Since 1986 I have had an affiliation with the Hayden Planetarium in New York. My "official" title there is "Associate and Guest Lecturer." Indeed, through all of these years I given scores of presentations in Hayden's famous domed Space Theater and for several years even taught a course in introductory meteorology. Of late, among my duties is to interact with the mainstream media as well as members of the general public. If a question on astronomy or space is received either via email or snail mail, it will usually be forwarded to me for a response.
Recently, a handwritten letter on ruled looseleaf paper was forwarded to me, written by young lady named Ariana. She wrote:
