When you read, or see, an article about an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) why does the press always quote or interview an astronomer?
Astronomers deal with deep space objects, not unidentified aircraft violating national airspace. Wouldn’t an interview with the USAF or local Air traffic control center be more appropriate?
Just wondering.
I suppose it is because of how often UFO’s turn out to astrononmical phenomena rather than truely flying objects.
My WAG is that UFO’s are supposed to be alien craft from outer space. Astronomers study outer space. Therefore, astronomers are UFO experts. :rolleyes: Another reason why I don’t get my science news from the general news media.
You could ask the USAF or some other government agency, but I would almost bet you would get some rediculous nonsense like “UFO’s don’t exist. You saw swamp gas”. Or some equally stupid crap. You do know, don’t you, that Area 51 doesn’t exist. Never mind that fact that there are pictures of the place. Sometimes I think that the US government thinks that the average US citizen is somewhere just above the mentality of a rock.
You forgot the “sarcasm” or “kidding” tag. Right?
Dr. Lao hit the nail on the head.
Secondarily, I suspect that a fair number of the general public are suspicious of answers provided by the gub’mint (USAF. et al.).
Astronomers are the closest they can get to supposedly unbiased sources. Astronomers would love to be able to say that the object in question was an E.T. spacecraft, but being scientsts they stick to the science & call it what it actually was.