FORENSIC ASTRONOMY by Jeffrey Dobereiner
26 JANUARY 2020 • SKY & TELESCOPE
In a historic Omaha court case, astronomical evidence played a key role in foiling an attempt
to frame a man for attempted murder.Shadow of a Doubt
tpA 1910 trial in Omaha, Nebras-
ka, hinged on two girls who saw a
man matching the description of
the accused carrying a suitcase
bomb on their way home from
church, where they had been pho-
tographed after a confi rmation cer-
emony. William Rigge, astronomer
at Creighton University, invalidated
their testimony by analyzing the
shadows in the photo and proving
that it had been taken a half hour
after the bomb was discovered.
Rigge (in foreground, with watch)
reenacted the scene precisely two
years after the fi rst photo, showing
the shadow in the same location.May 22, 1910. Computed time within one minute of 3:21½May 22, 1912. 3:21½