Seeing Stars

In “Stargazing in High-Def” (June 1), Dan Neil strained belief in regard to his experience at Cerro Tololo in Chile: “And yet, this sky was all but black. I could make out a few familiar faces--Sirius, Polaris, Mars, Jupiter and Alpha I Crucis, the teasing kite-tail star of the Southern Cross--but beyond these brightest objects, little penetrated the night.”

I can believe Alpha I Crucis and Sirius were visible, but Polaris is much too far north to be seen from Cerro Tololo. Having spent nearly three years in western Argentina at almost the same latitude as Cerro Tololo, I know that the North Star is not visible that far south of the equator. Those stars, of course, would be visible from Mauna Kea.

Ursula T. Gibson

Tujunga