Pierre-Marie Robitaille

{{pseudosciencenav}}{{pseudoastronomy}}

'''Pierre-Marie Luc Robitaille''' a.k.a. Sky Scholar {{lived|1961}} is an accomplished radiologist and a [[Nobel disease]]-type [[crank]]. His academic career had a promising start when he became interested in [[nuclear magnetic resonance]] as a PhD student in Iowa.<ref>[https://progress-in-physics.com/2011/PP-26-L1.PDF Letters to Progress in Physics: Pierre-Marie Luc Robitaille: A Jubilee Celebration], ''Progress in Physics'' 3, July 2011</ref> As director of magnetic resonance imaging research for the Department of Medicine of Ohio State University from 1989-2000<ref>Rabounski, Dmitri. http://www.ptep-online.com/index_files/2011/PP-26-L1.PDF</ref> he made major advances in the science of [[magnetic resonance imaging]] (MRI), leading the project to build the 8 Tesla Ultra High Field human MRI scanner.

==Unusual beliefs==

In 2000, he was asked to step down from his position as director (though he remains a professor) when he [[Inverse stopped clock|began to promote]] theories that were [[Ultracrepidarianism|outside his actual realm of expertise]], specifically related to [[Fringe|non-mainstream]] beliefs in the areas of [[Pseudoastronomy|astronomy and physics]]: he maintains that satellite measurements of the [[cosmic microwave background]] [[radiation]], believed by most astronomers to be an afterglow of the [[Big Bang]], are actually observations of a glow from [[Earth]]'s oceans.<ref group=note>Yes, presumably satellites millions of miles from Earth and pointed away from it that can see the CMB don't exist.</ref>

He also maintains that the [[sun]] is not a ball of plasma but is, in fact, made of liquid metallic [[hydrogen]]. None of his ideas have been [[Peer-review|accepted by any reputable physics publication]].

Robitaille has been presented as a physicist, cosmologist, and even an [[astrophysicist]], though anyone who has gained actual credentials in these fields would beg to differ. Criticism of his crank ideas ranges from accusations of [[cherry picking]] [[evidence]] to a failure to understand even rudimentary thermodynamics.

In 2002, Robitaille and his wife paid for a full-page ad in the Sunday ''New York Times'',<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080511185227/http://thermalphysics.org/pdf/times.pdf The Ad from Pierre-Marie Robitaille]</ref> detailing his microwave and sun hypotheses. Mainstream astronomers reviewed and dismissed Robitaille's claims as "untenable" and "completely wrong" and, in the same NYT article, Robitaille refused to either confirm or deny that he was connected with the creationist and/or intelligent design movements.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/19/us/ripples-in-ohio-from-ad-on-the-big-bang.html</ref> The incident raised questions about the ''New York Times''' policy for printing paid advertisements without checking them for reasonable factual validity. The ad cost nearly a year of Robitaille's salary. When asked why he didn't just put it on [[arXiv]], he replied that he didn't know it existed, although he eventually found his way to [[viXra]]<ref>http://vixra.org/author/pierre-marie_robitaille</ref> and 
[[pseudojournal]]
 ''[[Pseudoscience| alternative science]]'' journal ''Progress In Physics''.

He has since continued to [[Teach_the_controversy|spam non-crank physicists with his ideas]], particularly one email run in 2009 widespread enough for recipients to discuss it amongst themselves.<ref>[http://sguforums.com/index.php?topic=21707.0 Another PhD Crank], ''The Skeptics Guide to the Universe'' forum 2009 [https://web.archive.org/web/20210828114806/https://sguforums.org/index.php?topic=21707.0 archived]</ref><ref>[http://motls.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/wmap-cobe-cmb-critics.html WMAP, COBE, CMB critics], ''the reference frame'', December 24, 2006 [https://web.archive.org/web/20160322221527/http://motls.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/wmap-cobe-cmb-critics.html archived]</ref> His work has also been latched onto for support from the nuttier [[global warming denial]]ists.<ref>http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/new-paper-questions-basic-physics.html</ref> He is also admired by [[electric universe]] advocates: he spoke at the 2014 Electric Universe Conference on his microwave and sun theories.<ref>https://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/2013/09/10/eu2014-speakers/</ref>

Now there is a Youtube channel (Sky Scholar) where he discusses some ideas with graphics added.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL7QIOZteWPpBWBOl8i0e-g/featured</ref>

==Supporters==
*Dr. Myron W. Evans (Chemist)<ref>https://drmyronevans.wordpress.com/</ref>
*[[Stephen J. Crothers]] (Gardener/Handyman)<ref>http://www.sjcrothers.plasmaresources.com/</ref>
*[[David Talbott]] (Mythologist)<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Saturn-Myth-Reinterpretation-Illuminating-Primordial/dp/0385113765/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448350954&sr=1-3&keywords=David+Talbott The Saturn Myth: A Reinterpretation of Rites and Symbols Illuminating Some of the Dark Corners of Primordial Society] (Doubleday, 1980)</ref>

==External links==
*[http://thermalphysics.org/ thermalphysics.org] (Robitaille's website) (down as of 2016 and 2025)

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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