty of wonderful stuff out there, capable of filling your life with fascination, without your getting caught up in all of this bull-plop (and the real stuff will _keep_ you interested and last you for a lifetime!). This may all sound boring, but it's the real world, which can be very interesting if you take some time to look at it...
(Ooops! There I go, getting sucked into making a serious comment on all of this silliness, again, but this guy seemed kind of rational, in a misguided sort of way...)
------------
As per the ongoing situation, I called the Lick Observatory (atop Mt. Hamilton down near San Jose) and spoke to one of the people in charge, who returned my call after an afternoon of repeatedly calling and leaving my number. She (the woman's name was Wendy) informed me that the 'phone lines were literally exploding with requests for info or possible explanations for the anomalous photos & alleged radio signals.
When asked to confirm or deny the existence of the "companion", she stated that, yes, she had received confirmation of such existence from others within the Observatory staff (as well as scientists at other astronomical facilities in the U.S., which she declined to name just yet), but she added that the discovery is so new and so unprecedentally strange that any hypothesis as to the origins of purpose of the object is purely speculative at this time.
She also seemed to want to confirm the report of organized, seemingly intelligent radio signals emanating from the anomaly, but reserved comment, not wanting to wholeheartedly confirm or deny until she saw raw data for herself... she stated that no signals had been recorded by Lick, but also that the Observatory is not really equiped to be a S.E.T.I. station anyway.
Joshua M. Chase San Francisco, CA
============================ Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 01:35:06 -0500 (EST) From: Francisco Lopez d005734c@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us Subject: Writer: Lick Observatory confirms anomalous object? X-Status:
From: west@sonic.net (Wes Thomas)
On the Art Bell Web site ( http://www.artbell.com/art/halebopp.html), Joshua M. Chase of San Francisco says he spoke with a Lick Observatory spokesperson named Wendy who "had received confirmation of such existence [of an anomalous object near the Hale-Bopp comet] from others within the Observatory staff (as well as scientists at other astronomical facilities in the U.S., which she declined to name just yet)..."
Could someone from Lick Observatory please confirm or deny this (publicly if possible) and email me your phone number for an interview?
Thanks, Wes Thomas, writer west@sonic.net
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From: west@sonic.net (Wes Thomas)
On the Art Bell Web site ( http://www.artbell.com/art/halebopp.html), Joshua M. Chase of San Francisco says he spoke with a Lick Observatory spokesperson named Wendy who "had received confirmation of such existence [of an anomalous object near the Hale-Bopp comet] from others within the Observatory staff (as well as scientists at other astronomical facilities in the U.S., which she declined to name just yet)..."
Could someone from Lick Observatory please confirm or deny this (publicly if possible) and email me your phone number for an interview?
Thanks, Wes Thomas, writer west@sonic.net
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NEWS of COMET HALE-BOPP
Many people have written asking for information about the rumored companion to comet Hale-Bopp. As far as we know, the comet is alone in its orbit.
Observations at Lick Observatory over the last two months show a bright but otherwise ordinary comet. Hale-Bopp is fairly rich in dust, and is now close enough to the Sun so that its spectrum shows signatures of water ice evaporating from its surface.
Contrary to another rumor, none of the astronomers at Lick Observatory is named Wendy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Got this through the grapevine :))
Big Bopper Fans:
I forwarded Lan's comments about the Japanese H-B photos to Rebecca Schatte (figuered he wouldn't mind:) and thought you might be interested in her reply.
Lan: I notice that the "funnel" in the Japanese photograph is exactly aligned with the vertical axis of the image, so this funnel, I'm afraid, is nothing but an artifact of the camera or telescope optics. The "companion" object is probably just a bright star. I'm fairly confident that's what the Japanese astronomers who took the photo would say if asked."
Rebecca: Hey, that's just about EXACTLY (don't know how something could be just about exactly, but it sounds good! G ) what the Japanese astronomer Wantanbe Junichi said. (I'm sure I misspelled his/her name). I checked an astronomy program one day this weekend to find out if a star was visible in the vicinity of HB on April 20, 1996 in Japan, and sure enough there was one. I think the offending star was SAO 1662232 (or something like that G ).
