The idea the Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos, could vanish is so bizarre that it took a little discipline to apply my policy of being objective evaluating on merit of the data. I am forwarding this report because some of the dates correspond with events that were notably weird in June, 2000.
In late May, 2000 NASA inexplicably deorbited a satellite that I had relied upon for data on gamma rays. Ostensibly, one gyroscope had gone bad on the satellite, thus forcing NASA to take the extreme measures of deorbiting the satellite. One gyroscope!!!
A large solar flare on June 4 was the first Class X solar flare outside of a predicted TimeStar window in three years. In June I began to pay careful attention to solar activity because of the obvious change in pattern. Further, satellite photos showed what appeared to be debris in early June, and I began to wonder if NASA’s unannounced, unprecedented deorbiting of a satellite for one flawed gyroscope might be an articulated justification for a deeper intent to protect their equipment from an event they had anticipated. Solar flares did not stabilize into a predictable pattern until after April 15, 2001, when the north and south poles of the sun completed reversing.
Now, a little over a year later, Mars’ moons are nowhere to be seen. An email from Associate Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatories, Dr. Brian Marsden, states that the failure to observe Mars’ moons is not definitive, yet the fact remains that as of this time Mars’ moons are not visible.
The Comet 76P has not been seen along with the disappearance of Mars’ moons in-hand with the satellite photos of space debris in June, 2000 suggests, minimally, that Comet 76P could have impacted the moons.
Again, the failure to observe Mars’ moons is not definitive, as Dr. Marsden indicates, and opportunities for observation the moons will not be optimum until 2003. So this is a heads up until the absence of the moons can be confirmed.
Phobos and Deimos Have Vanished
YOWUSA.COM, August 21, 2001
Glen W. Deen
http://www.yowusa.com/Archive/August2001/Phobos_and_Deimos_Have_Vanishe/phobos_and_deimos_have_vanishe.htm
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Foreword by Marshall Masters
Dear Readers:
We have analyzed all available sighting reports for Phobos and Deimos and
not one has proved trustworthy. In one case, we believe we have good
reason to suspect fabrication and the rest simply demonstrate a lack of diligent
and credible reporting standards. Consequently, none are trustworthy.
During the last week, Glen Deen has attempted two recovery sightings of
both Phobos and Deimos with a 24-inch f/16 Cassegrain telescope. While dimmer
field stars were visible, neither Phobos nor Deimos can be seen. It
is as though they have suddenly vanished!
WE ARE URGENTLY ASKING ALL ASTRONOMERS AROUND THE WORLD TO IMMEDIATELY
ATTEMPT RECOVERY SIGHTINGS OF BOTH PHOBOS AND DEIMOS.
I wrote Dr. Brian Marsden, Associate Director of the Smithsonian
Astrophysics Observatories, regarding Glen's findings this weekend and his
quick reply really sums up the technical difficulties.
Dr. Brian Marsden
E-mail Reply to Marshall Masters
August 20, 2001
I do know that the observations are not easy, and one should
not take
failure as definitive. I simply do not know of any professionals who
routinely observe the satellites of Mars. Amateurs who specialize in
surface events do not necessarily observe the satellites. The good thing
is that observations of the satellites will be easier in
2003.
While Dr. Marsden does not share our concerns regarding
this particular
issue, he does appreciate and support the need to address public concerns
as they arise. In this regard, he has already helped us by requesting a
"trustworthy" recovery sighting of Comet 76P on our behalf.
YOWUSA.COM, June 8, 2001
76P Update -- NASA Refuses
To Substantiate Hubble Sighting
Part of the mystery surrounding the 76P/West-Kohoutek-Ikemura flyby of
Mars on June 5, 2000 may be resolved in the next few weeks, once the moons
of Mars are sighted. As to the comet itself, the Hubble Space Telescope
(HST) team informally reported a 76P sighting on April 12, 2001 to Dr. Brian
Marsden, Associate Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatories.
