Cosmic Howlers
August 2023
IF ONLY WE COULD ALL HAVE ONE
A stunning modern property…powered by a state-of-the-art solar system and is just 15 minutes from the nearest town. (The Week, 2009 April 11, p32)
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A solar energy system is more likely to be what was meant!
THE LONG VIEW
…the Solar Orbiter…will circle the Sun every 150 years. (Sunday Telegraph, 2009 April 26, p140)
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The unit for the orbital period should be days.
MIGHT OCCULT CAPELLA
Titan revolves around Saturn, whose orbit is inclined at 26° 14” to the ecliptic…. (Astronomy & Astrophysics Review, 17, 110, 2009)
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Saturn’s orbit is inclined at an angle of 2·48° to the ecliptic.
The reference to the star Capella in the heading is due to the fact that if the angle of about 26°had been correct then Saturn would have reached a maximum northerly declination of about 49·5° and therefore could – in theory – have passed in front of Capella, whose declination is almost 46° north.
THE REALLY LOCAL GROUP
The survey looked at 225 galaxies at distances of between 2·8 and 3·4 parsecs from Earth. (Nature, 2009 October 29, p1177)
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Megaparsecs, more like!
PRACTISE WHAT YOU PREACH!
Submitted articles should be written…conforming to…spelling rules as commonly practiced in Canada. Canadian spelling can be found in the Oxford Dictionary of Canadian English. (Instructions to Authors for the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, of Canada.)
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The Oxford Dictionary of Canadian English gives the spelling practised for the verb – the use of practiced in the instructions was therefore incorrect.