I wish Jo-ann Baena Cruz had been more careful in distinguishing among fact, speculation, and fiction in her article on Halley’s Comet (VERITAS, Dec. 29).

She says "Chinese astronomers were the first to document its apparition as early as 240 B. C.", although the scientific consensus is merely that the Han dynasty document in question is MAY be the first record. The first sure record is on the comet seen in 87 B. C. Beyond the fact that Caesar was aged four at that time, there is no justification for Ms. Cruz’s fanciful report that the comet was seen by "Julius Caesar who looked into the skies one night in 87 B. C."

The belief that Halley’s Comet was the Star of Bethlehem is rooted not in science but in art (and artistic license). The belief dates back to the painter Giotto di Bondone who saw the comet in 1301 and painted it as the Star of the Nativity.
 

MARISSA GUINTO