Amateur Radio Newsline headlines for Ham Nation. September 14, 2022.

Amateur Radio Newsline headlines for Ham Nation. September 14, 2022.

 

If you look at the preprints on this (Webb telescope results) and related papers, you discover typical author lists of 150-400 authors.

To wit:
[2209.00620] The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems II: A 1 to 20 Micron Spectrum of the Planetary-Mass Companion VHS 1256-1257 b (arxiv.org)

There may be some who think that's AOK, but it spells the end of recognition for individual or small group acheivement in the field of astronomy, where huge author lists are now the norm across the board, whether the instrument is space-based or not.

IOW is likely that 95% of the work here, including the ideation, was a handful of people. IMO.

Its like trying to deliver a package to a large apartment building and listing the name-address as everyone in the building. Yet someone or ones earned the money for that. Not everyone did.

 

Sorry, but outside of the academia and within the US Government, esp. today, truth has long since been dead; and the indirect labor now takes a joy ride for the real work done by those few.

After 50 years as a military officer and now global engineer, remember the engineering motto: "You don't have to like it - it's a paycheck."

 

On the 'truth' issue...

Fifty years ago, those who went into pure science understood the tradeoff of 'personal recognition' versus 'fortune'. Now, it is considered in poor taste even to bring up my point.

Thanks for your feedback

 

On the "truth has long been dead" issue, it is amazing how physicists from one camp are smothering funding for opposing scientific views - especially after several discoveries by the James Webb Telescope. I guess the James Webb Telescope can be credited with finding that the human ego remains the biggest thing in the universe. I don't see the contemporary behavior as much different than jailing Copernicus or admonishing Galileo.

 

To which discoveries do you refer? ..."the Axis of Evil"?.....(It didn't take the James Webb Telescope to find that out....)

 

I don't see any suppression of "opposing views".

What -I- see is the absence of individual acheivement being recognized, and, in fact, now considered a selfish and 'incorrect' viewpoint in an ocean of co-authors.

What used to be a list in the 'acknowledgements' is now an endless list of papered authors.

MO. Yours may differ.

 

Hi Guys,

The "Axis of Evil" can be either camp.

W1YW, I clearly see your point about individual achievement. My comments might be aside from the focus of your argument. Further, I agree with your position on the list of papered authors. I've seen this kind of behavior across various sectors. Everybody gets a trophy.

As for suppression of "opposing views," I was referring to the ongoing debate between Eric J. Lerner of Lawrenceville Plasma Physics and the plethora of Big Bang theorists. The funding goes to the Big Bang theorists and they tend to control research budgets. If you're not onboard with the Big Bang, your finding gets choked out.

It's interesting to see how the web has been flooded with articles supporting the Big Bang after the James Webb Telescope was reported to discover light from galaxies older than the universe. It appears to be a response to the quips from several physicists regarding their fear that they had been wrong about the Big Bang.

 

The Webb telescope discovered no 'light older than the universe'.

The 'light' you are referring to is highly reddened young galaxies , whose reddening is caused by the high redshift of early epochs. The 'light' is boosted (brightened) by the gravitational lensing effect afforded by a closer by, intervening , younger galactic cluster.

There is nothing here that contradicts observational cosmology as espoused by a 'Big Bang". That is, a finite universe with a finite age. Our assumptions about early galactic 'light' as "standard candles" is simply a wrong assumption: early galaxies are BRIGHTER because of enhanced star formation in young galaxies, AND gravitational lens boosting.

Beatrice Tinsley first convinced people of the enhanced brightening caused by early galactic evolution back in 1975. I know: was there and saw the talk.

Hoyle's conformal cosmology, circa 1974, is one of many alternative theorertical possibilities, but makes no unique prediction that has been verified via observations.

My Ph.D. thesis was on gravitational lensing. I also wrote a best selling popular book called: "GRAVITY'S LENS--VIEWS OF THE NEW COSMOLOGY'. Quite a while back.

Before I was a version of 'Doc Brown', I was an observational cosmologist.

You live long enough, you end up doing lots of things...hope I live long enough to become an expert glass blower;-)

73
Chip W1YW

 

This is pretty interesting...another Webb discovery:

JWST Finds CO2 in Exoplanet Atmosphere (seti.org)

CO2 is not a tracer of life, but can be an indicative of 'oxidizing' atmospheres.