The data provided as insufficient to validate the HST sighting, so Marsden
immediately asked the HST team to provide him with raw data from April 12
sighting, in addition to requesting additional recovery sightings of 76P
as well. The HST team refused both requests.
We agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Marsden, in that "one should
not take
failure as definitive." However, given the recent dramatic global
storm
on Mars, which many observers feel is the result of an impact event
and the
recent rash of bollide sightings worldwide, can we really wait until 2003
to resolve this issue?
Ladies and gentlemen -- time is of the essence! Again, we repeat our
plea:
WE ARE URGENTLY ASKING ALL ASTRONOMERS AROUND THE WORLD TO IMMEDIATELY
ATTEMPT RECOVERY SIGHTINGS OF BOTH PHOBOS AND DEIMOS.
Following his observation last evening, Glen Deen filed the following
report with YOWUSA.COM, which I am publishing as we received it.
YOWUSA.COM
Marshall Masters, Publisher
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Report Filed by Glen Deen
Attention All Astronomers
Observing Opportunity Tuesday Night!
Astronomers! Here is your opportunity to see for yourself that Deimos
has
vanished. On Tuesday night, August 21 (August 22 at 01:05 UT), the
following configuration will be seen in the United States.
Deimos (+Din the chart) is supposed to be magnitude 12.9. Therefore,
if
you see the bottom of the two stars (GSC 6833 523 at 17h 24m 09.49s, -27º
01' 19.77", magnitude 12.9), you can see Deimos. Furthermore, these
stars
become a guide as to how far you can move Mars outside the field of view
to eliminate its glare. Move these two stars to the western edge of
the
field and look under them. Mars will be moving left relative to these
stars, so
begin your observation a little early.
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Glen Deen's Observations
Not satisfied with a few recent but scientifically untrustworthy
observations of Deimos and Phobos by others (The Phobos Mystery
Continues), the author went to the Lone Star Observatory near Caney, Oklahoma
on the night of August 14, 2001 and again on August 19, 2001 to observe Mars
himself in the 24-inch f/16 Cassegrain telescope.
On both nights, neither moon
was observed, while fainter stars were
observed.
If only Phobos were missing and Deimos were present, one might argue that
Phobos is a difficult target, and that either the author or his telescope
was just not up to the task. However, the author has a personal
friend
who observed Deimos a few years ago in a 17-inch Dobsonian telescope (but
at a higher altitude in the sky).
One might also argue that Mars is low in the sky, but the
faint stars he
observed were just as low. The author's conclusion is based on
magnitudes
given by Guide 7.0.
The telescope drive system had failed after his first attempt under very
poor sky conditions on July 25-26. It was repaired on August 10, but
the
weather was cloudy until August 14. That night, the sky conditions
were
as good as the author had ever seen them. He had planned ahead by printing
sky charts generated by Guide 7.0. He saw many stars much fainter than
the nearby 12.2 magnitude star, GSC 6820 34, shown in the chart (North is
up; East is left.). That star was very bright and easy. He learned from using
the Guide animation that Phobos would reach maximum eastern elongation at
about 23:00 CDT (04:00 UT), which is the chart epoch. Mars was about
23º above the horizon at that time. Phobos (+Pin the chart) should
have had a magnitude 11.7, which is 0.5 magnitude brighter than that field
star (the brighter the star, the smaller the magnitude). Deimos (+Din
the chart) should have had a magnitude of 12.8, which is 0.8 magnitude fainter
than that field star. However, he saw many 13th and 14th magnitude
stars nearby.
They do not show up in the chart because the Guide Star
Catalogue has a
brighter magnitude cutoff for stars in the Milky Way to avoid being
overwhelmed with too many stars. At 240 power, he moved Mars outside
the western field of view, but he did not see Phobos . He moved Mars
outside the eastern field of view, but he did not see Deimos.