OTOH, I have something else to report that I wouldn't post on the boards. One of my closest friends here in L.A., Andy Romano, is in the advertising business, and has been an amateur astronomer all his life. He has designed many ads for Louis Friedman and the Planetary Society located here in Pasadena, and he knows people inside mainstream astronomy circles. [BTW, this a different Andy
from the one I shared the CE with]. Romano is in his mid-50's, conservative and is always the first to tell moi I'm too far out. Can you imagine that??? He wrote me 2 disquieting e-mails over the past couple of days about H-B. Andy says that more than one professional source had confirmed to him there IS a second object that has been appearing & disappearing and seems to be under intelligent control--AND the major astronomical community is all too aware of it. He wrote in one of his e-mails:
Andy: There is something traveling along with H-B, and it is not on a natural trajectory. It is VERY large but has very little mass, which suggests it is probably hollow (similar to Mars' satellite Phobos). It is not a star which is being misread.
After reading his e-mails, I called him on the phone today and he re-confirmed all this, saying the object has been travelling close to the comet most of the time, hidden in the tail (perhaps the "eye" seen in the 10/95 HST shot). It's apparently been visible periodically, and he says that all major world leaders are conferring in secret right now, being briefed on developments with the comet + its companion, and are trying to figure out what the hell to do. Hope I'm not being too alarmist, and I am sincerely not rumor-mongering here, guys. If Romano were not one of my closest Brothers, I wouldn't be passing this along, and wouldn't even take it seriously myself. Maybe we should just keep it "classified" between us LoonBros for right now and see what develops. Thanks for your attention.
Regards, Mark
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Notice how they are spinning the story and yet leaving themselves room to change their position in the future. The idea right now is to ridicule the messenger, Shramek, by quoting from so-called "authority" figures. Their need to do that makes the article suspicious, why write about it at all if all you are doing is denying someone else's story? But the real thing to note is that they are not showing any newer and better pictures. They are not supplying any factual or photographic evidence to discount shramek and there are no references to any new material to support the attacks on Shramek by Hale and Sipe. This way NBC slows down the Hale-Bopp story and by writing now, they can say in the future they were on the story from the beginning, even though they waited over a week to cover it. As the story changes, they can change their position as necessary to accomodate the reality and still try to keep some credibility. This article is not about the facts. The article attacks Shramek by first using the unsupported opinions of Hale and Sipe, taken from Sipe's HaleBopp web page. Then, depending on old photos and data derived months before Shramek's work we are told what is real, that the comet is ordinary. Other spin control establishment articles have quoted Hale as stating that he knows there is nothing strange about the comet because he observes it every night. So where are his new photos? Materials from the best observatories are still five months out-of-date. Is it just a coincidence that five months ago the radio signals are said to have first been noticed?
By the way, Sipe's missing star is of much less magnitude than the Hale-Bopp companion in Shramek's CCD photo and is either completely obstructed by the companion or may be contributing the the Saturn ring effect. We need to see photos from other observers during the same time period. What's being observed right now? What are the chances of the public being allowed to see the Hale-Bopp ultra violet observations from the current shuttle mission?
Allen Comstock
----------------------------------------
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Forwarded from sci.astro Newsgroup by Kent
Email received from The Royal Greenwich Observatory, Greenwich, UK
Date: Tues, 3 Dec 1996 09:21:57 -0000 (GMT) From: (deleted@ast.cam.ac.uk) To: Joe LeSesne (raver187@m-net.arbornet.edu) Subject: Hale-Bopp anomalies
Hello Mr. LeSesne, Concerning your question about observed anomalies in the same field of view of C/1995-01 (Hale-Bopp) be advised that while I have no firsthand observations or data I have seen data from two teams involved in both astrometry as well as radial-velocity. The anomalie apparently does exist however I cannot say how large or how close to the comet it actually is. The data I saw was preliminary and the team, while excited about their discovery, is following careful procedure in reducing their data. Some tidbits must have leaked out already, no doubt this is what has caused the stir on "The Art Bell Show". Sorry that's all I can tell you about it.
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All,
Whitley Strieber who was one of the guests along with Courtney Brown on Art Bell last week when the Hale-Bopp 'companion' announcement was made regarding the famous astronomer who was(is) going to come forward with his data on the object in a press conference supposedly this week.
Unless it occured today (haven't heard anything about it yet) the press conference has yet to take place. Whitley is going to be on with Art tonight (Fri/Sat) to update us on what he knows.
Last night Art (who along with Strieber and Brown has 5 copies of the astronomer's photos showing the object) said that if the astronomer doesn't come forward this weekend some time that he would publish the photos in his possession on his website and release what other info he has concerning this astronomer. Bell, Strieber, and Brown had promised the astronomer anonymity for about a week in order for him to get his stuff all together so he could present his own data himself at a press conference. The week or so has passed and Bell for his part intends to go forward with his own release if the press conference does not occur.
