[APML]: The last of the 'supernova' affair

["C. Hernandez" <herdel@sol.racsa.co.cr>]

Erick:

You were right all the way. It has now been reported that the object
that triggered the alarm is a common star from our own galaxy
overimposed to NGC 4478.

Sorry to have caused all this fuzz, but I think that is what the lists
are all about (may Mr. David Levy not read this e-mail). After all,
nobody said that this was a new supernova, only that there was an alarm
to a possible supernova. So, it was not a supernova this time, but at
least some people tried to take a look at it and see what was going on.
Paul Boltwood sent me an e-email saying that a CCD he took on the
object, just as you did the night before. And who knows how many more
did too.

I believe in the CBAT's counselling that any discovery be confirmed by
independent, reliable sources. That is the way science is made. But
then, this means that somebody else, besides the discoverer, has to
confirm the sighting! 

Does this mean that a reliable observer has to be somebody special
(maybe a pro)? 

Does this mean that any observer (specially an amateur observer) should
have a handy list of reliable observers to privately contact them to
arrange for confirmation, before even reporting to CBAT, as Mr. Levy
says he has? 

I honestly don't think that many of us amateurs have such a list at
hand. I did't even had the CBAT's e-mail address until I read Mr. David
Levy's article in S&T of this month!

I firmly believe the official confirmation of a finding must be
requested to and must be confirmed by CBAT. Otherwise this would be
chaos. As Mr. Levy says, discovery is as much a sport as science and the
Bureau is the best referee we have. But this doesn't mean that only the
Packers and the Broncos have the right to play football, we
down-to-earth amateurs have the right to play a little touch-football
once in a while too! And the Web is the backyard where we can play!

Right now there is another alert on the Web (this time by AAVSO as well
as by VSNET) about the Sakurai object (V4334 Sag), along with names,
universities and web sites to check, but after all that has happened
with the supernova thing, I do not dare to post it in its entirety. Let
the qualified observers do the job (at least this alert is anounced
officially in the UAI Nš 6825 bulletin).

And by the way, I am a great admirer of Mr. Levy, which doesn't mean
that an statement of his like "Just because the discoverer wants someone
to confirm the discovery, must thousands of people with no interest or
ability to verify the suspected objetc have to read about it?" realy
hurts. My answer to his question is a big YES!.

Again, sorry to have bothered you and others. I just want to learn about
the hobby and enjoy it as much as I can, even at my
'nobody-in-the-business' level. And forgive my bad English.

Carlos Hernandez
Heredia, Costa Rica