Space hoaxes

Space hoaxes Scientists investigating a large crater initially believed to have been caused by a meteorite said it was a hoax Monday. A telephone company said it had dreamed up a purported meteorite strike in Latvia as a publicity stunt to “inspire Latvia.” Here are some facts about famous space hoaxes: 1 In August of 1935, The New York Sun began to print a serialized article entitled “Great Astronomical Discoveries Lately Made by Sir William Herschel.” The article listed a many discoveries made by Herschel, including planets in other solar systems, solutions to nearly every leading problem of mathematical astronomy and life on the moon. 2 The phenomenon that was most consistently associated with hoaxing during the nineties was the repeated discovery of crop circles in fields throughout the world, particularly in southern England. Fierce debate swirled around the question of who or what had created these circles. Were they signs left by extraterrestrials? This idea persists in many people despite two Englishmen, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, coming forward in September 1991 to claim responsibility for many of the more famous circles. 3 In January of 1874 the New York World published an article that said there were cracks in the moon’s frame and it was in dagner of breaking into many smaller pieces. Similarly, in February of 1876, the Chicago Times published an article claiming that scientists in Paris, using a new powerful telescope, had found buildings on the moon, and that the observers spotted groups of workers chained together as if they were prisoners. 4 Most people have heard of the Orsen Welles broadcast of the War of the Worlds radio play that set off a panic in 1938. Originally designed for entertainment purposes for Halloween audiences, some people did not realize they were listening to a play and thought the Earth was actually under attack by Martians. 5 Experts said it would be unusual for such a large meteorite to hit the Earth. The planet is constantly bombarded with objects from outer space, but most burn up in the atmosphere and never reach the surface. A nature conservationist, said he believes someone dug the hole and burned some pyrotechnic compound at the bottom.