Astronomy Takes the Stand: Using the Heavens to Solve Crimes

Mercury, January/February 2006 Table of Contents

by Mary Ellen Pistalu

Forensic astronomy is a field in forensics that involves the use of astronomy in criminal and civil legal actions. This field has been around for quite some time, albeit somewhat quiet. Consider for examples that

• Abe Lincoln was successful in defending a legal case by describing the location of the Moon on the night of the offense;
• contemporary researchers explained a crucial moment in the Civil War by determining that General Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own troops when his image was silhouetted on a full Moon, making him unrecognizable; and
• investigators were recently able to pinpoint the moment that Ansel Adams took a prized photo of the Moon rising over Half Dome in Yosemite Valley, 4:14 p.m. on 28 December 1960.

A forensic astronomer is someone who draws on her or his education in the fields of astronomy and law cumulatively or independently—a person for whom navigating legal seas is as familiar as knowing the day and night sky at different times of the year. This knowledge can be used to corroborate or deny testimony made by alleged offenders or alleged victims of crime.

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