THE COMETS TALE: HISTORY/EXPLORATION

Throughout history, people have watched the bright objects called

comets in the sky. At first, people knew very few facts about
comets, so they made up stories and beliefs about them. Their
ideas often made comets seem threatening and powerful.
Gradually, people began to observe, record, and compare
information on different comets. They began trying to explain
comets using the tools and methods of science. See if you can see
the changes in people's thinking as you look at these pictures
made at different times in history. We'll ask what you think
about some common comet questions, too.
DATE: 1145 CE
Many ancient people believed that the appearance of a comet was a
sign of bad luck to come. Others saw them as signs of great
events, or the rise and fall of a leader. They were not sure of
the source or origin of comets. Do you know where comets come
from? Even today scientists do not have all the answers to this
question.
DATE:1300 CE

This painting was done on a church wall in 13031306 by an artist named Giotto. A bright comet
had recently been seen in 1301. The artist used a

comet as a symbol of the historic moment because

people in his time would still recall this
exciting event. Scientists today know that the
comet of 1301 was Comet Halley. A spacecraft was
launched in 1986 to study Comet Halley. The
spacecraft was named Giotto after this artist.
People in this era were not sure about whether
comets enter the earth's atmosphere or are
further away like the planets or even the stars.
What do you think about this? How big do you
think comets are? Do you think they are like
stars? More like planets? How might you try to
answer these questions?
DATE: 1587 CE

London, The Warburg Institute

These paintings from the year 1587 show two kinds of comets. By
the 1500's, people had noticed that all comets do not look alike.
They observed the sky, recorded what they saw, and tried to
explain why there seemed to be different kinds of comets. They
thought one type of comet would bring peace and abundance while
another would bring sickness, wars, and the burning of houses.
Comets don't normally enter the Earth's atmosphere. People
discovered this with the use of telescopes invented in the 16th
century (1500's). But is it possible that a comet could hit the
earth? What would happen then? Do you think it has already
happened?
DATE: 1680

Do comets return to Earth or only pass by once?

Well, one thing that will help answer this
question is knowing if a comet circles around
our Solar System, or just passes by in a
straight path. The scientist Edmond Halley
discovered that the comets of 1531, 1607, and
1682 were all the same comet (guess what it was
named!) which was revolving around our Sun every
76 years.
Once people realized comets behaved in a regular
way like the planets, they seemed much less
frightening. This 1680 painting of a beautiful
comet with a long, golden tale, reflects a more
positive interest people began to have about
comets. This comet was so bright it could be
seen in the daytime, not just at night
Be an astronomer: Can you find the year for the next time Comet
Halley will appear? Remember, Comet Halley has a 76 year
period. For example, if it was seen in 1531, the next time it
would have been visible would have been: 1531 + 76 (years) = 1607
(keep adding 76 to figure out other years it was seen). So, if
Comet Halley was viewed in 1986, when is the next time it will be
seen? How old will you be when you see it?
DATE: 1858

An artist named Mary Evans made this picture

showing a comet seen over Paris, France in 1858.
Notice the artist made two thin lines coming out
of the comet. What do you think the lines might
be? The word comet comes from the Greek name
for "hairy star." Does this
picture give you any ideas
why the Greeks chose this
name?
It took people a while to
figure out how to predict
what path a comet would
travel. In the 1700s and
1800s scientists learned
to calculate the distances
and speeds at which comets
travel around the sun. At
that time, there were no
computers or calculators so
everyone had to do the
calculations by hand! Where
in the solar system would
you go to look for a comet?

DATE: 1900DATE: 1900

As they invented more powerful telescopes and ways of photographing
comets during the 1900's, people discovered much more about them. For
instance, they discovered that comets lose material each time they
pass the sun. With each trip around the sun, a comet becomes smaller
and smaller, and may even disappear. Scientists predict that some
comets have a life of about 76,000 years. These are the comets that
travel quickly around the sun, like Comet Halley. Is traveling around
the sun every 76 years fast for a comet? Yes! Some comets take a
hundred thousand (100,000) years or more. If you just missed one of
these comets and are waiting to see it, you will have to wait 100,000
years for it to come back. So, sit back and relax!

DATE:2000 CE
What is the latest comet news?

By now you may be wondering when you might get a

chance to observe a comet yourself. Astronomers
now track the locations of many comets, and tell
the public when a comet may be visible, and where
it will appear in the sky. New comets are also
being discovered all the time with today's
powerful telescopes and satellites. When this
happens the scientists name the comet, predict
its path, and how bright it may be.

Summer, 2000: Comet

Linear and its amazing
story!
In the summer of 2000, a
comet named Linear was
discovered as it
approached the earth and
sun. For a short time it
was visible at night
with binoculars. Then
Comet Linear violently
broke apart around July
26, 2000, when it made
its closest approach to
the sun, leaving many
smaller mini comets
instead of one large
comet.

Comet Linear moving

across the sky (repeating
animation).
www.astrophotographer.com

At first Comet LINEAR had

one large nucleus. Then, in
a three day sequence of
events the comet became
twice as bright and a chunk
of it blew off like a cork
from a bottle. Later, the
nucleus broke into many
fragments. These smaller
pieces of Linear continued
traveling in the same
(credit:STScI-PR00- direction, like bright
trails of fireworks.
26 July 28, 2000
press release)
Though comets have
been known to break
apart before (in
1994 Comet
Shoemaker-Levy 9
broke up before it
struck Jupiter),
this is the first
time scientists
have had a view of
this from so closeup.
Fall 2000:

A newly discovered comet!

On October 7th, 1999, astronomers discovered that

a new comet is coming and it was named Comet
McNaught-Hartley (after the two people who
discovered it). Scientists are studying this
distant comet, and according to their
predictions, Comet McNaught-Hartley is expected
to be brightest in December 2000 or January,
2001.
Beyond 2000: Will we see other comets in the
future?

Yes! Astronomers know that Comet Encke (EN-key),

which has been studied for many years, will be
flying by in the year 2003. This is its 59th
known visit to the solar system. Comet Encke
returns every 3.3 years, but it is not visible
from Earth every time. In the year 2003 it will
return and be visible. So, join the comet party
and mark it on your calendar! Other new comets
are being discovered every year.

This is the end of the History of Comets-Actually, it's really a history of what people
know about comets! Click on "Continue" for more
about what we know today.