January 16, 1997: Whitley Strieber & Courtney Brown
The Art Bell Archive · Arthur William Bell III
August 10, 20232h 4m
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Show Notes
Art Bell hosts a tense and historic confrontation between author Whitley Strieber and Professor Courtney Brown of Emory University over a photograph that was presented as evidence of an anomalous object traveling alongside Comet Hale-Bopp. After holding the image for two months at Brown's urging, Art and Whitley released it on January 15th. Within 24 hours, astronomers at the University of Hawaii confirmed it was a manipulated version of their own September 1995 image of the comet.
Dr. Oliver Hainaut of the University of Hawaii presents devastating forensic evidence, matching the star positions, pixel sizes, filter combinations, and limiting magnitudes of both images. He concludes there is absolutely no doubt the released photograph was derived from their original. Art replays key audio from the November 14th broadcast in which Prudence Calabrese described the alleged astronomer's credentials and the hours of conversation she had with him, making the depth of the deception painfully clear.
The episode becomes a gripping debate as Art and Whitley press Brown to name the astronomer who supplied the photograph or at least submit the claimed negatives and film rolls for independent examination. Brown refuses on both counts, citing legal concerns and a desire not to ruin a potentially innocent career.
Dr. Oliver Hainaut of the University of Hawaii presents devastating forensic evidence, matching the star positions, pixel sizes, filter combinations, and limiting magnitudes of both images. He concludes there is absolutely no doubt the released photograph was derived from their original. Art replays key audio from the November 14th broadcast in which Prudence Calabrese described the alleged astronomer's credentials and the hours of conversation she had with him, making the depth of the deception painfully clear.
The episode becomes a gripping debate as Art and Whitley press Brown to name the astronomer who supplied the photograph or at least submit the claimed negatives and film rolls for independent examination. Brown refuses on both counts, citing legal concerns and a desire not to ruin a potentially innocent career.