Necessary Facts: Scientist

Thursday, November 27, 2025

On Fridays, parking enforcement officers are allowed to wear UT spirit gear with our uniforms. I have a Texas Science t-shirt from the UT College of Natural Science. (I had to write a letter to get it.) After work, I was at the Wheatsville Co-op and one of my comrades there asked me, "Are you a scientist?" and I demurred, "No," adding "I am a citizen scientist. We live in a scientific era. Everyone should know their science." In the moment, identifying myself as a scientist seemed pretentious to me. If she had asked, "Are you an astronomer?" that identification would have been easier. Continuing homeward, I reflected.

Step 1: Observe. Most of my time at astronomy is given to simply enjoying the act of locating and viewing. One of my best catches was finding Messier 15 near the star Enif in Pegasus, a lighter gray within the gray sky of my citified suburb. Usually, I locate targets by star-hopping. Often, I rely on the database of a computerized mount. I also have made careful measurements within the limits of my instruments. (See "Merry Newtonmas 2020" here.) That being so, I have not advanced to asking questions and arranging tests.

It is the testing that identifies the scientific method of our modern society. Steven Weinberg said that the scientific experiment is defined by its being unnatural in the sense that a specific arrangement not found in nature is devised in order to test a theory of cause of an observed phenomenon. This differentiates our culture from the ancient observers. Thales and Hypatia would be astounded but not enlightened by my photographs of the Orion Nebula, the Whirlpool Galaxy, or the cells of an onion rind.

Solar Imaging https://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/2024/12/solar-imaging.html
Saturn-Jupiter Conjunction 2020 https://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/2020/12/jupiter-saturn-conjunction-2020.html
Binary Star Project https://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/2021/02/binary-star-project.html
Measuring Your Universe: Alan Hirshfeld's Astronomy Activity Manual https://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/2020/08/measuring-your-universe-alan-hirshfelds.html

Step 10: Publish Your Work. Independent verification of your discovery adds to the net wealth of the society you live in.

History is a science. Building on the works of others and asking the right questions, I was able to construct a consistent narrative to explain the Mutiny Aboard the San Antonio.