Posted by Mike on January 10, 1997 at 01:51:59:
Hi, I'd been following the Hale-Bopp controversy on
another bulletin board (a pro-paranormal one) and trying
to inject some skepticism into the debate. I had pointed
out the usual stuff (the CCD explanation etc...), when
someone pointed out a picture I hadn't seen before. The
picture was a superimposition of Chuck Shramek's original
photo and a photo of HB and a "companion" taken by Jose
Alonso on the same night at a different time. Alonso's
photo is very similar to Shramek's. In it, the "companion"
is in the same position as in Shramek's picture and,
therefore, is also probably caused by the same phenomenon
(SAO 141894 being "bloomed up" by the CCD).
Anyways, a companion believer superimposed Shramek and
Alonso's photos, aligning the two of them with the stars
GSC 5086:367 and GSC 5086:161. This has the effect of
showing the "trail" of Hale-Bopp as it traveled through
the sky that night. What is interesting is that the
superimposition also seems to show the "companion" moving
with Hale-Bopp! Since the local newspapers don't have
headlines reading "GIANT SPACESHIP HEADED THIS WAY," I
think it's safe to assume that, through an optical trick,
the "bloomed up" SAO 141894 only appears to be moving.
My question is, what caused it to appear this way?
If you know anything about this, I would really appreciate
a reply, however, I should mention that I have no background
at all in astronomy or telescopes (I'm just a geeky college
student), so if you have any ideas, please state them in laymen's
terms. The page that the superimposition is found on is:
www.republic.net/~pparri.
Thanks, Mike.
P.S. If you have know any sites that might be able to
help me, that would be appreciated as well.