Bill
======== ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 3 Dec 1996 12:51:47 -0700 From: sara_joy@mail.eye-q.com Subject: First Contact/Hale-Bopp
Hi Everyone,
I'm not sure if many of you are aware of the controversy surrounding the "Hale-Bopp" comet at the moment, but if not, then please read on...
Last Thursday, an announcement was made on Art Bell's radio program that the earth had made "first contact" with intelligent extra-terrestrial life within the vicinty of Hale-Bopp.
I am not an expert on the comet, having only listened to a few broadcasts relating to it on Art Bell's program which broadcasts nightly at 11pm on KABC AM. This is an informal summary of what I have heard so far. (If you want more precise information, please consult the website listed below and listen to the program.)
It seems that the comet known as Hale-Bopp is travelling towards the Earth and will pass at the closest point of 153 million miles next April. Since last July, astronomers have observed a number of anomalies relating to Hale-Bopp, including an object which is larger than the comet itself, hidden behind it. Subsequent photos have revealed that the object appears to be moving about the comet, although not in an orbit. The object is larger than Earth, with some estimates sugeesting it may be in excess of two or three times the size of this planet. Scientist have ruled out any chance that this is a star or another comit, because of its movement patterns.
Over the past few months, Art Bell has spoken with a number of authorites on the comet, including NASA personel, Professors of Astronomy, Astro-physicists and so on. Many of these specialists are practising academics and are considered to be experts in their field. Given their positions within the scientific community, many of them have high level access to ongoing research on Hale-Bopp.
Last Thursday night, Art Bell announced he had recently come into possession of photos of the comet which vastly exceed the clarity of those previously available. It seems these photos were taken by one of the nations most respected Professors of Astronomy with a sonar telescope located at one of the top universities here. Unfortunately, only a few people in the country have access to this technology and given the startling images these photos contain, the Professor in question is reluctant to hold go public until he is able to fully substantiate the images. He is currently emabarking on additional research, in cooperation with some of the top astronomers and scientists from throughout the world.
It is believed that the anomaly contained in the photographs have been observed globally and is not a secret in the scientific community. In fact, it is creating quite a controversy. If you want to check out some of the photos already available of Hale-Bopp and the anomoly, they are crosslinked to Art Bell's website at http:\\www.artbell.com
In addition to the photos, it was also announced last Thursday that experts had received an intelligent radio signal from the object following Hale-Bopp. Although Art Bell had not seen or heard the transmission, interviewees on the program claimed that experts are working around the clock trying to decipher it. However, given the complexity of the signal, it is believed that it will very difficult to achieve this. Those studying it have ruled out any question that the signal was the result of cosmic static from the comet or any surrounding stars due to the highly sophisticated nature of the radio patterns.
In addition to the scientific data which is now becoming available, "remote viewers" from the Far Sight Institute (I am not sure of the precise name) have conducted a series of studies on Hale-Bopp. Remote viewers are scientifically trained to do readings on objects, geographic locations etc. and were used extensively by the U.S. Government and the Military in initiatives such as the Gulf War to detect and track enemy warfare. It is claimed by sources within and from outside the Government that this technique is 97% accurate. Basically, the way that the viewers work is by being given an unknown topic to focus on within a group. The topic is written on a piece of paper and given to another person, who does not know what is it either. The group then conducts their reading.
Anyway, the Institute's readings on Hale-Bopp came up with some interesting results. Remote viewers claimed there was a large hollow object (larger than the Earth) following Hale-Bopp's trajectory towards Earth. They also claim the object contains intelligent extra-terrestrial life which is heading towards this planet with the intent to initiate first contact. Apparently the life form has been attempting to make contact with Earth for a long time, and while benign in nature, they have become impatient with authorities here who have contained their efforts to adapt humans to the reality of inter-planetry life. Viewers also believe there is a sense of some urgency with regard to this visit which pertains to our invitation to join some kind of inter-galactic community.
This is all the information I have about Hale-Bopp to date. I offer to you only as speculation, but urge you to check it out.
Cheers Sara Joy Finlayson
Eye Q Music Inc. * 8756 Holloway Drive * West Hollywood * CA 90069 * USA Tel:310.657.7241 * Fax:310.657.1019 * World Wide Web:http://www.eye-q.com/
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From: "David W. Knisely" dk84538@navix.net
To answer the question about re-imaging the SLO area, I don't have access to CCD equipment at the present time, but after the first Art Bell radio show (it was cloudy here that week), I did go back two weeks later and observe the area where Hale-Bopp was at the time Shramek took his image with my 10" Newtonian.
