h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No tinfoil hat theory is really complete without a mention in the Fortean Times.

Entry: Zeta Reticuli - Binary Stars and UFO Legend - A87825801
Author: Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor - U128652

I could provide a fuller list of the TV programmes that Betty & Barney Hill/Marjorie Fish/Grey aliens have featured in if required.

GB

I've managed to link to Elvis, Star Trek and Ant & Dec now, too.

GB

I made a list of a few suggestions, then went to lunch, then deleted the list thinking I'd already posted it.

Two big points:

Carl Sagan did more than just suggest that the abduction experience was a hallucination. He also said that the map 'evidence' was probably a result of coincidence.

I'd say:

suggested that the original encounter had been a hallucination, and that the apparent correspondance between Betty's map and the stars around the zeta Reticuli system was just due to chance. Given a big enough collecction of stars, there's always an apparent match to almost any pattern.

Should the quote from Stanton Friedman be moved to just after the UFO Encounter heading? It really is very much about the possibility of life and alien visitations from zeta Reticuli.

A problem of fact:

"proposed that the star map began from zeta2 Reticuli"

" the theory that the stars matched a route from zeta1 Reticuli collapsed"

-- was it zeta1 or zeta2?

Some word choice and punctuation suggestions:

the Cape of Good Hope --> the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa

she attempted many scenarios --> she explored many scenarios

the star map began from zeta2 Reticuli --> the star map showed a journey from star to star beginning at zeta2 Reticuli

Cosmologist Carl Sagan5 a proponent -- add a comma after the footnote

a celebrity among Ufologists, she continued to talk -- change the comma to a semicolon

Thanks very much Gnomon, I've fixed all those except for:

**
A problem of fact:

"proposed that the star map began from zeta2 Reticuli"

" the theory that the stars matched a route from zeta1 Reticuli collapsed"

-- was it zeta1 or zeta2?

**

I have checked a few sources of the map, your link to the Armagh Planetarium begins the map at zeta 1: http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/betty-hills-ufo-star-map-the-truth.html
but the Wikipedia file shows the same map with the stars reversed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zeta_reticuli.svg

so I'll have to keep looking

I found what appears to be Marjorie Fish's original sketch, but it has arrows pointing to both stars from the phrase zeta ret 1+2, which doesn't say which I ax which.

I'd fudge it by saying "from the zeta Retuculi system" each time.

and done

GB

What tinfoil hat alien abduction story is complete without reference to Elvis

(for that matter, what entry of any kind is complete without same?)

Very good - and I see that after all, it does address all of Gnomon's points in post 18.

I really have nothing constructive to add at the moment. I'll read it again tomorrow and see if anything else occurs to me, but it sure seems in good shape.

The only thing I can think of to add to it is some song lyrics from Muse at the top.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/muse/exopolitics.html

Thanks pailaway

and I've added a verse of those lyrics thank you Gnomon

GB

I did not know of this group - or this song. Good call

Neither did I

It's amazing what you learn on hootoo

GB

Muse are quite popular in the UK - possibly the number one rock band at the moment. They played at the opening of the Olympic Games in London last year.

I knew I'd heard of them, just couldn't remember where or when

GB

Anything else?

GB

Hi GB.

Just two points:

1. I'm not really happy with this sentence:

"In September 1996 a candidate planet close to zeta2 Reticuli was proposed." -- I don't think this really explains what was going on here. I'd say:

In September 1996, astronomers noticed variations in the brightest of zeta2 Reticuli and thought that it might be caused by a planet orbiting the star.

2. When you say that Carl Sagan contributed towards the film of Contact, it sounds like he gave money for its production. Is this what you meant, or do you mean that he assisted in the production of the film?

I've fixed point 1, and Carl Sagan assisted in the production, so I've adjusted that as well

Thanks!

GB

Ahem. I have recently stumbled across this pop-culture reference to Zeta Reticuli.

This conversation is from the X-Files episode "Squeeze":

"So, Mulder, what do you think, does this look like the work of little green men?"
"Grey."
"Excuse me."
"Grey. You said green men, a Reticulan skin tone is actually grey, they're notorious for their extraction of terrestrial human livers. Due to iron depletion in the Reticulan galaxy."
"You can't be serious."
"Do you have any idea what liver and onions go for on Reticula?"