Astronomy - USA (2020-04)

8 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2020

ASTRO LETTERS

Constellation hunting

I love reading your articles on different space-related

topics, particularly Quantum Gravity and the Star Dome

maps. This summer I spent some nights using those maps

to identify new constellations and it was a lot of fun!

Thank you for researching, writing, and putting so much

effort into your work! I look forward to coming issues.

— Caroline Tuccinardi, Toronto, Ontario

The lunar landing live

I remember clearly the Apollo 11 Moon landing. My

wife and I were a young couple, recently married, and

didn’t have a TV. Our first child was on the way. On that

beautiful July evening, we took a walk under a clear sky.

We noticed the blue glow of television sets seeping from

the windows of almost every house we passed. The

streets were empty and there was not a single car in sight

— the whole town was watching the Moon landing

while we were taking a stroll. I gazed up at the Moon,

asking my wife to join me. I explained, “We can’t see the

actual astronauts, but we may be the only two people

watching the Moon landing live and not through a

television.” — John and Sara Tichon, Midland, MI

Science fiction meets science fact

I was recently watching a rerun of the original Star

Tre k episode, “The Doomsday Machine,” and couldn’t

help but make a connection to ‘Oumuamua, the first

known interstellar visitor. In the episode, the actual

doomsday machine was a cylindrical “cigar-shaped”

object that was supposed to have been created by an

unknown alien race, used in a war long ago. Now, I

am not saying ‘Oumuamua is an alien craft or some

kind of weapon, but it did come from outside our solar

system — or maybe even from outside our galaxy —

and it was cylindrical-shaped and rapidly moving.

Yes, we have factual science versus science fiction

here, but this interesting coincidence certainly opens

up questions worth considering. — Ronald Zincone,

North Kingstown, RI

Correction

In our January issue, we said Bob Berman taught

astrophysics at Marymount Manhattan College in New

York City. We were mistaken — Bob actually taught at

Marymount College, which has since closed, and whose

campus was north of New York City in Tarrytown.

We welcome
your comments
at Astronomy Letters,
P.O. Box 1612,
Waukesha, WI 53187;
or email to letters@
astronomy.com.
Please include your
name, city, state, and
country. Letters may
be edited for space
and clarity.

Sponsored by

29TH ANNUAL

NORTHEAST ASTRONOMY

FORUM & SPACE EXPO

APRIL 4-5, 2020

DON’T MISS THE NORTHEAST

ASTRO IMAGING CONFERENCE

APRIL 2-3 2020 AT NEAF

WORLD’S LARGEST ASTRONOMY, TELESCOPE & SPACE EXPO!

OVER 120 VENDORS, PRO/AM & ASTRONOMY WORKSHOPS,

SOLAR OBSERVING & WORLD-CLASS SPEAKERS FEATURING:

FEATURING IMAGING

WORKSHOPS, LECTURES

& VENDOR EXHIBITS

Presented by

Andy Campbell Steve Mazlin

Alan Friedman Alex McConahay

John O’Neill Dr. Ron Brecher

Stephanie Anderson T J Connelly

Jim Moronski John Hayes

Kerry-Ann Hepburn Rachel Freed

NEAFEXPO.COM

JERRY ROSS NASA ASTRONAUT & SPACEWALKER

TOM MULDER BOEING STARLINER

SAMUEL D. HALE EXEC. DIR., MT. WILSON, GRANDSON OF GEORGE ELLERY HALE

DIANNA COLMAN PRES. YERKES FOUNDATION, SAVING YERKES

EDWARD GUINAN VILLANOVA UNIV., THE DIMMING OF BETELGEUSE

JANI RADEBAUGH PLANETARY SCIENTIST, DRAGONFLY MISSION

JPL MARS 2020 MISSION, PLUS ISS 20TH ANNIVERSARY

PLUS MUCH, MUCH MORE!

SHOW HOURS: SAT 9-6 PM, SUN 10-5 PM

SUNY ROCKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SUFFERN, NY (ONLY 30 MINS FROM NYC)

(^) BUY TICKETS, GET INFO, HOTEL ROOMS