The stars shown on his image were all there in the correct position, and so was SAO 141894 (Shramek's SLO). The field matched his image. According to Brian Skiff of Lowell Observatory, the "SLO" star is a red one (M1 giant probably) about magnitude 8.4, and thus would have been slightly brighter than the nuclear condensation of Hale-Bopp (but not the comet itself).
Mr. Shramek made a mistake. There was no moving object following Hale-Bopp.
David W. Knisely, KA0CZC email: dk84538@navix.net Prairie Astronomy Club, Inc. http://www.infoanalytic.com/pac/
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Hi all, It's hard not to notice the haggle over Hale-Bopp reaching epidemic proportions, with different factions clawing at each other's throats. The following article is the clearest summary of the situation I have read so far, and leaves me personally in no doubt that there IS an anomalous object associated with the comet, NOT a star, and that there is a well-orchestrated cover-up in progress to obscure the facts. I leave you to judge for yourselves.
Warm regards,
Ash
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE HALE-BOPP ENIGMA ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The essence of this issue is not "alien invasion" conspiracy theories or "end of the world" millenial hysteria. The core of the Hale-Bopp Comet Enigma is the unwillingness of the scientific community to entertain any notion outside of a pathetically narrow scope, and one which is established on a foundation of egocentric self-interest. When science is no longer in the hands of true explorers, it's time to consider alternative sources of information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- {image}
Hale-Bopp, a large comet (estimated to be between 40 and 100 kilometers wide) was discovered on July 23, 1995. Found at over 21 months out (666 million miles from the sun) a distance record for comet discovery, Hale-Bopp with its 2,364 year elipitcal orbital path will be closest to the earth in March of 1997. Normally a comet cannot be detected until it is only a few months out, when a comet approaches the sun and its "corona" flares dramatically, thus making it more visible. What makes Hale-Bopp so unique is, despite its incredible distance from the sun, it has flared to gargantuan proportions, even displaying a remarkable seven jets of gas in its corona and tail. Hale-Bopp has flared multiple times since its discovery, but the peculiarities with Hale-Bopp do not stop there... there's something very strange about this comet. The question is, who will admit that Hale-Bopp is presenting itself in a manner unlike any comet to date and that it is being accompanied by another object, considerably larger and one which has properties which suggest a staggering range of possibilities...including alien intelligence?
Not Mr. Hale and his associates, that's for sure. But this campaign of disinformation and deliberate ignoring of facts in evidence, along with that of many others both in and out of the field of expertise tells us something is going on with Hale-Bopp they don't want the general public to know about. And only days ago, the convenient "stuck hatch door" of the Shuttle craft gave crew members an excuse not to go on a space-walk, and an extra day with a powerful photo-capable satelite in space to... well, who knows? Lately alot of things related to the space program and the heavenly bodies is not making a lot of sense. As for Hale-Bopp and the enigma of the "companion" which is accompanying it in its orbit around the sun, there is much information demonstrating a cover-up is well underway. Here is just some of that evidence...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There Are None So Blind....
"On July 23 starting at about 2:00AM Mountain Time members of the Alburquergue Astronomical Society took a series of images of Comet Hale-Bopp displaying an oddity."