O2, on the OTH, is very likely a tracer of biology.

 

Seriously, I'm not being a wise guy when I say this, but getting a response from someone who worked with Frank Drake and your accomplishments is an honor. I'm familiar with your work. If I'm correct, your career spanned a fascinating time where classical physics was on a collision course with quantum theory.

Since I was a kid, I was consumed with the idea of the bounds of the universe - or what could be known of it. I remember speaking to an adult neighbor about this and he was dismissive about my ambitions with astrophysics and said, "Everyone needs a lawyer or accountant." So, that's what I wound up doing. So, I'm a sole practice lawyer with an 8 inch telescope and an intense interest in cosmology. My math is getting better.

As to human nature (something I've come to be very familiar with over the last two and a half decades), why is it so important to be right? Or, rather, why is it so important not to be wrong? The tenor of some of the "academic" debates I have seen are far more vitriolic than anything I've seen in the worst of litigation. (Personally, I think it has to do with an inseparable need for legacy.)

In my modest exploits in studying cosmology and what quantum theory I can get here and there, it seems inescapable that the premise of most postulations lies with the very finite paradigm of our human ability to perceive and, therefore, our natural presumptions. So, we postulate, we observe or experiment and we mathematically confirm. Those with competing theories do the same. Do we find what we set out to find? And, the argument ensues and the camps entrench. Frankly, its nice to be back in the advocation of astronomy and study of cosmology independent of the contemporary academic environment.

In any event, I appreciate your response. I just ordered your book. I had been familiar with it, but haven't had a chance to read it.

I better get back to fighting over decedent's earthly belongings.

73
Tony

 

Tony,

Fred Hoyle giveth and the world taketh away. Too many truly brilliant ideas in cosmology got stomped on and the creators were ghosted, or worse. Damn shame. The only true way to make 'new headway' in physical cosmology is to make an observational prediction that is unique to that theory being posed.

Sometimes it does seem too much like 'consensus science'--even for me, with my pincushion backside (from all the slung arrows!)--so I relate

73
Chip W1YW

 

Chip,

Culturally, the same thing happens in the law. Somehow, things develop some crazy folklore or interpretation and thou dare not question the wave of consensus. Case law becomes something that it never said.

In any event, thanks for the chat. I'm looking forward to diving into the book. God bless my wife. She has turned a blind eye to train of Amazon packages . . . . and the modest hydrogen line array being snuck into the backyard. Maybe something interesting will come of it.

Best -

Tony

 

HEHEH!

Anyone who lives past a career as a litigator has MY respect! I imagine you don't have to worry about the color of your tie anymore

My clan here includes a litigator , a biz attorney, and a judge. All excellent fly fisherman(woman). They catch trout the size of my arm!

They think I am wimpy because I favor tenkara...

Best 73,
Chip W1YW

 

As I say, my folks' prodding to go to law school was the last act of child abuse.

From a fellow fisherman, tenkara is great. I have an affinity for the simple. I have this thing with sustenance hunting and fishing. I hunt with a recurve bow and have had a few good scrapes with large game in the process. But, in my opinion, it's the purest form of connection.

I looked at your QRZ page. I used to make a modest part of my living teaching and playing guitar before venturing off to law school. The ES-335 was my thing. Larry Carlton and Alex Lifeson were huge influences and that was their thing. Thumpy jazz tones in the lower register and great mid range and sustain higher up. I should have listened to the late Ted Greene when he told me playing for an hour or two through law school wouldn't kill me. I should have listened. There's nothing like making the instrument disappear while making a page of the Real Book your own.

It was the late 80s and early 90s, so your hair and equipment were more important than the ability to play in an Angeleno world driven by the hair bands on The Strip. And, that's pretty much where I left it. I moved on to photography and shot professionally and curated art for the next 20 years; culminating with large format and collodion glass plate work printed to graded fiber papers. I did this while in appellate practice. Fixing plates in KCN almost got me a few times. Photography ran its course - but I'm back taking a deep dive into astrophotography after a 10 year hiatus. No more editorial or fine art - just "'non-people' photography."

Lawyers are . . . verbose. There are just so many wonderful things to do.

If you have any of your musical work online, shoot me a link.

73
Tony