Skies were cloudy for the next four days, but they were clear on the night
of August 19, and the author went back to Lone Star Observatory for
another observing run. This time Phobos should have reached its maximum
western extension at about 21:40 CDT (02:40 UT), as shown in the following
Guide chart (N up, E left). Mars was about 28º above the horizon at
that time.
The transparency on August 19 was excellent, but the seeing was only fair.
Nevertheless, he could easily see all three field stars (magnitudes 11.6,
9.7, and 12.8) shown in the chart as well as Mars itself in the same
170-power eyepiece field. However, the best view of Mars was at 300
power.
According to Guide, Phobos should have had a magnitude of
11.8, and Deimos should have had a magnitude of 12.9. He moved Mars outside
the eastern edge of the field view, and he did not see either Phobos or
Deimos.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars Odyssey Appeal
To request that NASA observe the moons of Mars, send a message to
marsoutreach@jpl.nasa.gov and ask
them to make a movie of the moons
orbiting Mars with the Mars Odyssey spacecraft while it is still en route
to Mars.
See2001 Mars Odyssey Home Page for more information.
Glen W. Deen
WE ARE URGENTLY ASKING ALL ASTRONOMERS AROUND THE WORLD TO IMMEDIATELY
ATTEMPT RECOVERY SIGHTINGS OF BOTH PHOBOS AND DEIMOS.
[Kent Steadman] Request assistance to forward following info to Glen W. Deen:
Key instrument on Mars-bound probe fails August 21, 2001 Posted: 11:04 AM EDT (1504 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/08/21/mars.probe/index.html
CNN.com - Key instrument on Mars-bound probe fails - August 21, 2001
EMAIL ALERT RECEIVED AT ORBIT:
CyberSpace ORBIT
Subj: Mars Odyssey: Right on Queue?
Date: 8/21/01 2:59:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time
I highly suspected such a situation might arise before the Mars Odyssey probe reached it's orbital insertion. But then again; might the failure have been a result of last week's bizarre proton storm over-saturating it's radiation detector? I lay 100-to-1 odds this probe never takes one solitary reading of the Martian environment. It will mysteriously disappear, fail, burn up in the dust/heat-expanded atmosphere, stop responding or some other similar event. Besides; if Phobos or Deimos have in fact disintegrated in orbit, Odyssey will be flying straight into a hail of asteroidal bullets.
RE:
Mars Odyssey Appeal
To request that NASA observe the moons of Mars, send a message to marsoutreach@jpl.nasa.gov and ask them to make a movie of the moons orbiting Mars with the Mars Odyssey spacecraft while it is still en route to Mars. See2001 Mars Odyssey Home Page for more information.
Glen W. Deen
WE ARE URGENTLY ASKING ALL ASTRONOMERS AROUND THE WORLD TO IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPT RECOVERY SIGHTINGS OF BOTH PHOBOS AND DEIMOS.
Date: 8/22/01 9:17:37 AM Pacific Daylight Time
http://www.millenngroup.com/repository/cometary/marshit3.html
Gordon Michael Scallion, the modern prophet, says in his book Notes from the Cosmos, which was released in the early '90's, that he believes Phobos will be knocked out of its orbit and almost hit the Earth with catastrophic consequences, between the years 1998 and 2012. He has since said that he believes this will occur early during that time period. Scallion writes that he 'saw' Phobos snaking through space in its orbit, extremely unstable, before it breaks free completely, and then bounces off the Earth's atmosphere. He does not know what causes this to happen. Yet it sounds like Phobos remains in orbit for a short time after the catalyst has its effect.
 |
Date: 8/6/01 7:56:34 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Something is happening here in North Texas... I just saw a
swarm of very confused birds.... thousands of them.... confused flying every
which a way.... Keep your eyes and ears open...[Prompt
to look at South Pole Satellite]
Strange Star Over Amarillo, TX, Similar To STS Saucer Images Posted Aug 8 2001: Meteorologist Puzzled By Unexplained Flash During Tornado Film: The Edge of Reality: Illinois UFO Extraterrestrial Politics in The Clinton White House (1993 - 2001) |