The image at the top of this page, was originally posted to the web by Russell Sipe at www.halebop.com in an attempt to clumsily "correct" earlier disinformation released denying any "oddity" such as that photographed by Chuck Shramek, an amateur astronomer in Houston, Texas, who in October extensively photographed this anomaly surrounding the comet and did some measurements of its size, etc. Mr. Hale spent a great deal of time telling the world Chuck Shramek was wrong not only in his assessment of the object, but originally that the object even existed! They first suggested that there never was such an anomaly, then shifted gears and posted images to the web complete with explainations. The web site spent a great deal of time criticizing Chuck Shramek in a most unprofessional manner, but the mere appearance of images of their own similar to Chuck's only demonstrated that they knew well ahead of time that there was indeed something "odd" about Hale-Bopp. In the course of presenting poorly crafted disinformation and what amounts to a pathetic cover-up, they stated that what Chuck had photographed was a "star" which his amateur star-mapping computer program did not recognize when set in a certain mode. There was indeed a star thereabouts, but nothing of the magnitude of the object below, as seen in one frame of Chuck's photos of the comet Hale-Bopp (below). Additionally, they claimed the "spires" of light which seem to extend from the object at a 45 degree angle were "diffractions" of light, and offered a few images of stars showing a similar effect (though the image provided had four spires of diffracted light, not two). Nothing else in Chuck's photo displays this "diffraction" of light producing spires... not even the intense glow of Hale-Bopp itself, which shows its usual distored, uneven flares and jets of gasses in the corona. Diffracted light or not, that isn't the issue. The issue is honesty. The issue is telling the public the truth. But the evidence doesn't end with Chuck's photographs... or his telescope... or his computer software. [Image]
Chuck Shramek's Hale-Bopp Photo With Its Enormous Companion
Hale-Bopp can be seen on the left with its large corona. At right is the peculiar "object" that has been traveling with the comet
here is a posted pro and con on the issue of Chuck's imaging of the "star" by the people at the Hale-Bopp website. When reading it, remember two things.
(1) They claim it is a star that was photographed
(2) They claim Chuck's faulty software and telescope was responsible. Now that they have asserted this, and considering the evidence you will see here, this means that all other observatories presently offering the same unique photos must also have the same clunky software and same telescope!!
Later on this page you will see why this claim is an absolute farce!
You don't have to be someone who believes in bigfoot and little green men to see that it is quite common for the government, the military and the established order, which is governed by the almighty buck and protecting their positions of power, to lie, cheat, steal, murder and crush opposition to its smoothe running program. Those who step out and upset their comfort are in for certain difficulty.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The plot thickened when they sought to discredit Chuck Shramek at the "official" Hale-Bopp web site. The pressure on Shramek mounted and Chuck was forced to leave the state for a time to get out from under the crushing attacks being launched by the "professionals"... professionals who had already openly lied and were making a hack attempt to cover their lies by putting up their own images, though they claimed originally such did not exist. The fact that their photos predate Chuck's by several months was obvious. The question began to take interest among amateur and professional astronomers alike, and with the assistance of a late night radio personality, Art Bell, the story began to bloom. But was this just a one time anomaly or merely, as suggested by many debunkers, "a diffraction effect" in the lens of Chuck's telescope, thus making the magnitude of the "unseen star" grow to enormous proportions? The answer, is No. The fact is, what Chuck photographed was not a star.
In a matter of weeks more and more data began to pour in regarding the enormous anomaly, and it turns out that observatories around the world were tracking this same "companion" to the Hale-Bopp comet, and most of them in a far more professional manner than conducted by the Hale-Bopp research team. Soon, the evidence from other observatories would show that not only did Chuck Shramek photograph an actual object roughly 4 times larger than the earth accompanying Hale-Bopp (the size of which is no more than 40 - 100 kilometers), but that the object was moving independant of Hale-Bopp, sometimes within the tail of the comet, and sometimes beside it. It was not a star... it was not a freak event or camera problem... and it certainly was not a "diffraction" effect in the lens of his telescope creating its intense light and spires.
Another big question was, if this was really something this huge and this peculiar, why wasn't The Hubble Space Telescope snapping extraordinary images of it continually? Well, it may have been! Secrecy with Nasa has become commonplace. Nasa's refusal to even consider taking detailed photos of the peculiar areas of Mars which have generated substantial controversy, as well as Nasa's involvment in the establishment of a ring of very powerful, classified spy satelites demonstrates that Nasa is involved in the web of disinformation regarding a dozen or more issues (and perhaps the most recent "diversion" tactic, the announcement that "ice" had been discovered on the moon. Assertions by scientists over ten years ago of this possibility brought a hail of insult and the very notion was considered laughable by the establishment in Nasa, but now, in obvious cooperation with the Pentagon to divert eyes away from the Hale-Bopp controversy, ice on the moon is no big deal!). Images from nasa of Hale-Bopp taken by the HST were quickly removed from the web and little is now said about the Hubble Telescope and its involvement in this controversy. The following is a letter I submitted to Ron Baakle of the Hubble program regarding this issue, and his reply:
Mr. Baalke, My question is, considering the fact that several observatories, and amateur astronomers have concluded (and have photographic evidence) of a highly peculiar anomaly with the Hale-Bopp comet, one which by recent estimates is 4 times larger than the earth itself, shouldn't the Hubble be watching Hale-Bopp instead of watching the weather patterns on Neptune? Certain members of the astronomical/scientific community have totally dismissed the findings, then turned around and admitted that such a peculiar object does exist accompanying Hale-Bopp and they themselves have photgraphed it (including Mr. Hale himself). It seems a few people out there of some importance are avoiding the issue in a very unprofessional manner. I'm curious what nasa plans to do. How often is Hale-Bopp the subject of Hubbles picture taking? This is one of the most profound astronomical occurrances of human history, and it's all but being ignored by the United States' most prestigious and most capable agency.
Any information you could give would be greatly appreciated.
The reply from Ron Baalke:
Date: Sat, 30 Nov 1996 23:51:51 GMT From: Ron Baalke [BAALKE@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov] Subject: RE: Hale-Bopp/Hubble
My question is, considering the fact that several observatories, and amateur astronomers have concluded (and have photographic evidence) of a highly peculiar anomaly with the Hale-Bopp comet, one which by recent estimates is 4 times larger than the earth itself, shouldn't the Hubble be watching Hale-Bopp instead of watching the weather patterns on Neptune?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the so-called "perculiar anomoly" is not
other than a diffraction effect in SAO 141894, a 9th magnitude star. For
more information on this, see the following home page:
http://www.halebopp.com/slo1a.htm
How predictable! I was merely referred to the very web page which originally attempted to make Mr. Shramek look like a crazy person! Hardly a professional or realistic response to my questions. And notice, no information about the Hubble's involvement in photographing Hale-Bopp at all. And all the more suspicious considering that a horrendously vivid photograph of Hale-Bopp taken by the Hubble in October was mysteriously removed from the Jet Propulsion Laboratories web site shortly after this controversy began. But here is that very photo:
[Image]
Hubble Telescope image, Late October
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Photographic Evidence
Below are several images from various sources, all from professional astronomical facilities from around the globe. What Mr. Hale and others wanted to conceal and claim was an anomaly of one mans telescope and computer program became something they themselves admitted existed and was photographed as well... and now, observatories across the globe are releasing their own remarkable evidence, condemning Mr. Hale and his associates all the more, and likewise, waking us up to a startling fact: Hale-Bopp is not merely another comet, but is bringing with it a phenomenally large object which is defying many of the principle laws of physics (its size would normally have incredible mass, much in the way the earth captures the moon within its gravitational field and causes it to "orbit" the earth. Hale-Bopp should be orbiting this object which is roughly 4 times larger than earth... but it isn't! The object is, rather, effecting the corona and gas flares/jets in the tail of the comet. It clearly has mass, but nothing we can comprehend at this time! It is as if the object is hollow or perhaps composed of a matter we do not yet understand. Its movements are entirely unpredictable, suggesting possible intelligent control. It has been photographed "behind" Hale-Bopp, increasing the comets corona, as well as to its side in various positions and distances.)
Below are many images of Hale-Bopp showing the "companion" object.
[Image] [Image]
Special filter reveals HBs An explaination of this image has [Image] unique been offered by the Observatory at "seven jets" in its corona Tiedes. Read about it here.
[Image]
Notice in this recently released photo from a leading Japanese Observatory, the photograph is time-lapsed. This shows relative stars surrounding Hale-Bopp as slightly "streaked" or "elongated" showing their movement apart from the comets path. But notice the distinct, glowing companion of Hale-Bopp (right) is not elongated at all. It is also not flaring with a corona. It is clearly not a "9th magnitude star" as as claimed by debunkers. If it were a star at all, it would, like all other stars in the image, appear to be elongated or streaked. Also, notice the strange, dark "funnel" or "jet" coming from the object to the right of Hale-Bopp. No similar oddity appears in the photograph (the original of which is considerably larger; this is a cropping) .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why The Images Look As They Do and How is the Object Size Determined?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Confirmation Begins To Come In
On 12/2/96, a scientist familiar with official astronomical studies finally stepped forward to speak about this bizarre object. Another Astronomer of some renown and associated with one of the largest and most prestigious astronomical observatories in America is expected to also step forward and speak about this, despite the obvious consequences; in the meantime, however, Dr. Lee Shargel, a graduate of Northeastern University and who holds degrees in Industrial Engineering, Robotics and a Doctorate in Materials Science, has worked for NASA as an engineer/scientist with Top Secret clearance on the TDRS, Hubble Telescope, and SRBOC projects, has stepped forward to both announce that this in no anomaly of any telescope or misguided software, much less a ball of swamp gas, flock of geese or a trick on the eye. In fact, Dr. Shargel possesses his own set of 17 photographs of this object accompanying Hale-Bopp, which will soon be revealed at the web page hosted by Art Bell. You can hear Dr. Shargel's report on the Art Bell program if you have RealAudio. Just go to AudioNet's Art Bell page and select the file in the Nov '96 archives dated Monday night/Tuesday morning 12/02/96. If you push the slider to the far right, you can skip right over the AudioNet commercial that loads with every rebroadcast tape, and once the Art Bell program loads, push the slider into the 2nd hour of the program (as indicated in the timer bar at the bottom of the RealAudio player planel) and listen for Lee Shargel's portion on the program.
