01-08-2018, 02:29 PM
Thomas J. Bopp (October 15, 1949 – January 6, 2018) was an American astronomer best known as the co-discoverer of comet Hale–Bopp (with Alan Hale) in 1995.[1] At the time of the comet discovery he was a manager at a construction materials factory and an amateur astronomer. On the night of July 22, Bopp was observing the sky with friends in the Arizona desert when he made the discovery. It was the first comet he had observed and he was using a borrowed, home-built telescope.[2][3] Hale and Bopp both discovered the comet by chance at approximately the same time.
n 1980 Bopp moved to Phoenix, Arizona to work in the parts department of a construction company and continued to attend astronomy clubs in the local area. He joined the North Phoenix Alternative Astronomical Society, an unofficial group of enthusiasts founded by Kevin Gill who met up to observe in the Arizona desert.[9] At this time Bopp was making use of a telescope belonging to close friend Jim Stevens, a 17.5-inch reflecting telescope.[10] On the night of July 22, 1995, eight members of the club met at an undisclosed spot near Vekol Ranch, ninety miles south of Phoenix[9][11] and as usual Stevens and Bopp were sharing time looking through Stevens's telescope. Stevens had set up his newest home-built telescope[3] and decided to look for globular clusters.[12] Stevens lined up Messier 70 (M70) in the constellation Sagittarius and called Bopp over to look. At around 11 p.m. Bopp looked into the telescope and said, "What's this other object?"[9] Stevens replied, "You might have something there, Tom."[2] On the same night, professional astronomer and experienced comet observer Alan Hale had spotted the same thing at his home in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, while he was killing time waiting for Comet d'Arrest to appear.[11] Bopp, on the other hand, had never seen a comet before.[2][13] Bopp and his friends checked star charts and watched the object for an hour to determine whether it was moving. Bopp and another member of the group, Bertie Sanden, made drawings of its position in relation to other nearby dim stars[12] and, on discovering the movement, Bopp attempted to contact the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the organization that records all astronomical sightings and names them, to officially log his findings. Discovering his cell phone had no coverage in the desert he drove towards home, stopping at a public payphone before realizing he didn't have the phone number.[9] At home again, Bopp finally reported the sighting by telegram to the IAU.[10] Bopp had taken the institute's name literally and sent a telegram via Western Union. Hale had already sent three emails with the comet's coordinates.[2]
Bopp later acknowledged the chance discovery,
“
I never seriously thought I would find anything like that. The chances of me discovering a bright comet, something that occurs once every 20 years or so, were astronomically small.[3]
”
The following morning at 8:25am the office of Brian Marsden, director of the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, called him back to confirm the sighting was indeed a comet.[3] The comet was given the formal name Comet 1995 O1, and three days later its full title C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp),[10][14] designating the first comet found during the second half-month of July 1995.[15] Hale's name precedes Bopp's because his was the first report to arrive.[16] It is uncertain who was the first to discover it, as they both spotted it at around the same time.[13] The following day Hale phoned Bopp to introduce himself with the words, "I think that we have something in common." When they met at a conference two months later, Bopp admitted to the press that Hale "turned out to be a nice guy."[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bopp
n 1980 Bopp moved to Phoenix, Arizona to work in the parts department of a construction company and continued to attend astronomy clubs in the local area. He joined the North Phoenix Alternative Astronomical Society, an unofficial group of enthusiasts founded by Kevin Gill who met up to observe in the Arizona desert.[9] At this time Bopp was making use of a telescope belonging to close friend Jim Stevens, a 17.5-inch reflecting telescope.[10] On the night of July 22, 1995, eight members of the club met at an undisclosed spot near Vekol Ranch, ninety miles south of Phoenix[9][11] and as usual Stevens and Bopp were sharing time looking through Stevens's telescope. Stevens had set up his newest home-built telescope[3] and decided to look for globular clusters.[12] Stevens lined up Messier 70 (M70) in the constellation Sagittarius and called Bopp over to look. At around 11 p.m. Bopp looked into the telescope and said, "What's this other object?"[9] Stevens replied, "You might have something there, Tom."[2] On the same night, professional astronomer and experienced comet observer Alan Hale had spotted the same thing at his home in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, while he was killing time waiting for Comet d'Arrest to appear.[11] Bopp, on the other hand, had never seen a comet before.[2][13] Bopp and his friends checked star charts and watched the object for an hour to determine whether it was moving. Bopp and another member of the group, Bertie Sanden, made drawings of its position in relation to other nearby dim stars[12] and, on discovering the movement, Bopp attempted to contact the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the organization that records all astronomical sightings and names them, to officially log his findings. Discovering his cell phone had no coverage in the desert he drove towards home, stopping at a public payphone before realizing he didn't have the phone number.[9] At home again, Bopp finally reported the sighting by telegram to the IAU.[10] Bopp had taken the institute's name literally and sent a telegram via Western Union. Hale had already sent three emails with the comet's coordinates.[2]
Bopp later acknowledged the chance discovery,
“
I never seriously thought I would find anything like that. The chances of me discovering a bright comet, something that occurs once every 20 years or so, were astronomically small.[3]
”
The following morning at 8:25am the office of Brian Marsden, director of the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, called him back to confirm the sighting was indeed a comet.[3] The comet was given the formal name Comet 1995 O1, and three days later its full title C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp),[10][14] designating the first comet found during the second half-month of July 1995.[15] Hale's name precedes Bopp's because his was the first report to arrive.[16] It is uncertain who was the first to discover it, as they both spotted it at around the same time.[13] The following day Hale phoned Bopp to introduce himself with the words, "I think that we have something in common." When they met at a conference two months later, Bopp admitted to the press that Hale "turned out to be a nice guy."[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bopp
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.