Ghosts

When an amateur astronomer, sitting in his cornfield observatory and sweeping the skies with his little telescope, discovers a comet or a nova (exploding star), he telegraphs his find to Harvard Observatory, which checks it if possible and then notifies the big Western Hemisphere observatories. Professional astronomers do the same, but, concentrating on fixed research programs, they are less likely to make lucky discoveries than the sky-roving freelancers. Harvard not only notifies Western Hemisphere astronomical centres of new finds, but cables to Copenhagen, which performs the same service for observatories in the Eastern Hemisphere. Harvard has been relaying celestial news since 1883, derives considerable prestige and publicity from this function. But there is also a seamy side to the astronomical clearinghouse business, Harvard Observatory's magazine, The Telescope, frankly told its readers last week.

Not long ago Professor Joseph M. Baldwin of Melbourne Observatory, onetime president of the Royal Society of Victoria, cabled Copenhagen that a comet had been discovered by a well-known, usually reliable amateur, one W. F. Gale of Sydney. Copenhagen cabled Harvard. Harvard would have liked to check the find, but the sky was overcast and so, hoping that everything was all right, the bureau notified the U. S. observatories. Indignant complaints soon poured in. No one could find the new comet. There was none. Mr. Gale had seen the ghost of Mars in his telescope.

"Ghosts" are reflections of bright heavenly bodies in telescope lenses. Professionals recognize them for what they are, but amateurs, seeing ghosts of Jupiter, Vega and Sirius, have reported them as new comets time & again. Mars and Venus have been reported as novae. Few weeks ago one observer discovered the planet Mercury. Even lights on high airplanes and meteorological balloons have sent amateurs scuttling to the telegraph office. The Telescope was happy to say that at least three-fourths of the spurious discoveries were detected and smothered at Harvard.

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