Shargel has gone one step further than merely announcing the objects existence, he has asserted that this is no less than a space craft, a "probe." His conjecture on what the Hale-Bopp companion might be is rather interesting considering the stunning "low" or "no mass" effect this huge object is producing, and also because he wrote about it at length in a novel he produced in 1990! Much like Arthur C. Clarke's many techo-prophecies which have come to pass, Dr. Shargel seems to have hit this one on the head.
The other still unnamed Astronomer who is expected to come forward also has startling news regarding radio signals recieved from this object; radio signals that are not only intelligent, but one which Dr. Shargel says have been almost entirely decoded, and contain both a "greeting" and a "warning."
Is it merely a coincidence that right now one of the largest UFO flaps is taking place on earth? That the people involved in the infamous Roswell Incident are now stepping forward, one after another, to speak out and tell of harassment by government and military personnel in the late 40's; to tell of alien beings, one of whom was still alive when the bodies from the wrecked ship was carted off by the U.S. Military? It seems we are being prepared for "first contact." What that means is something else entirely. Everyone will simply have to keep their ears perked, remember the lies and cover-ups already conducted by the government, the military and now leading university astronomical facilities and make up their own minds. But few can claim ignorance of these basic facts... something is happening. Something is so disturbing to both government officials, Nasa and leading astronomers that they will do anything to keep the facts from the public. This could very well be Roswell II before it's all over.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
orld.std.com - Posted by: "John F. Winston" johnfwin@mlode.com
========================== Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 09:24:51 -0800 From: Linda Wymore mblw@psln.com Subject: Art Bell -- Hale-Bopp update To: mmlist-l@newciv.org, jaesea@onramp.net
Below is a brief update on the Hale-Bopp situation. I had sent it to Pat and she reminded me I should share it with the whole group. This was from a show Fri. night/Sat morning, and I only heard the first hour. Linda
---- Begin Forwarded Message ---- From: Linda Wymore mblw@psln.com Subject: Re: Art Bell -- Hale-Bopp object To: Mattes138@aol.com
Hi Pat. I managed to stay up for the first hour last night. Whitley was on again. First Art read a fax from Courtney Browne stating his strong objection to releasing the pics and thus the scientist's identity without the scientists permission. The scientist had sent 3 rolls - repeat - 3 ROLLS - of pictures to Dr. Browne, with the guarantee of anonymity. He (Courtney) has talked to the scientist this week and he is still working on the information from the pictures and has received some more info which he told Courtney was STRIKING. Courtney said to release the pics now would jeopardize the scientist's continued work on the companian, and would certainly make any other info sources think twice before giving any info to Dr. Browne or Whitley, or Art in the future.
So it is a waiting game.
Whitley had some interesting info: 1. There is info on the web (perhaps at Art's site) about the Royal Greenwich Observatory being able to confirm the sightings. Whitley himself called the observatory early in the week and was told, yes, they had seen something, were studying it, and expected to make an announcement soon. He - Whitley - called back later in the week and was told the astronomer mentioned on the web doesn't exist and they denied that they have seen anything.
2. There are pics from the official Japanese observatory on Art's pages of the comet and companion (showing large jets coming out of it). Now, this week, the observatory is saying the thing in the pics is just an anomaly of the CCD system and the object is just a star. Another denial. But Whitley consulted with another astronomer and without telling him what the pic was of, showed him the pic and asked for his opinion, then asked if it could be an anomaly of the CCD system. The astronomer said something like - no CCD doesn't work like that.
3. There is a report on the web of a call to Lick Observatory during which they confirmed sighting the companion, and seemed to also refer to having received radio signals from it. A call back to them now has them denying it.
