Tom Van Flandern
Encyclopedia
Thomas C Van Flandern was an American
astronomer
and author
specializing in celestial mechanics
. Van Flandern had a career as a professional scientist, but was noted as an outspoken proponent of non-mainstream views related to astronomy
, physics
, and extra-terrestrial life. He also published the non-mainstream Meta Research Bulletin. He died in Sequim, Washington
after a brief battle with cancer.
organization to track satellites that gained national attention during the sputnik launch of 1957. He was still engaged in this activity when he helped found a Moonwatchers team at Xavier University. According to the Smithsonian's Astrophysical Observatory the team, under Van Flandern's direction, broke a tracking record in 1961. This early interest in Lunar Occultations paved the way for important work later in life.
Van Flandern graduated from Xavier University cum laude with a B.S. in Mathematics in 1962 and was awarded a teaching fellowship at Georgetown University
. He attended Yale University
on a scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), joining USNO in 1963. In 1969 he received a PhD
in Astronomy from Yale, with a dissertation on lunar occultations. Van Flandern worked at the USNO until 1983, first becoming Chief of the Research Branch and later becoming Chief of the Celestial Mechanics Branch of the Nautical Almanac Office.
He became an expert on refining the lunar orbit from timings of lunar occultations, then the best observations for that purpose. He encouraged observations by providing observers with predictions of occultations for their locations. He designed a cable system connecting all observers timing a grazing occultation, to record their observations at a central station. After a 1964 success, four amateur astronomical societies built similar cable systems.
He and Henry Fliegel developed an algorithm to calculate a Julian date from a Gregorian date that would fit on a single IBM card. They published this in a paper, "A machine algorithm for processing calendar dates" in 1968 in the Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery. This was used in countless business applications worldwide.
With Kenneth Pulkkinen, he published "Low precision formulae for planetary positions", in Ap. J. Supp. in 1979. The paper set a record for the number of reprints requested from that journal.
Van Flandern expressed his views of the future of science to Science Digest
magazine:
In latter years, Van Flandern advocated inquiry into astronomy theories which he felt were consistent with the principles of science but were not otherwise supported because they conflicted both with observations and verified theories. He espoused 10 principles for assessing ideas and dubbed theories in compliance as "Deep Reality Physics."
yield a lower limit of 2x10^10 c.
This article was commented on by Marsch and Nissim-Sabat (followed by a reply by Van Flandern.) Steve Carlip
wrote another comment analyzing the issue of aberration, and concluded that aberration was not only compatible with faster-than-light propagations (as claimed by Van Flandern), but also with speed of light propagations:
In a subsequent paper Van Flandern and Jean-Pierre Vigier
claimed to have found mistakes in Carlip's paper in his discussion of electromagnetic interactions and extended the discussion to quantum theory as well. Other non-mainstream authors made similar claims.
However, those claims were not accepted by the majority of the scientific community, whose opinion is that the analysis of general-relativity experts such as Steve Carlip
and others are correct, i.e. that the speed of gravitational as well as electromagnetic propagation is that of light.
, according to which gravity is the result of a flux of invisible "ultra-mundane corpuscles" (c-gravitons) impinging on all objects from all directions at superluminal speeds. He gave public lectures claiming that this flux could be a source of limitless energy, which he believed could be used as a means of propulsion for space vehicles ("useful for getting around in the galaxy").
"Face on Mars" is listed the number four in an astronomers ranking of astronomical pseudo-science topics
, the big bang
, and solar system formation, and advocated the theory that the asteroid belt consists of the remains of an exploded planet
. He issued newsletters, papers, and maintained a website devoted to his ideas, which have not found acceptance within the mainstream scientific community.
Van Flandern published the Meta Research Bulletin which reported the newest discoveries and how they presented difficulties to accepted astronomical theories, such as the Big Bang and planetary formation. The Bulletin claimed mainstream scientists preferred making ad hoc corrections to the theories rather than acknowledge fundamental difficulties that might jeopardize their funding.
A list of his main scientific publications is available through Scholar.
In 2009, asteroid 52266 was named in honor of Van Flandern because:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
specializing in celestial mechanics
Celestial mechanics
Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of celestial objects. The field applies principles of physics, historically classical mechanics, to astronomical objects such as stars and planets to produce ephemeris data. Orbital mechanics is a subfield which focuses on...
. Van Flandern had a career as a professional scientist, but was noted as an outspoken proponent of non-mainstream views related to astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, and extra-terrestrial life. He also published the non-mainstream Meta Research Bulletin. He died in Sequim, Washington
Sequim, Washington
Sequim is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The 2010 US Census counted a population of 6,606. Sequim is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains...
after a brief battle with cancer.
