With this prayer, the faithful in Europe prayed fervently for mercy from their enemies in the fifteenth century. And it was many enemies these people had. The Turks were invading and conquering all over Europe; the devil was running rampant. But the biggest enemy, and the one likely to be responsible for the others, was a comet in the sky.
Today we consider a comet to be a beautiful object, a celestial treat. We find it hard to imagine why anyone would think such a rare and beautiful object something evil. But in those days, it was not known what these comets were. Unfortunately for the comets, they seemed to have a problem of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For instance, when Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, there was a bright comet in the sky that some had said foretold of his death. In the year 1066, King Harold proposed the comet in the sky at the time, to be an evil omen of things to come. Shortly afterwards, he led his armies into battle, with William the conqueror and lost!
A comet in the sky was blamed for the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1631. Survivors claimed the comet actually caused the eruption. And a lot of people in London shook their fists at the comet of 1665 as they died of bubonic plague. London was the only major city ravaged by the plague that year. However, elsewhere, when people saw the comet, they were busy moving out of the range of volcanoes or anything else that might pose a danger!
By the Twentieth Century, the time was ripe for enterprising capitalists to cash in on people's fear and ignorance of comets. During the last passage of Halley's Comet in 1910, a certain American doctor made himself quite wealthy by prescribing comet pills for his patients. The pills were to be taken every hour until the comet had passed. He had lots of customers, especially after everyone heard the news that the earth would pass right through the comet's tail!
Though we now know quite a bit about comets, some people are just determined to be easy prey. When comet Hale Bopp’s close pass to Earth (which will reach its viewing peak this time next year) was announced, media tabloids rushed to come out with catastrophic comet tales!
Then early this year, yet another comet was discovered, this one named Hyakutake. It also promised to come close to Earth, and will also be bright enough for all to see. Let’s ignore the doom, and concentrate on viewing this gift from the cosmos.
Comet Hyakutake has been moving rapidly through the skies, moving from Scorpius, in the south, all the way over to where it will be best viewed near a group of stars nearly everyone can find, the Big Dipper. The best nights for viewing comet Hyakutake are the nights following March 25th, when it passes closest to Earth, only 0.10 astronomical unit (one astronomical unit is the distance from the Earth to the Sun, 150 million kilometers) No need to worry however; the comet will still be 15 million kilometers distant!
Comet Hyakutake can be found between the Big and Little Dippers on the nights of the 25th and the 26th when it will be at its brightest. Use the star chart to help find the dippers in the north sky. The comet could reach the diameter of two full moons, however it will be much dimmer and have the appearance of a large stretched cotton ball. It will be visible into April, but it is now moving quickly at 18 degrees per day.
Please visit my Comet Hyakutake WEB site at http://www/ccil.org/~kmiles, and if you would like more information about the community service provider for the internet, CCIL, try help@ccil.org or call voice phone 431-2673.
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