- If you ask a person on the street whether 1 is a prime number, they’ll probably pause, try to remember what they were taught, and say “no” (or “yes” or “I don’t remember”). Or maybe they’ll cross the street in a hurry. On the other hand, if you ask a mathematician, there’s a good chance they’ll say “That’s an excellent question” or “It’s kind of an interesting story…”
- Menkalinan (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MENKALINAN (Beta Aurigae). Beautifully shaped Auriga, the Charioteer, rides high in northern winter skies, dominated by brilliant Capella at the northwestern corner of the prominent pentagon that makes the figure. Almost immediately to the east lies a mid-second magnitude star, Menkalinan (Men-KAL-in-an), at the northeast corner, the Arabic name meaning “the shoulder of the rein-holder.”