Early life and the US Naval Observatory
While in High School, Van Flandern helped create the Cleveland MoonwatchersOperation Moonwatch
Operation Moonwatch was an amateur science program formally initiated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in 1956 . The SAO organized Moonwatch as part of the International Geophysical Year which was probably the largest single scientific undertaking in history...
organization to track satellites that gained national attention during the sputnik launch of 1957. He was still engaged in this activity when he helped found a Moonwatchers team at Xavier University. According to the Smithsonian's Astrophysical Observatory the team, under Van Flandern's direction, broke a tracking record in 1961. This early interest in Lunar Occultations paved the way for important work later in life.
Van Flandern graduated from Xavier University cum laude with a B.S. in Mathematics in 1962 and was awarded a teaching fellowship at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. He attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
on a scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), joining USNO in 1963. In 1969 he received a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Astronomy from Yale, with a dissertation on lunar occultations. Van Flandern worked at the USNO until 1983, first becoming Chief of the Research Branch and later becoming Chief of the Celestial Mechanics Branch of the Nautical Almanac Office.
He became an expert on refining the lunar orbit from timings of lunar occultations, then the best observations for that purpose. He encouraged observations by providing observers with predictions of occultations for their locations. He designed a cable system connecting all observers timing a grazing occultation, to record their observations at a central station. After a 1964 success, four amateur astronomical societies built similar cable systems.
Scientific work
Van Flandern's prediction that some asteroids have natural satellites, which was rejected by the mainstream scientific community, was proven correct in 1993.He and Henry Fliegel developed an algorithm to calculate a Julian date from a Gregorian date that would fit on a single IBM card. They published this in a paper, "A machine algorithm for processing calendar dates" in 1968 in the Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery. This was used in countless business applications worldwide.
With Kenneth Pulkkinen, he published "Low precision formulae for planetary positions", in Ap. J. Supp. in 1979. The paper set a record for the number of reprints requested from that journal.
Van Flandern expressed his views of the future of science to Science Digest
Science Digest
Science Digest was a monthly American magazine published by the Hearst Corporation from 1937 through 1986. It initially had an 8 x 5 inch format with about 100 pages, and was targeted at persons with a high school education level...
magazine:
-
- As science progresses we will eventually unravel the mystery of our origins, and the solution will come sooner if our minds are prepared to accept the truth when it is found, however fantastic it may be. If we are guided by our reason and our scientific method, if we let the Universe describe its wonder to us, rather than telling it how it ought to be, then we will soon come to the answers we seek, perhaps even within our own lifetimes.
In latter years, Van Flandern advocated inquiry into astronomy theories which he felt were consistent with the principles of science but were not otherwise supported because they conflicted both with observations and verified theories. He espoused 10 principles for assessing ideas and dubbed theories in compliance as "Deep Reality Physics."
Speed of gravity
In his article, "The speed of gravity—What the experiments say" he affirmed that laboratory, solar system, and astrophysical experiments for the speed of gravitySpeed of gravity
In the context of classical theories of gravitation, the speed of gravity is the speed at which changes in a gravitational field propagate. This is the speed at which a change in the distribution of energy and momentum of matter results in subsequent alteration, at a distance, of the gravitational...
yield a lower limit of 2x10^10 c.
This article was commented on by Marsch and Nissim-Sabat (followed by a reply by Van Flandern.) Steve Carlip
Steve Carlip
Steve Carlip is an American professor of physics at the University of California, Davis. He is known for his work on -dimensional quantum gravity, the quantum gravitational basis of black hole thermodynamics, and causal dynamical triangulations. Carlip graduated from Harvard University with a...
wrote another comment analyzing the issue of aberration, and concluded that aberration was not only compatible with faster-than-light propagations (as claimed by Van Flandern), but also with speed of light propagations:
- In the absence of direct measurements of propagation speed, observations must be filtered through theory, and different theoretical assumptions lead to different deductions. In particular, while the observed absence of aberration is consistent with instantaneous propagation (with an extra interaction somehow added on to explain the gravitational radiation reaction), it is also consistent with the speed-of-light propagation predicted by general relativity.
In a subsequent paper Van Flandern and Jean-Pierre Vigier
Jean-Pierre Vigier
Jean-Pierre Vigier earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from University of Geneva in 1946 and in 1948 was appointed assistant to Louis de Broglie, a position he held until the latter's retirement in 1962. Vigier was professor emeritus at in the Department of Gravitational Physics at Pierre et Marie...
claimed to have found mistakes in Carlip's paper in his discussion of electromagnetic interactions and extended the discussion to quantum theory as well. Other non-mainstream authors made similar claims.
However, those claims were not accepted by the majority of the scientific community, whose opinion is that the analysis of general-relativity experts such as Steve Carlip
Steve Carlip
Steve Carlip is an American professor of physics at the University of California, Davis. He is known for his work on -dimensional quantum gravity, the quantum gravitational basis of black hole thermodynamics, and causal dynamical triangulations. Carlip graduated from Harvard University with a...
and others are correct, i.e. that the speed of gravitational as well as electromagnetic propagation is that of light.
Le Sage's theory of gravitation
Van Flandern attempted to rehabilitate Le Sage's theory of gravitationLe Sage's theory of gravitation
Le Sage's theory of gravitation is a kinetic theory of gravity originally proposed by Nicolas Fatio de Duillier in 1690 and later by Georges-Louis Le Sage in 1748. The theory proposed a mechanical explanation for Newton's gravitational force in terms of streams of tiny unseen particles impacting...
, according to which gravity is the result of a flux of invisible "ultra-mundane corpuscles" (c-gravitons) impinging on all objects from all directions at superluminal speeds. He gave public lectures claiming that this flux could be a source of limitless energy, which he believed could be used as a means of propulsion for space vehicles ("useful for getting around in the galaxy").
Face on Mars
Van Flandern was a prominent advocate of the belief that certain geological features seen on Mars, especially the "face at Cydonia", are not of natural origin, but were produced by intelligent extra-terrestrial life, probably the inhabitants of a major planet once located where the asteroid belt presently exists, and which Van Flandern believed had exploded 3.2 million years ago. He gave lectures on the subject, and at the conclusion of the lectures he described his overall conception:- "We've shown conclusively that at least some of the artifacts on the surface of Mars were artificially produced, and the evidence indicates they were produced approximately 3.2 million years ago, which is when Planet V exploded. Mars was a moon of Planet V, and we speculate that the Builders created the artificial structures as theme parks and advertisements to catch the attention of space tourists from Planet V (much as we may do on our own Moon some day, when lunar tourism becomes prevalent), or perhaps they are museums of some kind. Remember that the Face at Cydonia was located on the original equator of Mars. The Builder's civilization ended 3.2 million years ago. The evidence suggests that the explosion was anticipated, so the Builders may have departed their world, and it produced a massive flood, because Planet V was a water world. It is a coincidence that the face on Mars is hominid, like ours, and the earliest fossil record on Earth of hominids is the "Lucy" fossil from 3.2 million years ago. There have been some claims of earlier hominid fossils, but Lucy is the earliest that is definite. So I leave you with the thought that there may be a grain of truth in The War of the Worlds, with the twist that WE are the Martians.
"Face on Mars" is listed the number four in an astronomers ranking of astronomical pseudo-science topics
Publications
Van Flandern authored a book, Dark Matter, Missing Planets and New Comets: Paradoxes Resolved, Origins Illuminated, in which he rejected and offered replacements for the fundamental theories of modern physics (especially special relativity, general relativity, and quantum mechanics), and challenged prevailing notions regarding dark matterDark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
, the big bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
, and solar system formation, and advocated the theory that the asteroid belt consists of the remains of an exploded planet
Phaeton (hypothetical planet)
Phaeton is the name of a hypothetical planet posited to once have existed between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter whose destruction supposedly led to the formation of the asteroid belt...
. He issued newsletters, papers, and maintained a website devoted to his ideas, which have not found acceptance within the mainstream scientific community.
Van Flandern published the Meta Research Bulletin which reported the newest discoveries and how they presented difficulties to accepted astronomical theories, such as the Big Bang and planetary formation. The Bulletin claimed mainstream scientists preferred making ad hoc corrections to the theories rather than acknowledge fundamental difficulties that might jeopardize their funding.
A list of his main scientific publications is available through Scholar.
Awards and honors
In 1974, his essay, "A Determination of the Rate of Change of G", was awarded second place by The Gravity Foundation.In 2009, asteroid 52266 was named in honor of Van Flandern because:
- predicted and comprehensively analyzed lunar occultations at the U.S. Naval Observatory in the 1970s. In 1979 he published pioneering papers on the dynamics of binary minor planets. He helped improve GPS accuracies and established Meta Research to support alternative cosmological ideas.
External links
- American Astronomical Society obituary
- Meta Research, Inc., GuideStarGuideStarGuideStar USA, Inc. is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2010, their database contained over 5 million IRS Forms 990 filings on 1.9 million organizations.....
- Onpedia article on Van Flandern
- Google Scholar on Tom Van Flandern