Which stars were involved in historical astrometric claims later deemed unproven or doubted?
Answer
61 Cygni and Barnard’s Star
The historical application of astrometry faced significant challenges, often resulting in numerous unconfirmed or later discredited claims. Claims based on meticulous, decades-long observations from ground-based sites like Sproul observatory dating back to 1943 frequently ran into verification issues. Specifically, early, highly anticipated results concerning the stars 61 Cygni and Barnard’s Star, which were observed for stellar wobble, were eventually cast into serious doubt or officially deemed unproven upon further scrutiny. This historical difficulty illustrates the inherent weakness of the method: the necessity of long-term validation to rule out noise or other stellar effects.
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