Letter: Moon `fakers' missed a trick

Bob Grainger
Wednesday 12 March 1997 19:02 EST
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Sir: Your Science Editor, Charles Arthur, states ("Comet sets blazing trail", 11 March) that the Moon is 93 million miles from Earth. Presumably he means the Sun, which is indeed approximately 93 million miles away (the Moon is about a quarter of a million miles from us).

Also, Mr Arthur states that Comet Hale-Bopp is 400km wide: by all other accounts it is just 40km wide.

What's a decimal point between friends? Well, if Hale-Bopp was really 400km wide, and was not further away than the distance of the Moon, I for one would be digging a hole right now.

BOB GRAINGER

Comet Quest

Bristol

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