“Hello, this is Chuck calling from Houston. Well, I was out in my back yard looking at
the comet through my telescope and I was wondering, does anyone know what that
thing is next to it?”
“I’m assuming you mean the Hale-Bopp comet, Chuck? What is it that you see?”
“I’m not sure, Art. Astronomy
is a hobby of mine and I’m always out looking whenever there are events like
this… There’s a very bright light next to Hale-Bopp that, as far as I know,
shouldn’t be there… it has sort of a ring around it, like Saturn… but it’s not
Saturn and it’s not a star… it’s very large.”
“Chuck, this is the first I’ve heard of this, perhaps if I
had a picture to look at, I might be able…”
“Oh, I’ve got a picture, Art. I can send it to you.”
“By all means, please do and I’ll put it up on my website,
Chuck. Interesting… an object traveling
along with a comet…”
Finger-pointing and argument continues today as to just who bears what blame for the tragedy that ensued several months later. A radio host had given forum to an amateur astronomer with a question; who was responsible for vetting the hoaxers that
turned it into something much bigger? Charlatans
have been pushing conspiracy theories on the gullible for fun and profit for
many years prior to this, was this instance any different?
After all, Marshall Applewhite, leader of the Heaven’s Gate
cult which committed group suicide on March 26, 1997 in hopes of being
reincarnated onto the UFO hiding in Hale-Bopp’s wake, had already
purchased Alien Abduction Insurance a full month before the photo was even
published.
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