A recently published book has the provocative title and subtitle: Astronomy on Trial—A Devastating and Complete Repudiation of the Big Bang Fiasco. The author is Roy C. Martin, Jr., and the 245-page book is published by University Press of America, Inc., in Lanham, Maryland.

False or unsubstantiated rumors, once established, achieve a life of their own. One example is that life has been found on Mars.

On December 3, 1996, the announcement was made in newspapers around the world. Spacecraft observations of the moon had led investigators to conclude that a small lake of ice was present near the moon's South Pole, in an area never reached by the sun's light and warmth.