
January 12, 2007
I just discovered Bill and Bull, a double planet orbiting Delta Eridani. Oh, ok, so I didn’t literally discover it — astronomers from Uppsala University did. Isn’t that marvellous? Discovering a double planet and naming the constituents Bill and Bull.
And for those readers who were not raised on a diet of Swedish childrens’ literature: Bill and Bull were twin cats who were the minions of the nasty cat Måns, nemesis of Pelle Svanslös (Peter No-tail in the English translations of the books). Bill and Bull were always seen together, and always said the same things, generally echoing what Måns said (and often getting it oh so slightly wrong). Especially Bull had no imagination of his own, he’d repeat everything Bill said, and so in Swedish, “X, said Bull” has become a means of emphasising that X is rather obvious.
Bill and Bull as a double planet. Excellent. I’ll sleep well tonight.