400 EXOPLANETS

Today, November 24, 2009, I had the privilege and the opportunity to interview Dr. Jill Tarter, the renowned Director of the Center for S.E.T.I. Research, in Mountain View, California.

During our conversation, we dealt with the issue of how many exoplanets have been so far discovered. And the number is really amazing: 400!

Dr. Tarter also talked about the recent meeting of scientists convened by the Pontifical Academy at the Vatican, to deal with Astrobiology. She was one of the participants.

The other relevant thing that is going on, according to Dr. Tarter, is that Astrobiology has taken an enormous importance nowadays, and it is increasingly an open field for the participation in a multidisciplinary work.

For the first time –she said—Astronomers, Biologists, Chemists, Geologists etc. are working alltogether, exchanging information and experiences from their own disciplines.

That –I think—is the real way to do science.

Milton W. Hourcade

400 EXOPLANETAS

Hoy, 24 de Noviembre de 2009, tuve el privilegio y la oportunidad de entrevistar a la Dra. Jill Tarter, la renombrada Directora del Centro para la Investigación S.E.T.I., en Mountain View, California.

Durante nuestra conversación, tratamos el tema de cuántos exoplanetas han sido hasta ahora descubiertos. Y la cifra es realmente asombrosa: ¡400!

La Dra.Tarter también habló acerca de la reciente reunión de científicos convocada por la Academia Pontificia, en el Vaticano, para tratar el tema de la Astrobioogía. Ella fue una de los participantes.

La otra cosa relevante que está ocurriendo, según la Dra.Tarter, es que la Astrobiología ha tomado una enorme importancia actualmente, y está siendo crecientemente un campo abierto para la participación en un trabajo multidisciplinario.

Por primera vez –dijo ella-- Astrónomos, Biólogos, Químicos, Geólogos, etc. están trabajando juntos, intercambiando informacion y experiencias desde sus respectivas disciplinas.

Eso –pienso—es la verdadera forma de hacer ciencia.

Milton W. Hourcade

SPHERES IN AIRBORNE UAP IMAGERY

From Spain, the member of UAPSG-GEFAI, the distinguished Ufologist Mr. Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos reports that:

The blog FOTOCAT has been updated to report the publication of a paper prepared by Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos and Martin Shough, under the title “Spheres in Airborne UAP Imagery”.

This paper, written in English, has abstracts in Spanish and French.

The paper in PDF can be seeing at:

http//fotocat.blogspot.com/

The authors hope you will find it an exciting reading.

UAP - IMAGENES DE ESFERAS SURGIDAS EN EL AIRE

Desde España, el miembro del UAPSG-GEFAI y distinguido Ovnílogo, Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos, nos hace saber que:

Se ha actualizado el blog FOTOCAT para informar de la publicación de
un trabajo firmado por Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos y Martin Shough,
titulado: “Spheres in Airborne UAP Imagery”.

Este ensayo, escrito en inglés, contiene resúmenes en español y francés.

El trabajo, en forma de archivo pdf, puede encontrarse en el enlace:

http//fotocat.blogspot.com/

Los autores esperamos que lo encontréis una lectura estimulante.

RECOMMENDED READING

Under the motto: Extraordinary claims. Ordinary investigations, the publication Forgetomori, from the member or UAPSG-GEFAI Mr. Kentaro Mori, in Brazil, is a good example of the contribution to a rational approach to the UFO subject and related materials.

The monthly publication deals with very different categories like Aliens, and Criptozoology, on the one hand, and Science and Skepticism on the other.

From this balance comes a fresh, intelligent and challenging product that deserves to be read.

In the November issue it breaks down many ET cases.

See: http://forgetomori.com/

LECTURA RECOMENDADA

Bajo el lema Alegatos extraordinrios. Investigaciones ordinarias, la publicación Forgetomori, del miembro de UAPSG-GEFAI el Sr.Kentaro Mori, en Brasil, es un buen ejemplo de la contribución a una aproximación racional al tema OVNI y materiales relacionados.

La publicación mensual trata con categorías muy diferentes como Alienígenas y Criptozoología, por un lado, y Ciencia y Escepticismo, por el otro.

De este balance surge un producto fresco, inteligente y desafiante, que merece ser leído. El material está en inglés.

En su ejemplar de Noviembre, desbarata varios casos de presuntos ETs.

Ver: http://forgetomori.com/

A FAKED CASE FROM ARGENTINA

We are not surprised that it comes once again from Argentina. Regretfully it appears that the imagination, the will to believe --above all-- and also the will to get public notoriety are irrepressible for some people there.

From those factors, has emerged on October 5, 2009, the tale of a cow that allegedly was “abducted” by a “UFO”, documented in just one digital photography that was enhanced afterwards to obtain some complementary images.

The notorious contradictions between the characteristics of the photos and the descriptions of the witnesses, clearly point to a tale fabricated by them after seen the pictures.

Did they contacted some responsible investigators? No. The first thing they did was to call a TV station looking for an interview which, of course, it happened.

Many days later, they get in contact with local investigators.

But, as usual, the videos were put on YouTube, so that anyone who likes to believe in extraterrestrials, could find another piece of “evidence”.

The argument for the tale of this young couple of Argentinians is not new.

Already in YouTube there is a joking video done using Computer Graphics, and another one of 1983 –probably from Japan—, although it has been in YouTube since October 5, 2008.

See: YouTube - “UFO Cow Abduction video uncovered from Governmental Sources” and “UFO Cow Abduction by Aliens on 1983”

The member of UAPSG-GEFAI, Mr. Leopoldo Zambrano Enríquez has made a superb work of serious and technical analysis of the pictures and related them with what the “witnesses” declared to two different TV channels. The contradictions are astonishing. (The documents are in Spanish).

See:
http://www.box.net/files/0/f/34629020#/files/0/f/34629020

All in all, what appears in just one picture is a “rod” generated by an insect near the objective of the camera, and a bird – quite probably a gull.

From this reality to say that the insect is a “UFO” and the gull a “cow”, goes hand to hand with the imagination, the will to get public notoriety and finally the human stupidity.

Another member of UAPSG-GEFAI, the Engineer Luis Ruiz Noguez, in his web site “Marcianitos Verdes” has also published a good analysis of the case that really does not deserve more attention and time from the serious Ufologists, which operate under truly scientific basis.

See:
http://marcianitosverdes.haaan.com/2009/10/pajarovnis-raptan-una-vaca-en-puerto-gaboto/

M. Hourcade