Perry Bowker
2003-Jan-06, 08:48 PM
We've just come through another series of true but misleading news items ... this time relating to the annual Opposition of Saturn. The typical one went something like this: "Tomorrow evening, Saturn will be closer to the Earth than any time for the next umpty years. Don't miss this once in a lifetime event!" Then you may get a bunch of people mad/sad because it was cloudy and they missed it.
What causes this? I say it's because science now has the capability to measure and do orbital calculations to twelve decimal points, but packages this accuracy for public consumption by stating the date and time of 'closest approach' to the hour and minute. Bored media editors don't bother to understand that we are talking infinitesimal differences from day to day, and from opposition to opposition.
So in a sense, by being so darn smart, astronomers themselves create bad astronomy.
What causes this? I say it's because science now has the capability to measure and do orbital calculations to twelve decimal points, but packages this accuracy for public consumption by stating the date and time of 'closest approach' to the hour and minute. Bored media editors don't bother to understand that we are talking infinitesimal differences from day to day, and from opposition to opposition.
So in a sense, by being so darn smart, astronomers themselves create bad astronomy.