I have talked to Oriel's twin!
This guy also has some "interesting" views on astronomy. To summarise 400 pages into one message isn't easy so bear with me. He, genuinely, believes that almost everything that main stream astronomers believe is incorrect. He has his own pet theory on virtually every aspect of astronomy - from the age of the universe, the speed of light, the origin of the solar system, the length of the day in historical times, the variable duration of twilight, climate change, black holes ... the list just goes on and on.
There is, according to him, a global conspiracy to prevent his "earth-shattering" discoveries from even being discussed, never mind accepted.
Speaking to him on the phone was, to say the least, challenging. He contacted me but didn't want a conversation. He talked ***at me*** for perhaps 20 minutes then went back to the start and pretty much started again. He had no interest in any views that differed in even the tiniest detail from his own. Any and all observational evidence that seemed to invalidate his views was either wrong or misunderstood.
And yet as he hadn't got a preconceived view on the sidereal day and why it matters he was entirely comfortable discussing it. He appeared to be a normal rational human being. But the instant the topic changed back to one where he had decided what was correct it was just like attempting to interact with Oriel - frustrating and pointless.
I now know from speaking to his family that he is significantly autistic. At one time he had a wife and a job - alas no more as his refusal to ever change his mind on any issue made him "almost impossible to live or work with".
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