I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Beliefs are FixedOne of the things I have learned over theyears is that you cannot change the beliefsor opinions of people by arguing withthem. Rightly or wrongly, an attack onone’s belief or opinion is perceived as anattack on the person and is rebuffed.Whether it is religion, politics, naturalhealing, chiropractic, homeopathy, astrology,I Ching, or any other brand of belief, ifwe have made it our own, we resent anyattempt on the part of someone else tomake us change it.Very often we even resent theimplication that it is a belief. We do notbelieve, we know. Certainly, astrologersare convinced that theirs is not just abelief but ancient knowledge. They alsothink that they have personally verifiedit and that, therefore, they know, they donot believe. For that reason, I am verycareful not to say anything critical aboutastrology. Even if my editor allowed meto do so, I would very quickly lose credibilitywith the readers.My FocusThe focus of my articles, then, is simplyto write about astronomy and things thatrelate to it, such as my own fascinationwith the subject. These include my firsteclipse trip, what can be seen in the sky,how to find things in the sky, how to buya telescope (buy binoculars first), howthe planets move (in ellipses), currentevents (water on Mars, possible life onMars), the nature of the “face” on Mars(it is a hill), the scientific method, someof the controversies that have arisen(expanding universe versus steady state),UFOs, extraterrestrial life, interstellartravel, etc. The idea is not to challengethe astrological world view but to awakenan interest or curiosity in astronomy andscience.I try to make my titles provocative.Here are a few examples:• The Thief Who Stole the Night: an essayabout urban light pollution and itssolutions;• A Pinch of Stardust: how heavy elements(everything heavier than hydrogen)were created in the stars and stellarexplosions and how, therefore, we areall pinches of stardust;• Air, Earth, Fire, Water: how these“traditional” elements have shapedour planet;• Johannes Kepler and His WonderfulEllipse: about planetary motions,of course;• Ice and Snow in Space: comets andsuch; and• Oh Be a Fine Girl, Kiss Me!: theclassification of stars based on theHertzsprung-Russell temperatureluminositydiagram. The title is amnemonic used by astronomy studentsto remember the order of stellarclassification beginning with the hottest:O, B, A, F, G, K, M.Stars for SaleAn article published just before Christmaswas “Stars for Sale.” The essay concernedstar-naming companies, such as theInternational Star Registry. For $35 or$50 or whatever, these companies willname a star after you, your loved one,your kid, maybe even your dog. You geta nice fancy certificate attesting thathenceforth, star such-and-such will beknown by the name you have requested.You also get a chart which is supposedto help you locate “your” star, but of courseit is much too dim to be located with thenaked eye. If you take your chart to anastronomer and ask to see it in a telescope,chances are you will be told that the chartis too imprecise to possibly be of any help,that if we do find the right field there willlikely be several stars in it, and anyway,none of them is “your” star because onlythe International Astronomical Union(IAU), an organization of professionalastronomers, has the authority to namestars. People are generally shocked tolearn that their certificate has no officialvalidity whatsoever, that it is only a noveltyitem not worth the paper it is printed on,that they have in fact fallen for a rathersilly scam that happens to be, if not illegal,at least not very ethical. Maybe the articlewill help put a dent in the sales of starnamingcompanies. That would be nice.ConclusionWe live in a pretty dark world, full of“That is what my ‘Candle in theDark’ project is all about; sheddinga little light, revealing a little truth,helping people to see a few thingsmore clearly.”misconception, ignorance, false belief,fear, and superstition. The “forces ofdarkness” want it to remain that way, andthey seem to get their way far too often.Belief in astrology, as the 1997 YorkUniversity Second Survey of the Attitudesof University Students to Astrology andAstronomy by Michael De Robertis andPaul Delaney showed (see the June 2000issue of the Journal), is widespread evenamong the fairly scientifically literate.Will a few essays about astronomy in anastrology publication make any difference?I do not know. I do know that in order tosee, we must have light. In the modernworld, science is the brightest light wehave. Carl Sagan’s book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle inthe Dark reminds us that by letting thislight shine wherever we can, we may helpthose who are having trouble seeing.That is what my “Candle in theDark” project is all about; shedding alittle light, revealing a little truth, helpingsomeone to see a few things more clearly.It is possible I will get a few readersseeing and thinking, and when you getpeople really thinking, as opposed toonly thinking they are thinking, wonderfulthings can happen.Bill Broderick is a member of the KingstonCentre and served as editor of the centre’snewsletter Regulus for several years. Hechaired the National Light Pollution AbatementCommittee from 1995 to 1998, and continuesas a member of the committee. He is involvedwith various public issues, among themsmoking and light pollution. A member ofthe Ontario Skeptics, he rides herd on astrologyand other voodoo-sciences from his lair nearBelleville, Ontario.258JRASC December/ décembre 2000