Astronomy - 06.2019

ASTROLETTERS

8 ASTRONOMY • JUNE 2019

No Bull

“Specters of past constellations” in your

February issue is a fine article on failed

constellations, but it missed Poniatowski’s

Bull. It was created in honor of Stanisław

Poniatowski, king of Poland from 1764

to 1795. This starry tribute goes unrec-

ognized today, but it grips you none-

theless. When I showed the Bull to my

survey class in astronomy last semester, it

looked back at us through its eye, double

star 70 Ophiuchi. At a mere 17 light-

years away, Poniatowski lives on! And a

wide-field scope makes this bull’s-eye a

showpiece. — Michael Farney, Mitchell, SD

Alien commentary

Kiona N. Smith wrote compellingly in

February’s “How to build aliens in the

lab” about the attempts to create non-

carbon-based life, like what might exist

on Titan. The beauty of this comes from

the scientists’ creativity in devising

non-carbon-based cell parts. The news-

paper writer and critic H.L. Mencken,

patterns that later became identified as

mathematics. — Donald Craig, Indianapolis, IN

‘Oumuamua annihilation

I find it incredible that, in our lifetime, an

extrasolar object like ‘Oumuamua sailed

right through our solar system. From this

discovery, a scientist extrapolated such an

object can be found in the solar system

at least once a year. So what does this

mean for interstellar space travel, where a

fast spaceship could be annihilated after

colliding with a speck of dust? Hitting

an “ ‘Oumuamua” would light up the

sky, like a miniature supernova! Perhaps

that’s why we have not seen any aliens yet.

— Guenter Hoernig, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada

Correction

The photo of Abell 39 on p. 59 of the

February 2019 issue was credited incor-

rectly. The photo credit should have read:

Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/

University of Arizona.

writing about 100 years ago, once specu-

lated about the manner in which life might

exist on other planets. Writing philosophi-

cally, he said: “If the Lord God Almighty,

by combining carbon and the three gases,

can make an Ambassador to the Court of

St. James, I see absolutely no reason why

he cannot create a monad of helium and

fluorine.” — Paul Campion, New York, NY

Historic equations

Jeff Hester’s article in the February issue,

“Wigner’s anachronism,” is an enlight-

ened review of Eugene Wigner’s accom-

plishments and their importance to all

of science. His definition of mathematics

was written in 1960 and in the framework

provided at that time. More advanced

concepts have altered our thinking and

the utility of mathematics. While it may

be “trendy” to talk about how the uni-

verse is fine-tuned for our existence, we

must remember that eons before there

were any creatures living on this planet,

the universe was evolving with the same

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