Three confirmations turned into three denials. Interesting! That's about all I got out of the first hour. Linda
---- End Forwarded Message ----
- SearchNet's iufo Mailing List
From www.anc.net/~neff, I cite : "This shows relative stars surrounding Hale Bopp as slightly "streaked" or "elongated" showing their movement apart from the comet path. But notice the distinct companion of HB is not elongated at all".
We know that the stars do not move. We know it is the earth's rotation which gives this apparent move of the stars. If the HB's companion does not appear to move in relation to the earth rotation, ... could it be that it is not so far away as we believe ? Could it be an holographic projection, made to deceive us ? Such an holographic projection seems dificult to provide. What is it ! It certainely is not what it appears to be. Could it be a spacecraft not so far away from the earth, playing a cosmic deception upon our credulity ? A big spacecraft, may be one mile long, yes only one mile long ? Or even less ?
How does appear a huge spaceship, through a telescope ?
With joy, Herve
hervath@dialdata.com.br
- SearchNet's iufo Mailing List
MORE COMPANIONS
by Russell Sipe
[Scene: A small table lit by a single spotlight sits on a dark stage. A simple wooden chair stands by it. An unnamed astronomer from a major observatory walks on stage and sits down. In his lap he cradles a large envelope. He is wearing a Butt-Head (or is it Beavis?) mask to protect his identity. The murmur of the crowd dies away]
Radio Talk Show Host (speaking from a control room): Ladies and Gentlemen, at great personal risk to himself our mystery guest astronomer has come forward to make a great revelation to us and to tell us about the Companion to Comet Hale-Bopp. We know what a personal risk he is taking. His career could be endangered if he revealed his true identity. So, Mr. Astronomer, we see you have brought with you the much anticipated documentation to reveal once and for all the truth about the Companion. Please enlighten us.
Astronomer: Well, yes, a-hum.. (nervously clears throat). Actually, what I have is evidence of hundreds of companions to Comet Hale-Bopp.
Radio Host: [Gleefully]. Hundreds. Hundreds! Well, hahaha, there you have it folks. The government can't cover it up any longer! Hundreds of companions to Comet Hale-Bopp! And they are headed OUR WAY! [Crowd breaks out in an animated clamor of voices].
Astronomer: [Sheepishly] Well, not exactly, Mr. Host.
Radio Host: Yes, folks, I was right all along, and my ratings prove my truthfulness, and... uh... what did you say?
Astronomer: Well, you see, the hundreds of companions are just like the one that fellow from Houston photographed.
Radio Host: You mean the Saturn Like Object that is following the Comet? The hollow object with intelligent beings inside that the government has been covering up for months?
Astronomer: Well, no... actually, I mean that the other hundreds of companions are just like the star SAO141894 that the fellow photographed.
Radio Host: I don't understand.
Astronomer: Well, you see, over the course of the next year Comet Hale-Bopp will be passing through some pretty crowded star fields. As it turns out there will be many times that the Comet will pass so close to a 10th magnitude or brighter star, that amateurs and professionals around the world will be taking pictures of the Comet with these companions in the same field of view. Already we have seen another incident where the Comet appulsed with the 8th magnitude star SAO162944 in a Japanese photograph [the Astronomer holds up the photograph which you can see here].
Radio Host: Sound like typical NASA/JPL coverup talk to me.
Astronomer: Oh, no, Mr. Host not at all. As a matter of fact here is a computer printout of the close associations between these stars and Comet Hale-Bopp.
[The Astronomer holds up the printout which you can see by clicking here. Don't forget to use your broswers BACK button to return to the story].
Radio Host [Reading the computer printout]: A Pluses? A Pluses? What the hell are those? Granted I never got any of those in school, but....
Astronomer: No, no, no. Not A Pluses. Its APPULSES. A appluse refers to near passes of celestial objects. When a planet, comet, or asteroid passes near a background star, from the viewpoint of astronomers on Earth, we call that an appulse. It is just such a thing as happened when that fellow in Houston took his photo . . .
Radio Host: Of the Saturn Like Object?
Astronomer: . . . of SAO141894 which, by the way . . .
Radio Host: Well thank you very much Mr. Astronomer. Hope you can come again soon.
[Spotlight goes out and stage drops into blackness].
Radio Host: After this commercial we'll speak to our resident remote viewing expert and get a first hand report of his live interview with P.T. Barnum, that great man of science.
Return to SLO Index Go to www.halebopp.com
Copyright 1996 by Russell Sipe. Permission is granted to reproduce the text on this page if credit is included. Photos and Appulse list in the links are property of the copyright holders as labeled.
